Rain rain went away...finally!

 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

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

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

 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

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...

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

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!

 

                       

aoljpictureUpload, aoljpictureUpload_1