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....

Gentle Jeeping on J-B Ranch Road

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 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

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

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

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

  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

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

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

                             

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.

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Clouds, Snow and Firewood

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)!

                

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

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".