Wandering, But Not Very Far

The Scamp hasn't been out of the garage since February. I haven't been out as much either. Early in November I headed out looking for a spot that might make sense for an EarthCache.

I enjoyed the early morning wander, and managed to find a couple geocaches I'd ignored, but didn't find a view point that depicted what I'd hoped to feature. 

Another day, BJ and I headed out to Goldfield Ghost Town. We've been there before, many times, but on this visit noticed things we'd never noticed before.

Crowds were light enough that I could get a picture without people in it. Those that we did see were all masked up but we didn't see anyone wearing spurs or sidearms.

We had several major fires in the area this year. BJ and I headed out for a geocache that was a potential First to Find. It was obvious that the trail we used had served as the fire line. One side was crispy, the other side still had its normal vegetation.

Yes, there's a bit of a theme. A friend and I headed out just as the sun was adding some color to the sky. We were on a mission.

The goal for the day was to visit surviving sections of the original highway that ran from Mesa to Payson. Some portions have remained in use as Forest Service roads. Other sections left signs of cuts on the hillsides, but the road surface had disappeared.

We found what we were looking for, and got to learn a bunch of interesting history while completing several short hikes. All told, a very good day!

Last week we headed out to visit the area along the Hewitt Canyon road. BJ and her SAR friends know the road well since it heads to a couple of the wilderness trail heads. 

I had no idea we had an arch in the area until we went hunting a geocache. Not far from the road, but uphill was the primary descriptor! A beautiful spot that I wouldn't have noticed if not for the geocache.

As always, there are questions. Which came first, the crack in the boulder or the tree root? I'd show more of this area, but I'm hoping I can jump through enough hoops to get permission to have an EarthCache here.

Meanwhile, I'm seeing if any of my "ancient history" skills and knowledge can be revived. When I started adapting the Silver Subie, I knew an engine overhaul was in it's future.

I got it all broken down and was super pleased to see very minimal wear internally. The cylinder heads are at the machine shop and should be ready today. Most of the parts have arrived and the rest should be here by tomorrow. I'm loving doing this on my schedule. I suspect it will be a couple weeks before I have it back together - the nice thing is there's no rush.

Guess this sums it up!

Fiberglas Friends

We're blessed to live close to the Superstitions. Not only does it make it easy to go out to play, but it's also a place that many of our molded Fiberglas trailer friends like to visit. We hit the jackpot recently when two couples ended up there at the same time. Jerry, of Egg Rollings, had to get a picture.

We grabbed the dutch oven and headed out to fix dinner for them. Pot Roast, low and slow, gave us lots of time to play with fire and to catch up with travel plans and aspirations.

There's three pounds of pot roast buried under all the veggies.

The breeze was a bit chilly (at least for Arizona weather wimps) but it was nice and warm in their Clam with a little fire going. A big thanks to Lynne and David of Winter in the Desert who were the first to spill the beans that they were all going to be at Lost Dutchman.

As always, the sunset plays beautifully on the mountain although I wasn't patient enough for a good picture - too busy eating.

The crowning glory, food wise, was Jerry's blueberry cobbler. If I'd been smarter, we would have brought some Tillamook ice cream to add yet another layer of gastronomic decadence!

We'll see them all again in Quartzsite soon.

Movin' On

We had a chance to wander around Lost Dutchman State Park one morning last month. The flowers were in bloom and it was a classic, beautiful spring day.

Miles of yellow stretched to the horizon,

and in a few places other colors popped as well.

In my mind, the best part of spring is the sunrises. Unfortunately, as the sunrises get earlier, the days get hotter. We've now 'enjoyed' our first triple digits days.

Which means it's time to be thinking of roads headed north. Looks like this year we're going to spend some time wandering around parts of Utah that we've typically ignored before heading further north. Should be fun.

Wave Cave

On Boxing Day, one of BJ's hiking buddies suggested a hike I'd never heard about. The destination for the day was the Wave Cave, in hopes that the weather would be warmer at the beach.

The hike started from the Carney Springs trailhead on the west side of the Superstitions. There is no official trail, and none of us had been there, but how hard could it be?

Early on, we spotted what we thought was our target.

After crossing the border into the Wilderness, we started looking for a track turning off from the Carney Springs trail.

We passed an area that looked like it may have been a miner's camp at one time, with quite a pile of rusting tin cans.

Once we turned off the Carney Springs trail, our track was consistently upwards, working across the face of the hill and then turning into a large ravine.

As we continued climbing in the ravine, our views continued to get bigger. The wind was cold and we were all appreciating our layers, but the views were wonderful!

Almost there!

It's pretty obvious how the cave got its name.

If she could surf the rock, I had to try as well.

It took us as long to work our way back down the track. While the route was obvious if you made the turn off the Carney Springs trail in the right place, it's clearly not an official trail, and demands respect, especially downhill where the loose rocks can be a challenge.

All in all, a really fun hike on a beautiful day. Thanks, Candice!

Reflecting on Service

Twenty years ago, BJ started getting serious about her hiking interests, mentored by a wonderful former backcountry ranger in the Grand Canyon.

Fourteen years ago we moved to East Mesa so that we would be closer to the river and so that BJ could join the Search & Rescue group active in the Superstition Mountains.

Through the years, organizations and people have changed, but she continued to do what she could to be available when needed for searches and rescues. Years ago she had one knee surgery and now it's starting to act up again. Meds help, but she's also more careful about how she uses it.

A month or so ago I asked if we could do a day hike somewhere in her stomping grounds.

We took the short route to Hackberry Spring. Like so many places in the Superstitions, it's a well known route but not an official trail. We started off on an old jeep road to a corral and windmill remains that predate the Wilderness designation.

I'm guessing that the corral and structures were build in the 60's or 70's given the use of old railroad ties for posts and the condition of the sheet metal on the shade structure. It was old enough to show lots of weathering, but certainly not "historic."

                

First Water creek wasn't running, but there were still quite a few pools with water.

Once in a while we'd spot a cairn although for the most part they were unnecessary. The route follows the wash which was very well defined.

Sometimes the route was across bedrock, sometimes a bit of sand. Most of it was across fairly large cobble. The creek clearly gets some major flow occasionally!

Hackberry Spring is a small pool up against the cliff, with a small pipe dripping out the overflow. It would be easy to miss since it's hidden behind some trees but the moisture does extend towards the wash, given the position away. While we were there, a small group of young people arrived, approaching it from downstream as part of the longer loop route.

We were blessed with a wonderful day. A few light clouds, and relatively cool weather. Well worth being on the trail at 7 a.m.!

The leaning rock was easy to spot as we headed back up the drainage. It's not obvious when headed down the drainage - hidden by the larger cliff.

All in all, a wonderful hike. While she really enjoys it, I sometimes wonder how much longer BJ will remain an active SAR member. She has met some wonderful people who are now close friends through her involvement and service but change comes no matter if you want it or not.

A Minature Fiberglass Gathering

Lynne & David contacted us to let us know that they were back in the area for a few days and invited us out to Lost Dutchman to share their bonfire. We saw it as a wonderful excuse to get rid of some more of our bumper crop of citrus - and a great chance to spend an evening with friends!

We managed to get there about the time the sun was starting to set, which made for some nice pictures of the Superstitions. Turns out, Lynne and David were hosting a miniature fiberglass trailer rally. An Escape from Washington, a Scamp from Arizona, and Casitas from Tennessee and Kansas were represented.

There's been lots of blog discussion lately about the "hike" to Flatiron. Let's just say the second half of the "hike" is more vertical than horizontal!

As the sun got lower on the horizon, the mountain turned to gold - but not the Lost Dutchman's gold.

David got the fire started (with just one match and no cheater fluid)

just in time for us to ooh and aha about the colors of the sunset.

They were located in the "overflow" (aka serendipity) loop. Rumor has it that this loop will go into the reservation system in the future. Too bad, became some of the best views are currently from the serendipity sites.