One more Salt River trek

On Tuesday our Photo group went out on our last outing of the year.  Our group is dwindling in size, now down to 4 of us, but this is typical of all the activities in the park for the last part of March.  Many start packing up and heading back to their northern roots and others find the 90 degree heat a bit much for any sort of activities after about 10:00.  Count Lori and I in that last group.

We didn't leave till 10:30 and with an hours drive we were venturing out in the heat of the day.  Good thing there was a light cloud cover which kept the heat tolerable.  We decided to take another trip to the Salt River to see if we could spot the horses again and also hoped to spot an Eagle or two plus check out the Heron nesting site.  We did spot one yearling colt all by himself but before we could get down to the river he was scared away by people and their dogs splashing in the water.  Didn't see any eagles but the Herons were back tending their nests and spotted lots of Buzzards circling way up above.  We also spotted on more wild creature which you will see below.  

These trees are just starting to bud.
The clumps in the branches are mistletoe which is a
parasitic plant, often killing the host trees.  

Looks like the trees from Lord of the Rings.  Ready to start walking.
During the monsoon season the flash floods take the river
way up the bank, carrying away ground covering the trees roots. 

I tried picking my way across the river on the rocks
but some of them weren't so stable.
Was easier, and safer, to just tromp through the shallow water.

With all the rain and cool weather this winter the grass is
growing everywhere.  The cows are happy but as it dries out
this spring the danger of brush fires increases. 

Some shots from the river.  

Can you see him.  If not look below.

We were torn between being excited and scared.
Our first rattler.  He just lay there.
We kept our distance but snapped a bunch of pics.
Finally one of the braver or crazier members of our group,
despite his wife's protests,  decided to toss a couple of rocks
at it to get it in a strike position.
Despite our efforts to agitate him he never moved.  
Figured maybe it was dead so moved in a little closer.
(I'm sure this is how many stupid tourists get bit)
Finally it started to slither off and we noticed no rattler at the end of its tail.
Turns out it was a bull snake.  How disappointing.
I made sure I kept an eye out for more of its kind hiding in the grass.
Although you'd probably never notice it till you stepped on it or
 heard the warning rattle.  

The Herons were up in their nesting tree.  With my 105mm it was hard to
get a close clear shot and extreme cropping left things a little blurry. 

More shots of the Salt River as it meanders along. 

On Wednesday Lori and I went in search of wildflowers and will post those pictures as soon as I can get them edited.    

Till then. 

Almost Done in GC

Since my photo trip downtown we have had pretty busy couple of weeks as our time down here winds down.  We went to an Eagles concert.  Well, not the actual Eagles, but a very good imitation.  We have one more concert which is a group playing Santana songs.  So far the groups they have had this year have been pretty good but the Eagles tribute was definitely top of the heap.   

We went out for lunch to Joe's Farm Grill which was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and the food was pretty good.  I had the Garlic Fries and I would certainly pass on this on our next visit.  I like garlic but this was far too intense. 

We dropped Mark and Jan off at the Airport so they could catch their flight back home to Salt Lake for a visit with family and friends and then took a trip to the Goldfield Ghost Town.  It features some old looking buildings housing souvenir shops and is no different than many others of its kind in the American southwest.  Not overly impressed but can now say we've been there. 

We also went to the  Captain Marvel movie which was a good flick and I am sure we will see lots of sequels.  Dropped in on Kim and Lynn, neighbours from home, who just purchased a place in Apache Junction.  They have a nice place and have been busy doing renovations for most of the winter.  I'm sure they will be happy when they have it done to their liking.  

I attended my last Photography Post Processing group meeting at Boyce Thompson and look forward to joining them again next winter.  This group, as well as the photography group in the Park, has been a good learning experience for me.  We attended the St Patricks Day dinner and dance at the clubhouse but beforehand we had to visit the Party City store to pick up some appropriate accessories.  My outfit included a Leprechaun top hat and a huge green sequenced bow tie.  Meal was so-so but the company, we attended with Penny and Larry and met a few more new friends seated at our table, was top notch. 

This past week we went back to the Olive Mill in Queens Creek for lunch.  They have great Bruschetta and Lori picked up anther cutting board made out of the wood of an Olive tree.  This plus the other 3 or 4 cutting boards she has purchased this trip will never see the sharp edge of a knife.  They are strictly for decorations and apparently they need to be arranged in a grouping.  Who knew. 

After lunch we went across the  street for dessert to Schneph Peach Farm for, guess what, Peach Pie.  On Friday we went to Picket Post Mountain for a 9.4 mile hike.  Lori hasn't been hiking much this winter and I haven't been out for a month so by the time we were done, we were DONE.  We actually got off the trail a few times so real glad I had my All Trails app going on my phone to get us back on track.  As usual some beautiful scenery and no rattle snakes which others have seen on their hikes.

We are off to Old Town Scottsdale on Sunday for a little window shopping, lunch and perhaps a few photo ops.  Its supposed to get hot again next week so other than another photo outing to see the Wild Horses and the Heron nesting site, lunch at Uncle Bears with Penny and Larry and a final visit to Boyce Thompson to check out the flowers we may spend a lot of time sitting in the shade reading and drinking cold refreshments. 

We are so lucky, we know it and appreciate every minute of it. 

The church at Goldfield Ghost Town. 

An old firetruck parked out back.
Given the state of the tires this ones not getting anywhere fast. 

Old water tower

The Mercantile store loaded with touristy souvenirs.

I got up at 6:00 AM as the full moon was shining in my eyes.
Was a beautiful scene but by the time I got dressed and outside
it had set behind some clouds.
The picture below barely shows the moon between the 2 trees.
Then I turned around and spotted the beautiful sunrise above.
Perhaps I should get up earlier more often. 

The moon is gone but the sunrise is casting a nice warm glow to the west.  

Schnepf Farms had a little menagerie out behind the restaurant.
This guy was on full display. 

One of these old chassis is not like the other one. 

One pen contained about 6 pigs.
Mark found a few lettuce leaves on the ground outside the pen.
He decided to throw them into the pen.
Not a good idea.
It created a stampede  as they all raced to get there first.
Right through a mud puddle causing a shower of mud all over Mark.  

This guy wasn't moving too fast. 

Another pig.
Seems he fell asleep before he finished chewing all his lunch.  

Had to shoot through the cage to get this very colourful rooster.  

Out back they had some beautiful flowers.

This plant was just a buzzing. 

They also had a large U-pick garden

And one more old truck.

As the days have been getting into the 80's we started our hike to Picket Post early.
We were on the trail by 7:30 and the sun was just creeping over the mountain.
It was nice and cool till we got around to the south side.
Then the layers started coming off. 

A real contrast in geography.  Here a typical mountainous desert setting. 

A little further on we got to the creek bed and the scenery changed.
Large Cottonwoods, shrubs and grasses.

Lots of flowers blooming on the grassy sides of the creek bank. 

In some parts the water was flowing in others it
submerged below the creek bed only to make an appearance
further downstream.   

Twice a year around the spring and fall equinox this shadow
makes an appearance on the Superstition Mountains.
This was our second visit.
The first being unsuccessful as a cloud bank rolled in eliminating the shadow.
So what to you see.
The local lore says its a cougar.
I see a wolf.
Whatever it is it creates a lot of interest with lots of people parked
along the side of the road taking in the site.
Everybody is taking pictures with phones, iPads or DSLRs.   

Thats it.  I'll try to get one more post in before we break camp on April 1.  Then its up to Camp Verde for 4 days and on to Moab, UT for a week.  Our route after that will be dependent on the weather.  Will keep you posted if the anticipated spotty internet will allow.

A Trip Downtown

Last Saturday our Photo group took a trip downtown to take some street shots.  Murals seem to be the thing in Phoenix and the Art district on Roosevelt Row seems to be the centre of activity although, from viewing online maps, murals are spread all over Phoenix.  

We decided to take the lite rail from Mesa.  For $4.00, $2.00 if over 65, I could ride the rail all day.  We got to the closest station and pulled into the parking lot.  Being Saturday there was lots of room although we were told during the week the train is pretty full.  If I was working downtown I would definitely be taking the rail rather than fighting rush hour traffic and paying for gas and parking.  There was a ticket dispensing machine in the parking lot and we put in our credit cards and a ticket, or what we thought was the ticket, popped out.  We got on the train and enjoyed the the ride, the scenery and the wide variety of other patrons.  We were about 1/2 way through our trip, total about 40 minutes, and the conductor came around to check our tickets.  Thats when we were told that what we had were receipts and not tickets.  Apparently the tickets drop into a chute below the receipt dispenser and none of us noticed.  The next person going to the dispenser machine was going to have a nice surprise.  Given that all 5 of us had this look of disbelief and confusion on our faces the conductor took our word for it and let us continue our ride.  

Each train consists of the engine and then alternating cars with rows of seats and then a car with room for wheel chairs and racks to hang bikes.  The ride is nice and smooth and very relaxing.  

Lots of pics so enjoy. 

Our crew

Lots of park and ride bikes available throughout the great Phoenix area.

Some beautiful houses in the area.

Above a major roadway for cars.
Below a nesting site for pigeons, upper left.

Lots of construction. 

A series of containers stacked on top of each other.
Inside were office space and residences.
Pretty neat concept. 

Side of a building

Long brick wall adorned with a huge mural.
This is only a small segment of the wall. 

More of the same wall

The source of all those birds. 

We had lunch on a restaurant patio.
This was the side wall of the restaurant.  

Back wall of a strip mall
Notice the door and electrical conduit, box and meter.

More of the strip mall with a door and conduit part of the picture.
Very well hidden 

This was the back of a machine shop with a couple of ladies having lunch. 
Shot taken through their fence.  

Side of another mall with parking lot in the foreground

Back of a music store

Love this one.

Large church

 

Back alley.  Gate leads to someone's backyard. 

I was surreptitiously, or so I thought,
snapping pictures of these young ladies all dressed in red.
Busted.

Old man taking pictures of young ladies.  Thought I would be in trouble.
What they wanted was someone to take a pic of the group with one of their cameras.Turns out it was a bridal shower.  Lady in white is the bride.  

Pretty soon I had them jumping for joy. 

And then it was time to head for home.
Was a fun day

The past few days had been cold, wet and very windy.  Even had some thunder and hail on Tuesday.  It has allowed me to get caught up and the forecast is sunny and warming up into the 80's by next week.  A trip to the Zoo is planned for Sunday although I might pass.

On Saturday I have my monthly Photo Editing workshop scheduled at BTA which has been very helpful.  I have never spent much time editing my photos, just some basic stuff in Photos on my Mac.  My new software, Luminar and Aurora, provides endless possibilities and while time consuming, I am getting better and have only scratched the surface.

As we have just over 2 weeks before we start north we are starting to watch the weather and wondering if the snow will ever melt.  I am sure those of you reading from home are wondering the same thing.

Later.