3-Bar to Rock Creek Cabin

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

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

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

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

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

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

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....