Ralph and Laura's Backroad Adventures

Growlph Update

2012-01-13T08:06:00.004-07:00

Wow, it's been a little over a year since we posted anything new in our journal....but...heck....since retiring, not much new has happened (knock on wood).

We've done a bit of Jeeping but most runs have been on previously posted trails, so we didn't want to bore you all with double entries. We've found that one definite advantage to growing older is that we've forgotten the details of trails we've already been on, Jeeping them is like a whole new experience for us.

We've spent a good bit of our time working with our Schnauzer, Growlph. As you may recall, he came from a Schnauzer rescue group and to say he has issues, is putting it mildly. We've both gotten more than a few bites and nibbles from him as we've attempted grooming. He lets us use the scissors but when it comes to the clippers, he's not a big fan of the whirring sound they make...sure wish they made silent clippers for skittish pooches. Trimming his nails requires the use of gloves and a big blanket to wrap him in. We pull one paw from the blanket at a time and hope his face is covered enough to prevent bites. Those are his worst characteristics...all in all, they're things we can live with. On the plus side. he's turned from a distrusting, standoffish dog into a sweet loving creature who wants to be in our laps and loves being petted. We feel like it's quite an accomplishment for us to have won his trust. He now gives sloppy, slurpy Schnauzer kisses and nudges us for pets...he's come a LONG way!

We recently found a severe irritation, a large lump, under his tongue and fearing the worst we took him to the Vet, (After an internet search I was convinced it was either cancerous or the bite of a rare, exotic, tropical insect) needless to say, the Vet couldn't get a good look at it in the examining room, so we scheduled a teeth cleaning.

He had it done yesterday and we're so happy and relieved to report, the irritation under his tongue was just a place where he snagged his tongue on his teeth and it's well on the way to healing.

Well, that's all that new from our little corner of the world...

We want to take this opportunity to wish you all a happy, safe and prosperous New Year!

GROWLPH

Geriatric Jeepin' On Cherry Creek Road

2010-12-06T16:27:00.008-07:00

We headed out this morning with a group of 8 Jeeps for some geriatric Jeepin' on Cherry Creek Road. Our friend Bruce from Casa Grande and his pals hadn't been on this run before and it had been quite some time since we did it last with Larry & Jean. The road had been closed because of flood damage due to the heavier than normal monsoon rains last summer. The forest service had to clear some pretty bad wash-outs and rock slides but now the road is open all the way from Hwy 288 to Board Tree Saddle. It was a bit muddy in places, rocky in others and as usual, there were some very high, on the edge views to be seen along the way. We didn't take any scenic pictures this time, we've posted them before but we focused instead on the Jeepin' group of oldsters (us included.) We stopped along the way to have lunch at PB Cabin. The day was clear and cool and the smell of fallen leaves and pine trees provided a lingering memory...very nice!

Here are a couple of links to previous posts regarding PB Cabin and our Cherry Creek trips.

(click your back button to return to this page)

Ralph and Laura's Backroad Adventures: Board Tree Saddle, Cherry Creek to PB Cabin

Ralph and Laura's Backroad Adventures: Back To PB Cabin

Fantastic Scenery

2010-11-29T17:11:00.005-07:00

Wow! Larry and Jean took us to a nearby spot that we hadn't seen before. We'd driven in the vicinity before but never ventured past the locked gates barring our way. This time, we crawled under the gates and ventured in. It was well worth the walk. The scenery and views were spectacular to say the least.

Evidently, the property is owned by a gold and copper mining company located in the Globe/Miami area. At one time there used to be a small ranch there with a house and cattle operation. We heard that the caretaker skipped out and didn't notify the owners and rumor has it that the house was stripped of plumbing and wiring by some ne'er-do-wells looking to make a fast buck by selling the copper. Harrumph ... even in the boondocks we're not immune to these low-life idiots. Anyway, the mining company had the house bulldozed, probably to avoid any liability in the future.

The area has some of the prettiest scenery we've seen anywhere. Sycamore and Cottonwood trees were showing their Fall colors and the skies were a brilliant blue. We enjoyed our hike through the woods and along the beautiful washes along the way.

Camp Reno

2010-11-24T16:14:00.005-07:00

It was a beautiful Fall day here. Our temperatures were in the mid to upper 50's with a freshness in the air that's truly invigorating!
We headed out this morning with Larry & Jean to check out the area around Camp Reno. Camp Reno was a short-lived cavalry post established in 1867 and then abandoned in 1870. During that short period of time marauding Apaches were brought under control after several major skirmishes in the surrounding areas. We've been there before so we thought that since it was such a beautiful day, we'd show it to Larry & Jean.
Here's a link to a post we did back in January'07 when we went there last and researched a bit of history of the place. Ralph and Laura's Backroad Adventures: Camp Reno and Sutter's Store
Nothing much has changed there except the road was a bit rougher than the last time but all in all it wasn't too bad. We hauled our metal detector along with us but after some searching we turned up nothing but some very old rusty cans, barbed wire and a sardine can key....not exactly treasure. Ah well, maybe next time.
Below are a few shots of the area, nice scenery and a super way to spend a few hours.

Reno Creek with sycamore trees wearing Fall colors

The old desert rats

Some cowboys were herding cattle in the area

Horse Shoe Bend Jeeping

2010-11-01T16:36:00.005-07:00

Beautiful Jeep run, beautiful day! We headed out early this morning with Jean and Larry to see Horse Shoe Bend. It's really good to be back on the trail with them again. The trail leading there was pretty good with just a few rocky places, but all in all, pretty smooth sailing without any of the scary places found on so many other trails. Larry and Jean had been there before so while we were in the vicinity, we checked out a lovely little oasis in the desert, a bamboo grove with clear cold water flowing from a natural spring, tall walnut trees added even more shade.
After spending a bit of time at the oasis, we headed for the Salt River and Horse Shoe Bend. WOW! What a neat spot, the Salt River meanders through canyons on its way to Roosevelt Lake.
It would be a super place to camp, although it's a bit isolated, we'd want another couple or two to spend the night with us as well. On the way down the mountain the views of the Salt River were spectacular, just like something taken from a postcard.

The spring

Spectacular views along the way

The Salt River on its way to Roosevelt Lake

Jean waving hello

Larry and Ralph playing in the Salt River

A self-indulgent post

2010-06-05T07:23:00.005-07:00

Since our Jeeping has come to a screeching halt now that the summer temps are upon us (100º expected today) I thought we'd post a few pictures of Growlph, our Mini Schnauzer. He just turned 6 a few days ago but in many ways, he's still a puppy. We don't know for sure what his background was before we got him from Arizona Schnauzer Rescue almost a year ago, but he's unique to say the least. He's evidently got some emotional baggage (don't we all?) but we're working with him to overcome his "issues." Trust seems to be one of his main concerns. He trusts Ralph and has become his shadow all day long. It's taken him longer to trust me, but he's progressed to allowing me to rub his belly while laying in my lap....REAL progress...heck...when I met Ralph let me do that almost immediately. *insert wink here* HA!

He's a social little critter and greets people with lots of wags and happiness, then he withdraws and would rather be left alone until he gets to know them. Much of our day is spent catering to his wants and needs...why not?...we're retired and don't have to answer to anyone...

Growlph has become quite the little Jeeping buddy, he loves bouncing along the back roads as much as we do, so many new smells, so much to explore and see.

Sometimes we wonder who needs who more....he adds so much enjoyment to our everyday lives, there's not a day that goes by that we don't laugh at his odd little antics.

Tickle me again and I'll bite you!

Who wouldn't love this sweet face?!

Nugget Wash

2010-04-19T13:36:00.008-07:00

We decided to do a bit of close-to-home Jeeping with Larry & Jean today. The former town of Nugget is located fairly close to home, just outside of Globe. In its glory days it was a small but thriving silver mining town, even having a post office from January 7, 1881 until March 10, 1884. The town, although small, supported a saloon, a few general stores and a house providing feminine entertainment to the rough and tumble old west miners. (it's a wonder they had the energy after hefting a pick and shovel all day long!) As with many old west towns, it soon became a shadow of its former self as the silver ran out and people moved on to a more prosperous area.

Not much remains today of Nugget, just the remains of the old stamp mill and a few unidentifiable foundations scattered here and there over the rocky terrain.

It was an enjoyable run, it was especially nice to come home without feeling like we'd been put through the mill ourselves!

To read more about stamp mills click here:
Stamp Mill (use your "back" button to return to this page)

Welcome to Nugget

Wildflowers were abundant

Pretty flowers growing up through the rocky soil

Let's park here, the trail gets a bit rough

Uh sure... it looks like a road to me!

Yep, there's the road... follow that blue Jeep!

The remains of the old silver stamp mill

A capped off spring marked the end of the trail for us

FR 609, Exploring The Cave With Bruce and Judy

2010-04-18T06:00:00.007-07:00

Nice run! Yesterday we Jeeped FR 609 with our friends from Casa Grande, Bruce and Judy. It was a perfect day, the weather cooperated by giving us light breezes and moderate temperatures. Wild flowers and cacti were blooming, adding nice color to the already pretty trail.

It's always fun to show people places they haven't seen before so we thoroughly enjoy showing Bruce and Judy the cave and the trail leading from SR 288 all the way through and coming out at Punkin Center on the west side of Roosevelt Lake.

We don't ordinarily go out on weekends because some of the trails can get a bit crowded with loads of people coming up from Phoenix to enjoy the better temperatures in the mountains. Yesterday was no exception, the cave on FR 609 resembled a blue light special at K-Mart, with lots of city people crawling around the cave, oohing and aahing in the damp, spooky interior. It was fun hearing them talk about snakes...no self-respecting snake would ever be found in such an uninviting, cold interior but we didn't tell them, instead we agreed that caution should be used, yep, ya never know when a rattler might be lurking under the rocks deep inside the cave....

The cave had been living quarters for ancient Indians at one time, you can still see some evidence of their presence. Few cave drawings remain, but looking closely, you can still find a few faint images. The fire pit still holds a few charred bits of wood and the ceiling above it still shows the smokey stains left behind by generations of cooking. The remains of stone walls are still present, making it easy to imagine what life was like for the cave dwellers.
The next time we go back to the cave, we'll be sure to go during the week to avoid the crowds of city weekenders.

Hedgehog cactus in full bloom

Our two red Jeeps

The cave entrance

Me, Growlph, Judy and Bruce

Ralph, Judy, Growlph and Bruce

A city feller stepping carefully to avoid stepping on snakes

Stacked stone walls left by the ancients tell a story of what life was like

for the early cave dwellers

Judy and Bruce inside the cave

The smokey ceiling above an ancient fire pit

Ajax and Beyond

2010-03-14T06:59:00.007-07:00

Yesterday we headed out with a group of 4-Wheelers from the Casa Grande Club. Bruce & Judy, Bill & Maureen, Sue, Russ, Tom, Larry & Jean, Ralph & I, and of course, Growlph.
Although some of the Jeepers had been to the area outside of Superior, running through to Florence Junction, Ralph & I hadn't been there before so it was a new experience for us. Bruce headed the run since he was familiar with the trail but he wasn't expecting the changes that had occurred during the heavy rains we've had this winter. The trail was bumpy to say the least. Off camber and tippy in quite a few places, we found some of the dry washes with running water but none of the water presented a problem during the crossings. Our destination was the old Ajax Mine, a silver mine active on and off from 1915 to 1948. A minimal amount of gold and copper were also mined there. The mines are still there, along with the large concrete ore loader, an impressive structure. We could only imagine what it must have been like there when miners hauled truckloads of ore over the narrow, dangerous roads.
Since this is one of the first weekends we've had without rain, lots of people were on the trails, ATV's, dirt bikes and all kinds of four wheel drive vehicles shared the trails with us, making it interesting when we met someone going in the opposite direction on a narrow, high, one lane trail. Lots of careful maneuvering was required but the skilled Jeepers made it through with no carnage to report.
Bruce also took us to see the ancient petroglyphs carved in rock by the Hohokam Indians some as old as 2000 years ago. Archaeologists are still working to interpret their meanings.
To read more about the ancient Hohokam Indians, check this out:
History - Hohokam
(use your "back" button to return to this page)
It was a good run, a beautiful day spent with fellow Jeepers, good people and good friends, nice!

The mountains outside of Superior

more views of the mountains

all six Jeeps taking a break

Stretching our legs and taking a break from the bumps

the impressive ore loader at Ajax Mine

a dangerous open vertical mine shaft at Ajax Mine

Growlph cooling his paws in the creek

The Ralph & The Growlph

Taking a break for lunch

Ancient Hohokam petroglyphs

...more petroglyphs

Then And Now...

2010-03-06T06:19:00.003-07:00

We took a ride down the Apache Trail before the rains come again tomorrow. The trail was in unusually good condition having been recently bladed after the last rain storm closed the trail for a few days. Perhaps people from Phoenix and snowbirds had the same idea we did because the traffic on the trail was exceptionally heavy. There have been times we've had the entire route completely to ourselves but this time it appeared everyone from Canada, Michigan or Minnesota decided to enjoy the beautiful weather as well. It's entertaining to see people's expressions of terror as they descend Fish Creek Canyon with its sheer 900 foot drop offs just outside their car windows.
Back in the early 1900s until it burned in 1929, Fish Creek Lodge offered a resting place for road weary travelers. In his book "Images of America," (great little book, we highly recommend it) Richard L. Powers offers many old photographs of the lodge as it appeared through the years, fist with mule teams and horses parked outside, then in later years, automobiles and tour buses. There isn't much left to see at the old lodge site, just a few old crumbling foundations and lots of broken glass bottles. We speculated that it must have been a tradition for travelers to break bottles after they were finished with whatever contents the bottles held, at any rate, old glass littered the ground.
A few wild poppies were beginning to bloom giving us a glimpse of what should be one of the best wildflower seasons ever. Now, I guess we'll hunker down and wait until the next storm passes. Dry desert, yeah, right...

You can read more about the Apache Trail here:
(use your "back" button to return to this page)
Apache Trail Arizona Map Attraction Guide AZ Tours

Tour buses lined up outside Fish Creek Lodge

The Superstition Mountains looming high above
with a wet weather waterfall running down the side of
the mountain.

View from the lodge

Fish Creek Canyon

Not much remains of the old Lodge

I Told You So!

2010-02-20T16:18:00.002-07:00

We've had some really fantastic weather all week long, sunny, mild...simply perfect so we decided to head out on a Jeep run on FR609. It's a fairly long run up in the mountains, one of our favorites. Larry and Jean and a couple of friends from Tucson wanted to go along too on what should have been a pleasant drive up through the pines and pastures, stopping along the way to visit a cave we wanted to explore again. All week long the weather people have been reporting that rains were expected beginning Saturday and continuing on and off throughout the weekend. Heck, what do they know?
We awoke this morning to spotty clouds, but the worse part were the mountains, we couldn't even see them in the distance, they were completely covered in clouds. I muttered something about it being a damned fool idea to head up there in bad weather, but my objections were met with, "nah, it looks okay to me," so off we went. Crossing Tonto Creek can be a bit of a challenge, but after ignoring the rather large barricade and sign declaring "road closed" we made it across the flooded creek without a problem. The clouds were getting thicker, darker and more threatening as we headed up the mountain. Rain was beginning to spatter on the windshield, mud was getting deeper, so deep that we all decided to stop and let some air out of our tires to give them more traction getting through the mud. We were fairly high up in the clouds by this time, the fog was closing in along with the heavy sleet that was pelting us and covering the muddy road in white pellets. The Jeeps were sliding, fishtailing, making the drive pretty treacherous and we knew that the road ahead wouldn't be any better so deciding discretion is indeed the better part of valor, we turned back. I've got to admit feeling rather smug on the ride back home but I held it in as long as I could before I blurted out, "I told you so!" .... only to be met with a distinct "harumph" from Ralph.
Oh well, better luck next time.

***

Tonto Creek crossing, "road closed" (what road?)

Foggy and rainy, mud soup

"view" of the mountains?

The forest primeval

Sliding through the mud

Redefining The Desert

2010-01-23T12:35:00.005-07:00

Webster's says;

Main Entry: desert
Pronunciation: de-z-rt
Function: noun
Results
1. arid land with usually sparse vegetation especially such land having a very warm climate and receiving less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of sporadic rainfall annually.

b. an area of water apparently devoid of life
2. wild uninhabited and uncultivated tract
3. desolate or forbidding area

Holy smoke! We've had about five straight days of steady rain here, it sure doesn't fit the definition of "desert" we find in the dictionary.

Gila County Sheriff's deputies were going door to door out here, warning people that evacuation might be eminent due to the potential of heavy flooding in our area. It was a wild week, the rain didn't stop except for a brief time yesterday when the sun broke through just long enough to show us that it was still up there where it belongs. We were lucky to escape relatively unscathed, happily evacuation wasn't necessary, although we did have the Jeep loaded with things we might need to survive a few days away from home. There were times we did get a bit nervous, particularly when the "dry" wash behind our house began to flow like a small river, we've never seen water in it before. Pinto Creek, the larger wash near us is roaring along the way to the lake along with every other formerly dry wash and riverbed in the area.

We've had more rain in five days than Arizona normally gets in an entire year. The mountains have gotten record breaking snows in some areas and even some ski resorts are closed because there's too much snow!

Growlph, our picky little Schnauzer has to be forced to go outside, he despises getting his paws wet, the poor little guy prefers to hold his business rather than risk getting wet. He's been wet and dry so many times, we're sure he's going to mildew if the rain doesn't stop soon. Ah, there's nothing quite like the essence of a wet dog. (Eau de Schnauzer?)

Our electricity was out for a few hours on and off during the week and yesterday, we had no phone service outside of our small calling area..no internet...Egads! We managed to stay snug, dry and warm in front of our wood stove so all in all, we have no real complaints.

Many major roads are closed for various weather related reasons including some interstate highways in the northern part of the state. The Forest Service has closed quite a few back roads due to unsafe conditions. Anyhoo, it looks like our Jeeping may be put on hold at least for a while until the trails have dried out a bit.

The entire state has had its share of something, flooding, dust storms, hail, sleet, freezing rain, wind, blizzards, snow.... we can't help but wonder what's coming next...locusts? pestilence? famine?

****

Here are some pictures we took this morning between the raindrops, it sure doesn't look deserty to us!

The Ray Mine

2010-01-15T15:59:00.005-07:00

It's a beautiful day today, clear, cool and sunny. We decided to take a ride to an area we've passed before but never had driven through. It's a big circular route leaving from Globe and heading down to Superior and then across to Winkleman and back up to Globe. It's all paved highway, no backroading today.... about 90+ miles or so.
We've read about the Ray Mine being the second largest open pit copper mine in the state and wanted to see it first hand. Wow, what a gruesomely awesome sight it is! Huge doesn't begin to describe it, the photos can't show the true enormity and scope of the operation. Although we don't consider ourselves to be "tree huggers" or extreme environmentalists, we can't help but ponder what impact such an undertaking has on the environment, even the signs at the scenic overlook at the mine tell about sulfuric acid being used in the processing of copper ore. We watched as giant dump trucks crept back and forth dumping load afer load of mine tailings, leaving concentric mountains in place of the ones Mother Nature had previously put there. Yep, the world needs copper, lots of it and it's got to be mined somewhere...but.......sigh

The little dots in the center of this photo are giant dump trucks

A huge shovel and a $20,000 truck tire. (so the sign said) and a frustrated Schnauzer who wanted to piddle on the truck tire but couldn't because it was fenced off.

Mother Nature didn't intend for mountains to look like these

Thousands of feet deep into the open pit

Lots of copper is being hauled from this site

Jeeping The Pinal Mountains

2010-01-10T03:23:00.004-07:00

Great Day! Yesterday we went Jeeping with some good folks from the Casa Grande 4-Wheelers Club, Bruce & Judy, Bill & Maureen, Russ & Jackie, as well as a cheerful Border Collie named Socks.

We headed out with no particular destination in mind except to explore some of the areas in the Pinal Mountains, south of the town of Globe. The Pinals offer a range of vastly differing scenery ranging from lush pine and Manazanita forests to desert plateaus thick with barrel cacti, creosote bushes and scrub. Altitudes were mostly high, some close to 8000 feet, offering gorgeous, sweeping views of the mountains surrounding us.

The roads were fairly good with the very notable exception of the trail leading from Pioneer Basin up to Pioneer Pass. We've always been told that this trail in particular could be a problem, especially in bad weather. Fortunately, the day was clear and sunny and the trail was dry. After taking a long, bumpy trail we came upon a house and an old mining camp. The lone resident, a "different" fellow, a true hermit lived there with only the company of his dog, many miles away from the nearest civilization. Bruce stopped to chat with him and ask about the road conditions ahead. I don't know what was said but just past his place the trail turned ugly. We had to make the choice of attempting it or turning back from whence we came. We decided to attempt it. Since we drive a mostly "stock" Jeep while the other three are built more for this kind of terrain, we were a bit concerned about whether we could make it through without any carnage to our Jeep, but our worries proved to be unfounded. Ralph's Jeep driving experience served him well, we made it through with only a relatively few groans, stiffled screams and gasps from me....good job Ralph!

It was nice meeting new people and making new friends with the same interests as ours'...to enjoy the scenic beauty the backroads of Arizona has to offer to fellow Jeepers.

Ready to hit the trail

There's the road far below

Sweeping views of the Pinals

Howdy folks!

Challenging to( say the least)

NOT a road well traveled!

Pioneer Basin

We were rewarded with this spectacular view

Jeepin' to McMillenville

2009-12-20T05:33:00.005-07:00

We decided to head for the former town of McMillenville yesterday. Back in the 1800s McMillenville was a fairly large silver mining town, it even had a post office, established in November, 1877 until October, 1882. Nowadays, not much remains of its former glory.
During the town's heyday it was subjected to a major, brutal Apache raid. It seems that the area was once part of land designated by the government to be part of the Apache reservation. Then, silver was discovered there by a pair of wandering prospectors, Charlie McMillen and Theodore Harris, March 6, 1876. It wasn't long after that the government decided to "resurvey" the reservation, low and behold the government determined that the land containing the rich silver strike wasn't part of the reservation afterall... hmmm mighty suspicious, (seems typical of government activity but that thought is for another post and probably not appropriate here...okay Laura, step away from that soapbox!) anyway, it's a small wonder the Apaches were angry.
In Nell Murbarger's wonderful book, "Ghosts Of The Adobe Walls", Nell describes the town as she found it back in 1950. There were still adobe ruins of old miner's cabins present but even then, not much remained of the town. The original main mine, the Stonewall Jackson is now located on private property, the rest of what remains is on Tonto National Forest land.
We found outlines of old buildings, some Indian ruins along with the old tin cans that can usually be found at this kind of site. We even found a shard of Indian pottery laying near an eroded wash.
Although little remains of the ghost town of McMillenville, we stood amid the ruins with Nell Murbarger's words echoing in our ears, " I left the old town of McMillen to its gray adobe ruins, its small gray lizards....and the gray ghosts of its departed dreams."

barely the outline of an old adobe cabin

a miner's cabin probably stood here

Ralph checking out more ruins

after McMillenville we checked out FR 584, oops the road ends here

The view from FS 584

Seneca Lake

2009-12-10T17:38:00.004-07:00

It's been cold here, lots of rain with more on the way beginning tonight. This morning although it was cloudy the sun was trying to come out so we decided to take a ride to look for the former mining town of McMillenville. There's nothing left of the town, but we're hoping to find where it once stood. It had quite a bit of history in its day, Indian attacks and lots of silver mining. They even had a post office for a couple of years back in the late 1800's. We didn't locate the town, or any of the silver mines so we rode a bit further down the road to Seneca Lake, located on the Apache Reservation. At one time Seneca looked to be a really nice place, a trading post, cabins and a pretty campground, all in a sad state of disrepair now. It's a shame to see everything falling down and being vandalized. The lake is still pretty and supposedly has some good fishing, but since it's on the reservation, the $25 per day fishing permit is a bit pricey for a few bass or trout. Past the lake, we tried another road, it led to the edge of the cliffs overlooking the Salt River Canyon, the pictures can't do the place justice, you've got to see these views to believe them. Spectacular to say the least.
We'll do some more research and see if we can find the exact location of McMillenville and make a return trip to the area, if nothing else, the scenery alone makes the trip worthwhile.

Some of the ruins of Seneca, a shame to see it all

falling down

Seneca Lake

You've got to see these views to believe them!

Salt River Canyon far below

Oh my, that's a longgg way down!

Our voices echoed whenever we spoke here

No Turkey, Just Murder and Asbestos

2009-11-27T02:21:00.008-07:00

We left our turkey snug and comfy, sitting in the freezer where it belongs and headed to the ghost town of Mule Hoof Bend with Larry and Jean and both pooches yesterday morning. We've read about it and had been told that it was worth seeing, so we finally decided to go. I have to admit, I was dragging my feet for a year or so on making the trip, I knew the elevations were well over 5000 feet and the views were spectacular. Whenever I hear someone say "Oh, the views are awesome" it gets me nervous because along with those views comes my fear of height issue. Well, this time was worth swallowing my fear because it turned out to be one of the most beautiful places we've been thus far. (Thank you Andy B for the history information, preview pictures and report on the road conditions!)
Mule Hoof Bend a former asbestos mining town is located high above the Salt River Canyon. It's got a rather sordid history because the owner of the mine, Guy Phillips was murdered there. His wife, Ruby Mae was charged with the crime but a jury failed to convict her, much to the chagrin of the sheriff at the time who thought he had a solid case against her. Guy Phillips had made a lot of enemies and when people were asked who they thought had committed the murder, they'd reply, "just open the phone book and stick a pin in any name".... I guess he wasn't a very nice guy. If Ruby did indeed commit the crime, people probably understood her reasons behind it, particularly the jury.
There are quite a few remains of the town including the house where the murder took place and even a small jail located in the basement of one of the buildings. Ordinarily, I believe the forest service would have "reclaimed" the entire town by bulldozing the remains, but in the case of Mule Hoof Bend, the whole place is built out of asbestos, even the stucco walls are asbestos, thus requiring a hazardous waste removal, a very costly proposition. Fortunately for us, there is a lot left to see, including the extensive honeycomb of mines located on a mountaintop above Mule Hoof Bend.
After seeing Mule Hoof Bend we drove further down the road toward Regal Mine, we didn't find the mine itself but we did find more and more ruins of abandoned cabins, houses and cars dotting the landscape.
The weather was as perfect as it could be, we couldn't have custom ordered a better day. We'll return to the area in the near future, there was just too much to see in one day, in the meanwhile, our turkey can wait, we enjoyed our grilled steak dinners and the company of a day spent with good friends a whole lot more.
Yep, we do have a lot to be thankful for....

Salt River Canyon far below

One of the mine tunnels

Inside one of the tunnels, they honeycomb the entire

mountain

Another rustic shack further down the road

Umm could you check my oil? I seem to have a "miss"

abandoned houses at Mule Hoof Bend

This small jail is located in the basement of one

of the buildings.

Buddy and Growlph ignoring each other

The murder house, not exactly house beautiful anymore.

More canyon views

Wow, that's a longgg way down!

The detective novels of the day covered the story

We'll never know who really committed the crime.

Ruby Mae and Guy are both dead and if someone else was involved,

they're not talking.

Short Run, No Gold

2009-11-17T15:43:00.003-07:00

Just a short run this morning with our friend Larry. We'd noticed some old prospects dug into a hillside of one of the trails up a wash not far from our home so we decided to check them out. According to our information from the Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources, there were quite a few claims at one time in this specific area filed by people looking for gold. I don't know how successful they were or which of these mines might have produced gold, but there sure wasn't any evidence of it today. The old mines didn't look very inviting, none of them were cut into hard rock, just tunnels dug into the mountainside. Some had old timbers used for shoring, and some had experienced cave-ins sometime in the past, at any rate, we didn't feel comfortable enough to venture too far into their dark interiors. The old miners had to be a hearty lot, imagine crawling up the side of a mountain and saying, "let's dig here." We couldn't help but wonder what might have lay beyond the cave-ins, I suppose we'll never know.
If was a beautiful day, clear and cool with a slight breeze, perfect for a nice, comfy Jeep run.

The hillside is carved with old mining prospects

Here's an old bat outside one of the mines

This one was dug into fairly soft rocky dirt

The shoring of old wood and rotted beams didn't

do much to prevent the ceiling from collapsing

No gold, just rocks and dirt...darnit

I guess this cave-in will keep us

from finding what lays beyond

There's Roosevelt Lake

The group of buildings in the valley foreground is where we live.

Cherry Creek to FR 202

2009-11-10T06:12:00.004-07:00

We've been wanting to check out a trail off of Cherry Creek Road for quite some time. The trail, FR 202 skirts the Sierra Ancha Wilderness as well as the Apache Nation's Reservation. It runs from above Roosevelt Lake to Young, taking many twists and turns along the way.
Yesterday morning we headed out with Jean & Larry to check it out. Of course we took the Jeep, but since Larry and Jean were taking Buddy, their HUGE dog, they took their Toyota Highlander, Buddy wouldn't fit in their Jeep. We were concerned that the trail would be too much of a hazard for the Highlander but it turns out we worried for nothing. The trail was a bit rocky in places but as we approached the northern end, the road smoothed out into a dirt super highway, dusty, but great traveling. The weather couldn't have been better, cool in the high elevations with the sun shining brightly. We stopped for a picnic lunch in the shade of a tall pine forest just outside of Young.
Growlph did just fine, he's a little trooper. Since he's such a Daddy's boy, he spent most of the trip with his head contentedly resting on Ralph's shoulder. It was a long trip, we left at 8 A.M. and arrived back home at 4 P.M., dusty and tired but very glad to be hitting the trails again. When we arrived back home, Growlph ate his dinner, then went to bed, growling at us when we asked "wanna go in the Jeep?"...smart dog. I seem to recall growling as well last night, when Ralph asked me, "wanna go Jeeping?" ... we can learn a lot from our dogs.

Smoke can be seen in the distance from a fire burning on

the Apache reservation.

The road was dusty!

A rustic corral along the way

Larry, Jean, Ralph & Growlph

(Buddy is in the Highlander)

Some cattle kept a close eye on us

Nice smooth road!

Turning tail on the trail

2009-10-31T03:07:00.003-07:00

This was our second experiment into the possibilities of camping on the trail. We'd hoped to establish a way to head out on the trail into far reaching destinations and be able to camp for the night when we got tired instead of heading home. Well, to put it mildly, it just isn't going to happen, leastways, not in the winter time...come to think of it, probably not in the summer either.
We headed for Burnt Corral along the Apache Trail again. We were optimistic upon arriving, the weather was perfect with temperatures in the upper 70s. Setting up the tent was easy with no wind at all. That evening we were happy campers as we enjoyed a meal by the campfire. The next day dawned bright and sunny as well but by mid afternoon the winds began to pick up, gusting at times to at least 40 miles per hour. The tent ballooned and billowed but held its ground. The temperature began to drop adding to the chill factor. Of course with the high wind we had to eliminate the possibility of a campfire that night, we had no choice but to head to bed early and hope for a better day the next day. That night, the winds blew without ceasing, at times we wondered if we'd make headlines if our tent decided to blow away with us inside, (ala "balloon-boy" )
The next few days didn't improve as almost record low temperatures hit Arizona. Sleeping proved to be a challenge in the cold so we decided to use our propane heater designed for use in a tent. Ah warmth at last...but what we didn't count on was the condensation the heat on the tent walls that would be created when the heat hit the cold walls of the tent..getting dressed in cold, wet clothes the next morning only set the mood for the entire day and seeing Growlph with his teeth chattering from the cold eased our decision to pack it all up and head for home. I dunno, maybe we're getting too old for the adventure lifestyle although we would hate to ponder and possibly admit to it.
We'll still be hitting the trails and doing our jeeping but if we're going to be away overnight, perhaps we'll be phoning ahead...for reservations.

Cozy by the campfire on day one

What a beautiful sunset over Apache Lake!

Ah camping at its finest

It only got better...

The next day, gray, windy and dismal

Back To Nature...sorta

2009-10-10T15:38:00.005-07:00

It was an idyllic week. We decided to go camping last Monday to spend the week at one of our favorite campgrounds, the spot where we spent our honeymoon, Burnt Corral on Apache Lake, along the Apache Trail in the Superstition Mountains.
We drove into Globe on Monday to pick up a few last minute supplies. In order to get a jump start on getting our campsite set up, we stopped for lunch at a local eatery instead of preparing food at the campground. We were proud of ourselves for ordering "healthy" salads instead of the usual greasy burger and fries.
Arriving at the campground, we had the place almost to ourselves, and picked a choice spot, close to the lake, close to the rest rooms, close to the fresh water source. The day was clear and cool, the birds were serenading us from the trees surrounding our campsite. We spent the week enjoying ourselves, fishing, relaxing, appreciating the breathtaking scenery of the Superstitions. Pretty boring huh? ...Well, read on....
Now for the truth of the matter. Yep, we went to Globe on Monday, yep, we had our "healthy" lunch of nice salads, however, we didn't count on the food poisoning that followed. Monday evening our stomachs were queasy, by Tuesday, there was no denying it, we had food poisoning, along with all the symptoms I won't go into details describing, suffice to say, we paid homage to the forest service, self-recycling toilets. For those of you have never used one of these modern marvels, imaging plunking your bare butt over a dark, seemingly bottomless pit and feeling a cold wind blowing were no winds should ever reach. There are times you simply must put your trust in Mother Nature to take care of you, this was one of those times. By the next day, we had recovered fairly well, resolving in the future to stick to greasy burgers and fries and leave the so-called "healthy" salads for those more adventurous than us.
Getting our tent set up was no small feat, the wind was whipping without any letup. The birds weren't merely serenading us, they were poking their bird beaks into anything that even resembled food. We quickly learned that we had to put all our food out of reach of prying paws after a kitfox invaded our chocolates and dog biscuits one evening.
We assume Growlph had never been camping before, proven by the fact that after hearing the coyotes howling around our tent at night, he refused to sleep in his own bed, insisting on sleeping smack in the middle of ours' instead. We tried to assure him that the coyotes weren't interested in Schnauzer stew, but being the smart critter he is, he didn't believe a word we said.
Fishing wasn't very good at all. Ralph caught three...well actually, he only caught two because the second bass proved himself to be the dumbest bass in Apache Lake by allowing himself to be caught twice, we could identify him by a small wound on his belly. What are the odds of that happening?
We came home twice to rest up at home during the heat of the day, Burnt Corral is only about 20 minutes from our house, so we had the best of both worlds. All in all, it was a wonderful experience despite the stomach wrenching beginnings. We'll do it again in the near future, this time, sans salads.

Home Sweet Home

All the comforts of home...well, almost

Ralph trying his luck

Here's Ralph with the dumbest bass in Apache Lake

This is the face Growlph makes now if you ask him,

"wanna go camping?"

This is the face I make now if you ask me,

"want a salad?"

The view from our campsite

Growlph keeping the birds away

There's no denying the scenic beauty of Apache Lake

Homage to the "self-recycling" rest rooms,

(whatever THAT means)

Cool Day, Good Dog

2009-08-22T19:37:00.003-07:00

We've finally been getting some monsoon weather, more typical of Arizona this time of year. This morning was so humid, it was more like being in Florida instead of what most people think Arizona is like.

Some new friends of ours' from Casa Grande phoned this morning to see if we'd be interested in a short Jeep run up Workman Creek to Aztec Peak, it sounded like it would be a good escape from the sticky, icky temperatures we're having here at home.

As we climbed to the higher elevations we could feel the temperature dropping and when we arrived at the firetower on Aztec Peak, the towerman reported that the temperature was only 65º, what a super change, we haven't felt a cool temperature like that in a long time. It was overcast with spotty rain at times, the sun stayed in for the entire trip keeping the temperatures pleasantly cool. We've been testing Growlph to see how he'd do riding in the Jeep, taking him on A-Cross Road a few days ago and then up Workman Creek today, we're happy to report he did fine. He was interested in all the new smells and sights and gave no sign of carsickness at all. On the way home, he slept like a baby, not a care in the world. It looks like Growlph is going to fit right in with our lifestyle, he's passed the Jeep test with flying colors.

It's a dog's life, and this one's got it made

Clouds giving the mountains a smokey appearance

Cloudcover kept the temperatures down

Two red Jeeps are better than one

Ralph, Bruce and Judy with Red the towerman on Aztec Peak.

It's a BOY!

2009-08-11T08:10:00.005-07:00

We were going a bit nuts around here without a Schnauzer in the house, the house seemed empty, so we contacted the Schnauzer rescue group in Phoenix, wonderful people who are doing a superb job placing Mini Schnauzers in need of forever homes. They phoned us last Thursday to tell us they had a Schnauzer that might suit us, so we headed to Phoenix on Friday stopping at Petsmart along the way to get everything we'd need, we were already sure we were going to adopt him and sure enough, after seeing him, there was no doubt.
He's five years old, salt & pepper, a bit pudgy but dieting (he fits right into our lifestyle) and packed with personality. He's housebroken with no real issues, well, maybe just a few, but we can work through his insecurities he's well past the puppyhood stage, just right for us.
He adjusted to our house immediately and decided WE could easily become trained to cater to his every whim, he's right. This morning we were up at 2:30 AM playing growly nip bark, in the den with a very rambunctious Mini Schnauzer...he decided we'd all had enough sleep and it was time to play.
He came to us named "Snoopy" no self-respecting Schnauzer (unless he's got Beagle aspirations) should be named Snoopy, so we've changed his name to "Growlph," .... a combination of GRrrrowl and Ralph, it seems fitting to name him after his Dad.
We're hoping he'll become our trail riding companion, he seems to ride well without getting carsick, he'll be a nice addition to our explorations.
We'd like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who is looking for a terrific pet to consider one of the breed specific rescue groups, there are many of them out there, an internet search should yield the results you're looking for. There are a lot of great dogs looking for good, loving homes. Puppies are cute but there's a lot to be said for a mature dog who is well past the piddling on the floor, chewing your shoes stage.

Farewell Bailey

2009-07-05T07:57:00.006-07:00

Bailey "Boo"

10/28/95 - 7/3/09

On Friday, 7/3/09, we had to say goodbye to our sweet Bailey. His poor little body was failing him quickly. The end for him was peaceful, we held him until the vet pronounced him gone...
Even though we knew it was inevitable, it seems one is never prepared for such a terrible loss. Words can't describe the pain we're feeling at this time, but we're trying to remember the happy times.
It seems I'm at a loss for words to describe what Bailey meant to us, his presence is everywhere, a toy on the floor, an empty place in all of his favorite spots, but most of all he lives on in our hearts and memories of the wonderful times we had with Bailey.
Those of you you have experienced the loss of a dear pet will know what we're trying to say.
Eventually, the sadness will be replaced with smiles as we remember the richness Bailey added to our lives.
Sleep well our beloved Bailey Boo ..............

The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.
Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....
Author unknown...

Return to the mountains...

2009-06-02T15:18:00.005-07:00

We returned to the mountains this morning. It's beautiful and so nice and cool up way up there among the tall pines above the 5000 ft. elevation. This trail is another one in the Reynolds Creek Area. The trail ends at a cliff side, far below we could see Cherry Creek Road and the Sierra Ancha Wilderness seeming to stretch on for miles. It's difficult to capture the depth of these canyons and the wide panoramic views in one dimensional photographs, but they are truly spectacular to experience first hand. We hiked a little way up a trail, there's an old mine up there, but you'd need to be a goat to reach it now. It's hard to imagine how ore was ever hauled out of such a remote location.
A nice morning, now for some food and a nap ... it's a rough life, but someone's got to do it.

The trail ends here.......

This is a very deep, steep canyon

it's hard to show the dimension

in a photo

The Sierra Ancha Wilderness spread out below

One false step here and it's a long way down

Manzanita in bloom

Ralph with Old Peep's Jeep and Old Blue

Blue Spotted Fungus Beetle

Reynolds Creek Mill

2009-05-29T13:44:00.009-07:00

Our curiosity got the best of us, so we set out at 6:30 this morning to take a closer look at the mill we spotted along Reynolds Creek yesterday. Larry & Jean decided to follow a hiking trail leading off into the mountains while we crawled around the old mill ruins. From what we've been able to find after doing some brief research, the mill operated from the late 1800s on and off until the mid 1940s. We were correct in our speculations yesterday, after examining the extensive mine tailings, we were able to determine that Asbestos from the areas vast mining operations was being processed there. Huge mounds of Asbestos tailings were piled alongside Reynolds Creek.
Larry & Jean returned telling us about a wonderful oasis complete with a waterfall that they located about a mile up the trail. They also reported that there were several more mines in that general vicinity. We'll head back there during the Winter months to check it out, once the temperatures are more bearable and the snakes are sound asleep.
We spotted three King Snakes near the creek, they were living under an old tree root. I suppose as far as snakes go, these guys were particularly pretty ones, wearing very vivid colors. They're shy, non venomous snakes, who preferred to crawl back into their tree root that to stick around watching us.

.................................................

Asbestos tailings mounded along the creek

Old Asbestos Mill

According to the NY Times, the foundry
that made these mill parts burned to the
ground January 1, 1900

More mill remains

Here's Larry wrangling (annoying) the King Snake

One King Snake, there were two more under the log.

Reynold's Creek Trail

2009-05-28T15:32:00.009-07:00

One of the beauties of reaching the so-called golden age is the ability to come home from a Jeep ride, eat a full meal, curl up on the sofa and take a nap, all without the necessity of feeling guilty or explaining to anyone why we're doing so....today was no exception.

We headed out at 7 this morning with Jean & Larry to run a trail up in the Sierra Anchas. The air was crisp, clear and downright cold at that early hour, an invigorating change from the desert heat we've been having lately.

Reynold's Creek Trail is simply beautiful, there's no other way to describe it. The scenery changed as we rounded each curve in the trail. Tall, thick Pine forests gave way to rolling meadows, crowned by rocky cliffs and soaring spires. Deer wander the area at will, grazing the abundant greenery. We saw a few deer, plus evidence of elk and bears. The bear tracks looked fresh and very large, we must have just missed him as he stopped to drink from a puddle in the middle of the trail leaving just his huge paw prints behind.

Everything was blooming, Manzanitas, Locust trees and Pines decorated the landscape. Columbines were in full bloom alongside Reynold's Creek

The trail itself is a nice one, a bit rocky, rutted in places with a few large to mid size boulders thrown in for a challenge. The Jeeps did just fine, taking us where we wanted to go in a reasonably comfortable manner.

This area was once heavily mined, we saw remnants of what appeared to be an old mill built right alongside Reynold's Creek, although we'll have to do further research to determine what was being milled there. Asbestos and Uranium mines dot the hillsides. We'll definitely return to explore the old mill site further.

We came home, ate a great meal and took a 2 hour nap, Ahhh life is good.

.........................................................................................................................................................................

Columbine in bloom

Columbines along the creek

The remains of an old mill

Sweeping views

Big bear paw prints

Locust trees in bloom

Inside the old mine, looking out at Ralph, Jean and Larry

This short tunnel looks like they were digging sample holes. If I had to guess, I'd say they found asbestos.

This is the only old bat we saw in this mine.

Some more wildflowers

Cactus Garden 2009

2009-04-24T13:48:00.004-07:00

Since we planted our cactus garden a few years ago, it's been growing, maturing and continuing to amaze us every day. Many cacti bloom only at night, the blooms quickly fade and die when the sun rises. Every morning in Spring and Summer we check the garden just after the sun rises to gather pictures before these fantastic flowers wither.
The aromas are intoxicating, we can smell them as we approach the garden. I wish we could upload the scent along with the pictures so we could share the entire experience with you.....

3-Bar to Oak Flat Trailhead

2009-04-24T11:13:00.003-07:00

We headed out early this morning with Jean & Larry to check out a trail we've seen but never tried to follow. It's located just a few miles from our house, in an area overlooking Roosevelt Lake. We were hoping it would be a through road, although it's an unnumbered trail and doesn't show on the Forest Service maps. We put the Jeeps through their paces as we climbed steadily uphill. The road was off camber in places, rocky and rutted, but nothing the Jeeps couldn't handle. Unfortunately, the road wasn't a through road, ending just before the top of another mountain ahead. It was well worth the ride anyway, the scenery alone was breathtaking, added to by the wildflowers in bloom all over the mountainsides. After leaving there we headed down the trail to the Oak Flat Trailhead, a nice ride that took us across a couple of scenic creeks. We stopped there for a while just to chat and enjoy the scenery and cool breezes.

On the way home, the trail was blocked by a small Western Diamondback stretched out across the middle of the road, sunning himself. He refused to move so we tried to drive around him. He decided he didn't like being disturbed and crawled under the Jeep. Hmmm not knowing exactly where he was or how angry he might be, we decided to NOT get out of the Jeep to check. Ralph pulled the Jeep slowly forward so as not to run him over....Oops, he ran over his rattles. Needless to say, the snake was a little more than a bit perturbed as the Jeep parked on his tail. He repeatedly struck a the Jeep's tires, of course being such a small rattler, he didn't manage to sink his fangs in. Ralph rolled forward a bit and after giving his rattles a good shake, he slithered off, no worse for wear.

Nice ride, although our friend, the snake might say otherwise.

Looking down on the Jeeps from the mountain

high above

Cooling our tires

Roosevelt Lake far below

Spectacular scenery along the trail

These "crowned" or "crested" Saguaros are rather rare.

It's not known what causes them to crest on the top,

it's speculated that it's caused by a genetic mutation.

Parking on a rattler's tail adds a whole new meaning to

"road rage"...hey buddy, quit tailgating!

The downside of rural life

2009-03-28T18:46:00.003-07:00

Sorry we haven't been posting much lately, we've taken some time out from the trails to do some well-procrastinated work here at home, but, hopefully, we'll hit the trails again soon, we're both going through trail withdrawal.
There's a downside to living in the boondocks, this morning's events showed it all to clearly. We couldn't sleep, so at around 2:30 AM we were sitting in the den in front of a cozy fire, having our morning coffee when suddenly, we were shaken by a loud boom, minutes later a second, even louder BOOM rattled the entire house. At first, we thought it was just an electrical transformer until we looked outside and saw the mobile home down the road, fully engulfed in flames. We tried to phone 911, the line was busy, probably from other people reporting the same fire. Ralph ran down the road to see if there was anyone who needed help, but by the time he got there, the place was obviously a total loss. The volunteer fire department took at least 45 minutes to arrive on the scene and when they did finally arrive, two more houses were burning. The pumper truck ran out of water quickly, when another pumper truck arrived, the pump wasn't working. Finally enough tanker trucks arrived, but by the time they were able to put some more water on the multi fires, it was too late, all three places were a total loss. From what we've been told, the fire was started by an electric heater igniting an elderly man's oxygen. The first boom was a small portable tank, the second boom, was a large oxygen tank. Luckily, nobody was injured, but it looks like the elderly man's dog was killed in the fire. Very sad. The only house that was occupied at the time was the one belonging to the elderly man, the others were vacation, weekend homes.
We take our chances to live the rural "quiet life", events like these tend to show us just how risky the chances can be, but all in all, people living in the peace and solitude of life in the boondocks, wouldn't change a thing, us included.

Fully engulfed

Tankers not working

The fire's last gasp

Total devistation

This is why we take the risks

FR 225 to mines

2009-03-02T16:44:00.003-07:00

Great weather, although again, it's a bit hot for March, 82º as I write this, hopefully, our Winter isn't over yet.
This morning we rode up a dry-wash not far from home. It's an interesting area, old corrals and several old mines. We've checked out one of the mines on a previous visit, it's flooded and impassable. On this trip we parked in a different spot since there were cattle near the gate, we decided not to drive through and chance letting them out. After looking around a bit, we headed back to the Jeep and happened to glance over at a nearby hillside. We noticed a couple of more mine adits that we hadn't seen on previous visits. We weren't prepared today to check them out, but we'll return in the near future prepared with hiking boots (snakes are probably waking up since the temperatures have been so high) and flashlights. This particular area was known for gold mining, with some fairly rich strikes being claimed in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Not to worry, if we strike it rich, we'll post it in our Journal...one last time.

We noticed this mine and tailings on a hillside as
we were leaving

An old windmill still pumping water

at this corral

This mine is flooded, no entry here

This bunker was once used to store the

explosives used in mining

The explosives bunker built into the hillside

Bouquet Ranch Ride

2009-02-28T18:52:00.002-07:00

We just did a small bit of Jeeping this morning. There's a nice area in Tonto Basin that we've been to on several occasions. It used to be an orchard owned by Charles Bouquet, one of the early settlers in Tonto Basin. Unfortunately, speculators bought the land and thought they would open it for development...HA...wrong decision, first, to get to the property, you have to ford a creek which at times is flowing too heavily to get vehicles across, second, the land sits way back in an unimproved area of Tonto Basin on a really rutted dirt road, so there didn't turn out to be much interest in buying lots and building homes. We're glad it didn't get developed, it's a natural, unspoiled desert spot and we'd hate to see it lose the natural beauty by clearing it off and building a load of new homes. We were surprised to see one new home there, it looks like someone's very expensive weekend getaway, sitting high on a hill overlooking the Tonto Basin below, nice place, sure can't blame anyone for wanting to live in such a beautiful isolated spot, but we hope there won't be any more building out there.
Fortunately, we're protected from development where we live. We're surrounded by the Tonto National Forest, so it's not likely that development will ever become an issue in our area. (Thankfully)

Giving the Jeep a workout on Bouquet Ranch Road

It would be a shame to see this bulldozed and replaced by new homes

This new home sits high on a hill, very isolated

but very nice. Probably someone's weekend getaway.

We came across this large grave, we're speculating it was

someone's horse, or cow...hmm... judging by the cross, maybe a holy cow?

This is our rancher neighbor chatting at our back fence,

he's truly the salt of the earth,

a REAL cowboy, one of the last of his kind.

We're so lucky to have him for our neighbor.

Gentle Jeeping to Camp Reno

2009-02-23T13:58:00.003-07:00

It's been a while, between the rain and a back injury, we haven't done much Jeeping. Glad to say the rains have gone for now and my back injury is well on its way to mending. We decided to head to Camp Reno and take a trail that we've been on before and do a bit of walking around while we were there. The trail is a good one, just muddy in a few places and not as rocky or rough as other trails in the area. I didn't want to risk bouncing my back around just yet, so this particular trail is a good one for gentle Jeeping. I haven't got a clue how I injured my back, it could have been most anything, even stretching the wrong way or lifting something too heavy, whatever is was it made life difficult for a bit over a week. Man oh man, this getting older sure isn't for sissies.

Anyway, the trail was good, the weather spectacular, albeit a bit warm for February, 80 º would be better a temperature for Spring but it was nice to be out in the sunshine again. (I sure won't be saying that this summer) We went to the area of Camp Reno. Camp Reno was used as an outpost of Fort McDowell between 1867 to 1870 to protect the area's settlers from Apache attacks. Since the Camp was only operational for three years, one would assume that the necessity for it had ceased, however, it is speculated that because of the remoteness of the camp, the high cost of supplying the camp was more likely the reason for its demise. The 1st Cavalry proved to be effective in curtailing the murderous raids during the three years they were encamped at the foot of what is now Reno Pass. Camp Reno sat on a mesa overlooking a large valley. There was a Suttler's store below it, in an area alongside Reno Creek. (a Suttler's store is a general store established by private citizens to sell goods and provisions to the military in the field) Not much remains except for a few concrete slabs where the store was and the outline of rocks where the tents once stood. In the distance, we could see the stone wall that surrounded the area, probably built to delay the Indians from their sneak attacks. We found a road that we hadn't seen on previous trips which ran from the mesa where the soldiers camped down to the Suttler's store area. We'll return to check the road out and see if there are any remnants of the not-so-distant past remaining.

Standing on the mesa overlooking the valley below, we could imagine a cavalry soldier standing guard and listening to the eerie howl of a distant coyote. It must have been a very rugged, dangerous, lonely life.

This is the road we hadn't seen on previous

trips. It goes down to where the Suttler's store

once stood.

This is where the old Suttler's Store once stood,

alongside Reno Creek.

You can see the remains of the wall built to delay

the Apaches on their raids.

Ralph found a nice chunk of quartz to bring home for

our cactus garden.

Reno Creek rushing down the mountainside

on its way to Roosevelt Lake.

Roosevelt Dam, Then And Now

2009-02-11T10:24:00.003-07:00

Roosevelt Dam was the brainchild of President Theodore Roosevelt who had the foresight to envision widening the Salt River and damming it to create Roosevelt Lake. Prior to completing a chain of lakes along the Salt River, Phoenix would periodically suffer from flooding during the winter and monsoon rains in the summer and then severe draughts during the hot summer months. Roosevelt Dam was completed in 1911 at which time it was dedicated by Teddy Roosevelt. At the dedication ceremony he said "If there could be any monument which would appeal to any man, surely this is it. You could not have done anything which would have pleased and touched me more than to name this great dam, this reservoir site, after me, and I thank you from my heart for having done so... "
During an extra heavy period of rainfall in 1993, it was determined that the dam wouldn't be able to handle a heavier rainfall, so an addition was made at that time adding an additional 77 feet to the height of the dam. The work was completed in 1995.
We drove to the dam today. SRP (Salt River Project) is releasing water slowly at the dam now that the lake is at capacity. The floodgates aren't opened but water can be seen flowing through pipes at the bottom of the dam.

Roosevelt Dam shortly after completion in 1911

This is some of the heavy equipment that was used to
build the addition of the dam. It's stored on private

property now, we've been told that the current owner will

probably eventually sell it off for scrap.

More leftover equipment.

Roosevelt Dam today.

This site has some interesting history and photos of Roosevelt Dam
Bureau of Reclamation: Lower Colorado Region

Roosevelt Winter 2009

2009-02-11T10:00:00.003-07:00

We've had several days of rain here with snow in the higher elevations. The temperature this morning was down to 30º with heavy frost. Finally Winter has arrived. Spring is just around the corner and the wildflowers should be especially spectacular after the rainfall we've had so far this Winter. I know some of you from "back East" have had enough snow to last you a long time, but we're in the desert and for us, snowfall in any amount is a real treat. The trails are too muddy for any Jeeping right now, but Roosevelt Lake is at 100% capacity, the first time ever since it was built back in the early 1900's and that's a very good thing. It looks like there won't be any water shortages this year.
Here are a few shots taken this morning from different vantage points around the lake.

Snow in the Superstitions

Roosevelt Lake with snow in the Salome Wilderness

Roosevelt Lake with snow in the Sierra Anchas

Roosevelt Lake with snow in the Mazatzal Wilderness

FR97 to FR262 Skirting The Wilderness

2009-02-07T14:05:00.003-07:00

We headed out this morning to cover an area we had previously seen, but never attempted before. We've spotted the trail on several occasions when we were exploring the Jack Shoe Ranch and Sunset Mine area just below the Salome Wilderness.
The trail meandered out among the low scrub, hills surrounded us. To the North we could see we were as close to the Salome Wilderness as a vehicle could possibly go. The scenery got better and better the farther in we went. The trail began to get rocky and extremely bumpy, Jean and I both felt like we had shaken baby syndrome as we held our heads to keep them from snapping back and forth but the views and scenery more than made up for the bit of discomfort we felt as we crossed the worst of the rocky areas. The road climbed gradually as we headed up into the hills soon we were in the midst of Junipers and Manzanita, beautiful rock formations dotted the scenery. Eventually the road we were on ran out and we were forced to turn around but we could see a trail heading down into a deep ravine and up the mountain on the other side, but, that's a challenge we'll have to save for another day.
The weatherman says there's some heavy rain headed our way, so we're glad to have gotten some good Jeeping in before bad weather moved in and the trails once again became impassable.

That's where we're headed

Mr Mule & Ms Horse are usually seen in this area

Here's the rocky trail. Roosevelt Lake is

ever-present in the distance

The mountains of the Salome Wilderness to our North.

Jean, Ol' Blue and Larry (the mountain goat)

Asbestos Point, Angel Wing Jeeping

2009-01-31T16:25:00.005-07:00

We've been to Asbestos Point before, nothing much has changed except for the road which was a bit rougher than we remembered it. The trail is a great one for four-wheeling and since we were all in Jeeps, that's exactly what we did. It's a long, slow, arduous, rocky climb but we all made it to the top of the mountain without much hazard except for a punctured tire sidewall one of the Jeeps had.
Asbestos Point is known locally as Angel Wing because of the pattern made by the Asbestos slag on the mountainside, from a distance it resembles a pair of Angel's wings.
During WWII, the Zimmerman claims of Asbestos Point supplied high grade asbestos to the military, nothing much has been done in the area since that time. It's a beautiful area in the Sierra Ancha Mountains bordering the Sierra Ancha Wilderness in Gila County. The sweeping views are spectacular with Roosevelt Lake in the distance including Roosevelt Dam and bridge.
We ventured into one of the mines. It seems flies have taken up residence for the Winter months, the walls were thick with them, they buzzed all around us as we disturbed their Winter naps. Not much remains of the original mining operation except for the mines themselves, a few pieces of rusting equipment and the remnants of a few buildings scattered around the mountaintop.
It was a great trip, fabulous weather added to the enjoyment ... a good time was had by all.

A view of Angel Wing from Hwy 288

Roosevelt Lake far below

There appears to be some Azurite in
veins alongside the Asbestos here.

The timbers here once supported the ceiling of the mine...Oops!

A rusting piece of equipment has been picked clean

by scavengers.

3-Bar to Rock Creek Cabin

2009-01-25T18:55:00.003-07:00

Awesome day! The weather couldn't be better. Clear, sunny and cool after several days of rain, perfect!
We woke up early as usual and went outside before dawn to have morning coffee near the fire pit. The dawn soon broke clearing the way for a lovely sunrise. Coyotes were greeting the day with a chorus of yips and howls in the distance.
We decided to go for a Jeep ride and headed to 3-Bar Road and then hike down to Rock Creek Cabin. The cabin is owned and used by the Forest Service during the Arizona wildfire season. The cabin isn't for public use..too bad, cause it sure would be a prefect spot to spend a few days. The road is gated, so we couldn't drive down to see it and had to hike the hilly road. It's a bit more than a cabin, it's a cement block two bedroom house, fully equipped with all the comforts of home. Electricity is furnished by a propane generator. A woodstove provides warmth. It's all in location, the cabin sits alongside Rock Creek, a perfect spot to view the scenery. We didn't see any major critters, just a few fat squirrels and a beautiful pair of Red-tail Hawks soaring overhead.
Afterwards, we came home, ate, napped and watched Stephen King's "Rose Red" on DVD. It was a miniseries a few years ago, but we never got to see it. It's a lengthy movie, well over 4 hours. If you like a good haunted house tale, we highly recommend it. Gosh, retirement is fun...we highly recommend it as well!

3-Bar Road

Roosevelt Lake view from 3-Bar

Clouds add dimension to the mountain views

Rock Creek Cabin

Four Peaks side view with snow and clouds

seen from Rock Creek Cabin

No cross A-Cross to Bar-X

2009-01-14T13:49:00.003-07:00

There's an area off of A-Cross Road that we've been wanting to take a closer look at, so, since today is another beautiful Arizona Winter day (70º and sunny) we decided to check it out.
Due to the heavy rains and run-off from the high country snowfalls, we weren't able to cross Tonto Creek in our usual spot, instead we had to cross at Bar-X, a wider, but not as deep spot further on down the creek. The creek crossing went well, giving the Jeep a chance to wash off some of the mud underneath it from our last jaunt.
We'd seen an area along A-Cross road where some surface Silica mining was done back in the early to mid 1900s so we decided to hike back to take a look. There are no remnants of any mining equipment left behind, anything left would have probably been removed by the Forest Service. There was some evidence of Gypsum also being taken from the area, along with the Silica. We brought back a few nice examples of each mineral to add to our cactus garden. The Silica sparkles in the sunlight, adding a pretty touch.
It's a great day to be enjoying the desert, sorry for all you folks "back East" who are having to endure such miserable weather. (trying really hard not to gloat)

Uh huh, it looks okay to cross here

There's a road underneath here...I think.

Remains of some Gypsum being mined here

Gypsum was obviously mined in this wash

The white stuff on the ground here is crushed Silica

Back To PB Cabin

2009-01-10T17:11:00.011-07:00

We headed back up to PB Cabin this morning because Jean had missed the last trip there. It was cold up in the mountains, patchy snow and ice along the road in places only added to the scenery. Deer were everywhere, a buck bounced across the road right in front of us and several others put in their appearance as well. It's deer season here now, so maybe that's why they were on the move. We passed several hunters along the way. I don't know if the deer understood me as I warned them to be careful.
Cherry Creek Road was rutted and quite muddy in places, evidence of heavy rains showed as we saw several new washed out places along the trail that weren't there on our last trip. It was still early when we got there, and I suspect once the iced road thawed out even more, it would be muddier and perhaps impassable.
We took the metal detector with us this time, let's see, one large nail, one piece of wire, one 1997 penny and a well-worn horseshoe. Hmmm I don't think we can supplement our retirement with our found treasures.

For more information on PB Cabin, scroll down to the December 13, 2008 post.

Ordinarily, we'd never consider defacing something like this. However, there's a note inside the cabin from the cabin's owner, inviting people to make their mark. So we added ours' to the ones already there.

PB Cabin

Ralph, Jean & Larry

Another view of PB Cabin

I don't think we'll get rich on these findings

Charlie and Troy

2009-01-06T15:40:00.007-07:00

Ralph's son, Charlie and grandson, Troy came in from California for a short visit, it's sure nice to see them. The weather hasn't cooperated, we've had lots of rain, pretty much keeping us stuck inside. (welcome to the sunny Arizona desert?) The sun finally decided to shine today, so we made a break for it to take a short run along the Apache Trail. The road wasn't as bad as we've seen it, but the recent rains have left if rutted and a bit rough, we're used to it, but the California dudes weren't, so we curtailed driving the entire trail, opting to turn around at Apache Lake and head back towards home, stopping along the way for lunch at Roosevelt Lake Resort.

The lake was beautiful today, clean, still and very full, best of all, there weren't many other people there, so we didn't have to share it.
Too bad about the rain, there are so many places here we'd like to show them...ah well, maybe next time Mother Nature will be kinder.

Roosevelt Dam

R to L, Ralph, Charlie and Troy at the Roosevelt Dam
Overlook.

Troy, Charlie & Ralph

Apache Lake

FR 83 Past 2-Bar

2009-01-02T18:28:00.002-07:00

The rains have finally stopped for a while. It rained all the way through the Christmas holiday, finally stopping for the new year. More rain is expected this weekend, but taking advantage of the brief respite from the soggy days we took a short jaunt to FR 83 up past 2-Bar Ranch. "Our" rancher neighbor told us about some more firewood on some property he's got, so we took a ride up into the hills to check it out. The road was fairly good, a bit of muddy in places, showing evidence of the recent heavy rains. In some places it was a bit rutted and rocky, but still quite passable. There's plenty of nice Mesquite firewood, it's not real easy to get to, but we'll manage, it'll be worth the extra effort to be able to cut firewood close to home.
It was really good to be on the trails again, we've missed it. Hopefully, weather permitting, we'll be able to hit the trails again soon.

A cushion of clouds circles the mountains after
the rain.

Desert growth has had plenty of rain

The mountains are carpeted in greenery

The view of the Superstitions is quite spectacular.

The road is in pretty good condition here.

Board Tree Saddle, Cherry Creek to PB Cabin

2008-12-13T17:05:00.004-07:00

Nice trip! We finally got some good directions to PB Cabin up on Cherry Creek Road, below Board Tree Saddle. It's a scenic, rustic place, first built by a pair of partners, Pendleton & Barkley who were running about 200 head of cattle back in 1898, after that time it was used by miners prospecting the local area. A newer cabin was erected in the 1950s. The "newer" cabin is still used today by wranglers, ranchers, forest rangers, along with hunters, hikers and campers. It's on a first come basis, honor system, if you use food or supplies, you're supposed to replace them. Judging by the numerous supplies, more people have left things than taken them.
It's such a peaceful location, sitting alongside PB Creek surrounded by ancient Cottonwoods and Sycamores.
It was cold and breezy in the mountains this morning, there's a chance of snow perhaps beginning tomorrow, so we're glad we went before the snow begins to fly. I'm sure we'll return in the future, perhaps someday we'll load up our sleeping bags and make a night of it. I can imagine falling asleep listening to the burbling brook as coyotes howl in the distance.
Ahhh nice!

PB Cabin

Ralph with his "come hither" smile

The original cabin, hand-hewn, built in 1898

Ralph & Larry (looks like a scene out of "Deliverance"
Hmmm is that "dueling banjos" I hear?

A rustic pine cone wreath decorates the cabin

Roll Out The Barrel

2008-11-22T15:16:00.006-07:00

Pictures:

A "normal" Barrel Cactus
Our "rescued" cactus
Ralph & Larry trying to figure out how to move it
Hmmm it won't fit into the can

We set out early this morning to "rescue" a cactus we had spotted along a rocky trail off of Cherry Creek Road. It's an old Barrel Cactus whose roots had been exposed by erosion. It's an unusual one, different than others we've seen before because it's grown a "crown" of several protrusions from the top of the barrel. The bottom part of the cactus was almost dead, but the top appears to be green and alive. After much groaning (along with several ouches and dammits), it's got a new home in our cactus garden and hopefully, with some TLC, it'll take root and thrive.
We haven't driven the full length of this particular trail, it may be a bit beyond our Jeep's capabilities judging from the parts we did drive. I suppose discretion is the better part of valor, so we're just left to wonder what's out there....maybe someday....

Gentle Jeeping on J-B Ranch Road

2008-11-16T17:57:00.003-07:00

Pictures:
Crossing Campaign Creek
Fall foliage
Mama Moo and her twins
Jumping Cholla cactus with bird's nest
Jean, Larry & Ralph exploring the area.

We're all a bit knocked out from our last Jeep run so we decided on an easier, more gentle run today, mostly looking at the scenery near home.

There are supposed to be some Indian ruins somewhere up in the foothills, but we didn't manage to locate them today, I'm sure we will at a later date.

The ride was a nice one, perfect cool temperatures and Arizona's version of Fall foliage added to our enjoyment. We stopped along the way to say Hi to a Mama Cow and her twin calves, they looked bored, so we moooved on.

We've ridden this trail many times before, but we noticed the terrain had changed considerably after the monsoon rains of this past Summer had enlarged washes and relocated quit a few boulders. It's an ever-changing desert so each time we return to a previously run trail, we can see the changes. The desert never disappoints us with her diversity, there's always something new to see.

Cabin Search Along Cherry Creek

2008-11-14T19:10:00.003-07:00

Photos:
Crossing the creek.

Checking out an old car rusting away in a dry wash.

More spectacular scenery. The haze seen along the mountains comes from "controlled" burning by the Forest Service.

Whew, what a trip! Five and a half hours of washboard road and spectacular scenery. We were told about an old cabin on one of the backroads to Young. We've been on the road before but the summer monsoons had taken their toll and left the trail washboardy and pretty rough, still, it made for some pretty good Jeeping.

The directions given to us were vague, (as always) so we didn't find the cabin we were looking for, even so, the scenery alone made the trip worthwhile. We'll have to pin down the location of the cabin a bit more closely and return another day to find it. We did find a few more trails we haven't seen before, so it looks like the area will be ripe for exploration. There are quite a few old asbestos mines in the area as well, so it'll be fun to locate them and hopefully do a bit of mine exploration.

This afternoon was comprised of resting our old bones, napping and eating. It takes us a bit longer to recover from a trip of this kind, but by tomorrow, we should be back to "normal" and looking forward to returning to the area again in the near future.

Getting Ready For Winter

2008-11-02T14:48:00.006-07:00

Another perfect day in Roosevelt, Arizona
The old dead cedar tree will make good firewood
That's about it for today, we'll be back for the rest of the tree.

Our neighbor, a terrific guy and real old-time western rancher, told us we could cut down a dead cedar tree on one of his properties. We're thrilled to get the firewood. Firewood is at a premium here in the desert and all too often it requires driving a long distance to forage or cut wood within the Tonto National Forest. Permits and time restraints imposed by the Forest Service can be a real pain as well as being an added expense.

We drove out through the desert this morning to the ranch property to begin cutting the old dead cedar tree. It smelled terrific while we were cutting it (like the inside of a hamster cage, sans the hamster) The day began clear and cool in the morning but soon warmed up to be a bit too hot to finish off the tree.

We'll go back even earlier next time before the heat of the day begins to get uncomfortable. It won't be long until Winter is upon us and we've got our woodstove fired up. We're sure looking forward to colder temperatures ......

Rockhounding at Quartz Ledge

2008-11-01T13:10:00.007-07:00

There's the Old Peep's Jeep waiting faithfully

One of the dry washes we walked while rockhounding

The quartz outcropping in the center is where Quartz Ledge gets its name.

We headed out this morning for Quartz Ledge, it's an old abandoned gold mine located in the Tonto Basin Area. We've been there several times in the past and it's always an enjoyable Jeep ride. The mine itself is closed off, the entrance looks like it was purposely caved in to keep people out. It's too bad, because it would have made for some interesting mine exploration.

We decided to walk the dry washes surrounding the mine, yes, we did keep an eye open for gold, but unfortunately, we didn't find any. We did find some really neat rocks to add to our cactus garden. Lots of pretty quartz, loaded with quartz crystals and some other rocks that looked like they contained a bit of fluorite, judging by the purplish blue colors running through them.

On the way home, we stopped at Butcher Hook Restaurant for lunch....groan...ate too much...please pass the TUMS!

The apples are always sweeter on the other side of the fence

2008-10-24T17:05:00.004-07:00

The mountain views are spectacular

Jean and Larry enjoying the warm sunshine

and sweeping vista

Larry chomping on an apple

There's Larry climbing up to get some apples

Reflections of Autumn

I don't know why it is, but for some reason, apples on the other side of the fence are always better than anywhere else. Today we went for a ride up into the mountains, nothing particular in mind except to enjoy the crisp, cold, alpine air. We weren't disappointed. The air smelled of Pine and Autumn leaves...and apples! There's an old ranch on top of the mountain, we've been there before, it's a nice ride and an easy trip. At one time the old ranch was known for having the best apple cidar vinegar anywhere but nobody tends to the orchards anymore and the only interest nowadays comes from the elk and deer who frequent the old orchard. Larry braved the barbed wire fence (and the "No Trespassing" sign) and went to get us a few apples. Gosh, they were good, cold, sweet and juicy! We all remembered the days of our youth when grabbing apples from someone else's orchard always seemed like such a fun thing to do. Maybe we're going through a second childhood, but for some reason, we all had to admit, these were the best apples we've had since we were kids.

There's a lot to be said about life's simple pleasures.

Jack Shoe to Thompson Mesa

2008-10-17T16:41:00.008-07:00

With cooler temperatures finally here, we all decided we needed a break from our home improvement projects, so we headed out for a Jeep run with Larry and Jean. We've been to this area before, but this time we wanted to venture a bit further to check out the ruins of an old homestead we'd heard about. The trail was pretty good, very rocky, very bumpy, but with caution we did it without any damage to either our vehicles or our nerves. To our surprise, wildflowers were blooming along the trail adding to our enjoyment.
We found the old homestead, there isn't much left except some stone foundations but the views in all directions were spectacular.
On the way back down the trail we stopped to visit with a horse and a couple of mules, they reported, "all's well", so we proceeded home.

This is the dry wash we had to cross
Very pretty!

A dessert watering hole. Lots of pawprints all
around the pond. Javelina, coyotes and cattle
visit it often.

Some of the stone ruins of the old homestead

We stopped to chat with Mr. Mule

After getting the "all's well" from the horse and
mules, we headed home.

I wish I was a Geek!

2008-10-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

Gosh, trying to set up a new Journal is almost more than this poor brain can process. I don't know if I'll be able to transfer my old pictures from AOL Journals to this one. Living here in the boondocks as we do, we've got a really slow dial-up connection and I'm not sure if I've got the patience nor the motivation to go through the extremely lengthy process. I'm thinking it might be easier to just start anew with photos and forget about the old ones. Heck, at this point, I'm still not sure how to put photos on this Journal but I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.

To those of you who follow our Journal, please bear with us...eventually we'll get it right

FR 97 to Jack Shoe Canyon

2008-09-20T12:02:00.000-07:00

We took off early this morning to check out FR 97 to Jack Shoe Ranch and the canyon beyond. We'd heard the trail had been washed out and wasn't in passable condition, however, the road turned out to be just fine with some careful maneuvering. We didn't spot any critters much to our surprise, but there were a few more people on the trails so the critters probably made themselves scarce. Weekends bring people to the area with their ATVs and added noise, so usually we prefer to hit the trails on weekdays when we have the roads to ourselves. It warmed up once the sun came up but thankfully, there's still a hint of Fall in the air.

It's a beautiful clear day here, the desert air is wonderful and sweetly scented, I wish we could bottle it and share some with all of you.

Chili Omelets and Blacktail Rattlesnake

2008-09-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

Neat trip! We headed out this morning with Larry & Jean to have some breakfast at Tortilla Flat on the scenic Apache Trail. The morning was clear and cool with a definite nip in the air. Along the way, we stopped to admire Roosevelt Dam, a nice place to take in the beautiful scenery.

Breakfast was great, although, it's the kind of eating that we'll probably pay for later in the day. "Killer Omelets" consists of a three egg omelet stuffed with Tortilla Flat's "Killer Chili", topped with cheddar cheese...GROAN....I must say, we did it justice, but I must offer a helpful hint, don't eat a heavy breakfast and then go bouncing along on an unpaved, washboard road. Tortilla Flat Arizona

On the way back along the trail, a Blacktail Rattlesnake posed for pictures. He didn't appreciate his morning bask in the sun being interrupted, so he coiled, rattled and buzzed angrily at us. Blacktail Rattlesnake - American International Rattlesnake Museum

It's sure nice to get out and do some good Jeeping again, we've all missed it.

Check out the album to see some good snake pictures.

Tags: Blacktail Rattlesnake, Roosevelt Dam, Tortilla Flat

Gila Monster in Gila County

2008-09-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

The temperature stayed cooler for a nice change this morning, so we headed out for our first jaunt of the season. A-Cross Road is always good for spotting critters and today was no exception. We saw a rattler, but he didn't stick around long enough to smile for the camera. This morning alongside the road, warming himself in the morning sun we came upon an adult, fairly large (about 16 inches) Gila Monster. Although venomous, they're non aggressive so we stopped and annoyed him long enough to take a few pictures.We'd seen a Gila Monster one other time, but he was off in the distance and we couldn't get a good look. The only other critters on today's trip were a Ground Squirrel and a Great Blue Heron. It was a nice ride, it's sure good to get out in the Jeep again. Gas prices and temperatures willing, we'll be doing lots more of it soon.

Biding Our Time

2008-08-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

It's still plenty hot here, but the early mornings are showing some promise of cooler temperatures coming soon.

We're still doing piddle-projects around the house to keep busy and pass the time. Here are a few pictures of a 3-D folk art piece we did for over the mantel in the den. It's made of wood, I draw it, Ralph cuts the wood, then I glue and paint. It's sorta like homemade Lincoln Logs, cut pieces, hot glued together. It began as just a couple of trees, but as I sit and look at it, I think of things to add to it. It's modeled after some of the old abandoned ranches we've seen while Jeeping the back roads in our area. I guess you can call it old folks entertainment, hey, it keeps us out of trouble!

A guy and his power tools

2008-07-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

It's simply too hot to be trekking out into the boondocks, so we've settled in for the summer to do a bit of redecorating and remodeling inside the house where it's nice and cool.

Ralph built a wall in the den where there wasn't one, he added a doorway, a door and then built a set of nice bookshelves. Finally we were able to unpack stuff we've had in boxes since we moved here three years ago. Before he built the wall, the downstairs room looked like a bowling alley. It's a long room, so we took one end of it to make ourselves a comfy den. The other end of the room is set aside for the computer and Bailey's (the Schnauzer) favorite chair. We're working on the computer end of the room as well. Ralph's going to build a couple of end tables to match the bookshelves, so his plate is full at least through the rest of the summer. He's enjoying playing with his power tools, I think it's a "guy thing"... he gets a very strange look in his eyes when he's holding a circular or jigsaw and a simple thing like a hammer makes him blissfully happy. If you listen closely, you can hear him making grunting, apelike sounds ... hmmmm what could THAT mean?

Anyway, there's still some work remaining to be done, but the room is taking shape and even more important, we're having a good time doing it.

Too hot for dog days...

2008-06-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

104º in the shade!

Do Not Disturb, air conditioned dog at rest.

Ahhhh...what's the use of complaining, after all, this is Arizona and it's officially Summer. It's not fit for man nor beast out there, the birds are gasping for air. The dog needs to be coaxed to go outside, he'd much rather lay around and sleep in the nice cool air conditioning....smart critter.

Nope, we're not Jeeping. It would be foolhardy to venture out into the desert this time of year. We'd probably wind up becoming buzzard bait. Since my moaning and groaning doesn't seem to do much good, I've decided to take another approach and laugh at the soaring temperatures. We'll spend the majority of the summer catching up on some stuff here at home that we've been neglecting since we got the Jeep. Painting isn't nearly as much fun as running all over the mountains in a Jeep, but I suppose it's something that should be done. Time to fix up our fixer-upper and keep cool...very cool.

I looked up some Arizona jokes I thought I'd share with you all. I've got to admit, I got a chuckle out of them too.

These are from "About.com"

It's so hot in Arizona that...

the birds have to use potholders to pull worms out of the ground.
the potatoes cook underground, and all you have to do to have lunch is to pull one out and add butter, salt and pepper.
farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard-boiled eggs.
the cows are giving evaporated milk.
the trees are whistling for the dogs.
you no longer associate bridges (or rivers) with water.
you can say 113 degrees without fainting.
you eat hot chilies to cool your mouth off.
you can make instant sun tea.
you learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.
the temperature drops below 95, you feel a bit chilly.
you've experienced condensation on your butt from the hot water in the toilet bowl.
you would give anything to be able to splash cold water on your face.
you can attend any function wearing shorts and a tank top.
The 4 seasons are: tolerable, hot, really hot, and ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!
you discover that in July, it takes only 2 fingers to drive your car.
you discover that you can get a sunburn through your car window.
you notice the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance.
hot water now comes out of both taps.
it's noon in July, kids are on summer vacation, and not one person is out on the streets.
you actually burn your hand opening the car door.
you break a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 a.m. before work.
no one would dream of putting vinyl upholstery in a car or not having air conditioning.
your biggest bicycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death?"
you realize that asphalt has a liquid state.
a sad Arizonan once prayed, "I wish it would rain - not so much for me, cuz I've seen it -- but for my 7-year-old."
GASP!

Ride to Bull Canyon Trailhead

2008-05-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

5/29/08

It was nice to get out this morning for some Jeeping...Oil companies be damned! We headed for Cherry Creek Road to continue checking out the roads and trails leading off of it. Larry & Jean told us about the six mile road leading to the Bull Canyon Trailhead, but since Jean mentioned the altitude, I'd always said "Naw...I don't wanna" this morning I guess I was feeling invincible so we decided to give it a try. The road began nice enough despite the sign posted warning of rough road. The views were spectacular and of course, VERY high. Jean wasn't kidding. There were a few places I couldn't look over the edge, but fortunately, I didn't have to. Ralph was driving and when I checked, his hands were cold and clammy as he gripped the wheel. Wow, what a ride! The road stayed pretty good by comparison to some we've been on, only a few minor washouts and some rocks in the road. We're glad we did it, it was well worth the drive.

Here's a link to a site with lots of information about hiking the Sierra Ancha Wilderness. (click your back button to return to this journal)

http://gorp.away.com/gorp/resource/us_wilderness_area/az_sierr.htm#140

Tags: Arizona, Sierra Anchas, Jeeping, Blogplugs, Hiking, Wildflowers, Ralph and Laura

Cactus Garden 2008

2008-05-24T08:44:00.000-07:00

5/24/08

We've had an abundance of rainfall this year and our cactus garden is confused but thriving. The cacti are blooming their hearts out and putting on a spectacular show for us. Each morning there's something new to see. Some of our cacti have never bloomed for us before, but this year they're coming up with new surprises each day. We enjoy sitting on the patio next to the rock and cactus garden, watching the horses grazing in the pasture behind us and reminiscing about where each rock and memento came from. It's a very serene setting, it makes us forget there's a whole bustling world out there...thankfully, far far from where we are now.

Often when we visit an old mining camp, or just on a Jeep ride through the desert, we bring back a small souvenir. What may look like rusted junk to others, are really small bits of history and treasures to us. Since Arizona is a rockhound's paradise, we have no problem finding great specimens to add to our collection.

Hope you enjoy our photos of Cactus Garden 2008.

Tags: blogplugs, cacti, cactus, Arizona

Up Workman Creek

2008-05-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

5/17/08

Nice jaunt today. We headed up to Workman Creek with Jean & Larry. The road had been closed for the winter so we wanted to check out the conditions since it reopened.

Unfortunately, since the huge Coon Creek wildfire back in 2003, so many of the trees were damaged and have since rotted and are in the process of falling across the road in many places. Some of the roads were impassable because of fallen trees blocking the road. A few of the smaller trees we managed to crawl over in the Jeeps, but we had to turn back when a series of large pines blocked our way. We turned around and continued up to Aztec Peak and the fire lookout tower. Since the wildfire season is just beginning here, the tower was manned by a retired hotshot fire Ranger named Red and his dog, Roper. Roper was the official greeter and came running happily to say hello to us as we arrived. Red said that he'd retired from fighting forest fires and had landed his dream job of manning the lookout tower, a job he loves doing. If you want solitude and enjoy being alone in the midst of nature, it would be the ideal job indeed. Because of my fear of heights, I was glad to remain on the ground when Red invited everyone up the tower steps to take a look around from his bird's eye view on the tower platform. Ralph, Larry & Jean took him up on the offer, while I enjoyed the scenery on terra firma.

The air was crisp, clean and clear up there at the 7748 foot elevation, a nice change from the low desert where summer is slowly creeping up on us. (100º expected tomorrow)

No critters were spotted today except a few lizards and a Red-tailed Hawk, unless we count the group of men and boys who were getting ready to rappel the 75 foot waterfall at Workman Creek.

Mother'Sssss Day

2008-05-11T15:11:00.000-07:00

5/11/08

While the temperatures are still decently cool in the mornings, we headed out for a short run to Cherry Creek. We're going to try to hit all the trails off of Cherry Creek Road to see where they take us. The first one led just a short way back ending at a windmill and old corral. The second road was much more extensive. We went back a few miles but the road headed through an extremely rough and rugged lava field and since we were alone, we decided to turn around and head back. It was rough going, over some large rocks, but we made it through without any mishaps.

On the way back down Cherry Creek Road, we heard a loud, angry sounding buzzing as we passed an embankment. Stopping and backing the Jeep up, we spotted a fair-sized Rattlesnake wrapped around the base of a Staghorn Cactus. With a few small rocks tossed in his direction, we angered him enough to come out and have his picture taken. He turned out to be a Mojave Green Rattlesnake, a variety we've heard about but had never seen before. He was an ill tempered cuss (maybe the rock tossing didn't help his disposition), seemingly more aggressive than the usual Western Diamondbacks we are used to seeing. The venom from these snakes is much more dangerous and toxic than that of other Rattlers. We were excited to have seen him but I'm glad we didn't stumble upon him while hiking. Anyway, it was sure a nice way to spend Mother'Sssss Day!

Springtime On A-Cross Road, 2008

2008-04-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

4/16/08

Ralph's been so busy doing projects around the house lately, we decided it was time to get back to basics and make a run to A-Cross Road, one of our favorite trails in the area. Spring has sprung on A-Cross. The wildflowers covered every hillside with a yellow blanket. The scent of them was intoxicating as a mild breeze blew through the canyons. We've never seen the area looking so lush and green. Roosevelt Lake is at history making levels, bathing the valley floor in brilliant, rippling blue.

We saw a pair of Javelinas and a couple of Buzzards along the way, but no rattlers yet. It's plenty warm, so it won't be long before we see them stretched out, sunning themselves in the roadways.

Anyway, it's good to get Ralph away from his projects, I need to keep reminding him that he's supposed to be retired and there's no deadline to get things done. Of course, he reminds me that summer will soon be upon us and working outside in 110º temperatures isn't much fun either.

On the way home we indulged and stopped for breakfast at the Butcher Hook Restaurant...whew, those breakfast burros were HUGE! <groan>

Return visit to the cave on 609

2008-04-12T15:17:00.001-07:00

Great Jeeping day! Sunny and clear with a cool breeze. We headed back to the cave this morning with Jean & Larry. This time we were well armed with flashlights and boots so we could delve further into the cave interior. It's quite a bit larger than we first thought, there are several passages leading to fairly large cave rooms. Upon closer inspection, we could tell that Indians, probably ancients, once used the cave either as a dwelling or a cool place to store meats. We could see the remainders of stone walls which had been built using mud mortar to hold them together. There are smoke stains on the ceiling of the cave in an area off to one side, it looked like it would have been a good place to smoke or cook meats.

It's obvious that over the years, lots of people have explored the cave. We could imagine early Indians, settlers, ranchers and miners, all walking over the same rocks that we did today, probably all trying to speculate about events which might have taken place here.

There are so many places to see here in our little corner of Arizona, each with something different to offer, we haven't even begun to scratch the surface. We'll just have to keep on Jeepin'!

Cave Exploring on FR 609

2008-04-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

4/5/08

Finally! We found the cave we'd been told about on FR609. I guess the fifth time was a charm. We went to look again for it this morning, having been given further vague directions on its location. "After the cattle guard, near a big Black Walnut Tree" yeah right, we didn't hold out a lot of hope but since the day was beautiful and the wildflowers are in full bloom, we didn't think the trip would be wasted even if we couldn't find the cave. Fortunately, we met a Warden from Arizona Game & Fish along FR609. He stopped to chat with us for a while, and we asked him if he knew of a cave in the area. "Why sure, as a matter of fact, I just found it today," he told us. He'd seen a vague trail leading through the scrub brush and decided to follow it and just happened upon the cave. Luckily for us, we came across him, because the directions we'd been give were way off (by about 5 miles) He told us to look for his footprints and even showed us the distinctive pattern on the soles of his boots. Sure enough, we were able to spot his prints and they led us directly to the cave.

The cave is fairly big, it eventually narrowed to a tunnel that we didn't follow today. By the time we'd found it, we were rather short on time so we explored it briefly on this trip, but we're planning to return and check it out a bit more to see how far it goes.

There weren't any critters in the cave, if there are bats present, they're probably deeper into the cave's tunnel. Along FR609, we spotted two huge flocks of wild turkeys, at least forty of them crossing the road in front of the Jeep. Other than the turkeys and a couple of deer, no other critters were spotted today. It's just as well, now that the temperatures are warming up, the rattlers are soon to follow.

The trails off of Cherry Creek Road

2008-03-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

3/30/08

Finally we got out for some Jeeping! Duty has been calling us to stay home and get some projects done that we'd been putting off for quite some time but after a hectic couple of weeks, we all decided we deserved some time on the backroads.

We've been running Cherry Creek Road ever since we got the Jeep but we haven't explored very many of the trails leading off of it. We tried a few of them today. The first was a nice one, heading toward the Sierra Anchas, the road went back for a couple of miles before it stopped on top of a bluff. Wildflowers are in full bloom here, so we spent some time checking them out while admiring the beautiful views in every direction. The second road wasn't so good. (that's an understatement) Actually, it probably wasn't a road, just a track running up a sandy dry wash. It was a bit touchy to maneuver, lots of tippy places, one of which Larry experienced first hand, scaring the daylights out of Jean as she thought they were going to tip over for sure. From now on, it'll forever be called "Crybaby Wash" in honor of Jean's response to their near miss.

The third road was the best. We didn't know it would go as far as it did, nor that it would be in such good condition. We ran it for a few miles, enjoying the scenery before it was time to head back home. We've all got dogs waiting for us, so we couldn't dally as long as we would have liked. We'll return again in the near future to see where the road leads. Wherever it goes, the views are breathtaking, so it'll be a fun run to look forward to.

Looking for a steer skull on FR 225

2008-03-15T15:53:00.000-07:00

3/15/08

Just a short jaunt today. We've been playing catch-up here at home trying to get some household chores done before the hot weather sets in again but we were going through Jeeping withdrawal, so we took a break. We wanted to pick up a steer skull to add some western flavor to our cactus garden, so we headed back to FR 225, a place we'd seen some dead steers last year. The now bleached bones had been scattered by animals, but we were able to find a skull in the bushes. Hey, this is the Southwest, and skulls are considered treasures out here. Some people even decorate them with silver, turquoise and other semiprecious stones, but we like ours sans bling bling.

We drove around long enough to see some pretty wildflowers, the hillsides here are loaded with Mexican Poppies this time of year, creating a colorful backdrop for the stately Saguaros.

Anyway, it was good to get out again, it's beginning to get a bit cloudy and cooler, rain is on the way.

Hopefully, there will be some more backroad exploring in our near future.

Glug Glug Splash! Cherry Creek Road

2008-03-06T15:47:00.000-07:00

3/6/08

Another glorious day, our dusty house will just have to wait, we can't rationalize staying home and cleaning when the great outdoors beckons us. We headed for Cherry Creek Road, it's been a while since we made the trip.

The road was in super condition, we even passed the road grader as he made another pass over the dirt road making it even smoother. The desert is very green and lush right now. We've had unusual amounts of rainfall this year, so everything that could turn green is wearing a full coat of emerald coloring.

Cherry Creek is usually not much more than a gently flowing stream, but with the snow melting in the mountains of the high country, Cherry Creek is a raging river in places.

We stopped along the way to take pictures of an old homestead. It's slowly being reclaimed by the desert. The mud bricks are melting away with each rain and soon, all will be returned to the sand and dirt of the desert floor. We haven't been able to find any history about the place, but we'll keep asking some of the old timers here about it.

When we came to the crossing at Ellison Ranch, we found the crossing had been moved a few yards downstream. We hadn't intended to run Cherry Creek Road in its entirety, but Ralph wanted to check out the water crossing. Holy smoke! It was much deeper than it looked. It begain easy enough but then the front end of the Jeep dropped into a hole which had probably been created by the last four-wheeler to cross here. Glug, glug, splash and hold on tight...he made it through all in one piece! Ralph turned the Jeep around on the other side of the crossing and headed back. Wheee! Another glug and a splash, he made it! I don't think we'll try that stunt again any time soon. We were lucky this time.

Anyway, it was another beautiful jaunt with fabulous scenery and I guess the Jeep has a clean underbelly now.

Metering Station at Tonto Gorge

2008-03-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

3/4/08

72º, clear and sunny, not conducive to staying home and cleaning, anyway, the dust will wait. We found a fairly good sized scorpion in the house this morning, after we promptly dispatched him, we decide to take off.

We headed for Tonto Creek Gorge today. There's a US Geological Survey water metering station located where the canyons narrow as Tonto Creek flows past the towering cliffs, we wanted to get a close up view of it. Tonto Creek is flowing fast, we've had a lot of snow up in the high country and the runoff is flowing into Tonto Creek from the Mollogon Rim and down into Roosevelt Lake. The lake is near capacity (91% today) and looking extraordinarily beautiful. We parked the Jeep at the edge of a sandy wash and hiked for about a mile to the metering station. To our surprise there was a man wearing waders standing in the water at the metering station. He told us that he works for the US Geological Survey and he's there measuring water flow and water levels. He's the person in charge of doing hydrographs to help the government and SRP (the electric & water company) updated on current conditions. We weren't expecting to see anyone in such a remote location, but it was a plus getting to chat with him. It was a very peaceful spot, the sound of Tonto Creek rushing over the rocks was soothing as we paused for a rest before heading back. Yet another perfect day in Roosevelt, Arizona.

One of these days, we'll stay home long enough to clean....but, then again, it'll wait.

The red dot on the map marks the location of the US Geological Survey Metering Station.

Gold Creek to Tonto Gorge

2008-03-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

3/2/08

Another nice hike today. Fabulous temperatures are making it way too nice to stay home. We headed for Gold Creek, we've been up Gold Creek before, but this time we decided to follow the creek down to where it flows into the Tonto Gorge, heading for Roosevelt Lake. Gold Creek has quite a bit of history. During the gold rush of 1848 when prospectors were heading for California in droves, some of them never made it because Arizona's riverbeds were also rich in gold. Gold Creek, aptly named, was one of them. Prospectors found placer gold, staked their claims and made their camps along the banks of Gold Creek, never proceeding on to California.

It's a fairly strenuous hike, boulders to climb over, and lots of crisscrossing the creek to try to stay dry. The rocks along the way make it a rockhound's heaven. We did manage to bring back a bag of them for our Cactus garden.

We made it as far as we could go. In warmer weather, we would have waded to the end to see the creek as it tumbled into the gorge below, but today the water was still a bit cold to wade in. This is one spot we'll return to, next time, bringing our gold pans to try our luck.

Slate Creek Hike

2008-02-25T16:16:00.000-07:00

2/25/08

A Beautiful day! Clear blue sky, sunshine and 70º makes it a perfect Arizona day. Since the trails are still too muddy for good Jeeping, we decided to take a hike up Slate Creek. We were trying to locate a possible ghost town in that vicinity when we made the skeleton discovery a few weeks ago. We were able to locate the few remains of a mill which once stood alongside Slate Creek. The mill was used to crush rocks in order to remove the raw ore. The mill was an unusual one because it served two purposes, one to crush stone and the other was to grind grain. One side of it was devoted to ore, the other contained a grist mill, serving the residents of the area back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Not much remains of the mill except a few foundations, flooding in the area had pretty much decimated any remnants. At least we knew we were on the right track because the mill indicates there were enough people in the area to support a mill.

Slate Creek itself was full of surprises. We've never seen the kind of deep purple slate that lined the creek. Beautiful small waterfalls and erosion has created lovely little pools of crystal clear mountain water. The colors have to be seen to believe. Be sure to check out the pictures, the colors are well represented in the shots of the creek. As we progressed up the creek, we saw traces of mining having been done in the area, pipes and pieces of ore car track protruded from the river bed. We also came upon an old grave...Oh NO..NOT another one! Whew, this time it was just a grave, no bones and no name to identify who it belonged to, just a simple cross made of some sort of pottery. Just above the grave was an old Juniper tree and in the center of the tree was a wreath which once stood on the grave, but over the years, the tree had grown through the wreath, raising it in the air as it grew. Not a bad final resting place, a very peaceful scenic spot.

We'll return again, there's still a ghost town to be found somewhere out there....

Hohokam Skeleton Update

2008-02-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

2/22/08

We just learned that the skeleton we found is that of a Hohokam woman. She was about twenty five to thirty years old when she died. The other two skeletal remains weren't complete enough to tell their age or gender, although speculation by archeologists is that they are male. It isn't a burial ground, so it leaves experts wondering why the remains were found in close proximity to each other. We'll post more if we find out anything further.

Clouds, Snow and Firewood

2008-02-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

2/21/08

After a couple of more days of rain. We decided to put our cabin fever to good use and go cut some firewood. We've gotten permission to cut wood from a ranch nearby. We were going to cut some firewood yesterday, but the chain saw was being temperamental and wouldn't start. (my theory, it's been hanging out with the Jeep too long and has learned some bad habits from it). Anyway, after a new spark plug and some cussing, the saw started just fine this morning. The morning was beautiful, partial sun with heavy storm clouds adding dimension to the snow topped mountains.

I'm sure I'll be aching and groaning tomorrow, this old gray mare ain't what she used to be, but for now, it was sure good to be out viewing such beautiful scenery and getting a bit of exercise.

Ahhh there's nothing like a hot shower and a good afternoon nap. I'm headed there right now...

Exciting Update on Skeleton(s)!

2008-02-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

We're pretty excited! We spoke with Mike Sullivan, archeologist with the Heritage Department of the Tonto National Forest, he's the one who actually removed the bones we found from the site last Saturday evening. He said there was more than one skeleton, two, possibly more. They are Hohokam Indians and the bones are in remarkably good condition since they'd date back probably 600 to 700 years. He's not sure if there will be further examination of the bones because, as is customary, they will be turned over to the Salt River Community of Pima-Maricopa Indians for ceremonial reburial. The Pima's are the nearest descendents of the Hohokams so they would have reburial rights. He said no artifacts were found, but that further excavation of the site will be done once the red tape involved has been cut and he'll keep us posted on anything else that might turn up. He also thanked us for turning in the find, he said that all too often, finds like this one wind up on someone's coffee table as a conversation piece.

Of course, this explains the small size of the skeleton, prehistoric Indians were quite small in stature.

Here's a couple of links with some pretty good reading about the Hohokams.

(click your "back" button to return to this journal)

THE HOHOKAM OF THE SOUTHWEST

Hohokam Indian Page

UPDATE: Human Skeleton

2008-02-11T17:46:00.000-07:00

2/11/08

We just learned that the site where we found the skeleton has been declared an Archeological Site. So that means the skeleton isn't of recent vintage. We don't know yet what the era, or gender of the skeleton is, but we'll stay on top of things and hopefully find out further information. The Arizona State Land Museum people will be handling things with cooperation from the Tonto National Forest Archaeologist. Interesting stuff for sure!

We're glad the skeleton wasn't Jimmy Hoffa or some Phoenix gang banger whose body had been dumped there by his "homies".

Return to Slate Creek (skeleton location)

2008-02-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

2/10/08

After yesterday's excitement, today was rather anticlimactic. We returned to Slate Creek this morning to see what, if anything had been done about the skeleton we found yesterday. The skull, neck, arm and shoulder had been removed, presumedly by the Tonto National Forest archaeologist. They left the rest of the skeleton still buried beneath a large mound of sand, silt and rock, it'll take quite an excavation to remove the rest of it if they choose to. We'll give them about a week to make a determination of who, and how old the skeleton appears to be, then we'll begin bugging them for information. Hey, it's "our" skeleton and we want to know!

We checked out the rest of the immediate area, searching for clues about a possible ghost town in the general vicinity. We did find a few remnants of the old mining mill that used to stand on the hillside above Slate Creek. That particular area has been subjected to some heavy flooding over the past recent years, so much of the ruins have unfortunately been washed away. We also saw evidence that mining had been done at one time very near where the skeleton was found. It's a very interesting area because the heavy flooding has washed so many things down river to be caught in tree branches and rocky outcroppings. There's an old truck, 1940s vintage as well as an old VW, also of the same era, smashed and decaying in the now dry part of the riverbed. I'm sure we'll return there again. It'll take some hiking (and lots of stamina) to get into the mountains to search for the ghost town remains, but we'll do it, our curiosity is driving us.

Bones! DOUBLE YIKES!

2008-02-09T17:48:00.001-07:00

2/9/08

Well, where do I begin? This was certainly a different kind of adventure for us, to say the least. We took off this morning to see if we could locate the remains of an old mill and from there, speculate on the location of a ghost town in that vicinity that we've heard about. We knew the location of the spot where the mill was, there doesn't appear to be much left of it, most has been washed away during heavy flooding. We decided to take the trail less traveled and so on foot we headed past the place where the mill once stood to see if anything had been washed downstream. We came to a large washed out area along Slate Creek so we decided to climb down the embankment and take a look in the riverbed. Standing above the riverbed, we saw a bone. We see a lot of animal bones on our treks, but this looked a bit different. It looked like a human arm bone, aww no, it couldn't be...could it? We began to climb down the muddy embankment and as Ralph was helping me slide down, I glanced to my left, there imbedded in the dirt was something that looked different from anything else around. Upon closer inspection we both decided it sure looked like a human skull. YIKES! Should we go phone someone and report it? Me, being a person who is into details, decided we should poke around a bit. I wanted to be positive it was human remains before we phoned, we would have felt silly if it turned out to be just a buried ball or gourd. Ralph carefully removed some of the dirt from around it, coming to a neck bone and then the shoulder bone...and the lone bone we saw at first was indeed human upon closer inspection. DOUBLE YIKES! Yep, time to go and call authorities. We thought we could wait along the rather busy Beeline Highway and flag down a cop, the road is usually crawling with them. While we were waiting two really nice guys on motorcycles stopped and after explaining to them what we'd found, we asked if they could phone 911 for us. They turned out to be retired cops themselves. They couldn't get a signal on their cell (that's one reason we don't carry one..no signal in the areas we go to) So one of them rode up ahead to see if he could get a signal. After about 20 minutes he returned telling us that authorities were on their way. First DPS (Highway Patrol) came, taking our information and making copies of our driver's licenses...maybe we've been watching COPS too much, but for some reason, we felt uneasy when the officer "ran" our identification. I guess we came up clean, cause our licenses were returned to us. Whew! HA! By this time, Sheriff's Deputies arrived, then a Forensic team, they then phoned for a Tonto National Forest archaeological expert but they were coming a long distance so we couldn't wait because our pooch was home alone waiting for us.

As I'm writing this, all we're left with is a lot of curiosity about the skeleton we found. We don't know if it's recent, ancient or what the circumstances were of the person's demise....and what were they doing buried under so much dirt. We're hoping to be able to find out some more information in a week or so from the authorities involved, I'll post up any details here if we find out more, so be sure to check back.

We'll return to the area again, we think there's still a lost ghost town out there somewhere, next time, perhaps the trip will be a bit less eventful!

A little over five hours later, we're tired, but still buzzing with excitement over our adventure. Who says life in the boondocks is dull?

Zadora Mine in the snow

2008-02-02T16:38:00.000-07:00

2/2/08

Jean came up from Tucson with Larry this weekend, so we went to Zadora Mine, Jean hadn't been there before. The trail was muddy from melting snow and ice and all the normally dry creeks and washes were flowing from the runoff. There were a couple of "iffy" places along the trail, one that was pretty scary because it crossed a small creek, but in the place we would normally have crossed, there was a pretty deep washout with water flowing into it. Both Jeeps made it through okay, but there was a bit of consternation about the return trip. Fortunately, again, both Jeeps made it through on the trip back as well.

Zadora Mine was pretty much as we had left it before, although this time water was dripping from the ceiling of the mine forming frozen icicle stalactites. Larry climbed down the rocks and into the tunnel to see how far he could go while Jean, Ralph and I remained outside (so we could help Jean file the insurance papers if anything happened.) Larry reported back to us that the shaft didn't go very far in, he said that it looked as though it had been closed off and that the ceiling had collapsed in several places. We left wondering what was beyond the closed off tunnel. We'd all love to find an old mining car, but the odds are against finding something like that. We trekked up the mountainside above the mine and checked out the vertical shaft which would have probably connected beyond the point of closure of the adit below, but it would take someone younger and more foolhardy than we are to venture into the vertical opening without knowing what lies below. Zadora will have to remain a mystery, if there are secrets deep inside, the old mine isn't revealing them.

Tags: Arizona, exploring, mines, jeeping

Respite from the rain

2008-01-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

1/28/08

After almost two days and nights, it's finally stopped raining, although it looks like there might still be more to come. During the lull, we took a ride to check out the areas around Roosevelt Lake to see the rising water levels and flooded washes. The desert puts on quite a show during a storm, the colors are intensified by the mixture of sun and clouds, adding a new dimension to an already spectacular landscape.

We took these shots, hope you all enjoy them!

Reynolds Creek Snowfall

2008-01-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

1/26/08

We returned to Reynolds Creek with Larry this morning. We were surprised to see that it had snowed since we were there last week, so much so, there appeared to be about five or six inches on the trail. We tried another road off of FR 410, but eventually we were turned back by the snow. We probably could have made it to the top where the trail ends at the Sierra Ancha Wilderness, but we figured we might be pushing our luck for no reason...we can always return once the snow melts. This will be a great spot to return to, even during the summer, the temperatures up in the higher elevations would probably be a welcome relief from the desert's blistering heat. The Gila County mine map shows quite a few old, abandoned Uranium, Asbestos and Barium mines in the area, so I'm sure we'll be going back and scout them out as well.

It was a great ride, beautiful weather, cold air, no wind and as always, the scent of the pristine pine forest was invigorating.

Reynolds Creek, FR410

2008-01-21T14:48:00.000-07:00

1/21/08

We've been using our wood stove every day and our wood stockpile is getting low, so we headed out this morning to the high country to see if we could find some fallen trees. We could feel the temperature dropping as we headed up into the higher elevations. There was still quite a bit of snow in the mountains, a nice change of scenery for us desert dwellers. We didn't have any trouble finding wood, so after filling the back of the Jeep, we decided to check out a road we'd seen on previous trips. FR410 runs alongside Reynolds Creek from the Sierra Ancha Wilderness, ending at its final destination, Roosevelt Lake. It's a lovely area, tall pines, enormous Holly trees, and majestic Sycamores growing along the creek. We forded a few small creeks but decided since we didn't have much time, that we'd wait until Jean & Larry could go with us before crossing a larger creek and heading up the mountain.

It was a great ride, scenic and peaceful...Ahhhh....now it's time for a hot lunch and maybe even a nap.

Canyon Lake Lowered

2008-01-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

1/13/08

We took the Jeeps down the Apache Trail this morning with Larry and his ever-faithful pooch Ida. Jean's back in Tucson feeling a bit under the weather...get well soon Jean, we miss you!

Canyon Lake is one of a series of lakes within the Salt River Project along with Roosevelt Lake and Apache Lake, all located along the Apache Trail. We'd read they were lowering Canyon Lake to perform maintenance on the Mormon Flat Dam, so we thought we'd take a look. It's quite a sight to see. Normally the lake is full and loaded with boats. All the boats are dry-docked for now, including the little scenic steamer the Dolly. If you're ever in the area, a ride on the Dolly is a must do. Ralph & I have done it before, it's a lovely trip on Canyon Lake with a well informed crew pointing out the highlights along the way.

We stopped for lunch at Tortilla Flat, a neat place, once an old stage coach stop along the Apache Trail, it now attracts visitors from all over the world to sample their killer chili. (Take TUMS if you plan to continue your trip along the trail)

On the way back we spotted a Red-Tail Hawk in the rocks along side of the road, trying to make a meal from a noncooperative squirrel. We cheered as the squirrel got away, but he looked a little worse for wear, leaving us to wonder if the hawk returned to reclaim his lunch. There are so many squirrels in the area, we call them Nature's Nachos.

As always, it was a nice run, in beautiful Arizona winter weather.

Mormon Flat Dam, Built 1923-1925

224 Feet High - 380 Feet Long

(SRP Photo)

Rain rain went away...finally!

2008-01-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

1/9/08

It's rained here for a few days, finally stopping yesterday. Needless to say we're getting cabin fever so we headed out this morning for a short Jeep run. We've spotted a road on previous trips up Hwy. 288, Desert to Tall Pines Scenic Highway. There's a small pull off and almost hidden from roadside view, there's a closed and locked Forest Service gate, so we parked the Jeep and hiked in. We've been curious to see what was out there. It's a beautifully scenic area with tall mountains and peaks rising high from the pine forest floor. We were surprised to find a load of cabins and structures as well as a former office of the Forest Service hidden back in the woods. It appears to have been used at one time to house Forest Rangers and possibly firefighters who might come to the area to fight local forest fires. There were several cabins, a couple set up as bunkhouses and a few for individual families. There was also a mess hall with a large kitchen and giant stove, it looked like a lot of people had been fed there at one time. There is also a large building that was once used as a shop, bins and work benches are still in place. It's a choice location with Parker Creek flowing down through it in a series of lovely waterfalls. We could see some ancient Indian Cliff dwellings high up on a mountain peak, but you'd have to be a mountain goat to make the climb up to them.

Hopefully, with the 60º temperatures and cool breezes, the trails will dry out soon so we can get back into some serious Jeeping. Meanwhile, today was very nice.

It's hard to describe the scent of the crisp, invigorating, pine scented, mountain air, I wish we could bottle some and share it with all of you.

Animal Encounters of The Close Kind

2008-01-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

1/4/08

We had a visit just a little while ago from a herd of Javelinas, we counted eleven in all. They're pretty skittish, but we were able to snap a few pictures of them before they took off running. As much as we hate to see our hybrid prickly pears being eaten by marauding wild pigs, we have to admit, the babies sure are cute. We've had them visit before, but never this many at one time.

Life in the boondocks isn't boring, particularly if you enjoy Mother Nature's surprises as much as we do.

Here's some more information about Javelinas. (click your "back" button to return to this journal)

Living With Javelina

Desert Loop Trail

Return to Boyer Cabin

2007-12-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

12/29/07

We've wanted to go back to the old Boyer Cabin once the temperatures cooled off, the last time we were there was in the summertime and the snakes were still very active. Boyer Cabin is a pretty site, very rustic. The beautifully built corrals are still standing, along with the cabin, bunkhouse and barn, all shaded by a large grove of native Sycamore and Holly trees. It was once owned by Tom Boyer, one of the active participants in the Pleasant Valley Wars, 1882-1892, a murderous feud between sheepherders and cattlemen.

We took some time today to dig through the old dump behind the main cabin. Trash disposal must have been quite a problem back in pioneer days, so most trash was dumped outside the back door, often into a stream bed. Anyway, we didn't take a lot of time to dig, so there's still a lot to be checked out. We found the usual items, old cans, broken bottles, shoes, not much intact except an old glass doorknob. We also found a mule shoe behind the barn and Larry & Jean found a couple of horseshoes. Something else to add to our collective collections. We've noticed that people who live out in the desert as we do, often collect little "treasures" bringing them home as souvenirs of our explorations. Most of the things we find, we place in our cactus garden, to add an authentic rustic touch.

The road up through Thompson Mesa was extremely muddy, but fortunately, the road is rocky enough so we didn't have much problem with the Jeeps slipping in the mud.

It was a nice run, there seldom is a run that isn't good. We feel fortunate to have it all within such close proximity to home.

Sunflower Mine Trail

2007-12-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

12/27/07

It's cold and crisp here in Arizona, great Jeeping weather! We headed out this morning, destination, Sunflower Mine. The trail began as a nice Jeep trail, easy for a stock Jeep, however, it quickly changed from an easy trail, to a grip your seat, maneuver the rocks, cross the river, hell of a Jeep ride! The previous time we'd visited the area, the riverbed was dry, exposing the rocks and daring us to cross. On this trip however, the river was running, hiding the rocks beneath the current. We managed to cross the river carefully, with no problems...all the while thinking that once this obstacle had been crossed that the rest of the trail would be a snap. WRONG! Just past the river we came upon an area that had been washed out from previous monsoon rains, all that remained of the trail were rocks, and more rocks. Ralph & Larry carefully chose the line they'd take and proceeded to head up the trail...whew...we made it, no damage to anything but our nerves. After further meandering and maneuvering, we were within sight of the old refinery. Parking on a hill above the refinery area, we proceeded to hike the 1/4 mile down into the canyon to reach the ruins.

Sunflower mine was a large Cinnabar mining operation. Cinnabar when processed, produces Mercury a necessary ingredient when mining for gold. The mines operated from 1911 up until 1982, with most of the production taking place before the 1960s. The old refinery is still standing, though much of it has been reclaimed by Mother Nature, you can still get a good idea of what an extensive operation it once was.

We checked out the refinery area, marveling at how massive it was and wondering how in the world the equipment and supplies were hauled into this remote location.

We didn't have time to check out the numerous mine shafts in the area since we all had dogs at home waiting for us. (canine guilt trips) I found this site however, if you're interested, you can take a virtual tour of the interiors of the mine tunnels. It's quite impressive to see how large an operation this once was. Sunflower Mine 1 - IronMiners.com (hit your "back" button to return to this journal)

We had no problems on the way out, and we all breathed a sigh of relief after our mission was accomplished.

It's nice to be home, the fire is crackling, dinner is on the stove and all's well in our world.

Not a single beep from the metal detector

2007-12-16T17:28:00.000-07:00

12/16/07

We'd been told there might be the remnants of an old ranch and some houses atop a mesa near Livingston, Arizona. Livingston was a small town that existed between 1896 and 1907. We've fully explored the old Livingston site, finding very few remains, so we were interested in finding more information if possible about this now bygone town.

We headed out this morning, armed with the metal detector, digging implements and enthusiasm.

It was a nice hike, the temperature was perfect, staying right around 50º with full sunshine. We headed up a muddy wash to a mesa where we thought might be a promising place to begin our search. As we climbed up out of the wash, we noticed the ground was littered with rocks, of every kind imaginable. Seeing rocks isn't unusual, but something about these just didn't look natural. There were clearings, then piles of rock and then whole areas devoid of any rocks at all. The land was pristine, no signs of modern man anywhere. We came to an area where the rocks had been laid out in patterns, squares, circles, and rectangles. We thought at first these might be the foundations left from the old home sites we were looking for, so we began metal detecting the area. Usually, as we sweep an area, we'll come across, a nail, a piece of wire, a bottle cap, something left behind, but this time, the detector showed nothing at all, unusual for a site where recent man once occupied the space. As we continued looking, we noticed a white shape sticking up out of the soil. It turned out to be a piece of Indian pottery, you can still see the design painted on it. We decided to check further and eventually we came across a bronze marker, "Arizona State University, Archaeological, Datum 12, 1990." We'd stumbled upon an archaeological dig. The stones laid out in squares, circles and rectangles were the remains of Ancient Indian dwellings and the site had been examined and recorded by A.S.U in 1990. We're not sure who the Indians were, probably Salado or Anasazi, farming tribes who inhabited the area 700 to 1000 years ago.

We went further up into the mountains and found several areas where we could make out the remains of an old mule trail, leading to various diggings, probably an old prospector had come along to see if there was any gold in the area. We didn't find the old ranch or houses we were looking for, but it was rewarding to find the Indian ruins. I'm sure we'll head back to the area to search further, there's no end to the discoveries we can make.

As I am now, so shall you be...

2007-12-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

12/13/07

Remember me, as you walk by

As you are now, so once was I.

As I am now, so shall you be

Remember this, and follow me.

*
To follow you, I'll not consent

Until I know, which way you went.

Finally the rains have stopped, leaving everything bright and clear. The temperature this morning was a perfect 45º. We headed to the Tonto Ranger's Station to buy a wood cutting permit so we can take firewood from the National Forest. We always enjoy chatting with our knowledgeable local Forest Rangers and looking around at the exhibits and gift shop at the visitor's center. The gift shop is a great resource for books about local history.

Since the roads are still a bit too muddy to do much back road exploring, we decided to take a walk up to the old Roosevelt Cemetery. The cemetery was establish during the building of Roosevelt Dam between 1903 to 1911 as a final resting place for workers killed during the dam construction as well as early local residents of the Roosevelt area. The cemetery is located in a pretty spot on a hillside overlooking Roosevelt Lake, only about a mile from the dam.

One cannot help but wonder about the men who toiled so hard and gave up their lives to eke out a living in such a treacherous place during the dam construction. Most graves now are only marked by wooden crosses, a few have carved tombstones indicating that they were stone masons who actually cut the stone used in the dam construction. There are very few graves identified with names, although 75 people are buried there.

It is estimated that at least 10 men were killed during construction of RooseveltDambut these figures may not be accurate since death records did not include Mexican or Indian workers.

There are several hiking trails leading off into the Superstitions, but we'll reserve them to return another day.

A very wet desert

2007-12-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

12/11/07

Well, no Jeeping to report. We've had several days of very heavy rain keeping us indoors and in front of the fire. We need the rain badly, but enough is enough. We're getting cabin fever and a severe case of bumpy road withdrawal.

Here are just a few pictures of Pinto Creek near our house. Normally it's a dry wash but the recent rains have turned it into a raging river.

It's quiet here right now, the rains have begun to subside a bit. Ralph's been called for jury duty so he had to go into town early this morning. The pooch and I are wandering aimlessly from room to room without anything to do, neither one of us likes to be separated from Ralph. It seems no matter where you live, even out here in the boondocks, when duty calls, you have to answer the call....haven't they ever heard of retirement?

Ah well, tomorrow is another day bringing with it (hopefully) sunny skies. The back roads will be a muddy mess, but with a bit of luck and some winds to dry them out, perhaps it won't be too long before we can hit the trail again.

I just went outside to check the mail and noticed the clouds lifting in the Sierra Anchas, revealing a blanket of snow. Very Pretty!

Cherry Creek Asbestos Mining Operations

2007-11-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

11/25/07

This morning we returned to the Asbestos Mine workings we'd passed yesterday on Cherry Creek Road. Jean and Larry were going to go with us this morning, but Murphy's Law came into play when were following behind them in our Jeep and noticed something hanging from beneath their Jeep. We called ahead to them on the radio and they pulled over to check. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a shock absorber hanging loose, one of the brackets holding it had broken. Since this wasn't going to be an easy trail fix, they had to turn back. We missed you guys!

Ralph & I decided to go on and make the trip. It was a fabulous morning, clear, crisp and cold, just the way we like it. We stopped just below Board Tree Saddle to take a photo of the mine off in the distance. We could also see a road that once ran from the top of the mountain, straight on down to the mine. It might have been used at one time to run a cable to haul ore carts up the mountainside. It would have been too steep for any kind of motor vehicle traffic, but possibly a mule could have made the trek.

We parked the Jeep at the bottom of the mountain where the mines and workings are located and hiked up the steep trail leading to the mine works. Chunks of asbestos littered the entire area. Asbestos tailings were cascading down the steep hillsides. The ruins of the old mining site were quite extensive, mostly old boards, iron girders and heavy iron beams. There were a few rusted pieces of equipment left near the mining site. As best as we can tell by research, the mines were last in operation in the 1950s. We could see huge blocks of Asbestos still remaining in the mountainside. The walls of the workings were even made from Asbestos blocks, cut to fit and used to hold up the walls of the structures. After exploring the remains, we took a trail leading along a narrow ledge on the side of the mountain just past the workings and came across several mine adits. Since we weren't expecting to see actual tunnels, we didn't have our flashlights with us, so we only went into the tunnels a short distance. Even treading carefully, we could see Asbestos dust and fibers floating in the air inside the mine shafts. It's hard to imagine working in that environment all day long, every day.

Hiking up what was left of the road past the mines, we could see the road we'd spotted earlier from up near Board Tree Saddle. There were more piles of tailings and more Asbestos deposits, but we didn't explore any further today, we'll save that for another trip when we return with Jean & Larry & flashlights.

The peaceful shady glades along the trail were beautiful this morning. As we ate our sandwiches, we enjoyed the natural surroundings. Sunlight filtered through the trees, making dappled patterns on the rocky terrain. Cold mountain breezes were whispering through the pines...I know that sounds a bit trite, but the sound of the pine trees is truly a whisper. If we're really quiet and still, perhaps they'll whisper their secrets.

Cherry Creek Road completed.

2007-11-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

11/24/07

We headed out early this morning to meet Jean & Larry up near Workman Creek. They had gone out well before daylight, hoping to see some Elk as they came to feed at an apple orchard up near Aztec Peak. We didn't want to leave quite that early since we were obligated to take care of Bailey, (our Schnauzer boss) before we left the house. Larry & Jean didn't have any luck spotting Elk, better luck next time. Eventually, we're bound to see them, everyone tells us they're there, although I think they're probably mythical creatures, like Unicorns and Big Foot.

After meeting up with Jean & Larry, we headed to Young to take Cherry Creek Road all the way to Board Tree Saddle. We've done the other half of Cherry Creek Road, beginning from SR 288 and coming out at Board Tree Saddle, but we've never been on the other half of the trail.

Jean & I had to humor our husbands as they played hide and seek Jeep. Larry was leading, then he pulled off the road and hid Old Blue behind some bushes....then it was Ralph's turn, as we saw Old Blue pull up behind us, Ralph sped up until he too could pull off the road and hide our Old Peep's Jeep from Larry. It worked, we saw them go speeding past our hiding place. After wondering where each other was for a few minutes, we eventually met up at FR 54, to begin our trip on Cherry Creek Road. I'm convinced, boys will be boys, now and forever.

The trail headed out through a diverse landscape, from rolling meadows and pastures to steep hillsides, sheer cliffs and deep canyons. The scenery was ever-changing, and ever beautiful.

We stopped along the way to check out what appeared to be an old Asbestos mill. There wasn't much left but we could still see the remnants of the mill along with an assayer's office and some housing. Larry found some hard rock core samples near the old assayers office. We always find it interesting to speculate about the people who once worked in these places. It had to be terribly hard work, and certainly a very unhealthy environment to work in. From what we've read, Asbestos miners didn't live to a ripe old age, often developing a variety of deadly lung ailments.

We crossed Cherry Creek and found a beautiful spot right next to the creek that we all agreed would be a perfect camp site, so we'll certainly make future plans to return and spend a night or two.

We also spotted another much larger Asbestos operation up on a hillside, but since we were nearing the end of our trip and Board Tree Saddle, we didn't have time today to check it out. We're hoping to head back, possibly tomorrow to explore it. It looks like an interesting place. Now we can say we've run Cherry Creek Road in its entirety, quite and accomplishment for all of us. It was another great run and a nice day spent in the company of good friends. Now if Jean and I can figure out how to keep the "boys" from playing hide and seek Jeep, all will be well.

Who needs a night light, we've got each other.

2007-11-19T16:05:00.000-07:00

11/19/07

We returned to the Workman Creek area to check out some more abandoned Uranium Mines, the Lucky Stop and the Hope Mining Claims. It was a nice hike through the pine forest to reach the mines. As we approached them, there was a distinctive odor of rotten eggs in the air, not a good sign. The odor is caused by Hydrogen Sulphide, a gas that forms when ground water and sulphides are present in mines and caves...BAD AIR! We knew not to take any chances with bad air, so we just went far enough in to take some quick photos and got out. They're a spooky looking group of mines, one of them has a vertical shaft dropping to unknown depths about twenty-five feet in from the main adit. The walls are a sickly yellow green color with white crystals forming along the way from water seepage. No bats were seen clinging to the ceilings, also not a good sign. We could see that there had been lots of digging in the surrounding area and we've read that there were at least 17 mines and claims in the Workman Creek group of mines. There were no timber supports to be found anywhere, all the mines had been carved into layered shale-type rock, an engineering marvel to see. The tunnels were mostly square, unlike the rounded tunnels we've seen in other mines, probably because the rock they were carved into seemed to fracture into squares naturally.

We checked out another road on the way home, FR488, it heads out toward some really deep canyon drop-offs and rocky cliffs, I wasn't feeling particularly adventurous given the deep chasms and soaring heights, so we called it a day and headed home.

After visiting the Uranium Mines, we'll probably glow in the dark, ah well, who needs night lights, we've got each other.

Aztec Peak and more

2007-11-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

11/17/07

Awesome, fantastic, spectacular, serene, beautiful .... it's hard to find adjectives to describe the area we visited today. The road we took runs high up into the Sierra Ancha Mountains, bordering on the Sierra Ancha Wilderness. Riding up the road early this morning was a treat for the senses. Cool. crisp, pine scented air, sunlight filtering through the trees, dappling the road in front of us.

On the way up, we paused to take some pictures of an abandoned Uranium mine. Uranium was heavily mined in the area up until the late 1950s. The adit was boarded up, with warning signs posted, but we managed to squeeze the camera through an opening to take a few photos. Supposedly, the surrounding areas are fairly radioactive, so overnight camping is prohibited. (we can't help but wonder if the local critters glow in the dark at night.)

We stopped further up, to check out the waterfall, unfortunately, there hasn't been a lot of rain recently, so Workman Creek wasn't flowing full force as it toppled over the falls, falling to a depth of about 200 feet. Near the falls but high above are the remains of some ancient Indian cliff dwellings, but the climb looked to be one that you'd want some special equipment to make. Slippery shale slopes aren't for the casual climber...hmmm say THAT three times fast....

Proceeding up the road, we stopped at an old CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) fish hatchery, a pretty spot where we could hear water meandering down the rocky creek below.

Our next stop was at the top of Aztec Peak. The fire tower up there is listed in the National Historic Lookout Register. The views from all sides were absolutely breathtaking. Aztec Peak's elevation is 7748 feet, making it the highest point in the Tonto National Forest. Just below the tower is a beautiful vantage point, someone, perhaps a bored fire tower lookout person has made what the locals call, Flintstones' living room. There are easy chairs, a table and chairs, a fireplace, all made from stacking flat sandstone rocks. It's quite a sight to see. The Coon Creek Fire which burned 9644 acres back in 2000 burned many of the large pine trees in the area, their remains can still be seen. Mother Nature has a way of healing her forests, so you can also see the new growth of young pine trees throughout the area.

On our way back down the mountain, we made a stop at the old Murphy Ranch, now Haldi Ranch Apple Orchard. The log home and cabins are beautifully rustic, but the orchard looked like it had seen better days.

The trip was perfect, thanks Larry & Jean for showing us such a beautiful spot.