Arizona - blue skies forever

 They said go to Arizona for the winters.  The skies are always blue and its a desert so it hardly ever rains.  

Hmmmm.

The last week has been wet, cloudy and cool.   Perhaps we have been teleported to Victoria.

Oh well.  Im sure this little cold snap will end soon and sunny skies will return.  In the meantime its perfect weather for painting inside.

While out picking up some groceries we had a break in the clouds which cast some beautiful light on the Superstition mountains just out our back door.  By the time I got home, gathered my equipment and headed into the desert to find a spot unencumbered by buildings, telephone lines and highways the skies had turned dark and ominous again.  

Still managed to get a nice shot.  Sometimes wild and wooly weather provides a good backdrop for capturing memories.  

Arizona Trail at Picket Post

 This is possibly the last hike before Christmas.  We went back to Picket Post but did the other side of the mountain today on the Arizona Trail.  Im told the trail runs hundreds of miles from Mexico up to Utah.  I will take their word for it.  3 miles out and 3 back was quite enough for me today.  Only 500 ft elevation gain but with all the ups and downs through dry river beds and up the side of the mountain I'm sure we did that 3 times over. 

Much of the area was burned out this summer but it is alive with colour as Mother Nature recovers.

Don't know what the red ground cover is but it is everywhere and provides a nice burst of colour.  

Mrs Claus (my dear wife) joined us on our hike. 

Mark came over today with his truck (if you don't own a truck sure is nice knowing someone who does).  We hauled our 2 old recliners to the goodwill store.  One more load of construction remnants and our yard will stop looking so messy. 

Lori and I would like to wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year.  I can tell you that my wish for the new year is no more variants.  It is getting increasingly difficult to maintain any sort of optimism that this will ever end.  Im starting to feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.  

That's it for now.  More, no doubt, after Christmas.  

Lost Goldmine Trail

 Another day another hike.  

Early morning makes for nice soft side light and a blue haze on the distant mountains.  Results - a moody Arizona morning. 

Full disclosure.  This was shot mid morning with no Milky Way anywhere in sight.  But when you have the technology a little experimentation makes for interesting results. 

Saguaro forest.

Next hike the Arizona trail at Picket Post.

Hieroglyphic Trail

 Here are a few shots from our hike last Wednesday up the Hieroglyphic trail.  Its a short trail but gets pretty rocky up towards the top.  Great views is the reward for the climb.

Not unusual to see a cactus at the top of a rocky outcropping but where this deciduous tree gets its nourishment from is a mystery.  

Seen better days. 

Love this shot with all the different layers in the background.  The haze in the distant mountains makes for a very mellow feeling.

Don't do a lot of B&W but this shot seemed to call out for it.  

Took today off to rest the weary body and hoped to get caught up on the blog.  Still have pictures from one more hike to edit but its time for bed and another hike tomorrow morning so it looks like getting caught up will have to wait.  

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

 Our reno project is coming along and the outside should be complete by Tuesday or Wednesday.  Then we can move inside.  We are hoping the flooring will be installed by the 1st week of January and furniture delivery shortly after.  Will keep you posted.

A few weeks ago we went to Boyce Thompson Arboretum for our first time this year.  We got memberships so we will be making a few more visits before the winter is over.  The following pictures are just a few shots from our brief visit.  

BTA sports a little rose garden which is 
pretty much at its seasons end.
Still a few good blooms left.

A crested Saguaro in the background.

This tree seems to shed its bark.

This tree has a very smooth bark the colour of copper.  

Eucalyptus trees are massive with very smooth white bark

There seems to be a theme: BARK.  Or perhaps more accurately the texture found in some of the trees found at BTA.  

I've got pictures from a few hikes we have done so those will be coming up next.  

Till then. 

Picket Post Hike

 A little 9.5 km hike today plus a trip to Superior for lunch.  

Picket Post is one of our favourite hikes as it takes us through a canyon with beautiful views when looking up the canyon walls plus a stream running through the canyon floor and lots of large trees.  Unfortunately the fires of this past summer took its toll on this area plus the river bed was bone dry.  While not as lush as usual it was still a great day shared with friends. 

Lunch after a hike at Porters in Superior is always a favourite but in January Porters was bought out and is now a smokehouse.  Food was still great and they fixed the place up a bit but I did miss their Superior hamburger and the atmosphere wasn't quite the same.  We did notice a Porters sign down the street so perhaps they have moved to a new location.  We will check it out on our next trip to the area.  

No progress on the construction today as I was plum tuckered out after our hike and the beer at lunch had me ripe for a nap as soon as we got home.  Hoping to get some of the siding up tomorrow and then things should start to take shape.

Here are some shots of our walk today. 

The sun rising behind the mountains made for excellent light.  

Our motley crew

The fire did a number on this saguaro.  
The ones higher up the canyon seem
to have fared better

The fire burned hot and fast.  
The bark is black and crispy but the inside
trunk looks untouched. 

In the midst of a burned out section this plant is thriving,
complete with beautiful white flowers. 

The foreground would usually be filled with
shrubs and small trees blocking the view.

A few pools of water fed by underground streams provided Chewie
with his favourite activity.  Brings back memories of Charli, sob.  

So glad the fire didn't take all the large cottonwoods and ash trees.  
The small shrubs and grasses will recover in a few years but
these beauties would take decades to replace

Met this group near the end of our hike.  
They are all from different states and bring their
horses with them for the winter.

First hike under our belt.  Many more to come.  In fact we have one scheduled for Monday and possibly a visit to Boyce Thompson Arboretum set for Tuesday.  

Till then.  

Riparian Preserve

 We have been here 3 weeks now and our first desert hike is scheduled for Friday.  Don't think we have ever taken that long to go for a hike but we have been busy.  The fridge and kitchen cupboards are starting to fill up and the liquor cabinet/fridge is well stocked.  We have purchased a couch, picked out some flooring and got a good start on the construction project.  Our long awaited delivery from Lowes containing lumber, windows and doors arrived today so tomorrow we can move ahead in earnest.  

Weather has been great.  Lows at night dipping into the 50s and highs touching the 80's most days.  Phoenix broke a long standing record for most days over 80 in Nov  at 25 days. 

Last winter we ordered 2 e-bikes.  Lori found them a bit big and heavy so we brought one down with us for me to use and she ordered a smaller e-bike for herself.  We will keep them down here which leaves me the other bike to use when at home.  We will probably get more use of them down here anyway.  Her bike arrived Monday and we are ready to hit the road which will be a nice supplement to our 6 KM daily walks.  

Yesterday we took a drive to Gilbert and took a walk around the Riparian preserve.  The preserve is a water reclamation project with numerous ponds and the feathered population can be quite a sight.  

Here are a few of the preserves residents. 

Log rolling competition is about to start.  
My monies on the duck.

It appears we hit siesta time.
Many of the animals were pretty sedate.
Next time we will have to arrive a little earlier. 

This guy saw us across the pond and made a beeline for us.
I think he figured we had treats.
Made quite the wake. 

Hike on Friday so hope I will have some shots of that plus perhaps some construction updates.  

Till then.