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.

The Saguaro Cactus

Todays desert experience was much less exerting than yesterdays but was certainly lots of fun. We were off as a group to find the saguaro cactus that some call a fan cactus but is really a saguaro with a deformity.

Here we are all lining up getting ready to go.

Here is one of the two that is in the area, amazing crested formation on top, I read on line that they are not sure why it happens, wheter it is a lightening strike or a freezing year but it is very rare.



Dee is finding some ornament to take home for the yard.

Here is the other fan cactus we found, doesn't it look like a fist.



This area of the desert is about 10 miles north east of our park but was very beautiful, one lady saw a little snake but it slithered into a hole before we could all see it.

Otherwise it was a relaxing day, went to the local restaurant for lunch and then sat in the sun and read a book, what a life.

A walk in the desert

Well he will not ask me that question again.

Ron gets up this morning and asks me "What would you like to do today" I took him outside and pointed to a ridge off in the distance, I said, see that ridge and there is a saddle and in that saddle is a lone saguaro cactus, I would like to walk up there. His reply, you know if you walk there you still have to walk back, yep, I said lets go.

So 8:30am we set off before it gets to hot, the desert seems very dry today the only green things are the Palo Verde and the Creosote bushes.

We came across a rather large saguaro.

Ron looks little beside it, and look at the sky, it was a beautiful day.

Here is a Palo Verde , it was so very green, must have been water underneath somewhere.


When we got closer to my ridge, the terrain got a little steep but I was not put off. Up we went.

When we got the top I took a pictue looking back toward the RV Park, see it was not so far

And to prove that we got to the top, here is a picture of the lone saguaro that I wanted to reach, it was a good view all the way around but the other side looked so much more plush, so I persuaded Ron that we could go down that way and go around the little mountain we had climbed.

Well the other side was so much more green and the cactus were thriving, look at all the saguaros.

And this lovely little Cholla.

The other side of the mountain the Octillos were all dried up but this side they were lovely green, but no blossoms yet.

We saw all sorts of cactus, barrel, pricly pear etc, it was like walking in a park, look at this funny rock.

Along the way we saw a few birds and a few little lizard creatures rushing under the brushes out of our way.
We did make it home, he was a little stiff but not bad and it was such a lovely little walk, well I told you he will not ask me that question again.