Walking the Indian Canyon

Todays outing was to the Indian Canyon for a little hike.

This is the road in, good thing we did not have the motorhome

Once inside the park we decided on a trail there are many, we decided to do the Palm Canyon and then back the Victor, which would be about 4 miles.

The Palm Canyon is one of the largest groves of fan palms, it was very beautiful



Ronald, did very good with the walk, I think the water arobics are helping.

Wandering up the canyon was very easy and so relaxing.

Different scenes around every corner.

Coming back the Victor trail, it was a little more strenuous as we climbed above the palms and the terrain was very rough.

Not to often do you see these cacti in such a group

Back at the trading post they had a couple humingbird feeders and I caught this little fellow getting his drink

From here we drove down to another area and decided to do a short one mile walk around the Andreas Canyon, it was very green and much more water flowing.

Looking back down the canyon.

A really nice day out, stopped off for very late lunch or early dinner on the way home and then we headed for the hot tubs in the park to soak those weary bones.

Cathederal City Christmas Lights

Merry Christmas everyone.
Well it feels a little more like Christmas after we went with some friends down to see the lights on Candy Cane Lane in Cathederal City. The whole street does such a good job.

These next two pictures were on a different street but it was a light show tuned to Christmas carols it was so wonderful.

Dinner in the park is prime rib on Christmas Eve and I have just decided I am going to cook a little

turkey on Christmas day so we can have a taste of what we are missing back home.

Merry Christmas to everyone, have a good one.

Cotton Harvest and Cibola Wildlife Refuge

For most of us that thought cotton was only for parts of the deep south like Alabama etc., we are sorely mistaken, it is a huge crop here in Arizona and California and early December seems to be harvest time.
Here is a field all ripe for the harvest.

A little close up, they look just like the cotton balls you buy in the store.

This is not one of the harvesters but a sprayer that can go amongst the cotton, the harvesters have great big wired cages so that the cotton balls do not escape when being ripped off their plants.


Then they are set into huge bales along the side of the road before a truck comes to pick them up.

Just down the road we come across a beautiful green crop, I am not sure what, looks like some sort of chard.

Our destination this morning was the Cobola Wildlife Refuge, we were not sure what we would find but were pleasantly surprised at all the birds.

Here are some Sandhill Cranes and our own Canada geese.

Amongst the Canada geese we found one lone snow goose, he was hard to get a picture of.

And then whoosh, just when things are still a thousand little birds take flight, wow.

We went for a nature walk and saw nothing for wildlife but I am finding out why I am having so much trouble with my alergies, the trees are loaded with a fluff, the ground looks like snow, or as close as we are going to see anyway. Between the fluff and the cotton harvest my head feels like it could blow up.

We decided to take one more loop around the 4 mile loop in the refuge and glad we did as we found this little burrowing owl that let us take his picture, except for his twirling head he did not move.

A close up of the cranes.

Had a good day, then went for lasagna dinner and a dance at the club house, just a great way to finish it off.