Coon Bluff trail

We've really been enjoying our hiking.  It's one of our favorite things to do here in Arizona.

 This is a baby Saguaro Cactus, the type that grow really tall and has the cool arms.  They start out in some type of helper bush where the soil is broken up.  They only grow here in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and Mexico.  It's the largest cactus in the United States.  They can live to be 200 years old and grow 60 foot tall and have up to 25 arms and weigh 5,000 lbs.  The roots only grow half a foot deep, but spread out sideways as far as the cactus is tall.  They're very slow growing, the one here is probably 10 years old.  It's covered in needle type spikes and makes a home for different types of birds.

 This is the hiking club group starting out.  More and more people each time we go.

 This hike was a little different in that it was totally flat.  We were following different washes and gullys.

 We were totally surprised when we ran across some wild horses.  Who would of thought to find wild horses in this dessert climate. 

 There was a young horse with the group.

 They were beautiful and kind of shaggy looking.

 We saw two, maybe three other groups during the hike.  Our guide said they flourish in that area and the wildlife rangers have to take measures to keep the population down or they would overrun things.

It was amazing to see wild horses, and up close too.  Still can't believe it.

Broadway Cave trail

We went on another hike with the Hiking Club and this time had more people.

 This is at the start of the trail, at the base of Superstition Mountains.

 Cactus and the Superstition Mountains.  The cave we hiked to is in the shadows somewhere in the middle.

 This is called the Jumping Cholla cactus.  You don't want to get close.

 Making our way up the trail.  It was flat at first.

 Then we started going up hill towards that cave in the middle of the picture.  Our guide actually lost the trail, if you can believe it, and could not find it.  But we could see the cave up the hill.  So we ended up working our way through the prickly desert vegitation as we climbed this hill to the cave.

 Beautiful bluffs.

 There was an actual cave at the top this time, not just an indentation in the rocks.  It was cool.

Looked like some prospectors at some time in the past may have mined into the cave.  There was no sign they found any gold or silver.

Trip to Mexico

We had to change RV's for the month of December.  This one is at 2004 Klamath.  The one we had for November was at 215 Shawnee.  Both in Roadhaven RV Resort.

 Our jeep parked in front of the RV.  This one is newer but only has one bedroom.  It does have the added Arizona Room attached to the Park Model RV.

On Saturday we went to Mexico with Duane and Patti.  We went to the town of Los Algodones, which is west of Phoenix and then south.  It's a town mostly known for a place where Americans can get cheap medicine and dental work.  We saw lots of places like that and also lots of shops selling souvenirs.  We didn't take pictures because it didn't seem appropriate.  We did see some of the border wall which you can see in the far distance.

Goldfield Radar Station trail

We went on a fairly easy hike this day.

 It was kind of chilly and one of the first sights we saw was a large tarantula.  It was about the size of a fist.  It wasn't moving, so either it was dead or stiff from the cold and waiting for the sum to warm it up.  It was right in the middle of the trail and still there on the way down.

 The trail was fairly easy and followed a dirt road.  Here's Jacquelyn with two other people on the trail with us, from the Roadhaven Hiking Club.  Only two other people came besides us.

 We saw this hawk on top of cacti.

 Beautiful but barren desert scenery.

Then the road went up a hill and got a little steep. At the top was an old radar station.

Tianna visiting in Arizona

Tianna flew down to Phoenix and visited for a few days.  It was really nice to spend some time with her in Apache Junction.

 We also got in a visit with her Grandma Rucker and with Duane and Patti.  We played some card games and had lunch there.

 We also went to a Phoenix Suns basketball game with her Grandpa Swift.  I had never been to a pro basketball game before, and neither had my dad.  But Tianna has been to some Utah Jazz games.

The Suns were playing the Orlando Magic.  Unfortunately they lost, but it was fun anyway.

 Three generations - Dad, me, and Tianna.

 The Suns tried their best and kept it close the first half, but they were outmatched.  And the referees were not on their side.

I blame their loss on the refs.  They were a bunch of gorillas.

Peralta Canyon Trail

We went on another hike, this one the Peralta Canyon trail to Fremont Saddle. 

 This hike was in some of the foothills of Superstition Mountain.  It was sunny out but a little cool temperature-wise, so we thought it would be a good day for a hike.

 This is how rocky most of the trail looked.  It was 2.2 miles out and 2.2 miles back, so a little longer than our other hikes but not much.

 We were surprised though.  It was up hill all the way.  Our paper said an 800 foot elevation gain but the volunteer ranger at the start of the trail said it was 1600 foot.  It turned out to be hard for us.  We saw the boulder formation in the picture above, when it was way above us, and didn't realize we were going that high, and ended up going way above it.

 We made it though and saw some beautiful scenery.  It was a challenge well worth the effort.

Jacquelyn at the top overlooking  Fremont Saddle.

Nathanael's family visiting in Arizona

Nathanael and his family came down to visit in Apache Junction and we had a wonderful time.

 Here we are with Hannah, Jonathan, and Jacob.  We had so much fun seeing the grandchildren.  And they all seem to enjoy the sunshine and the desert.

 Me with Hannah and Jacob in front of a giant Saguaro Cactus with Superstition Mountains in the background.

 Got in two games of nine hole par three golf with Nathanael.  We also got to play some pickleball and did lots of swimming and made several visits to the jucuzzi.

 For Thanksgiving we went over to Duane and Patti's house.  Besides Jacquelyn's Mom we also saw two of her sisters (Conni and Linda), and her brother Duane, and their spouses, and one neice, Lydia.  Everyone brought some food but Patti did tons of cooking.  There was lots to eat and the turkey and ham were great.

 We also went to see Great Grandpa Swift and went out to diner at his favorite place, Texas Roadhouse.

 One day when the weather was nice we went for a hike.  We went on the Hieoglyphics Trail.  It's about 3 miles round trip and it was a hot day so we enjoyed the challenge.

 At the end of the trail are some spring fed pools of water (see bottom right of this picture).

 Hannah and Nathanael on some of the rocky clifts around the springs.  Great for climbing on.

 Jacquelyn and Jacob with some of the petroglyphs left by the ancient indians.

 We also wend out to Goldfield Ghost Town and got to see an old western miner town and even witnesses a gunfight.

 Hannah in a birdcage.

 Jacob in a mining cart.

 Jacob kept begging and begging to drive the golf cart at our place in Roadhaven.  So finally Nathanael gave in and gave him a driving lesson.  He actually could do it.

And we went out to eat at a Mexican Restaurant.  We are so glad they all came to visit.  We are lucky to have such great kids and grandkids.

Wind Cave Hike

Yesterday we went on our third hike, this time Wind Cave Trail in Usery Mountain Regional Park.

 This is at the start of the trail and you can see the Usery Mountain in the background.  It was sunny with temperatures in the low 70s, perfect for a hike.

 The trail crossing a dry streambed with the mountain in the background.

 A large Ocotillo Plant on the skyline.

We saw lots of pretty Sugaro Cactus and Barrel Cactus and Jumping Cholla Cactus, all visible in this picture.  Did you know the Sugaro Cactus don't start getting branches until they are 70 years old.

 Boulders and rocks strewn all about.

 A panoramic view from part way up the mountain at the end of the trail.

And this is wind cave.  Not very deep but very pretty.