Siphon Draw Trail to the Basin (not the Flatiron) - 11/22/16

Unfortunately, not many pictures on this last day of hiking in the Superstition Mountains.  We hiked the Siphon Draw Trail from the campground to an area called the Basin.  The elevation at the campground was approximately 2,000 feet and we climbed 1,100 feet to the Basin.  Paul labeled it "an efficient route uphill" ... code words for steep, straight up, rocky climb with no level stretches.  We were in the sun (I kept hoping for the shade of the canyon) most of the way until we crossed into the draw of the canyon.

We rested at the Basin, a small pond of water attracting countless bees in the crux of the rhyolite that had been eroded by the water falling off of the cliffs above.  In the shade it became quite cool ... on with the jackets.  We watched a parade of younger souls trek on above the Basin on their way to the Flatiron.  The Flatiron is at 4,861' elevation in just over a mile beyond the Basin (an additional 1,700 feet of elevation in a mile).    The trail is not maintained above the Basin and we had already encountered difficult trail conditions, boulder hopping, trail scrounging ... we decided to leave the summit of the Flatiron to younger, hardier souls and headed back down.

We are heading out tomorrow morning to return to Tucson.  We accomplished a few goals:  1) To re-connect with the system of state parks.  This was a pleasant state park with electricity and water, well-spaced sites, well-tended facilities, and picturesque scenery just outside of our door and 2) To prove to ourselves that we can take a quick trip without having to commit to long distance driving or long periods of time, and 3) Paul also managed to do a brief "winterizing" of Bambi before colder temperatures hit Tucson.

This is our brief, but spectacular take on getting away in Bambi !

Treasure Loop Trail - Lost Dutchman State Park - 11/21/16

A night of rain made us both appreciate camping in Bambi as opposed to a tent ... we can listen to the rain with the comfort of a dry bed and waking up to a warming cup of coffee in the morning without sodden surroundings.

We took the Discovery Interpretive Trail to the Treasure Loop Trail up to Green Boulder in the massive rock structure.  The clouds still threatened rain and the winds went beyond gusty, and it was a treat to hike in such an unusual landscape with clouds sheltering the sun and winds to cool us.  The massive rock structure is actually a resurgent dome from ancient volcanic activity and the unusual rock structures are the result of the forces of erosion on the dome.

We missed a turn-off on the trail and returned on Jacob's Crosscut Trail and back down the Siphon Draw Trail to return to our campsite in time for lunch and a break (read "nap").

So, our afternoon hike was to re-do our Treasure Loop Trail from the opposite direction to understand our error ... we succeeded in figuring out our misstep and were treated to a magnificent sunset reflection on the rock massif.

We also caught the UA versus University of Northern Colorado men's basketball game by streaming the PAC 12 network.  Viva camping with Internet accessibility!  Viva the W for the UA!

Drive to the Lost Dutchman Mine State Park - 11/20/16

When confronted with the cooler temperatures of coming winter and the need to prepare Bambi for the months ahead, we decided to take him out for one last adventure before we drain his system.  We wanted some camping site nearby (no long drives during the Thanksgiving driving. Season), reasonable temperatures (definitely not interested in freezing or over-heating), hiking from the campsite (no need to unhook Bambi from Fritz) and some where new to both of us.  Lost Dutchman Mine State Park fit the bill ... 2 hours from home, moderate temperatures, hiking in the Superstition Mountains, and we had never been to this park.

Fortunately check-in time wasn't until 2 pm, so we had a reasonably comfortable start to the morning.   We drove up the Pinal Pioneer Parkway ... so much more leisurely than driving I-10.  And, it gave us an opportunity to stop for a bite to eat at the Tom Mix Monument.  Tom Mix was a silent movie star as the quintessential Western cowboy with his horse, Tony the Wonder Horse, making over 200 Western films.  He was born on my birthdate, in 1880.  When he was 60 years old, his film career nearly over as "talkies" took over the movie industry, he was driving from Tucson to Florence and crashed when he failed to observe a construction site along the Pinal Pioneer Parkway.  He likely was drunk at the time having stopped along the way at a tavern to play poker and drink whiskey.  He actually survived the crash, but when getting out of his car, a heavy leather trunk that was lashed to his car fell on him and broke his neck.  The Tom Mix Monument celebrates his life and marks the site of his death.  Tony the Wonder Horse lived on and died on the same date as Tom two years later at the age of 37.

Enough history ... and on to Lost Dutchman State Park ... we followed our iPhone map onto a dirt road, not maintained by the County, deeply rutted and a challenge for Fritz and Bambi for over a mile.  Note to Self:  Do not take Mountain View Avenue in Apache Junction ... it is on private land and no longer maintained and a hazard to drive.

We arrived, safe and sound, to a lovely site and few things disturbed in Bambi after the rough road.  Rain is threatening tonight, but we're tucked into our site ... had a walk around the campground ... and hoping for some great hikes in the Superstition Mountains.  Who knows, perhaps we'll find that Lost Dutchman Mine ...

Barstow Again - End of the Road - 8/29/16

Barstow Again - End of the Road - 8/29/16

Back in the KOA Barstow/Calico again ... It was easy ... Enough said.

We arrived home in Tucson after a long ride back through the Mojave Desert and into the Sonoran Desert. We watched the clouds to see if there was going to be any chance of rain, but the few puffy clouds did not suggest any serious chance of a summer monsoon storm to welcome us.  What did welcome us home was a tasty dinner that Trudy and Mom had left for us ... No need to think of what to have for dinner (even dessert was included ;-).  

We traveled over 3,800 miles on this trip ... As Paul called it, "our California 'Streaming" adventure.

Olivia and her son, Rojo, bid everyone a fond farewell from the caboose (at the KOA Barstow/Calico) ... The end of our adventure is at hand!  With many thanks to all who made our adventure special!

Bambi wants to know what will be his next trip ... 'Til we meet again!

Leaving Lafayette - 8/28/16

Leaving Lafayette - 8/28/16

It is safe to show this picture because we are leaving ... It was a bit of a challenge to back Bambi into the driveway missing the trees and the corner of the roof when we arrived.  But, departing only required a bit of trimming to one bush and careful avoidance of the corner of the roof.

Time to be heading home ...  We left supplied with a bag of freshly picked pears and a bag of home-grown Early Girl tomatoes from Kathy's garden.  Life is good ... And filled with friends!

"On the road again ... I can't wait to get on the road again" - Willie Nelson

The Presidio - 8/27/16

The Presidio - 8/27/16

This was a reconnection with friends from our Italian Dolomite adventure.  We met up with Bruce and Karen, and their canine companion, Pepper, in Presidio Park to walk the trails and catch up with what was happening in our respective lives since we returned from Italy.  Kathy had been to the Dolomites a month earlier and had her adventures to share as we walked through the paths snaking their way through the Presidio ...

Few flowers were still blooming, but this one caught our eye ...

The view of Alcatraz was arresting ... As was the view over the cemetery ...

Wooden sculptures ... Like the spire marked the way ...

And then off to lunch at Sessions ... "planting seeds" for possible future adventures together

The evening was a send-off dinner in Lafayette with Kathy, Kathy's mother, Velma, Kathy's sister, Jan and brother-in-law, Gary.

A good time was had by all ...

Marin Headlands - 8/26/16

Marin Headlands -  8/26/16

Kathy provided us with a couple of options for exploring the Bay Area ... An urban adventure into San Francisco or a hike in the Marin Headlands, a hilly peninsula just north of San Francisco and across from the Golden Gate Bridge.  In keeping with our tradition of hiking, we set off to the Marin Headlands.

The area is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and features amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The Marin Headlands is made up of a number of military installations, fortifications dating back to the 1890s continuing through the periods of World War 1 and World War 2 into the Cold War era.  Many of the original U.S. Army building are still standing and used as office space and other public uses (galleries, meeting rooms, etc).

Battery Townsley is an example of a WW2 battery that housed an enormous gun battery, the entire structure weighing over 1 million pounds, yet could a shell 26 miles at 1 1/2 minute intervals by a team of 35 personnel.  The entire area was finally decommissioned in the 1960s and returned to civilian use ... And would have been housing developments but for the work of a group of local citizens who applied sufficient pressure to have the area sold to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area for the enjoyment of all and preservation of the coastline.

The Point Bonita Lighthouse is a part of the area, but it only open on the weekends.  Apparently it use to have a bridge that could only allow two people at a time to pass, but the bridge has been upgraded to allow more pedestrian traffic.

Hawk Hill is the look out point for the annual (August into December) migration of raptors as tens of thousands of hawks, kites, falcons, vultures, osprey, and eagles are known to travel along the peninsula into the headlands.  We had our own red-tailed hawk who was putting on quite a show for us ...

We walked along the beach ... Saw several surfers bobbing in the waves (less surfing and more bobbing ... In wetsuits) and found this Snowy Egret (notice his yellow feet) searching for lunch in the waves.

 

And, for lunch for us, we headed into Sausalito for a seafood lunch of our own at Scoma's on the water front before winding our way back to Lafayette.

We had a delicious dinner at Kathy's sister and brother-in-law's home (Jan and Gary) in neighboring Orinda... Which was an amazing home ... Gary is a building contractor (soon to be retired?) with a rare vision for what is possible with an architectural space and the ability to make that vision a reality.  He and Jan have created an aesthetically lovely interior and exterior living environment ... And treated us all to dinner.  My only regret was that I was so busy eating and drinking that I failed to get pictures of their home ...

Lafayette, CA - Kathy's Home - 8/25/16

Lafayette, CA - Kathy's Home - 8/25/16

Last year we had hoped to visit our friend, Kathy, at her home in Lafayette, CA, but we realized that it was a bit further than we could travel.  This year we made a visit to her home a priority ... After all the years of hiking together in Tucson and traveling together to various meetings around the world, we had heard many stories of her life, her home, wild turkeys, grazing deer, untended pear orchard, reservoir lake ... It was time to see it for ourselves.

Fortunately, no pictures were taken of the operation to back Bambi into her driveway ... We had the help of her neighbors and her mother, Velma ... And, Paul succeeded in backing into the parking area without taking off the corner of her house (with inches to spare) ... No landscape lighting was injured in the course of this operation ;-)

One of the beauties of the Bay Area is the fact that flowering plants actually grow quite happily on the back patio ... Not quite the struggle to keep them alive that is part of the desert experience ...

A walk around the Lafayette Reservoir revealed the wild turkeys ...

Alas, no deer showed themselves ... We did see the untended pear orchard and reaped some of the bounty ...

Update:  Kathy sent a picture of the turkeys and the deer!

Manchester Beach, CA & Schooner Gulch Trail & Bowling Ball Beach - 8/25/16

Manchester Beach, CA & Schooner Gulch Trail & Bowling Ball Beach - 8/25/16

We left one KOA in Crescent City for another one in Manchester Beach, further down the coast.  This one was located on a one mile trail to Manchester Beach from the campground and was equipped with a hot tub (much appreciated after a long drive).

Speaking of the hot tub, we met a young woman (everyone seems "young" to us; unless they're way "older" than us ;-), who had cycled from Washington State down the coast highway and was one day from her destination (Sebastapol) to see her boyfriend.  We were in awe of the fact that she had cycled these narrow, twisting roads along Highway 101 and Highway 1 ... She felt that the support for cyclists had been good (lots of signs reminding drivers to share the road with cyclists), but felt that there were a few dyspeptic drivers, usually driving pick-up trucks, who were insulting, threatening or dangerous to cyclists.  When asked what the most challenging part of her ride had been, she mentioned her stop in Garberville, CA.  We had also stopped earlier in the day at Garberville and were struck by the strange vibe in the town.  She told us that it was pot harvesting time and the "harvesters" were gathering in Garberville both to work and to score some pot and that it led to a bit of a Wild West environment in the town with outsiders and desperadoes who could be aggressive.

We headed down the path to Manchester Beach ... Meeting a great egret along the way (in a marsh pond).  Again, the beach was relatively deserted ... Black, coarse grains of sand ... More driftwood, but few shells (mostly parts of crabs) and a scattering of kelp washed ashore.

Our trip back was graced by some colorful thistles (Eeyore's favorite)

The next stop was a hike recommended by our friend, Kathy ... Schooner Gulch Trail and Bowling Ball Beach.  We found the trailhead off of Highway 1 and joined the folks heading down to a lovely beach, with beige, finer sand, driftwood and fresh water running into the ocean.  Lots of dogs and children enjoying the beach with some sun breaking through the clouds.

We followed the trail to Bowling Ball Beach only to find the steps washed out and a huge rope to be used to lower oneself down the final way to the beach ... An Asian couple who were picnicking on the cliff above the beach convinced us (me) that we could make it down (and, equally important, back up using the rope).  Down we went ... But the high tide kept us from seeing the full "bowling ball" effect of the rocks lining the low tide waterline (which was invisible at high tide).  We did have some pelicans cruising the coast line ...

Paul thought I should have taken a picture of us using the rope to climb up and down to the beach ... It would have made a good picture, particularly as the photographer fell into the water below as she tried to both haul herself up with the rope and fell while snapping photos ... Alas, the photographer forget to get Paul's more coordinated climb with the rope.

The return trail was covered with sweet peas ... And naked ladies ...

No ... Not those kind of naked ladies ... Flowers ;-)