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!