May 19, 2007

May 19, 2007

We wake early and decide to see what Yuma has to offer before leaving. We stop at the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park. Yuma was the site of Arizona’s first prison in 1876. It is only mildly interesting. It is situated on a short bluff above the Colorado River. Here the river is merely a large stream, just a miniature of what it used to be, before most of the water was diverted to the metro areas of Los Angeles, Phoenix and Tucson. A lot of it also flows to agriculture turning once barren deserts around here green. Yuma surprisingly has lots of wheat.

Across the Colorado west is California. We take a back road north towards I-10. This part of southern California is desolate and dry. It is too dry apparently even for cacti. In the distance west are huge sand dunes reminiscent of the Sahara. Finally at I-10 we head towards Joshua Tree National Park.

Just before the entrance we see a sign for a George Patton Museum. What is it doing here in the middle of nowhere? We decide to stop and investigate. The small museum turns out to be a good place to spend an hour. They have a very nice film about Patton’s life. In the opening moments of WWII, Patton was commanded to open a tank-training center to prep troops for the coming war against Rommel in North Africa. Patton was the only American officer with actual tank battle experience. He chose this site in the desert because California’s Colorado Aqueduct crosses nearby. In Patton’s typical aggressive fashion he tapped into the canal for fresh water before he received permission from California. The museum also has an enormous 3-D relief map of southern California made originally for the California water commission many years ago. And I do like relief maps!

A few miles farther down the road, we enter the southern gate of Joshua Tree Park. It is a long way to the northern side. The terrain is desolate and uninteresting. Strange place to preserve for posterity. An interpretative sign tells us that we are crossing the border from the low Sonoran Desert to the higher altitude Mohave Desert. The Joshua Tree grows only in the northern Mohave side of the park.

On suggestion of a park ranger, we spend the night at the Jumbo Rocks campground on the north side of the park. It is really unique. The campground is set amongst a bizarre collection of large rounded granite monoliths and boulders. Apparently they resulted when magma upbursts cooled before they could reach the surface. In the interim the soil around them eroded leaving them now exposed.

After dinner, Aimee and I make some popcorn, and drag our folding chairs atop the nearest monolith to watch the setting sun. So Cool!

May 18, 2007

May 18, 2007

Moving is always a trying experience. The complexity of our move this time was softened by only having an apartment. We couldn’t physically collect that many new belongings. It also helped that we rented furniture for the winter. One call to the rental office and half the apartment was empty. Still the RV holds a surprisingly lot of stuff and it took quite a few trips to fill it back up. What was left, along with our car, went into a storage unit. Our third. I can’t say I am thrilled having possessions stored all over the country.

The worst part of this move is psychological. Our six months here in Tucson has been like an extended vacation in a resort. We don’t want to leave. If it wasn’t that the temperature here is starting to get above my comfort zone, Aimee might have succeeded in talking me into delaying our departure.

By early afternoon we have turned in our apartment keys, snapped shut the storage unit padlock and left Tucson in our RV. Our destination is California. We head west on I-10. Not wanting to deal with Phoenix rush hour we opt to take I-8 towards San Diego. By dinnertime we arrive in the border town of Yuma, AZ. From our guidebook we select an RV park and golf resort advertised as being on the Colorado River. It ends up being a mistake. It is a little creepy. Yuma is a major-league snowbird town. But at this time of the year, this RV park is like a ghost town and way off the highway. Well I guess we are rusty at picking good accommodations.

May 6, 2007

May 6, 2007

On the way out of Holbrook, AZ we stop at an interesting rock shop. In addition to a wide assortment of minerals and fossils, they have an immense collection of petrified wood gathered from areas outside the park. This place looks like it has more than the national park. Outside the large store are several football field-size lots full of logs. Apparently the only shortage of petrified wood is in the national park.

From Holbrook we drive thru the White Mountains all the way back to Tucson. Our only non-food stop is at the Salt River canyon overlook. Arizona has steep canyons everywhere and truly deserves its name as the Grand Canyon State.

May 5, 2007

May 5, 2007

We got a surprise when we woke today in Flagstaff, AZ. Our car has a layer of icy snow on it. It is amazing how different the weather is here from Phoenix two hours to the south. Our first stop today is Walnut Canyon National Monument, a few miles to the east. Thinking it to be another Indian ruin like Wupatki, we are planning on a quick stop. We are very pleasantly surprised. The park is a small picturesque canyon with brick huts built under overhangs halfway down the canyon walls. We take a very pleasant hike that loops around the canyon. Unlike Sunset Crater, signs are plentiful and informative. Aimee also spots some hummingbirds on the walk.

Back on the highway we continue our drive east. The terrain has turned flat and barren, more like what you would expect in northern Arizona. Shortly we come to Meteor Crater. I have wanted to come here since seeing it in the closing sequences of the movie, Starman. The crater is privately owned and charges a hefty entrance fee, but where else can you go to see a real live moon-like crater? Aimee calls it a big hole in the ground. On first glance it looks smaller than I expected and somewhat eroded. But I guess it is in surprisingly good shape for 50,000 years old. The size is also very deceiving. It is big enough to hold 20 football games, with two million fans sitting around the sides. After hiking along the side and taking pictures, we head in to see the museum. It is quite well done and according to my expert wife has an outstanding gift shop.

Around noon we continue our drive east. Aimee puts in a CD of the Eagles Greatest Hits and the first song is Take it Easy. On hearing the lyrics, “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona”, we exit the highway and eat lunch at a little diner in Winslow.

After lunch we drive to the Petrified Forest National Park. We stop at the Painted Desert Visitor Center at the north entrance. Here we watch an interesting film about the park. 225 millions years ago during the Triassic Period this area was a tropical forest. Because of volcanic activity, the trees here were buried in volcanic ash. The silica in the ash penetrated the tree cells and replaced them with rock. Impurities in the ash gave the tree mineral deposits and the surrounding soil unusual colors. The ground then eroded exposing the colorful sandstone and the mineralized tree trunks.

From the Visitor Center we drive south thru the park. The northern half of the park has the Painted Desert vistas. To me the terrain looks almost identical to the Badlands of South Dakota. Adding to my relative disinterest is the wind. It is getting ridiculously strong, making it difficult to keep the camera steady. Farther south are most of the Petrified Forest stops. The best is the Crystal Forest where we walk a short loop thru a field of rock logs. I am amazed how big they are. Most are at least two feet in diameter and some much bigger. Interestingly there are no small or medium-size trees or branches. Some of the logs are vivid shades of red, blue and yellow. And some are wood-colored looking like they were just cut down. The park makes a big point about not taking samples home. They believe two tons disappear with visitors every month. There is still a lot left.

At the Rainbow Forest Visitor Center at the south entrance, they have displays of reptile bones found buried with the trees in the park. Being from the Triassic Period, most are pre-dinosaur reptiles. Archaeologists have made important finds of an early dinosaur relative here.

Tonight we stay in Holbrook, AZ and celebrate Cinco de Mayo at a local Mexican restaurant. Aimee says I had one too many margaritas. I will let you know tomorrow.

May 4, 2007

May 4, 2007

We start the day back at the Grand Canyon’s south rim Visitors Center. It is relatively small but has an interesting relief map of the canyon where we can trace our hiking path down to the bottom and back. From there we head west to join a ranger-led Fossil Walk. Aimee and I are able to identify lots of ancient sponges and shellfish popping out of the rocks at our feet.

Afterwards we take one of the park shuttle busses a few miles west to view a couple more overlooks of the canyon. But we are just seeing a small part, as the Grand Canyon is hundreds of miles long and mostly inaccessible. Back at the village, we retrieve the car and head towards the east entrance of the park. Just before exiting we stop at the Desert View vista. Here the canyon is noticeably shallower and is missing the granite Inner Gorge. The weather has cooled considerably and is quite windy. We were lucky we had mild weather in the canyon. Any colder and we would have been in trouble on the hike out. If we ever do the hike down again we need to remember to check the long-range weather forecast.

Heading southeast from the Grand Canyon, we pass by the Little Colorado River gorge. The Little Colorado is a small tributary that has its own steep canyon. I would be impressed if we hadn’t just left the Grand Canyon. Farther south we find the loop-road turnoff for both the Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater. The route turns out be a long unpleasant washboard gravel road. I almost turn back several times. We eventually arrive at the Wupatki Visitors center where we learn the road is paved five miles farther down the road. Thank God. Wupatki is an old Indian ruins set amongst some red desert rocks. It is mildly interesting. The one item of interest to me is a geologic curiosity near the village. A desert blowhole. A small opening in the ground is blowing out cold air. Apparently it is attached to an underground cavern that breaths with the changing air temperature. If I were an Indian living here, I would have built my house over the hole for instant air-conditioning.

From Wupatki, we continue along the loop-road to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. I am quite disappointed with the park's lack of signage, uncaring staff, and mediocre visitors center. The park is not living up to its potential. What I am able to piece together is that northern Arizona has had lots of volcanic activity. Sunset Crater is the latest. Around 1064AD, a cinder cone volcano erupted here. Because the magma was relatively fluid, instead of exploding, the volcano spewed a magma fountain into the air. The magma cooled and fell back to the ground as cinders. Later lava flowed from the volcano sides. Since this area is very dry little has changed in the last 1000 years. Sunset Crater is a mountain size pile of black cinders with only a few pine trees growing on it. Off to the side is a small lava field the same as we have seen in Hawaii. The main crater is off-limits but we climb up its smaller sister, Lenox crater. Thank goodness it is smaller as it is not an easy hike. It is like climbing a steep sand dune. Two steps up and slide down a step. Also the wind seems to be getting stronger and I am not dressed for cold. Arizona at times has to be the windiest place in the world.

Before leaving the park, Aimee spots a large blue bird; we later learn it is a Stellars Jay, a larger cousin of the common Blue Jay of the Midwest. We spend the night back in Flagstaff.

May 3, 2007

May 3, 2007

I have been worried about the hike out of the Grand Canyon. We were told to expect a ten-hour climb out. I am not sure my hips can last that long. At home 4-5 hours is the max I can endure. I brought some Aleve with me hoping that will let me last longer.

This morning we have the early shift. We get a 4:30 wake-up and dress for our 5AM breakfast. At 5:41 we are on the trail. The park recommends returning via the longer ten-mile Bright Angel trail because it has water halfway up and shade along many sections. The Bright Angel trail follows a fault line across the canyon and was used by Indians for centuries. In the late 1800’s it fell into private hands who charged a toll for its use. To compete the park built the South Kaibab trail by blasting it out of the canyon walls.

The Bright Angel trail first follows the river for almost two miles west before starting its ascent. The trail then follows a small stream up a gentle grade sheltered from the sun. After only 2.5 hours we make it to Indian Garden, the halfway point. This little tree-lined oasis on the Tonto platform provides us a nice break and refilled water bottles. This trail is so different from the South Kaibab. Unfortunately the gentle grade so far means the last half is going to be a killer with a huge elevation gain. But we are way ahead of schedule and we can take our time. We got all day if necessary.

It takes us 4.5 hours to do the second half. It is steep and tiring. The canyon is purported to be very deep, almost a mile down. Not so. The canyon floor is about the same elevation as Tucson. But the canyon walls…. Oh they are tall, very tall. And their high altitude makes hiking up them hard on the lungs. But we persevere and make the top three hours sooner than we ever thought. Just below the rim we are greeted (or rewarded) by a male Bighorn sheep grazing on the sparse greenery on the trail. He has huge horns!

At the top we take a quick celebratory picture and head to the lodge for much needed showers and rest. Later in the afternoon, feeling recharged, we stroll along the rim checking out the older historic hotels in the village. At El Tovar Lodge we stop for a beer and to people watch. For early May, I am surprised how crowded the park is and how many Europeans are here. The cheap dollar must be luring them. For dinner we eat at the Arizona Room in the Bright Angel Lodge, with a great view of the rim. While waiting for our meal, a California condor flies right past the window. Finally! The park has made a big deal how they have taken this nearly extinct bird and reintroduced them into the canyon. Despite three days of hiking in the canyon, we have seen only ravens soaring in the canyon. Now that we have seen one of these condors, I can call our Grand Canyon tour complete.

May 2, 2007

May 2, 2007

We reserved two nights at Phantom Ranch, so we have a free day at the Grand Canyon bottom to explore and let my poor aching hips recover. In the morning we hike north along the North Kaibab trail. It is fourteen miles long and ascends to the North Rim. We only walk the first few miles. The trail follows Bright Angel Creek thru a gorgeous pink granite canyon. The rock here would make a great countertop in Aimee’s future kitchen. If this side canyon were anywhere else, it would be its own National Park. Here it is one of many outstanding and inaccessible wonders. A nice bonus hike for us today. I try to pick up a small lizard by its tail to show Aimee, but the tail falls off and continues to wiggle in my fingers amazing Aimee. After this two-hour leg stretch, we sit in the ranch canteen, slowly eating our sack lunch, and write a couple postcards. They will be hauled out of the canyon on tomorrow’s postal mule service.

In the afternoon, we hike along the Colorado River. Coming off the Glen Canyon Dam, the water is ice-cold. We stop and chat with a guy on a canyon float trip. He is on day eight of an eighteen-day trip and it’s his sixth float trip. That is a common theme here. Almost all the hikers staying at the ranch have made this trip before. The bottom of the Grand Canyon must have a magnetic attraction for people.

After dinner we listen to a ranger talk on the geology of the canyon. Following the lecture he leads a small group of us on a scorpion hunt. He passes out black lights and unfortunately we see quite a few glowing green specimens around camp. Good thing Aimee and I both have top bunks!

May 1, 2007

May 1, 2007

We rise early again and drive the ninety minutes from Flagstaff to Grand Canyon National Park. For some reason I thought the Grand Canyon would be in the middle of the Arizona desert, instead it is in the middle of a pine forest. As soon as we clear the entrance gate we park near the Visitors Center at Mathers Point. I skip the Visitor Center and walk straight to the rim. Oh my gosh, it is spectacular! We have seen it many times on TV, but it is so much better and so awe-inspiring. The sky is overcast and the colors are vivid. To the right is a narrow spit of land descending into the canyon. An interpretative sign says the South Kaibab trail follows that spine to the bottom. Now I can’t wait to start the hike. All my early jitters are gone with the excitement. Aimee is having the opposite reaction. Her heart is starting to flutter looking over the edge. I am afraid it is going to be way too steep for her.

We head to the west side of Grand Canyon village and find the Maswik Lodge where we have reservations for Thursday night. We park the car there, pull together our hiking gear and wait for one of the park shuttle busses to come by. Two shuttles rides later we arrive at the South Kaibab trailhead. It and Bright Angel are by far the two most popular trails into the canyon. The trail is surreal and so cool. Although steep with a big drop-off to the side, the trail is very wide. And unfortunately littered with mule droppings. So much for the fresh air. We pass three mule trains on their way up. One with riders, the other two just carrying cargo.

The first section of the trail is a continuous set of switchbacks that steadily descend down the steep Upper Canyon walls. Around every corner is a different vista. For a short period the trail flattens out onto the Tonto platform. Still no sight of the Colorado River that carved this thing. The river is hidden inside the Inner Gorge. As soon as we reach the edge of the Tonto platform, we see the river and descend another series of switchbacks. The Inner Gorge is mostly sheer granite walls and first appears purplish in the overcast sun. We spot some rubber rafts pulled up on a section of beach way below us. Once down at river level we cross the Colorado on a long suspension footbridge.

 
Another half mile and we arrive at Phantom Ranch, a tiny rustic resort along Bright Angel Creek that flows into the Colorado from the north. The stream turns this normally desert environs into a virtual oasis. They have a small canteen where Aimee and I drink a beer to toast our favorite hike of all time. We were pretty lucky with the weather. The clouds made this five-hour 7.5-mile hike very enjoyable. The trail is notorious for its lack of shade and water. That night we dine on the best beef stew dinner I have ever had. The only downer is the small male dorm that I have to share with nine other guys.

April 30, 2007

April 30, 2007

We are going to start traveling full-time again in a few weeks. Before we give up our Tucson apartment, I wanted to drive north and see the Grand Canyon and other nearby sites in northern Arizona. A couple months ago I called the parks system to get a reservation at Phantom Ranch at the canyon bottom. The clerk said that those accommodations sell out a year in advance. Bummer!

The weather at the Canyon is finally starting to warm up so Aimee and I get set to go north. On a whim I called the park again and was luckily able to pick up a last-minute cancellation. Yes! Now all I have to do is convince Aimee to hike down to the bottom with me. She doesn’t like heights at all.

We set out early today driving north past Phoenix towards Flagstaff. Just south of Flagstaff, we take a slight detour thru Sedona. Five years ago almost to the day, on our Arizona visit, we spent a few days in Sedona and fell in love with the scenery. Shortly off the highway we hit the town of Oak Creek and get our first glimpse of Sedona’s red rocks. It is stunning and better than we remembered. As we drive into town, it looks like Sedona has grown incredibly popular. The main road thru town is jammed with traffic and houses have popped up everywhere. This is one place both of us think should have been set aside as a national park.

We only plan to visit for a few hours so we head first to Red Rock Crossing State Park to take in the vista of Cathedral Rock from across Oak Creek. This is the most photographed spot in Sedona and was the site of many old western movies. While hiking around both of us are feeling the heat and sweating. The humidity must be higher here than in Tucson. Maybe the urban myth of “dry heat” might have some truth after all.

We also take in the views up Boynton Canyon and atop the airport plateau. We end the day by driving up beautiful Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. The scenery changes dramatically as we near Flagstaff. The terrain turns into pine forest and is noticeably cooler. Like South Dakota’s Badlands, the red Sedona rocks must be the erosion boundary between the high Colorado plateau and the desert below.

Spring 2007

Spring 2007
With all our hikes this winter, we have gotten to know the desert. Or at least we thought so. The desert seems unchanging and earth colored, but beautiful in its own way. We are now seeing changes. First yellow wildflowers have started popping up. Then the Ocotillo, which all winter was just a dead-looking thorn branch has suddenly sprung tiny green leaves and an orange flower spear tip. They are quite pretty. The totally green Palo Verde trees are turning a brilliant yellow. Still pretty tame changes. But now we are seeing the first cacti start to flower. Apparently each species will flower at different times thru the next couple months. How out of place and opposite looking flowers are on a cactus! Many of the cactus flowers we have seen so far are quite large and stunning. What I find so fascinating is the biggest, prettiest flowers are coming out of the ugliest, smallest cacti!

April 10, 2007

April 10, 2007
Somebody recommended Tohono Chul (means Desert Park in the local Indian language) to us a few days ago so we spent a couple hours there today. It is mostly a botanical park that we would think is nice if we hadn’t gone to the Desert Museum yesterday. Unfortunately it is a weaker cousin. They do have an interesting greenhouse gift shop. If we weren’t going back in the RV soon, I would like to buy something.

April 9, 2007

April 9, 2007

When we visited Tucson five years ago, we stopped at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It is supposed to be Arizona’s second most visited sight after the Grand Canyon. We remember it as being very nice so we go again today. It is a combination zoo, botanical garden and natural history museum. All designed to help people appreciate the desert.

We can vouch for the museum’s popularity, as the large parking lot is almost full when we get there. When are all these snowbirds and tourists going to go home? The Raptor Free Flight show starts shortly after we arrive. They have a trained owl, hawk, and raven that they let fly around the desert in front of us going from post to post for food.

After this short show we walk the mostly outdoor park checking out the desert animals and plants they have. In spite of all the desert hiking we have done, I have to come here to see a mountain lion, mountain goat, javelina, and rattlesnake. We listen to a very humorous lecture on diamondback rattlesnakes and dealing with a bite. The lecturer says the typical victim is young, male, intoxicated, with tattoos, whose last words were “Hold my beer” and “Watch this.”

Aimee likes the group of nesting hummingbirds flying around chasing flower nectar. I like this green parrot that says “hello” repeatedly to me when I enter the birdcage. This same parrot whistles at Aimee. Despite seeing this park already, we enjoy it again. It is very nicely done; no wonder it is so popular.

April 6, 2007

April 6, 2007
We went to the Tucson zoo today. Probably not good timing because a lot of people had the day off. The park was crowded but not intolerably so. It took us only an hour and a half to see everything in this tiny zoo. The facility mostly has animals that like the heat. Besides the usual lions and tigers and elephants, they have pink flamingoes, ostriches, peacocks, and giant anteaters. The zoo is actually known for its anteater-breeding program. Aimee especially liked the newborn zebra. She didn’t like the polar bear that happened upon an unlucky duck and was using it as a rag doll.

March 28, 2007

March 28, 2007

Tucson has three pro baseball teams in town this month for Spring Training. This is the last week for Cactus League play so we went this afternoon to watch the White Sox host the Arizona Diamondbacks. I assumed we would have no problem getting a ticket at the gate for an afternoon game. Most people work during the day, right? As we pulled in the parking lot for Tucson Electric Park and saw the big crowd, I got a little worried. We had just got in line at the ticket counter when I thought I overheard somebody mumble, “Sold out”. Thankfully I had my lucky charm with me, because a guy taps me on the shoulder at that moment and asks me if I would like two free tickets in the front row. Uh, Sure! And he hands them to me. We go in the stadium, get some lunch, and find our seats, front row, first base, near the Sox dugout. We have to wait in the aisle for a few minutes because several of the Sox players are signing autographs for the kids in front of our seats.

After the crowd disperses, we settle in to watch the Sox lose 8-0. They really looked bad. (no wonder they are dead last in the Cactus League) But what a great place to watch pro baseball. The stadium is small and intimate, everybody is relaxed, the weather is sunny, and the beer is half the price of Wrigley.

March 18, 2007

March 18, 2007

On Thursday Aimee and I played golf. It is common to see A-10 Thunderbolts circling in the air, practicing take-offs and landings at the nearby Air Force base. As military jets go, the A-10’s are pretty slow and quiet. So we were pretty astounded when my golf swing was interrupted by a group of loud jets buzzing the golf course. I looked up to see the Navy’s Blue Angels flying in formation. They entertained us for almost an hour, oftentimes barely above the treetops. Having seen the Blue Angels practice in Chicago I knew Tucson must be having an air show this weekend.

 
On Sunday morning we drive to a local shopping mall where we pick up the air show shuttle bus that takes us onto Davis-Monthan Air Force base. On the way thru the base, we see field after field full of military airplanes. Davis-Monthan is the graveyard for all the military’s excess war birds. They don’t rust here in the desert. They are all mothballed waiting I guess for WWIII to break out. Unfortunately there are enough airplanes here to carry us through to WWIV.

Once thru the base security we walk to the flight line. All along the runway under canopies are a large assortment of restored and active military jets and helicopters. Many of them are open so you can sit in the cockpit. Unfortunately Aimee tells me I am too old to stand in line with the other kids for my chance.

While we are perusing the planes, the air show has started. We watch a couple barnstormer planes do pirouettes in the sky. Aimee and I both really enjoy watching the Army’s Golden Knight parachuting team perform. The Air force’s rescue team does a mock training drill. One of the local A-10 Thunderbolts demonstrates a live strafing run down the side of the runway.

We stick around the whole afternoon and watch the finale of the show, the Blue Angels. It was actually more fun though to watch them buzz around the golf course. They were more out of place there.

In all Davis-Monthan was a great place to watch the air show. It was not crowded, the transportation was great and the pilots and planes were all very accessible. Many of the pilots were strolling around the grounds with us. Aimee and I both think that the military must be relaxing entry standards as the pilots were looking very young.

March 9, 2007

March 9, 2007

Today seems like cleanup day for the Tucson sights we haven’t had time to visit yet. We start with the Pima Air and Space Museum. We have driven by it many times on our way to the airport and places south. It is hard to miss with the hundreds of airplanes sitting on the desert site. We arrive midmorning for our stroll among the planes. Neither Aimee nor I are major airplane buffs so we have a hard time getting into this place. What amazes me most is the sheer number of different kinds of planes our country has built over the years. The most interesting plane for us is Kennedy and Johnson’s presidential plane that we can walk thru. It is not nearly as spacious, plush or modern as I am sure the present Boeing 747 Air Force One is. The museum also has a handful of small hangars with a few beautifully restored WWII aircraft that we can peak our nose into. The museum doesn’t thrill us but at least we get some exercise walking around the large property.

We next stop at the San Xavier del Bac mission on the southern outskirts of Tucson. Like Tumacacori we visited a month ago, it is a restored mission to the Indians from the early days of Spanish colonization. Unfortunately, if you have seen one mission, you have seen them all.

Still looking for that hidden gem, we drive a little further south to take the Asarco mine tour. Copper mining is big business in Arizona, especially with the current record price for the metal. On a drive south from Tucson, you can see the large tailing piles accumulating along the west side of the interstate. As soon as we get there a tour is leaving so we sign up and jump on board the bus. The retired geologist giving the tour drives us up the hillside to a gallery overlooking the huge strip mine operation. It is pretty uninteresting as there is no activity within view today and the pit looks like any other large quarry. We are not allowed to visit the milling plant that is crushing and concentrating the copper ore. Also some of the more interesting downstream processes of smelting and purification are done at other locations. Aimee is bored; she was hoping to see some of the wild horses that roam the property.

March 7, 2007

March 7, 2007

Since we live so close to the Sabino Canyon Rec. area we decide to go there for a vigorous walk instead of riding the stationary bike in our gym. The park has a shuttle-only paved road that extends four miles up the canyon. The upper sections had been closed because of flood damage and rockslides caused by one of the summer monsoons last August. We walk up the road to survey the damage. On the way we encounter some volunteers teaching panning skills. I have to give it a try. They hand me a gold pan with a shovel full of gravel. I swirl it in the stream. After picking out the larger stones and swirling some more, I can see the gravel separating into two layers. I tilt the pan to let the lighter tan-colored sand on top wash away. I am left with a bunch of dark sand.

One of the volunteers stirs it with his plastic coated magnet picking up a bunch of black gravel. As a chemist I know this is black Magnetite, a form of Iron Oxide. I am just surprised to find so much of it in the gravel. I am left with a bunch of dark red gravel in the pan. No gold flakes! But the volunteer tells me the rest is mostly garnets and hands me a jeweler’s loupe to prove it. When Aimee hears I found gemstones, she comes running to see. Unfortunately they are all nowhere near big enough for a ring. Just the size to make garnet sandpaper! Panning is a lot easier than I thought. Since we will be heading north thru the California gold fields this summer, I need to get myself a pan.

February 28-March 4, 2007

February 28-March 4, 2007

I flew to St. Louis, MO today and met up with some of my relatives. The next morning we drove en masse down to the Mountain Home, AR area. A dozen of us have been going down there a couple times a year to trout fish in the Norfork River. This river is a just a small tributary of the more famous White River but it holds the Arkansas records for rainbow and brown trout. The trout section below the Norfork Lake dam is only seven miles long and we know all the best fishing spots.

Unfortunately, the area has had considerable precipitation this year and the lake level is the highest we have ever seen. This means that the Army Corps of Engineers is going to generate electricity non-stop making wading in the river impossible. We are forced to rent boats and try to catch fish while we drift quickly by our favorite honey holes. I much prefer wading down this scenic river. The fishing is very slow but I catch enough fish on the second day to reclaim my “trout god” status. The temperature is also cold and windy, so cold on Saturday that I stay out only two hours. Hopefully we will have better luck next time.

February 25, 2007

February 25, 2007
I have always wanted to go to a Hot Air Balloon Festival, especially the big one held every October in Albuquerque, NM. We got lucky today. We happened to be in Phoenix anyway this weekend, visiting college buddies, and Aimee told me that a local suburb was holding a rally on Sunday morning. We got up early and headed to Fountain Hills, a community nestled in the hills east of Phoenix. Once there we find Fountain Park, a large grassy valley surrounding a small lake with what used to be the worlds tallest fountain in the middle. We are a little late and by the time we arrive a couple balloons are already in the air. There are fifteen and each one is lifting off in turn skittering first across the surface of the lake. It is pretty neat seeing lots of large colorful balloons in the air against the frosty blue Arizona sky.

February 23, 2007

February 23, 2007

Our friends wanted to see some of the attractions in Tucson so we picked two for today. We started out south of Tucson touring the Titan II Missile Historic Site. In the small lobby museum we learn a little of the history of the Cold War, the ideological and economic struggle between the US and Russia. The Titan IIs were Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, ICBMs, deployed in 1962 as a nuclear deterrent to real war thru a program of mutually assured destruction. Tucson was one of three sites in the US that had Titans. All were destroyed by peace treaty in the eighties except one silo here that was preserved as an historical artifact.

After seeing a short movie in the “briefing room”, we don hardhats and tour the grounds. On the surface we are able to peer down a half-open silo and see a 103 ft missile waiting to be unleashed. Like a missile crew on a 24-hour shift, we then descend down 55 stairs thru two secure blast doors to the original command center. There we learn the top-secret activation protocol, launch codes, keys and all. One of our friends pushes “the” button. Fortunately this old missile is a dud and the world is still safe when we return to the surface.

After lunching on the University of Arizona campus, we next head to the Colossal Caverns. On the way it begins to rain and the temperature drops precipitously to 45F. After shivering for 30 minutes, we begin our guided tour. Oddly the cave is 72F and dry. It feels great. We sure picked the right day to spend underground. Coincidentally we learn that Colossal also has a Cold War connection. It once served as a bomb shelter for the local population.