Here we are just heading out towards the mountains
We will be heading way up into the distant mountains behind the big ridge in the forefront
It is an easy drive for the most part as there are ranches back in the hills with cattle roaming in the desert
We love all the different rock formations. People are always surprised that the Sonoran desert isn't just dust and scrub
I just love all the different plants, trees and cacti in the desert
We are very gradually heading up the incline but are still a long ways away from the top
We are heading for the top of the mountain in the background
We are only about 1/3 of the way there but already the guys are dusty and dirty. We are the last vehicle in the group so we get the most dust! The ladies needed a cactus break!
We look like we are bundled up but we need to be like this to protect ourselves from the hot sun and the prickly vegetation that often grows close to the trail
It always amazes us to see the caves that have formed in the sandstone cliffs - we can only guess what might live in them!
We are still in saguaro cacti country so we are lower than 3500 ft above sea level. Once you get above that, they will no longer grow
They are my favourite cacti and there were certainly plenty on this ride
More interesting sandstone peaks
It amazes me how green everything is when they had a very dry summer and minimal monsoon rains August/September
We come around the corner and see a windmill and water storage tanks. The windmill is pumping water from below ground to the tanks to provide water for the cattle grazing in the desert
We are really starting to climb now and you can see the road behind us and where we came from
We are seeing the last of the saguaro cacti so must be getting above the 3500 ft
Looking back from where we came - the views were spectacular!
Now we are looking up to where we are going
I just loved the look of this dead ironwood tree with the blue sky as background
We are getting close to the top and the views just go on forever
We are at 6900 ft here, and the temperature sure wasn't 84 degrees anymore!
The motley crew at the top - Molly was taking the picture. Doug forgot to bring his tripod with him. We were lucky this past weekend that he was able to buy a little tripod for $2 at a garage sale and we will just leave it in the ATV so we always have it with us.
As we came over the hill we were saddened to see there had been a recent brush fire. Acres and acres of land had been burned and it must have been fairly recent as it still smelled strongly of charred wood.
It looked like a tree graveyard looking over the bank
It made driving along the mountain side a little more heart pounding when you could see right down the bank where usually you just see greenery!
The road going down the other side of the mountain was rougher and narrower than coming up
Looking over the bank to where we will be going to get back down to the valley below
We are now down the mountain, after some fairly exciting hair pin turns. I didn't take any pictures as I was too busy hanging on for dear life! We are driving along beside a wash where the deciduous trees are just starting to change colours. It was quite striking
It always surprises me at how much colour there is in the desert at this time of year.
We are heading back through what we all call "Sherwood Forest" It is actually a very sandy wash with low hanging ironwood and palo verde trees that it make at times feel like we are driving through tunnels
We had to take our rigid whip off the back of the ATV as it really hits these trees hard and it damages it. We have bought a flexible whip that Doug is out at the RV park right this minute installing. He went out to the park today to do an oil change, put the whip on and secure his tie downs in the cargo trailer so we can haul the ATV to other trail heads.
We are nearly home at this point and it was a wonderful day and a spectacular ride. We have started a tradition of all of us going out for dinner after our ride. We figure we can work our way through a number of restaurants by the end of the winter season!
I have Doug busy starting to get my outdoor Christmas decorations together. He was grumbling and saying "bah humbug"
I am just starting the decorating. I figure it will take us till next weekend to get it all done. Doug's motto is "I'm retired, what's the rush!" I figure the polar bear under the palm tree is a good one
This is my old dining room furniture and it just didn't turn my crank plus it only had 4 chairs and I wanted six, so I convinced my thrifty husband we needed new furniture. I went on Craig's list and found us a wonderful dining set from an estate sale so this one is off to the Thrift store in a couple of days!
This is my new set, a big improvement eh? I love it!
Doug can't say I am a big spender - I bought this 7 ft artificial tree that is pre-lit at a garage sale for $5!! The lady had only used it one season then moved to a smaller house and it was now too big. I decided to put it up right away to make sure all the lights worked. They did! I brought my Christmas decorations down to Arizona with us this year so it was great to be able to use them again after 3 years.
Well that's all the news for now - more coming later in the week. We have a new mattress and box spring being delivered tomorrow and then I can get the spare bedroom all made up, we are going on our ride to Box canyon on Wednesday and I am having my shrubs, lemon tree and 2 palms delivered and planted on Friday. A busy week coming up but what's new!
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