Search For Water Part Two

    Welcome new and faithful readers!   This page has so many posts in the works--thank you all for being so patient.   Our Exploring has slowed down in the last few weeks, although it did just take me to California.  Posts to come!  We did just purchase a gas saving car, so hopefully soon--when our bank account rises a little bit, we will be taking more Exploring trips.  And these will be further away from home.  There is so much to Explore across this great state.  Please share this page with anyone you feel might enjoy it.  If they are from Arizona---or if there heart belongs here.      For all of our Exploring  please also check out my first an longest running blog page at 
    www.wyomingjack.blogspot.com

   On this day I was once again searching for water in the winter time in Arizona.  I had heard about the near by Willow Lakes area and just happened to have some free time with Butch to check it out.  Although I never found the lakes on this day--weather they be dried up this time of year, or I was searching in the wrong area,  I did find some great spots for some future hikes.  I also found got some good pictures along the way.   

A farm house along the way.

The old equipment allowed for some neat pictures.

The long twisty dirt road is also a fun drive. 

Just around a long bend

I found a huge field of green. 

A very rare and welcome sight when living in the desert. 

Further up I found more signs of civilization

and even some water.

Although the water was all beyond nasty.

I was amused to see signs painted all around the above water tank that said 

"No swimming!"

A little further down I found this large pond.  

But still no lakes.

From a distance it looks quite peaceful and almost like a tranquil oasis.

But the area was covered in flies and even Butch our dog would not drink the water.  

I have talked before about always finding random piles of garbage every time I hike.

I always seem to find one lone shoe also.

Time to roam around the desert looking for the lakes.

This was all on the same day

but the date stamp on my camera was having issues. 

I need to just take the date stamp off the pictures all together. 

Although I kept seeing signs that large bodies of water were close

I never found any.  

Looking towards Benson and beyond.

More hills just waiting to be Explored

on another day. 

Again I found no lakes or

drinkable water on this day. 

Later in the afternoon my wife and I snuck off to The Horseshoe 

for lunch. It was the first time we had ventured there.

And I must say the food and service was very good.  

Good service --in any field is hard to find it seems. 

I am sure the restaurant does not need praise

it seems to always be busy 

and a well known town landmark.

But The Horseshoe is my

un-official official local business of the day.

Meaning I pick places that have given us great service

and the business has no idea they have been picked. 

Two Local Mini Hikes & Search For Water Part I

           Good morning to everyone!  As always I hope that you enjoy this Exploring page even half as much as I enjoy posting and taking the pictures for this page.  This is my third such page, and I would like to hope that with my newest page things are getting close to perfect.  For the most part this blog is about amazing Arizona and will soon take us across the entire state and back.  I hope that you share the link with anyone that lives in the sun filled state, has a special place in there heart for Arizona, or to your family and friends that are not seeing as much sunshine!  Although I try to keep this page very local -sometimes I venture further down the road.  Next week I will be in Palm Springs, so of course several picture filled posts will follow.  Our new home is Benson, Arizona so many of the adventures focus around this part of Arizona at the moment.  For tons of more adventures  and maybe some random rambling please check out my first blog page  at: www.wyomingjack.blogspot.com

I just read an amazing article about how important it is to take your kids on hikes.

From teaching them new skills, to just getting them away from it all.

And most of the time I take one or all of our kids along with me.

On this day though it was just Butch and I.

Sometimes we just need to be alone with our thoughts

sweating out the negatives and enjoying the quiet the desert has to offer.

Like these plants I have been searching for areas of water in the last week of Exploring.

Not an easy task when in the desert in February.

But the next few posts will show I have found some areas in and around Benson!

Most of the places we seem to roam will be filled with gushing water during the mighty monsoon season.

Down by the runoff I found this small rock stack.

I used to find them all of the time while roaming around the bay in Bellingham, Washington.

An area so pretty I also have a picture filled blog page just from the area!

Maybe after coming from an area with so much water--to living here

is the main reason I am looking for an desert oasis.

Maybe I am just bored.

Rock stacking-Expert level.

Clouds kept rolling in and than on by on this day.

This downed barbed wire fence is not protecting much anymore.

 Although we saw many signs that water was lurking just below the sandy surface, we found no standing water once again.  These pictures are once again from the area in Benson just down from the motels, Jack In The Box, and on the way to the city dump.  I have reported on this area several times before and had found no water so we moved on. 

What path will you choose?

In your hikes and in every day life. 

The easy path that is well traveled

or the path that few have ventured. 

Before we venture to the next Exploring location--I must vent a little bit. 

Every time I take a hike through the desert, I find piles of garbage every time I venture out.  Many times when still basically in city limits.  

I realize the above picture is of abandoned palm trees and not really garbage, but it was dumped in the middle of the desert.  

This is the desert NOT your personal/free dump sight.  

My kids are instantly drawn to the garbage to look for something neat or to break. 

And of course our dogs are equally as drawn. 

This takes away from any great adventure -every time. 

If you pack it in--pack it out. 

Please stop!

 OK  I will jump off of my soap box now and continue on with the Exploring.

We jumped in the pickup and headed further down the road.
Still searching for water. 

This time we headed towards St David.

Parking just before the rail road tracks and quickly headed across the highway- down beside the bridge. 

Butch and I had found water. 

Nor much and not the cleanest

but Butch was instantly running back and forth threw the liquid. 

Since we were again greeted by a very sunny day, we ventured on.

This mostly hidden tree fort looks strong still, but also appears to not have been used for a very long time.  

Soon we found a solar powered electric fence.  After stopping Butch from marking the fence- we decided it was time to head back.  

But first I must share this quick story about my buddy I am going to visit next week.

Years ago he and some friends decided to tube a mighty river in the heart of Washington state. 

My buddy got separated from his group and at some point decided to leave the cooling water and walk.  He came to this huge field and noticed many cows just standing in the middle of the field with what appeared to be a string supported by fence posts all around the cows. 

The pasture was in the way of getting to his truck -so he proceeded forward. 

As he again started walking, he pondered why the stupid cows would stay in an area only protected by a thin string. 

He was still processing this, as he approached the string and grabbed it with both hands.

This completed the circuit and shocked the crap out of my buddy.

It seems he really is a city slicker, and was not simply grabbing a cow restraing string, but the wire for an electric fence!

This was just on the other side of the electric fence.   

I am not sure what it is, but it really seemed to need to be protected. 

And I was not about to get shocked to attempt to learn what this was for.  

One last shot of the actual flowing water, before heading back to the truck.

This was Butch as soon as we returned home.  

Super Moon Exploring--Just Out Of Benson, Arizona

                           This is going to be a quick blog post.  I hate to post quick ones, but it was a quick hike/adventure also.   All of our camera's were non working this day, so I apologize for the picture quality.   We were using our I-Pod.   A fun toy indeed, but maybe not the best device to snap far away shots with.   I can tell you that this was a beautiful journey and the pictures do not begin to do it justice.  

So many trails   so little time. 

          A few weekends back the kiddos and I ventured to the out skirts of the big city of Benson, Arizona.   Benson has three exits off the highway, so it can not be all that small-right?   Benson is also our family's new home, so it will be the starting point of many a future adventure.  I have an entire blog post of just pictures from this great town coming.   And sadly it is going to be longer than today's post.   This fine evening we drove to Kartchner Caverns state park to go on a ranger lead hike by the glow of the moon light!  At $6.00 for a car load of people, this is a great, affordable place to explore.   We had hoped to arrive early enough to check out the huge visitors center.   But it was already closed.  This gave us lots of time to check out the surrounding dessert.   Almost too much time.  This was not just any moon lit hike, it was during a Super Moon.   Were the Earth is super close to the moon, in retrospect, and it appears full and in all of it's shinning glory.  That is as scientific as I am going to get today.  We had plenty of water, flash lights, and a snake bite kit. 

                              Above is a great statue you pass on the way to the caves. 

                                         
                             I have never before seen so many handicap spaces. 

                       I have to add here--that before the hike, I tried to tell the kids about an older magazine, and Ranger Rick.   They of course had never heard of any of this, and if you reading this, have not either, I will feel even older.   Thanks.  Anyways I jokingly tried to explain that our tour guide, might very well be Ranger Rick.  As we waited in the Amphitheatre for the hike to start, a park ranger appeared.    Our oldest ran up to him and to my embarrassment/amusement  asked if his name was Rick.    It was not.   Above is the poor ranger.   His actual name is Mike.

Also not Ranger Rick.

Almost though ;)

Still waiting for the hike to start...

Fake cactus are safer than others.

Close up of our youngest.   It is almost as if he is in 3-D!!

Less safe cactus than the one above

Our oldest lost his footing at one point  and tried to fall into a cactus is the only reason I bring all this up.   He is fine, but we did learn that if you encounter a cactus with small needles, to not pull them out, but to use a razor.   It supposedly is way less painful.

We had several expert tour guides on this hike.  

And a large group of explorers of all ages. 

There was about 100 people on this trek.  

To many for my tastes, but the kids seemed to have fun, and the views were nice.

It was also nice to have a park ranger trying to answer the kids questions, for a change.  

Many other kids were along on the hike, and each soon had someone to hang with. 

The full moon    much earlier in the day.

Back to the hike.   

The moon rose early. 

And just kept getting better and better. 

Again I am sorry it is so hard to see in these pictures. 

At one point  those that wanted to could explore further up the trail.   

We chose not to--it was already a 2.5 mile loop tour as it was.  And this way we could stay with much of the group.  

Visitors center at dusk

We returned down most of the trail before it got fully dark. 

But it was plenty dark enough to get use out of our flash lights/ might light sabers!

And now to start a new feature----

Can you guess were I was exploring/job hunting last Friday?  

Again the date stamps are screwed up on these pictures.  

Put your answers in the comment section for this very blog page, on my Facebook page, or e mail me dirrectly with guesses or complaints  at pontos62or@yahoo.com

Answer in my next exploring blog post!

 

 

 

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