road trip

Tucson: Saguaro national Park

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We left The lost Dutchman State Park after work and arrived east of Tucson and in the Saguaro Park at sunset.

Fast Saguaro facts, their roots are only 4-6 inches deep but grow outward in every direction about the height of the trunk. A saguaro grows very slowly 1inch/10 years. It usually starts arms around 100 years. The biggest ones are anywhere from 175-200ish years old.

Luke is in Tucson seeing his family over the holidays. We didn’t realize that there are 2 sections of Saguaro NP and his family’s house is on the eastern side which turned out to be about an hour away. We were supposed to eat dinner with them, but given our late arrival we had to wait till morning.We ate dinner at the campground. The Gunter homestead is quite amazing. Here are a few pictures of the day.

From the municipal campground
Desert forest
Lunch at a road side pull off
The tall one without arms is called a spear.

Now for random stuff I saw in the past 24 hours that made me smile.

Why would you?
Beware Train tracks
Y’all get nekid
Whose thing?

Phoenix

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We spent the evening at the Lost Dutchman which is the mountain South of Phoenix that looks like this.

Cactus and all that desert landscape.

Today was a blah work day and it didn’t help that my co-worker was sleeping on the job. You can’t even find his head.

Last night we got this little treat.

After work we had dinner with Alaska and Kaylin.

Best of all… Tomorrow is Friday. Wahoo!

Sedona take two

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Drove the half mile up to the trailhead (it was lunch, don’t judge) and grabbed a quick beautiful lunch walk.

After lunch we were heading to the Bellrock trailhead. But  got side tracked with a cool house and a long walk. Then we had dinner at a fancy Mexican restaurant in dirty hiking clothes.

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Sedona. Awe yeah

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Lunch walk literally right from camp ground. Cross roads if Huckaby and munds wagon trailheads.

After work, a short walk had high payoff at airport Mesa. Then we had a picnic dinner at cathedral peak. Our intent was to go to the top but it was busy and Ringo couldn’t scamper up the rocks like a Billy goat… He just looked like a clumsy doodle.

Kanab Utah

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We left Vegas Friday and headed for Kanab Utah. We arrived in time to meet up with Julia and Dave and Jennifer and Danny for dinner at the peekaboo wood fired grill.

They left this morning but we were glad we had the chance to meet up with them.

I slept until almost 8, apparently I was still tired from the conference. Once we got moving, we had several fabulous hikes today. Belly of the dragon (a man made drainage tunnel) , Elkheart slot canyons, then the sand caves. We ate lunch at dark sky campground (leftovers) and headed back out to see the dinosaur tracks on bunting trail.

Belly of the dragon
Elkheart
Elk heart
Ringo snout
Sand caves

Bunting trail had dinosaur tracks. There were also petroglyphs at the top of this trail but we didn’t want to walk back in the dark.

It was a full day. I missed my person and am glad to be whole again. Dark Star campground is our host. Five out of five stars. Bonus points for the friendly cat.

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Last few hours in Canada

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Canada has given us a good run. In Saskatchewan, we visited 2 providential Parks: Cypress hills and Buffalo Pound. 

Both were a little hilly nestled in e prairie. Cypress Hills was huge, had multiple campgrounds, had a pool and even a Lodge. Buffalo Pound was smaller but right on a lake. We should be in North Dakota within the hour. Goodbye Canada. It’s been fun

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Canmore Brewing
Prairie selfie
I think we were 4600 feet. The highest point in Saskatchewan
Hills
Free range cattle
Cypress Hills
Buffalo Pound
5:30 am
Sunrise this morning
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Yesterday was the hikes of Jasper lakes

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We hit all the lakes and found the old hotel in Jasper. Then relaxed at the campground. There, we watched a little girl flat out get down at the taco food truck,  played some music, saw the ex-pres was shot, discussed guns, then we played some more music, went to bed early and officially started our return trip home. Still trying to figure out how to never leave Canada but they don’t want us.

Check out the power stations in this bathroom. If the water was hotter they would have gotten my vote for the nicest bathrooms in all of Canada, but the koa in Cranbrook wins (so far)

Charging lockers at camp ground
Bridge to pyramid island
Pyramid island
Pyramid lake
The other side of pyramid lake
Athabasca River
Jasper lake
Lake Jasper  which sometimes disappears
Whistlers campground
Jasper Park Lodge(jpl)
Inside jpl
Beauvert lake
Lake Annette and Canadian at the ‘beach’
How Canadians beach
Double elk action
Bear for Kathy

Crowfoot glacier

Waterfowl lakes
Water fowl lakes

Lake Louise to Silverhorn.

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Yesterday, Ringo was being tortured by a very pretentious squirrel. This went on far too long until we relieved him of his torment. Afterwards, we headed north on the ice fields parkway to Bow Glacier Falls hike which we rated 5 out of 5 stars. Especially if you get the ice cream sandwich at the cafe at the end of your hike.

Chippendale
Crowfoot glacier
Red building Bow Lake Lodge
Stepping stones
Slot canyon
Rocks
Park chairs at Bow Lake
Bow Glacier Falls
Surprise dog kiss
Converging Rivers.
Windflower Meadow

We checked out of lake Louise hardside camping and landed in Silverhorn campground. Lawsy, the views from this campground are unbeatable. The hike today was short up to Peyto lake.