AN AFTERNOON GROUP HIKE TO 4 PALMS CANYON

ANOTHER MIGHTY FINE KOFA SUNRISE

With my 15x70 Celestron binoculars tripod mounted I was able to see 2 of Jupiter's moons Thursday night & probably had the clearest view of the the Orion Nebulae I’ve ever had.  Could also see the flicker of campfire about 4 miles away at the base of the Kofa Mountains.  Had seen 3 vehicles headed up Queen Canyon road a couple days ago.  Two towing Teardrop trailers.  They are camped at the spot where Pheebs got into the Chollas Wednesday.

ONE MUST ALWAYS BE VIGILANTE WHERE ONE STEPS IN THE DESERT

Kelly had to act as spotter this morning as I attempted to get my right foot onto the ladder rung climbing down from my bunk.  I made it but it was cliff hanger there for a few seconds.  She suggested we get a safety net.  I suggested a parachute.  We both agreed a bungee cord attached to my ankle would be more entertaining.  We do have a tall step stool along so will try that too & hey, maybe a slide:))

  

SURPRISED AT THE SIZE OF THE PALO VERDE ROOT…SAGUARO’S HAVE WOODEN INNARDS & SLENDER ROOTS

We dug out & fired up our Delorme P40 GPS unit this morning.  Bought this new 3 or 4 years ago & have hardly used it.  Maybe only has about an hour of time on it total.  We just couldn’t seem to figure the darn thing out.  It was misplaced for about a year & when we did locate it the instruction book was missing.  That was probably another year before that turned up.  Anyway we have the unit & instructions once again re-united & we’ll have another go at understanding the darn thing.

 

A drive just up the road this morning to Kofa Refuge hosts Ann & Bill filled us up with some more info on interesting things to find here in the mountains.  Ann confirmed it was Jasper Springs we were at Friday.  Had we continued further we would eventually have reached the KOFA CABIN.  If we don’t make it up to the Kofa cabin in the next few days we have it on our list for the next time we return to the Kofas.

BILL, RV SUE, ANN, & KELLY

 

SPIKE & BRIDGET WITH RV SUE

RV SUE dropped by with Spike & Bridget & we all agreed to meet again back at Bill & Ann’s for a hike up a nearby Canyon called 4 Palms.  At 1:30 in the afternoon we set out in a 2 vehicle convoy for the Palm Canyon parking lot.  Once there our narrow rocky trail led north from the parking lot along towering rock cliffs.  All the dogs did so amazingly well right off the bat scrambling over rocks & boulders, down through steep washes & spinning their legs coming up the other side.  Bridget stayed pretty close to Sue while Spike headed up front behind Bill who was leading.  From there on it was a see-saw of dogs passing people on the trail & people passing dogs.

 

SUE  RIDES SHOTGUN IN BILL & ANN’S TRUCK & WE FOLLOW THEM TO PALM CANYON

Only drawback to the hike was the cloud cover.  It takes sunshine to pop the colors out of the rocks & plants but nevertheless it was a fine day for a rock scramble with views across the valley stretching for miles & miles. 

 

SPIKE, JULIE, & SAMMY WITH HER REAR BOOTS WERE ALL RIGHT AT HOME ON THE TRAIL

BILL LEADS THE WAY

We slipped & sometimes stumbled our way along on loose rocks, climbed a few boulder strewn levels, eased ourselves down embankments & picked our way up the other side.  Lots of nasty Teddy Bear Cholla along the way but neither dogs nor people came into contact with any of them.

  

  

 

ANN CHECKS FOR WATER AT THE BOTTOM OF A DRY WATERFALL

 

WATER BREAK & BILL CHECKS HIS GPS TO SEE WHERE WE ARE

 

Kelly & Sue along with Bridget & Spike didn’t go quite as far as Bill, Ann, Sam, Julie, Pheebs & I did & headed back to the trail head. 

From there they took the Jeep back to Sues.  Meanwhile we probably went another half mile to the head of 4 Palm Canyon.  And it was here we stopped for a rest & scanned the towering cliff face rock monoliths for Big Horn Sheep.

 

   

Dry waterfalls could be seen along with crevices & obvious small caves.  Water was spotted at one point near a cave entrance high on the sheer vertical granite walls.   We didn’t get to see any Palms because we figured they could be anywhere up the distant canyon which would require hours more of hiking. 

 

It was time to turn back & head for home.  Probably took us half an hour to reach the trailhead.  Pheebs & I rode back with Bill & Ann, Sammy, & Julie.  Just as we reached our rig the sun came out.

HEADING BACK

THANKS FOR THE HIKE GUYS

With gray skies behind the Kofas & a low setting sun it was pure magic as I watched the mountains catch fire spilling their long smoky shadows into the canyons.     The Kofa Mountains have always reminded me of a magical place out of a children’s storybook.  The many rugged peaks bring memories of old castles with their ramparts, parapets, & drawbridges.  Shadowy canyons & steep precipices evoke memories of darkened dungeons, fire breathing Dragons & Knights on white Horses. The mountains are a Kingdom of imagination & adventure & will always remain in my memory as a place of wonderment & majesty.

Tonight we welcome Rick & JoAnn from RICK & JOANN'S RV TRAVELS to our Blog Followers Friend Connect list.  You just joined us in time for our exploring adventures here in Arizona’s Kofa Mountains.  Thanks for reading along.

And while we were out on our hike today Sue’s blog ‘RV SUE & HER CANINE CREW’ hit the one million visits mark so a big ‘Congrats’ from all of us over here at the Bayfield Bunch.  I think it hit the million mark just as I was taking Spike’s picture this afternoon:))

YEP, THAT’S RV SUE’S RIG OUT THERE

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 

-The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
-Why is the word big so little and the word little so big?
-Before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?
-How is it possible to have a civil war?
-If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

SLIPPED IN & OUT OF Q THIS MORNING & SET OFF ON A ROUGH & TUMBLE DRIVE TO FIND RED ROCK TANK & JASPER SPRINGS

WE ARE SNUGGLY NESTLED IN BESIDE THE ENCHANTING KOFA MOUNTAINS

They were faint but I saw the Scorpions claws rising over the Kofa mountains this morning in the pre-dawn hours.  The constellation Scorpios is one of my favs.  To find Scorpios in the sky just follow the Big Dipper’s handle towards the horizon.  Look for the bright star Antares.  That is where the heart of the Scorpion lies.  And did I mention the deafening silence here.  Not a sound to be heard anywhere.  Nothing.  No People noise, no Coyotes, no nothing.   Love it, love it, love it:))

PHEEBS HAD HER HACKLES UP ABOUT SOMETHING UNDER THAT TREE THIS MORNING

  

?? BIRD…A BABY SAGUARO ARM & A SPLIT SAGUARO ON OUR MORNING WALK

It was 9:30 a.m. & we were in the Jeep & on our way again.  First stop this morning….Quartzsite.  Needed some gas, a McDonald’s coffee, couple small propane bottles for our Buddy heater & couple jugs of Cranberry juice.  Noticed right off coming into the Q how activity had increased from just 3 days ago.  More rigs in the desert, vendor tents going up fast & the streets were busier.  Flags are flying & RV dealers have their spiffy new rigs for sale just a sparkling.

IN A FEW WEEKS ALL THE SPACES BETWEEN THESE RIGS WILL BE FILLED IN WITH MORE RIGS

 

THESE 2 LITTLE DOGS SURE TOOK A LIKING TO PHEEBS & DOGGY MEETS BABY AT McDONALDS

We didn’t linger long in town & headed south back down highway 95 looking for mile marker 93.  Ann had told us about Red Rock Tank & Jasper Springs.  Found the road & headed East into the desert in the direction of the Kofa Mountains northerly edge.  The gravel road was in unusually good shape.  From our campsite near Palm Canyon we could see a micro-wave tower about 10 miles north of us.  This road led to that tower plus another road which would take us to our destination.  First we headed to the end of the long gravel road to have us a look at the tower.  Last mile up to the tower was bit grumpy.  Nice view from up there of the surrounding valleys.  No idea what the pods on this tower are for but there was an empty on-site travel trailer there which did not appear to be currently lived in.  Big portable water tank complete with pump alongside.  License plates on the wheeled trailer said, ‘United States Government.’  That always makes me a bit nervous.

  

PHEEBS TAKES A BREAK BY THE OUTHOUSE  

 

AND THIS BLACK WATER TANK BELONGS TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT….OR ELSE!!

VIEW FROM THE TOWER HILLTOP LOOKS DIRECTLY TOWARDS YUMA…OUR CAMPSITE IS IN THE VALLEY STRAIGHT AHEAD JUST TO THE RIGHT & OTHER SIDE OF THAT KNOBBY MOUNTAIN

 

ROAD LEADING UP TO THE TOWER & NO IDEA WHAT ALL THESE TUBE AFFAIRS ARE ON THE TOWER

  

JEEPERS, ON A CEMENT SLAB AT THE TOWER IS FACING TOWARDS YUMA ABOUT AN HOUR FROM OUR CAMPSITE ON PALM CANYON ROAD

A FADING QUARTER MOON BEHIND THE BIG TOWER

From the tower we back tracked a few miles & picked up a desert road heading southeast. 

MOTORING TOWARDS THE KOFAS THROUGH A CHOLLA GARDEN

At marker 25 we unknowingly made a wrong turn & after awhile that wrong turn began a ‘little discussion’ between us about where we actually were.  Now keep in mind we were not lost, we had just temporarily misplaced ourselves & were in a state of slight confoozlement.  The brochure map we had was probably looked at about a dozen times in the next 10 miles until I finally got out & took a compass bearing & aligned the map.  More discussions.  Wasn’t until we reached marker 24 that we knew for sure we were on the wrong road.  Do we have a GPS?  Yes we do but it’s in the rig packed away somewhere.  We have never been big GPS people.  Takes the fun out of confoozling oneself.

HOLDING THE MAP DOWN WITH MY HAM SANDWICH WHILE I CHECK MY COMPASS

 

TEMPORARILY CONFOOZELED WE ARE STOPPED TO FIGURE THINGS OUT

YEP THERE’S MARKER 24 OUT THERE SO WE GOTTA TURN AROUND

But even without a map I still new where we were & the Kofa Mountains on our right told me we were on the east side of them.  I’m getting more & more familiar with the location of the distinctive peaks with each passing day.  Of course the area we were in again was totally beautiful with it’s rolling hills & valleys leading right up to the edge of the towering mountains.  The road was definitely high clearance 4 wheel drive stuff.  But we hadn’t met the Jasper Springs road yet!!

HEADING BACK TO GET OURSELVES ON THE RIGHT ROAD

At marker 24 after confirming we were heading in just about the opposite direction we should be we turned around & retraced our steps back along the rough & tumble road we had just traveled.  But not before eating a couple ham sandwiches we had brought along.  Back at marker 25 we finally made a correct right turn onto a road that at times wasn’t much more than a nothing.  In fact it turned out to be about the most challenging trail we have had the Jeep on so far.  We traveled sand & gravel river bottoms, nosed the Jeep into washes that had us looking down at the ground & dragging the Jeep’s tailbone up the other side.  Never once did little Jeepers falter or balk at what it was designed to do.  As sure footed as a Mountain Goat.  Mesquite, Palo Verde, & Creosote trees crowded in on us & I was glad we had a small Jeep Wrangler & not a larger vehicle.  We climbed some rock shelves & eased our way over many small boulders which snapped our heads around like they were on coiled springs.  Pheebs in the back on her big cushy soft bed hung on with all 4 paws.  And the gorgeous scenery all around us just kept going & going & going.

HAVING A SMALLER VEHICLE HAS IT’S ADVANTAGES

 

KELLY BUILDS A STONE MARKER SO THE RESCUE HELICOPTER CAN FIND US:))

We jostled & bounced along for a fair long ways but no sign of the Red Rock Tank or Jasper Springs.  Of course out here in the mountains & deserts of the west things are not often marked.  Despite both of us carefully looking for something to indicate either of the two things we had set out to find we didn’t see a thing.  Don’t know how far we had gone but decided after easing our way down a rocky section into a wash it was time to stop & turn around.  And then……a coincidence.

WELL WE’RE SOMEWHERE, BUT WHERE…IS THIS RED ROCK TANK OR JASPER SPRINGS OR,SOMETHING ELSE??

There was enough room in the damp sandy wash to turn around so we did that & decided to get out for a stretch & give Pheebs a run.  Soon as Kelly got out of the Jeep she spotted some rusted iron railings through the trees.  We knew right away we had found something.  Walking over we could see it was a heavily grown in wet area.  Almost swamp like.  But we had no idea if this was Ruby Tank or Jasper Springs.  Nothing anywhere to tell us either.  And tonight at the time of writing this we still don’t know which place we were at if in fact we were at either one of them.  We’ll talk again to Bill & Ann & they will know. 

STOPPED IN A DAMP SANDY WASH BESIDE WHEREVER IT WAS WE WERE

THE CLIMB BACK OUT OF THE WASH WAS A LITTLE ON THE STEEP & ROCKY SIDE BUT NO PROBLEM FOR JEEPERS

KELLY LOOKS OFF IN THE DIRECTION OF HOME AS WE BEGIN OUR 26 MILE ROUGH & TUMBLE JOURNEY BACK

It was 2:20 in the afternoon & we had been on the road since 9:30 this morning.  It was time to head Jeepers for home.  We were tired from all the rough & tumble fun today.  I set the odometer & it turned out we were 26 miles from our campsite.  What another great day we had.  Just makes one happy to be alive when one can get out & be a part of all this great land surrounding us offering so much.  Do I get myself a little excited, maybe a little over the top sometimes?  Sure I do.  Are my posts too long?  Sure they are.  Too many photos in my posts?  Yep, you bet.  But if you were me & saw this land with all the true beauty it has to offer you just might be a little excited, a bit over the top, longwinded, & just a tad camera crazy too……………….:))

SOUP’S ON AS WE WIND OURSELVES DOWN ANOTHER MIGHTY FINE DAY IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

GROANER’S CORNER:((  It seems that Mary Poppins has moved to California. She has started a business telling people's fortunes. But, she doesn't read palms or tea leaves, she smells one's breath. The sign outside her place of business reads: Super California Mystic Expert Halitosis.   

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.