Summer Journey 2012- North Rim Grand Canyon

School is out and we are on the road for our summer journey!  Travelling north through Arizona, we meandered through Marble Canyon on our way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon!

Climbing up to over 8,000 feet, we are back in the Ponderosa pine forest.  We settled in at the DeMotte forest service campground for the popular Memorial Day weekend.  Located in the Kaibab National Forest, it is just 4 miles from the entry station to the canyon.

Under red flag warnings with bold winds, the high temperature at the rim is expected to be 62* today and possibly only 50* tomorrow.  We have entered back into pants and sweatshirt weather!

Completing his first Jr.Ranger program for the summer, Caleb is exploring the canyon’s ecosystem.  From Aspen & Ponderosa pine, Kaibab squirrels & Mule deer, the North Rim offers a laid back view of the Grand Canyon.

Lake Pleasant, AZ

We ventured out for Spring Break to Lake Pleasant!  There is a Maricopa Regional Park on the lake and we had a great spot with a view of the lake.  The weather was spectacular with temperatures in the low 80’s and a nice breeze.

While the guys were out trying to catch the elusive nesting Bass, they did spot the burros!  The burros remain from early mining operations in the area and now are ‘wild’.  They were wary of humans, as were the fish. 

Later in the week, we were joined by some good friends.  The kids were brave enough to jump into the 59 degree water for some knee boarding!

I decided to keep dry in our Sea Eagle kayaks and watched the girls take one for a spin!

A wonderful time was had relaxing with family and friends in the warm Arizona sunshine- most definitely pleasant!

Pima Air & Space Museum- Tucson

Chris & Caleb took flight at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson.  It is the 3rd largest aircraft museum in the world and the largest privately funded.  They have over 300 aircraft and many displays.

They have everything from a replica of the first successful aircraft, the Wright Flyer, to the most technologically advanced aircraft, the SR71 Blackbird.

When asked how he rated the museum on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the highest, Caleb enthusiastically rated it a 20!

Caleb took the picture below of his favorite, the A10 Warthog.

The B29 Bomber also ranked among the favorites.

Filled with historical information, this was a great day trip for the guys!

Ringing in the New Year at Kartchner Caverns State Park- Benson, AZ

We wish you a healthy and prosperous 2012!  We are ringing in the New Year at Kartchner Caverns State Park near Benson.  This morning we explored the wet cave on the Rotunda/Throne Room tour and tomorrow morning we will explore the Big Room.  Pictures are not allowed in the cave itself, but I can tell you that God’s hand is at work in the cave and it is amazing! (Just tune out the “hundreds of thousands of years” as the ranger explains the stalactite and stalagmite formations.)  Kartchner caverns is a wet and warm cave which is very interesting in this arid desert land!

We are tucked into the state park’s campground and are enjoying temps in the low 70’s.  A short walk from the campground to the Discovery Center and we were on our way into the caverns!  A tram takes you from the center to the cave opening.

Then after being properly informed about protecting the cave, we were allowed to enter.  Strategic lighting highlights the soda straws, columns, stalactites and stalagmites, and drapery formed from calcite.  There is also a music & light show towards the end of the tour to highlight the largest column in Arizona, Khubla Khan.

Once fueled up with lunch, we took the dogs on the Foothills Loop Trailhead, where we enjoyed grand vistas on a trail relatively unoccupied!

Traversing 2.5 miles up and around the hills that cover the caverns, we wonder how big is this cavern?

We look forward to experiencing the Big Room tour on New Year’s Day! 

Usery Mountain Regional Park- Mesa, AZ

We spent the first part of our Christmas Break among the cactus of the Sonoran Desert while staying at Usery Mountain Regional Park near Mesa, Arizona.  Usery Mountain is a Maricopa County Regional Park with large camping sites that have a state park feel!

The park is close to the 202 for ease of travel  to points in Mesa and made a great stop in order for us to get a few replacement pieces for the new Road Warrior and have a wonderful barbecue with family in the area! 

The park features a 5 star archery range with 4 miles of trails to various targets.  Caleb pulled out his recurve bow and got started!

We saw coyote, javelina, mule deer, turkey, quail, rabbit, black bears and more!  Of course, they were of the burlap variety.

Eventually we called it a day and headed back to the campground to plan out our next adventure.  There are many multi-use trails at the park and we decided to try out the popular Wind Cave trail. 

Two miles up and two miles down with a 600 foot elevation change to scamper up the decomposed granite trail of Pass Mountain to reach Wind Cave. 

We hiked up to where you can see the green band of lichen on the mountain and kept going until we got to … the cave!

We decided “cave” may be a misnomer as this seemed more like an “alcove”, but it was a great shady spot to grab a snack and peer over the valley below.

Being the most popular trail, there was a steady stream of people going both directions.  Going down sure seemed easier than going up, however a few others we saw along with myself, slipped on the granite onto our rumps.  Fueled up with lunch, Caleb took another run at the archery range.

Then it was time for our (second) trip to Bass Pro!  New shoes were on the list this time, along with some more archery supplies!

Tomorrow we point the truck to the south as we venture to one of Arizona’s State Parks! 

Christmas Break 2011- Road Warrior

I’m not sure how Santa managed, but he delivered a beautiful Heartland Road Warrior in time for Christmas Break!  We waved a fond farewell to our Montana Mountaineer, a rig that had served our travels well.  We look forward to many more wonderful journeys in our new 5th wheel.

Introducing to you our Heartland Road Warrior RW305 Toyhauler!  Measuring in at 35’, it is the same length as we are accustomed to.  Noticeably different is the 10’ garage in the rear that easily accommodates bikes/gear, large dogs and adds an extra ‘room’ for Caleb! 

Stay tuned, the dormant travel blog will awaken as we travel the next two weeks around the deserts of Arizona and California!

Pipe Spring National Monument (AZ) to Zion National Park (UT)

We seem to be playing see-saw.  First in Arizona.  Then in Utah.  Back to Arizona.  To get to Utah!  We traveled from Kanab, Utah south on Hwy 89 in order to pick up Hwy 389 to go around the tunnel to get into Zion National Park.  Along the route, we stopped at Pipe Spring National Monument, which is in Arizona.

This was a Mormon settlement built in 1871 to serve as the tithing ranch.  Fear of Indian attack prompted “Winsor Castle” to be built as a fort.  Caleb completed his first Junior Ranger program for the summer.

We strolled through The Fort on a ranger led tour and learned the fascinating history of the area.  The Fort was built over Pipe Spring to protect the water from potential attacks, although their safety was never threatened.

Today, they still have a garden, orchard, vineyard, long horn cattle and a horse on the property.

You can meander  amongst the wagons and explore the old Cowboy bunkhouse.

We enjoyed our visit and continued up the road.  We quickly crossed back into Utah and entered Zion National Park!  We set up in the Watchman Campground with a million dollar view from our front porch, shaded by Cottonwood trees.

We walked up to the visitor center to pick up the next Junior Ranger booklet and climbed up the Archeology Trail.  We lost track of the trail and didn’t see many prehistoric building outlines but we had a great view!

The Weekend that Everyone Camps!

Memorial Day is definitely a weekend when it seems that everyone camps!  Our herd o’ humans turned out to be…

Medieval re-enactors.  Having a war!  We hung out and watched some of their activities- neat.  And it turns out they are great camping neighbors…it’s the people with the loud music and quads racing around that require patience.   So we ventured away from camp for a little geocaching…

tree climbing…

and nature observing.

Summer Journey Begins! Flagstaff, AZ

School is out and our journey has begun!  Today is day one of two months on the road… so follow along as we explore!  We are starting our trip just to our north, near Flagstaff, Arizona, in one of our favorite boondocking spots.

The flowers are blooming in the Ponderosa Pine forest and the wind is whistling through the treetops.  We are staged for the weekend and will be meeting some friends.
Along with the desert bloom, however…

these showed up!  No those aren’t Elk viewing stations either, more like porta potties!.  Makes me think a herd o’ humans is on the way!

This is the forest beauty we’re here to seek!  Our trip plan takes us to Zion National Park’s Watchman campground soon.  One never knows where we’ll decide to stop along the way.
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