This Saturday we want to visit the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Scottsdale the desert version of Miami's South Beach acccording to New York Times. The downtown is built the resemble an old Western town with restaurants and art galleries everywhere.
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| Scottsdale downtown area - Art Walk | Scottsdale City Museum |
Soon we arrive at the Museum which is unexpectedly small but the exhibits are very interesting. We especially liked the video exhibits where a small movie like feature was projected on a large wall. The one about a martian like landscape was especially calming while the one about a rocket launches a bit less so. We try to find a restaurant afterwards in Scottsdale but most we like are closed so in the end we eat at a KFC fast food restaurant before going home.
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| Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art - conference room | Exhibit in the museum |
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| Interesting door | Another fun exhibit |
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| This was quite a cool video exhibit | Martian landscape video exhibit |
On Sunday we take our relatives on a short trip to the Black Canyon Trail. First stop is at the Table Mesa BCT Trailhead for a short hike in the desert to show the different cactis and the desert landscape to our relatives.
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| Desert view | Beautiful and dangerous cholla |
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| Meteorite? | Road near BCT trail |
After the short hike we drive to the trailhead near Bumble Bee for another view of the Black Canyon Trail and to drive the dirt roads in the area to show off as much of the area as we can.
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| Another nice cholla | BCT Trail |
After all this hiking we are hungry so we stop on the way back to a Hawaiian restaurant for some good food before returning back home after a full day.
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| Hawaiian food | Even more food:) |
This weekend we have planned a hike in Spur Cross Ranch up to ruins on Elephant Mountain. Surprisingly when we arrive at the parking lot it is quite full and we find out to our surprise that there is a bike race through the park that goes along the trail we intend to do, the Spur Cross trail. We start on the trail trying to be as careful as possible of the high speed bikes that pass us quite often.
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| Not what we expected | At the start of the trail - bicycles are a danger |
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| Old remains along the way | Better to see bicycles in advance |
We are quite happy when our route diverges from the bike race route as we take the Tortuga trail towards the Elephant Mountain Trail and suddenly it is quite quiet and we do not encounter any other people the whole day. The Elephant Mountain Trail starts quite soon from the Tortuga trail and it descends steeply into a wash before ascending on the other side towards Elephant Mountain.
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| Start of the Elephant Mountain Trail | Starts easy enough |
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| Mountain view | Elephant Mountain - there is a ruin on top |
As we get closer to Elephant Mountain we decide to change our plan a bit and to explore a side trail that goes actually outside of the Spur Cross Ranch park into Tonto NF. It is not a well maintained trail but it seems like an interesting one to us.
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| Green valley | Another nice view |
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| Close to Elephant Mountain top | Animal feeding station |
While it is not well maintained it has surprisingly cool trail markers at intersections painted on stones. We pass a spring and arrive at some great views of Carefree village before deciding to return as it is quite late in the day already.
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| Very cool trail marker | Really? Where is the trail? |
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| Spring on the way - well maintained it seems | View on the other side |
On the return trip we have the occasion to see another beautiful Arizona sunset before continuing in the dark with the flashlights back to our car after a great hike close to Phoenix.
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| Interesting fallen saguaro | Sun starts to set over the valley |
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| Nice sunset | Almost dark |
Quartzsite is a goal for us almost every year during this time to visit the gem show and we decide to go again this year. The expo is not as large it seems as usual but still the usual businesses are here and open including those with large number of geodes and quite a few with fossils that we like the most. We buy a few small things including fry bread for lunch before starting our trip back home.
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| Quartzsite expo area | Green runway :) |
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| BIG lemon | Huge geodes |
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| Small geodes | So many stones |
Instead of returning on I10 we take route 60 and then a dirt road that we hope will connect to Harquahala Road and then back to I10 to explore the area a bit. It is a nice drive and all works well until a tire blows and the wind picks up blowing dust in our eyes as we try frantically to replace the tire. We succeed and luckily we are close enough to I10 and so we can drive back to Phoenix where we repair the tire in the following days.
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| Cursed road | Great mountain view |
After a few short trips on the Black Canyon Trail this year we have planned a longer trip this time starting from a trailhead that we didn't explore a lot before. The trailhead is in Black Canyon City and it has a huge parking lot which isn't full when we arrive and start on the trail. The trail initially is relatively flat but it starts to climb steadily after a while.
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| Start of Black Canyon Trail (BCT) from Black Canyon City | It starts climbing soon |
Soon the trail arrives at an overlook of the Slate Creek which seems to be flowing healthily and from here the trail starts its descent towards the river crossing with some great views along the way. We don't have our water shoes with us but luckily the crossing can easily be done barefoot over the sandy bottom.
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| View of Slate Creek from a distance | Close up view of the crossing |
After enjoying the water for a while we exit on the other side of the creek, putt our shoes back on and continue on the trail which starts to climb quite steeply through the desert terrain.
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| Trail is climbing a lot on the other way | View on the other side |
We take a few breathing breaks and a lunch break on the way and enjoy the flowers that are lining the trail before arriving back at the top on the other side with some nice views of both the creek and Black Canyon City in the distance. There is no one else here and even though we can still see the city it seems we are far away in the wilderness.
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| Flowers on the way | View of creek from far above |
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| Black Canyon City View | Mountains as far as we can see |
The feeling of wilderness increases as start spotting wildlife along the way. Mostly it is just birds but we find the shell of a desert tortoise which is quite interesting and even a toad on the way back in the darkness. In fact when we return it feels like we are in a swamp with a chorus of frogs/toads following us as we descend to the river and then climb back towards the car. We return back to the car tired but quite excited after this hike in an unexpectedly interesting area.
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| Not alive unfortunately | A toad at night |
This weekend we first decide to go to a rescued bird demonstration at the Audubon Center - we are not sure how many birds are shown so we are happy that there are quite a few and all are quite fun to observe and there are lots of stories that the staff is telling about each of them.
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| Rescued birds demonstration at Audubon Center | Such a small bird |
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| The kestrel - quite unimpressed | The owl was a bit more agitated |
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| Red tailed hawk - curious but not agitated | Turkey vulture - most crazy of them all |
Our longer trip for the weekend is on Dugas Road which starts paved then well graded and then decays more and more until we stop and decide to walk the rest of the way. The walk is on the ridge and climbing most of the way with some great views along the way. As we climb we are surprised to see snow on the side of the road - it is still winter after all but we are at a relatively low altitude so it is a shock.
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| Road isn't always this good | Valley view |
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| Waterhole on the way | Snow patches near the road |
AS we climb we get higher and higher and the snow more frequent. Even the road becomes muddy like it is early spring after heavy snow. Given this we decide to stop at the Verde Canyon Rim today even though initially we were planning to descent into it.
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| Close to the canyon rim | View down the Verde River canyon |
There is a second reason for this and that is that it is late already in the day and the sun starts to set. With the clouds we are treated to a beautiful sunset as we start our descent and after that we have to turn on our headlamps until we reach our car as it is really dark without the moon out. And cold of course - there is still snow out after all and no sun to heat us up. After this we still have to drive out over twenty miles of dirt roads which is quite nice and we even see a rabbit on the way - after we reach the interstate however it is an easy drive back to Phoenix.
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| Sunset over the trees | Flaming sunset |
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| Great sunset | Sun is down - we still have a long way to go |
We wanted for some time to hike more around Prescott and today we decided to try a trail we have read about - the Little Granite Trail. It starts at a relatively large parking lot near the highway and starts to climb quite abruptly up the hillside.
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| Parking lot | Starting the trail |
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| Trail sign - how far can we go? | Starting the climb |
As we reach the top of the ridge there are some nice views and some sidetrails that we explore that actually reach a nearby HOV (ATV) area where we even see a few ATVs racing the trails. We then return to the Little Granite Trail and continue through the area of the Doce fire which burned the area in 2013 and the effects are still quite apparent.
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| Rock formations along the trail | View from the ridge |
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| OHV area road | Trail on top |
The trail then starts a rapid descent on the other side of the ridge with some great views of the Little Granite Mountain especially as the sun starts to set.
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| On the other side | Little Granite Mountain |
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| Late afternoon light | Burnt out tree |
As we start on our return hike the whole area appears to almost catch fire with the sun throwing a beautiful show before disappearing below the horizon. Soon we have to turn our flashlights on even though we are helped by the moon as we climb back up the ridge and then down to the car for an end of our over 10 mile hike that we quite enjoyed.
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| Burned trees in the sunset | Seems like the sky is burning |
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| Arizona sunsets are best | Rock formation in the sunset |
We have only a short hike planned today in South Mountain close to our home. The trail is a new one for us and it starts paved and full of people which we don't enjoy as much however as it starts climbing in becomes more of a footpath and most people don't make it this far so it becomes a lot more enjoyable.
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| Trail is paved in the beginning | South Mountain - from the south |
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| A bit dramatic - anti interstate protest | Trail becomes dirt soon enough |
There are already flowers along the way both on the trees and on the ground and they are basically making the desert yellow which we always like in the spring.
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| Tree along the way | Beautiful flowers |
The major attraction for us and why we chose this trail is that we found out that it has some petroglyphs along the way and we decide to make them our turnaround point. While there are only a few of them it is interesting to see them near such a heavily trafficked trail and they don't appear to have been impacted negatively by this proximity.
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| Rock art panel | Lots of petroglyphs |
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| Human like petroglyph | And a more abstract one |
Returning we catch some nice views of Phoenix and the desert in the sunset and while it was just a short hike it was great to get out and hike in the nature for a bit.
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| Phoenix in the distance | Sunset over the mountains |
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| Casa Grande National Monument |
Every year we try to make it to the Archaeological Expo in March and given that this year it is close to Phoenix at Casa Grande NM we certainly don't want to miss it. The parking inside the NM is not open - too many visitors - and we are directed to a Walmart parking lot from which a shuttle picks us up and delivers us at the visitor center. It is free entry today and we enter the small museum at the visitor center and take a look at the interesting exhibits.
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| Museum exhibit | Huge storage container |
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| Interesting vessels | And many shards |
After finishing inside we exit the visitor center and immediately see the ruin after which the whole monument is named - Casa Grande. It is surprisingly well preserved and even covered for protection from the elements. We hope that it can be entered as we approach but unfortunately all the entrances are closed off.
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| The big house - Casa Grande | Closer view - must have been impressive |
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| Back side of the ruin | Another side - so well preserved (or reconstructed) |
Because we cannot enter we circle it from the outside and try to peek in as much as possible. It is interesting to see all the modern reinforcements inside the building keeping the walls standing and we are trying to imagine how the natives lived and used the building in times past.
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| Look inside the ruin | There are some modern crutches |
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| Walls upon walls | Looking up - more modern support |
Besides the big building there are also a few more ruins around with one preserved right next to the main building being far less impressive as the walls are barely noticeable.
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| Nearby rooms | Casa Grande from nearby room |
Because it is the Archaeological Expo there are a few tours into the backcountry of the monument which is usually off limits and we sign up for one that leaves almost immediately from the picnic area. It is an interesting walk even though more from the point of view of entering a restricted area - the ruins here have been covered up again and at most we can see some shards and some artificial small hills covering the ruins.
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| Dry desert | Lots of pottery shards though and easy to see |
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| This is the layout | And this is how it looks now |
There are however quite a few flowers and more interesting some dead trees that our guide explains are this way due to the decline in groundwater level from farming in the area.
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| There are some flowers | Close up of flowers |
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| Trees that died due to decline in groundwater level | Close up of dead tree |
Continuing we arrive at another huge pottery shard area that we investigate carefully making sure that we don't disturb anything before our group returns to the visitor center.
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| Colorful shard | Vase mouth piece |
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| Animal helping with the excavations | We matched 2 pieces - archaeology |
We are quite hungry so we eat the only food available at the expo - fry bread - which is quite good as usual.
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| Covered picnic area | Fry bread - what else? |
Before leaving we look at the different stands and receive a few free souvenirs including a handmade deer from reeds and a mug won at a lottery (lucky I guess). We return afterwards to the car using the shuttle bus and then to Phoenix through the colorful fields of flowers dotting the mountains.
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| Got this one for free | Bus to parking lot |
Part of the Archaeology Expo is an open day to enter the Upper Tonto Ruins which are normally visitable by guided tour only. We want to do this for some time so today seems a good day to go and see them. The parking lot is full and there are cars parked on the side of the road going to the visitor center but somehow with some guidance from the rangers we find a parking spot and then start at the visitor center to get the information regarding the trails and take in the great views.
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| Tonto National Monument visitor center | View from visitor center |
The trail is beautiful as the flowers are in bloom everywhere and there are basically fields of yellow flowers almost all the time in sight. It also starts relatively easy with limited climbing following a wash up to mountain.
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| Start of trail to Upper Ruins | Flowers are everywhere |
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| Mexican Poppy | Bee enjoying the feast |
However soon the trail starts to climb more vertiginously towards the ruins which we barely see at the base of the cliffs far up. However we barely notice the climb as the flowers make us stop at almost every step to admire them and take pictures of them.
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| Starting the major climb | We have to get there |
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| Close up of poppy | Hedgehog cactus flower |
As we climb higher and higher the views become better and better and we also start seeing Roosevelt Lake in the distance with the many yellow flowers covering the cliffsides - it is picture-perfect.
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| Flowers and Roosevelt Lake in the distance | Cannot get enough of the view |
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| Another flowering bush | Getting close |
Finally we are at the ruins and while small they are well preserved and are situated in a natural alcove with a great view of the surrounding area - probably for defensive reasons.
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| These are the ruins | Double story buildings |
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| They had a great view | From these windows |
As we explore the rooms we observe many beams, which to our surprise are original, embedded in the structure. Some of them were used as a roof and some of them were the dividers between first and second floor rooms - quite interesting to see. There are also a few recovered metates which we always enjoy to see and then we are done with out exploration and ready for our descent.
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| Original beams | You can see the 2 story structure |
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| Inside a structure | New entrance |
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| Broken metate | And a better preserved one |
Going down the views are as beautiful as going up but now we have them in front of us all the time so it is even more impressive. Soon we arrive back in the wash for the second half of our walk back.
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| Going down | Beautiful |
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| Trail with view | Add the bottom - avoid the spiky ends:) |
Now we have more time to explore the many different flowers - not only yellow but a mix of many different colors shapes and sizes.
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| Mix of grasses and flowers | Yellow flowers are everywhere |
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| Close up of flower | Red flowers are rarer |
Only one stretch of trail is more dangerous and there is even a ranger warning us about it - there are active bees and we are encouraged to move fast through the creek area so we don't get stung. Besides bees butterflies also seem to enjoy this area as there are quite a few of them in this short stretch.
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| Walking through the wash | More dangerous due to bees |
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| Grass is mesmerizing in the wind | Butterfly resting |
After returning to the visitor center we decide to also go the Lower Ruins which are reached by a shorter trail that is self guided all year. The entrance is through the visitor center and free today and while the climb is strenuous it is short and soon we are at the ruins after walking again through the meadows of flowers and enjoying the great views.
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| Trail to lower ruins | Arizona in spring - great place to be |
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| Getting closer to the ruins | Looks well preserved |
It is a much smaller ruin than Upper Ruins with only a few rooms but it is still well preserved and has a few metates preserved in some of the rooms so it is qorth the visit given that we were already at the monument.
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| Not that much from this side | Original beams |
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| Well preserved metate | And a lot of them that are less well preserved |
It is getting close to closing time (5 PM so there is still some daylight left) so we return back to the parking lot going slowly and enjoying the many flowers - we are the last car in the parking lot almost as we leave to hike a nearby trail.
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| View going down | Many saguaros |
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| Flower by the trail | And another one |
The trail we decide to explore this evening is the Cottonwood Trail starting at Frazier Trailhead, it is an easy enough trail with some good views of Roosewelt Lake especially in the beginning as we climb and descend a few small hills.
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| Starting on the trail | View of lake from trail |
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| Highway is relatively close | Close up of lake and shore |
There are a lot of flowers even here but a bit different which makes the hike more interesting. The trail soon arrives at Cottonwood Canyon and starts up it and after a short hike up we decide to return to the parking area and on the way we even see a few phainopeplas singing and displaying which is a lot of fun to observe.
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| Common flower - still nice | Yucca flower |
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| View from canyon - return point | Phainopepla "singing" |
As we approach the car we notice some shapes moving next to it so we approach carefully and then they resolve into cows that also watch us carefully as we both retreat - we towards to car and they towards the desert.
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| Water for cows...why? | This is why |
Our last stop in the area is at the Roosevelt Cemetery - an old cemetery where the workers that died during the building of Roosevelt Dam are buried as well as some settlers. It is a short walk from the parking lot which is in the middle of a housing development but the cemetery is a bit outside and more secluded. There is no one else here as we enter the cemetery and start exploring it while also keeping an eye on what appears to be a beautiful sunset.
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| Visiting the historic cemetery | View from cemetery |
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| Sunset is coming | Many graves |
Some of the gravestones appear quite old and some have some interesting names like John Loser - wonder how he got that name? But soon the sunset steals the show - it is a beautiful sunset and we admire it until it gets dark and then we return to the car and to Phoenix after a very eventful day.
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| Old gravestone | Only really legible one |
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| Another great sunset | Sky on fire |
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| Jerome view |
Our weekend trip this week is with an overnight stay in Jerome where we intended to stay for some time at the historic Jerome Hotel which overlooks the city and is even supposedly haunted. After months where we could not enter the website for reservations we finally made it and we are excited to see the hotel. However before Jerome we are stopping on the way at the Grief Hill Trailhead to take a short walk in the area. The trail climbs up over about 1/2 mile on top of a mesa for some great views of the area but because we are scared of some approaching dark clouds we decide to descend and it is good we do this as it starts raining just as we reach our car.
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| Well marked trailhead - but trail is not clear | Probably it is the road - we assumed at least that way |
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| View from the top | Stunning view - but why is the rain coming our way? |
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| Another view from the mountain | Mountains close to Sedona in the distance |
Followed by the rain we decide to drive directly to Jerome and check in the hotel. It is situated on a hill with limited parking but with great views of Jerome and the surrounding area. It is actually an old hospital and as such people have died here and supposedly they haunt the halls and the rooms. Not our room though as far as we can see and hear however what it lacks in "hauntiness" it makes up in views from the balcony.
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| Our hotel - wanted to stay here for some time | View from the balcony |
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| Hallway | Room - relatively small |
We explore the hotel afterwards a bit, there are two ways of getting between the floors - the antique elevator where you need to close the inside grille manually in order for it to start or the stairs protected by automated doors activated by our room key. At each level there are several antique objects, some of them quite interesting.
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| Historic elevator entrance | Stairs - good for health |
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| Old memorabilia are everywhere | Old telephone switchboard |
As outside is still cold and threatening to rain we decide to eat at the hotel restaurant which is well regarded and the food is very good and quite filling especially as we eat a three course meal.
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| Pumpkin soup | Salad |
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| Steak | And dessert (chocolate cake |
Before going to sleep we decide to explore the area a bit in order to walk off the food. The views here as well in all of Jerome are quite special and with the clouds it looks picture perfect even though it is quite cold so we have to return quite fast back to the hotel room.
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| Going for a walk to enjoy the views | And just walk of the food |
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| View from balcony in the evening - fairytale almost | Happy we escaped the rain |
We wake up early in the morning and go directly to the balcony to enjoy the view however the view is mostly blocked by the fog that is rolling up and down the hills. It is quite spooky actually as we glimpse views of buildings fleetingly through the dense fog.
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| Morning fog - scary almost | You can't see anything in the distance |
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| It is clearing a bit | Antique car in front |
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| Ruin of Little Daisy Hotel | Our next goal - Jerome State Historic Park |
Our first stop for the day is at the Jerome State Historic Park that we wanted to visit for some time - it sits opposite from the hotel so we have a great view of the hotel from the parking lot before we enter the exhibit area.
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| View from the park | Our hotel in the distance |
The museum is focused on mining and the former owners of the house, the Douglas family, which were also the owners of the major mine in the area. There is some weird breathing apparatus that looks straight from a sci fi movie and a fizzy soda maker which is quite interesting as we haven't seen one before.
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| Overall view of museum | Medicine items |
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| Mine oxygen respirator | Used to produce carbonated drinks |
There are also exhibits dedicated to doctors and how they were treating the miners and any diseases especially contagious ones and quite a few related to the mine and mining in the area. In fact there is a whole movie about Jerome through the years and how it rose and fall together with the mines.
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| Recreated doctor's office | Mansion bathroom |
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| Jerome sitting on a mining bonanza | How much ore was extracted here |
There are also quite a few ore exhibits with the most interesting being the fluorescent one where you are looking at them inside a dark room after irradiating them with light - they have quite beautiful colors.
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| Trains were moving the ore to the mills and further | Mineral cabinet |
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| Some are quite colorful | And some are fluorescent |
Of course part of the exhibits are related to the family that owned the mansion which had one of the first central vacuums in the world and there is some interesting information about their history including how at some point the patriarch was an ambassador in England and brought back a gargoyle from England.
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| Mine assayer office | Some of the tools of trade |
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| Library | Central vacuuming |
Part of the exhibits are outside but first we enjoy the views as finally the fog has lifted but now it looks like it is going to rain so we have to hurry as much as we can.
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| Outside part of museum | Little Daisy Mine and Hotel from close up |
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| Jerome view from park | Powder Box Church |
The outside exhibits are the larger ones that could not be housed inside like cars and mining carts - we are surprised to learn that electric minecarts were used at the beginning of the 20th century in the mines but now they are not really in use anymore.
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| Buggy used by the doctor | Old truck donated to the museum |
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| Electric train | Traveling in "style" |
After we leave the museum we stop next door at the Little Daisy Mine exhibit which is free to enter and you can even take a look into a 1,900 ft shaft - you can stand over it in fact - scary.
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| Little Daisy Mine headframe - 1900 ft shaft below | Hydroelectric plant - used till 2004 |
After our visit we are quite hungry so we stop in Jerome for lunch at a great BBQ place - the food is very good and relatively cheap so we fill up before going down the mountain to our next destination.
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| BBQ Lunch | and BBQ sandwich |
Our next goal is Tuzigoot National Monument where we entered once before, a long time ago and we want to visit it again. We don't remember the visitor center which has a small museum with a lot of Native artifacts which is quite interesting.
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| Exhibit at Tuzigoot NM | Pots and metates |
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| Many different tools | Panels are quite informative |
There is a short walk to the ruins from the visitor center and there are some nice views of the area we are coming from and we can see that it is raining heavily in Jerome so we are happy that we decided to come here instead of staying in Jerome for the day.
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| The ruins in the distance | Getting closer |
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| That is what we were running from | Glad we are here not there |
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| Jerome under rain | Prickly pear on the side of the road |
The ruins are well preserved and different from the usual Anasazi buildings as they are free standing and castle like. There are multiple rooms with a tower in the middle of the "castle" that can be entered.
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| Separated room | Metate inside |
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| Castle like main structure | With a tower that you can climb |
Entering we notice the beams which in this case look more modern but give us an idea how the old buildings looked like inside. You can even climb on the roof to watch the whole ruins from a bird's eye view and it looks impressive. After enjoying the view for some time we return to the car and drive to our last goal for the day, the General Crook Trail near Camp Verde.
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| Inside - don't think the beams are historic | The stairs to the top certainly are not:) |
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| View from top - impressive | Many rooms grouped together |
The trail is quite long actually but we only do a short part until it gets dark and then return to the car. It is not a popular part of the trail even though we see a few cars on a nearby road but the views are good enough and we even see a car that has fallen down a ravine which is always interesting. After returning to the car all that is left is to return to Phoenix after our two full days in the Jerome area.
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| General Crook Trail | View along the trail |
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| View after climb | Interesting canyon - difficult to cross |
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| You can see far in the distance | Road is not that safe it seems |
Close by to the west of Phoenix is Saddle Mountain, a mountain range that we intended to visit for some time but the weather never cooperated so today is the first time we actually made it to the area. But before getting there we have to make a stop at the Goodyear airport to try to see the Solar Impulse 2 solar plane - no luck for us even as we circle the airport so we continue to Saddle Mountain were the road gets worse until we reach the parking area from which some of the trails start.
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| Solar Impulse 2 plane is there somewhere:) | Road to Saddle Mountain |
The route that we choose is mostly off trail going through an area where some beautiful stones could be collected if permitted. The trail then approaches the mountains which we will cross through a pass getting inside a quasi-caldera which is our goal.
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| Starting the hike | Going off trail towards the mountain |
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| There are some cool stones to find here | Getting closer |
As we climb we find a sign that tells us that petroglyphs are in the area and we look for them and find a few - not as many as we expected but still a few. Of course as we climb the views get better especially of the plains that extend to the north of the mountains.
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| Saguaros are in flower | Rare petroglyph |
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| Getting higher | View back |
One of the mysteries we encounter during our climb and descent through the pass are the multitude of black rocks strewn over a white surface. It looks like someone was playing around with them as there is no black rock higher up and no clear source of provenience for them. We are also impressed by the first views of the inner valley it is almost like we are descending in an area unexplored by anyone else and all the sounds from the interstate seemingly disappear as soon as we start to descend.
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| How did the black rocks get on the white surface? | There are a few small caves |
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| Inside valley | That is our goal |
We climb further inside on a different side of the "caldera" to catch some better views of the mountains in the late afternoon sun but as it starts to get dark we have to return to the car and are treated by another great sunset right as we descend towards our starting point. The whole hike was about 10 miles and it was a very enjoyable day exploration for us - looking forward to return here
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| View of the mountains | Beautiful afternoon sun |
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| Mountain in the sunset | Sunset over the valley |
The weather is finally good enough that this weekend we can go towards the Mogollon Rim without freezing to death. We decide to explore the Pine Canyon Trail that descends down the Rim and we always feared - the descends can be quite tough. Before descending however we explore first the Rim and wander a bit to discover the viewpoints in this area which are good but not extraordinary.
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| Road/Trail on the Rim | Is blocked quite soon |
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| First view of Pine Canyon | Lots of new growth after a fire |
In our exploration we also find a waterhole (no animals unfortunately) and a camper that is inhabited right at the start of the Pine trail - a bit weird. We pass it and soon we are close to the Rim and ready for the descent.
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| Waterhole | Getting to another viewpoint |
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| Great view | Pine Canyon Trail start |
For a short while the well defined trail goes on the Rim top before starting the descent in a few long switchbacks. It is not that bad as we expected in this segment and the views make up for our poor knees but we have to keep in mind that what we climb down we have to climb back up.
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| Arriving at the Rim - time to go down | That is where we are descending |
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| Descending on rocky trail | View along Pine Canyon |
We also enjoy the many flowers this spring - it seems that everything is in bloom from the shrubbery to the small flowers up to the trees.
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| Flowering bushes | Close up of flower |
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| Flowering cactus | Close up of flower |
As we get closer to the bottom the descent gets steeper but still it is good enough and soon we are in the canyon bottom.
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| Still descending | Lower in the canyon |
It is late afternoon already and we have to return to the top so we have time to explore only a little bit from the trail at the canyon bottom but it looks like a much more level and shaded trail. We enjoy the walk near the creek for a bit discovering a couple of trails that we had no idea existed before turning back and climbing up just in time before complete darkness.
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| Completely down - finally level a bit | Lots of fallen trees |
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| No idea where this leads | There is a trail here? |
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