Monday, May 28, 2007

Owls Off A-Cross

5/28/07

It's getting a bit too hot here to do much exploration but we did manage to get out for a short trip yesterday morning with Jean & Larry. We've been passing an old ranch on our travels so we thought we'd take a closer look. The place looked to be fairly modern, we haven't found any history on it yet, we'll have to ask some locals to fill in the gaps. We did learn that the Forest Service once used it as a fire station to cover the eastern end of The Tonto National Forest, Roosevelt district. A sign we found leads us to believe it might have been the Lazy S Ranch once upon a time.
The best part of the trip was finding three sleeping owls. Two flew away (sorry for disturbing your sleep guys) but one hung around to watch us and have his photo taken. I think they're either Whiskered Screech Owls or Flammulated Owls, not sure which but either way, they sure were cute.

 

Saturday, May 26, 2007

*NOTICE PLEASE*

6/1/07 NOTE: AOL got the journals fixed as they promised. Whew! What a relief!

5/26/07

If you're having any problems viewing the pictures or any of the entries in my journal, you're not alone.  Hopefully the AOL techs will have the problem solved and patched next week some time. AOL is working on a new and different photo viewer and in the process, they've screwed up some existing journals.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience, have patience and check back again.  Please, you might say a little prayer to the AOL gods to fix the problem soon. A virgin sacrifice might help but...well....maybe not. 

Saturday, May 5, 2007

Cherry Creek Road to Board Tree Saddle

5/5/07

We set out about 6 AM today to try and beat the heat, as it turned out our temperatures were great anyway with a high of only 75ยบ.

We've been on this trail before, but friends, Larry & Jean hadn't run it in its entirety, so we set out for higher elevations to run Cherry Creek Road to Board Tree Saddle up on SR 288. (288 is Desert To Tall Pines Scenic Highway) It's a beautiful trip. Through creeks, up and down some steep terrain and passing through lovely peaceful wooded glades. The air was crisp and clean with a definite nip in the air at the higher elevations.
 
Only a few critter sightings, a couple of Mule Deer, a pair of White Tail Deer, a large Jack Rabbit and some ground squirrels, none of them paused for picture taking.
 
As I continue writing this journal, I find I'm running out of acceptable adjectives to describe the grandeur of what we're seeing. Today was no exception. The scent of pine in the crystal clear, cool, alpine air is hard to put into words. The deep canyon ravines with dizzying dropoffs and the lush green vegetation of all varieties along the way added even more wonder to the experience.
 
The total trip lasted a bit over five hours, certainly time well spent.