Category: Fun

Two years ago, Helen and I spent one night at Dead Horse Ranch in Cottonwood, AZ and drove through Sedona, AZ to get there.  It only took that brief visit to make us realize that we had to return for an extended stay. We got that opportunity on this trip. Our time in Apache Junction was delightful as well as very relaxing, but we knew that the area we were moving into would be sightseeing gold (or red).

We checked in and settled into our campsite. Later that afternoon, Helen and I took a short hike to the top of a steep slope behind Lucy. From that vantage point, we had a view of the entire campground on one side of the ridge and the town of Cottonwood on the other. I made that hike again the next morning to capture Cottonwood Canyon in better light conditions. The crisp morning air felt awesome.

That same morning, we learned at the State Park Rangers offered a class on “Venomous Desert Critters,” a class I dubbed “snake school.” Our brief meeting with a rattlesnake in the Tucson desert suggested that a class might be helpful. The class was packed with young and old alike and taught by Clint, a wildlife expert who had all of the fingers on his right hand missing.  Everyone assumed that those missing fingers were the result of a rattlesnake encounter, but the instructor explained that it was frostbite that took them. He was the lone survivor of a backpacking group that became buried under an avalanche.

Clint gave us a presentation on Gila Monsters, poisonous spiders, and several varieties of venomous snakes. At one point, he removed a Gila Monster from a cage and held it to give everyone an opportunity to pet the creature. Children were the most eager.  He did not offer any rattlers to the curious, but he did pull a giant Gopher snake out of a bag for a quick look by anyone who wanted to hold it.  Helen jumped at the opportunity to show her grandchildren how tough she was.  I took her picture, and it is my favorite picture of our trip so far.

Later that afternoon, we felt a need to walk out some of the kinks from traveling and took a one-mile hike around Dead Horse Lake at the eastern end of the State Park.  Like many of the days in Arizona, this was another glorious one with clear skies, light breezes, temps in the low 70’s.  Adjacent to the lake was a large picnic area filled with families out for the afternoon. Dead Horse Ranch has excellent facilities including clean showers, nature classes, and several well-maintained picnic areas like this one.

Of course, we had to make several trips into Sedona, just 15 miles away for hiking and sightseeing. On our first trip into town, we went to Sliding Rock State Park to hike the nature trails and eat lunch. Sliding Rock, named for one area of a large creek where the rocky bottom forms a natural slide and visitors line up to take advantage. The temperatures were a bit too cold for me but didn’t seem to affect eager sliders all around us. I watched as one reticent wader stuck a foot in the creek, then slipped and fell in the water up to his hat. He quickly scaled the rocky shore and traded his hat for a towel.

Our next trip to Sedona started with a hike through Red Rock State Park.  This hike would be longer than the one at Sliding Rock, but it didn’t matter because the scenery was something to behold. We pulled into the parking lot in time to scatter a herd of deer. After a short bit of browsing through the Park Office and gift shop where Helen got some trail information from a Ranger, we took off. Soon we began a climb up to a plateau where a rock formation known as The Cathedrals came squarely into our view. That was just the beginning of a day filled with stunning scenes and incredible red rock formations.  I had to restrain myself to keep from using up the one camera battery I had on hand.

Downtown Sedona is a busy place, even on a weekday.  The only comparison I can make to it is the similarity Sedona has to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  In no way am I making the comparison as a criticism because I love Gatlinburg, it’s just that Sedona, with plenty of well-kept shops and restaurants, has the same feel as Gatlinburg. The difference is that in Sedona, you can see the mountains. In Gatlinburg, the foliage blocks the mountains from view in many directions.  Helen and I walked both sides of the main street as well as an outdoor shopping mall. The statues along the sidewalk made for some excellent points of interest. We shopped only for a few small items then drove back to Dead Horse Ranch.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. I loved taking them! Come back next week…we’re Easin’ Along to Lake Havasu, AZ.

Almost two years ago, I discovered the blog Live, Laugh, RV. I’m not sure how it happened, but I probably found it listed on one of the blog rolls that I was following at the time.  Ingrid, the author, and her husband Al had retired from their careers as homebuilders and began a life as full-time RVers. The blog is very well-written, but, more than that, her photography is stunning.  They were living around Corpus Christie, TX at the time and Ingrid would hike around the lakes and ponds and capture incredible pictures of waterfowl. I was immediately drawn in by her art.

I commented on her blog several times and, when she and Al relocated to Arizona sometime later, I contacted Ingrid by email to ask for suggestions on where to camp. We were thinking about making a trip to Arizona once we learned that RV sites in Florida are nearly impossible to obtain in the winter. Ingrid was kind enough to reply and sent a lengthy list of suggestions. I began working on reservations immediately.  That was over a year ago. We stayed in touch and, as we moved across the Southwest, I contacted Ingrid and asked if she would be willing to meet us at Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction, AZ for some hiking and perhaps a photography lesson. Thankfully, it worked out, and they met us on a beautiful Sunday morning.

Ingrid and Al are a lively, fun couple. Helen and I liked them immediately.  After a period of getting acquainted and a brief tour of Lucy, we prepared for some hiking in Lost Dutchman. Ingrid suggested we take Jacob’s Crosscut Trail which is relatively flat and that we should be able to complete in less than an hour—perfect! While out on the trail, Ingrid walked me through some of the settings on my camera.  My travel camera is a Lumix DC-ZS70 that I purchased from Amazon. I love this lightweight, compact camera, but I have a lot to learn about it. It was only fitting that Ingrid would give me lessons on the Lumix because I bought it after reading her review on her blog.

We started with the lessons as soon as we spotted wildflowers. Recently, Ingrid posted an article on Live, Laugh, RV about bokeh, the process of blurring the background and leaving the main image sharp in the foreground. I asked her to show me how she does it, then set the camera and snapped away.  I think it went well for the first attempt.

We went through several camera settings for different situations and different compositions and, by the time we ended our hike, I had a nearly full memory card, and I felt an entirely new comfort level with this camera. Ingrid was very patient, accommodating, and very careful to avoid throwing more at me than I could absorb on one short hike in light conditions that would not change. She also did not bring her usual camera equipment on this hike, preferring instead to work with a new iPhone that she purchased a day earlier. After some usage, she said that she missed her camera.

I’m not sure how long we were on the trail, but time went quickly, and we made our way back to Lucy in time to go to Goldfield Ghost Town for lunch. Before we left for Ghost Town, I set up my Canon T6i camera on a tripod and took a group picture to mark the occasion. The Superstition Mountains are in the background.

Our lunch at Goldfield Ghost Town included both tasty food and delightful entertainment. We sat on the porch near a small stage where country western singers serenaded us as we ate.  Mingled around were characters dressed in cowboy attire as well as real cowboys and cowgirls who arrived at Ghost Town on horseback.  All, including us, had a great time, but Ingrid and Al had an hour or more drive to their home, and it was getting late in the afternoon, so we said our goodbyes and promised to stay in touch.  I am very grateful for their time and hospitality.

After a down day for laundry and housekeeping, Helen and I were ready for some more hiking.  We decided to bite off a bit more this time and follow the Treasure Loop Trail that would take us to the base of the Superstitions and cover slightly more than two miles. We were aware that there would be some steepness involved, but we felt pretty frisky on a beautiful day. Again, I felt compelled to fill the memory card on my Lumix camera.  The desert wildflowers and cactus blooms were everywhere, and the vistas from the high points of the trail had much to offer a wannabe photographer. I have placed a few examples here.

 

Late that afternoon, we drove to nearby Mesa, AZ for dinner at Organ Stop Pizza, a favorite of Ingrid and Al, featuring the largest Wurlitzer Organ ever built. We placed an order for our pizza, then struggled to find a seat in the sizeable arena-style dining room, complete with balcony. About the time our order was served, we located seats on the main floor in the corner of the room. The organist (and his HUGE organ) is on a stage above the crowd.  Behind the organ are rooms (yes rooms) filled with pipes and bellows to amplify the music. The organist played old favorites and show tunes like the theme from Star Wars, and It’s a Small World After All. During some of the songs, a light show would appear and fill the room with hundreds of moving lights. The pizza was delicious and topped only by the outstanding musical show.

We arrived back at the Lost Dutchman State Park Campground right at sunset. I grabbed my camera, adjusted the settings, and snapped until my fingers were numb. I don’t know if my teacher is proud of her student’s progress, but I’m sure proud of this picture. I still have a long way to go however, so I’ll continue…Easin’ Along.

Our plans in Tucson called for camping at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, one of the few military campgrounds that do not accept reservations. We weren’t worried however because the campground has 198 sites plus an overflow area and felt confident that there would be space for Lucy. Wrong! On the way in, Helen received a message from her friend Pete about a huge airshow scheduled during our time there and space would be very tight. He recommended Voyager RV Resort near the Base as a place to contact. It’s good to have friends.

It turns out that the Voyager Resort has an affiliation with the Thousand Trails organization and we obtained a membership when we purchased Lucy. Therefore, we could camp at a first-class resort for about less than the price of the Air Force Base. Learning this, we extended our stay in Tucson for two extra days. Voyager Resort has three swimming pools, dozens of pickleball and tennis courts, a pub and grill, and a laundry. We would indeed be “glamping” for the next four days.

Helen did her usual research and decided that on day two, we should drive to the summit of Mt. Lemmon, the highest point in the Santa Catalina Mountains at an elevation of 9,159 feet. We heard that there was snow on the ground there along with great opportunities for picture taking. The ride up was fascinating as there were Saguaro (Say-wa-row) cactus on both sides of the road up to about 4,000 feet where they suddenly disappeared. At that point, the rock formations stood out and were equally fascinating.

As predicted, we began to see snow at around 7,000 feet. Snow had fallen recently, and snow melts slowly there. The ski resort closed for the season on the day we arrived. We walked through the small ski village before beginning our trek back down the mountain. We stopped for a short hike at one overlook and grabbed a few pictures from the side of the mountain. Tucson is visible in the distance (image above).

The next day temperatures were delightfully crisp and the sky a brilliant bright blue; a perfect day for a hike. Pete, a childhood friend, neighbor, and former classmate of Helen’s agreed to serve as a guide for a couple of tenderfeet from Tennessee. Pete has lived in Tucson for over twenty years and is a student of geology. He has a passion for studying the Prehistoric inhabitants of the desert and uncovering the tools, artifacts, and drawings they left behind–things that Helen and I know little about. We met at his office and drove to a private ranch north and west of Tucson in an area Pete referred to as the Chirreon Canyon. Once we left the main highway, a Diamondback rattlesnake came out to greet us. He seemed a bit miffed that we disturbed his nap, so we drove around him.

Pete’s knowledge of the desert and almost everything found there is remarkable. He always carries a rock hammer with him and is continually picking at the sun-baked sand while he walks. From the moment we left the car, we began to find pieces of pottery about the size of silver dollars. One part that I picked up had coloring that indicated a design of some sort painted on a pot or bowl. These pieces were everywhere around us.

Also around us were cacti of every variety including Saguaro, Cholla, and Barrel cactus. Helen, wearing only sneakers and not boots, suddenly felt something sharp on the bottom of her foot. When she removed her shoe, Pete used his knife to remove three cactus spines that had penetrated the sole. They came from Barrel cactus and served as further evidence of Helen’s tenderfoot status.

The ruins that we uncovered most likely came from the Hohokam (Ho-ho-kom) culture that occupied the area from around 700 to 1300 AD. The Apaches arrived about 1300 AD, and the Hohokam migrated out. According to Pete, the ceramics we found are the most defining markers of the cultures in general and the Hohokams in particular.

We saw other evidence of a Prehistoric culture when Pete led us to some ancient drawings or “petroglyphs” made by ancient peoples on the large rocks in the desert. Pete said these drawings were created thousands of years before the Hohokams arrived, maybe 5,000 years earlier. We saw a faded sketch of what appears to be a horse or antelope, and another drawing of a group of men. Again, fascinating.

On our way out of the area, Pete suddenly stopped his car then walked to the side of the trail to pick up three rocks about the size of softballs. These are called Manos and probably came from the Hohokam period. The Hohokams used these rocks to grind grain into flour on a more massive stone called a metate. The grinding movement eventually wore one side of the Mano smooth as shown in this picture. Pete gave us one of the Manos and said it was museum quality. It will stay with us forever.

At the end of a great day, our last view of the desert was a patch of Bluebonnets along our trail. Thanks, Pete. It was great Easin’ Along with you.