Picnick and Old Friends

Thursday the park had its 1st weekly adventure. It was a nice walk over to the picnic area 2 miles away. There were about ten of us that made the trip to the lunch area. Four others joined us by car once we were there. We met in front of the club house a join us.at 10:30.

It's neat to meet people from all over the country. We also had a Canadian couple from British Columbia make the hike.

We ate our packed lunches under the old ironwood tree. Doc, the park owner and former anthropology professor at the U of AZ, gave us a brief history of the area. He also explained the geology of the Tucson Mountains. We were lunching on an old volcanic caldera. He told us he has been picnicking at this spot for over 65 years.

The afternoon found me near Oro Valley, north of Tucson. Some of my old golfing friends from Federal Way were staying at Al Engberg's place. They are in town for a little golf tournament with a rival club. We shared laughs, lies and old stories. It was good to see them again.

For the rest of the week I was a domestic diva. My energies went towards shopping, cleaning and cooking. Sometimes being dull and normal are all I can muster.

Strike Three at Elephant Head Mt

Last week Dave and I did make it back to the Santa Rita mountains to give Elephant Head another try. We got there a bit earlier than the previous two times. We wanted to be sure we had enough daylight to get there and back.

Elephant Head Mt

We weren't sure what was ahead of us, but we were to take the Quantrell Mine trail and see where it would lead us. We made it to the point in the trail where we forked off to Quantrell. It was only about a mile to get to this point. The trail from here on is actually an old mine road that was built in the early 1900's. It is an unusual engineering feat to build it, as I've read. The company used Chinese labor and it is all built by hand.

 There are remnants of the wall and debris still visible and supporting the road.

It no longer is wide enough to carry a vehicle. Erosion and brush growth has narrowed it to a walking path in width in a few areas. But enough of it is in tact to provide a good visual to how it was used.

The road ended at the mine. It is an other mine shaft from the one we visited earlier. This shaft also has remnants of a stamp mill. Tailing piles extended well down the canyon. This mine looks to have been at the head of a long lost stream.

Dave did some exploring of the ruins while I headed off to find the Geocache I loaded into my GPS gadget this morning. Geocaches are all over the country. It doesn't seem to matter how remote a location is. They can be found everywhere.

I found the cache exactly where the coordinates led me. I brought along an iron-on patch to leave and I took a refrigerator magnet. We began to look for a trail that would lead us to Elephant Head. On our way to the mine, we saw a cairn a few hundred yards back on the road and thought that would lead us to the mountain.

We hiked back to the cairn and headed straight down hill. We found cairns that marked the way. At least that's what we thought. They led us across the canyon and then up the hill side across from the mine. The cairns were still visible in the brush, though there was no walking path. My legs were beginning to feel the desert brush.

Some odd formations 

Dave was wearing long pants and I had on shorts. If bushwhacking across the desert is a possibility, do not wear shorts! We bushwhacked for two miles. The cairns petered out and we never found a trail. Now we were looking for an easy way back to the Quantrell mine road. It didn't exist. We had to turn around and bushwhack the two miles back down hill from where we came, then up the next hill to the mine road.

By the time we got back my legs felt like hamburger. They looked like it too! They are only scratches though and they will heal quickly.

We struck out for a third time. On the way back we came on another cairn on the Quantrell road. We could see a trail on the opposite side of the valley. It has to be it! ...maybe...  But, it will have to wait another day.

We hiked for over seven hours this day. It was after dark by the time we got back. I swung by Pizza Hut and Dave got himself dinner for he and his wife. I wish I had done the same. The aroma of that pie had my mouth watering.

I had planned on chicken on the Barbie. When I got home, I was too tired to bother.

Gin Rummy

I just got back from a wonderful evening at Cathy's. She made a super meatloaf dinner. Her meatloaf is a bit different than mine, but delicious nonetheless. Everybody seems to have their own version of meatloaf. She made hers with ground chicken and ground beef with spices and veggies mixed in. I don't think there is a correct version for meatloaf. It's one of those dishes that you can make many different ways and it usually is good. Hers was delicious. I tell you!

I have got to be one of the worlds worst Gin Rummy players. I remember playing with the guys at the golf course in Federal Way and I always got beat. I remember playing with my friends in Winona, Mn., my hometown, and I always got beat. I play with my Dad when ever I'm at home and I always get beat. A few weeks ago, I taught Cathy to play. She beats me regularly now. Sheesh!

We played four games tonight and we came out even. She won two and I won two. That's like a big victory for me! Well, at least I don't try to make a living at it.

No hiking for me recently. I flushed my water heater tank. It's one of those chores you have to do a couple of times a year. The sediment builds up in the tank. It has to be cleaned out for it to work efficiently. Also, you have to check the anode and replace it when it is close to gone. The anode keeps the tank from rotting out.

Another little chore down the drain for me was finding a ladder. I want to go over the trailer and detail it out as a winter project this year. I also have a need to check the roof line periodically to make sure there are no tears around the edges. I have a tear now that I repaired when I was in Idaho.

I picked a ladder up from Lowes for $69.00 today. It extends to 13 feet and should be just right for my 10 foot roof. It also makes into a 5 foot step ladder and folds up to fit into the bed of the pickup without any rearranging back there.

The park is beginning to fill up. This morning we had an impromptu park meeting at Dave's place. There were 12 people that showed. Next Monday the meetings will be arranged at the clubhouse. From there we will be doing some things as a group.

Another day in the lifestyle!

Tubac

Today we were headed for Tubac. Our friends, from our camp ground last year, Sam, Pat and Hollanders Syril and Donna met us at Cathy's park for the ride to Tubac. Tubac, I recently read, was rated as one of the top five small towns (less than 5,000) most livable in the US.

It is one of those old towns in America that has recently been revived by the artsy community. It is actually the oldest town in Arizona. It was a town in 1765. It had history of civilization for a hundred years before that. There are some ruins there that support the dates.

Cathy loved this old car. It looks as though she wants to make a deal.

Cathy and I welcomed a slow, relaxing, enjoyable day with friends. The town is only about six blocks square. There is a nice museum there that I haven't visited before. I am not a museum guy, but I am very interested in the history that built this country and I knew this would be great to see.

The day was perfect for this sort of activity. It was warm, but it was also cloudy. When the sun is behind the clouds, shopping and seeing the sights are so much more pleasant.

One of the many colorful shops that dominate the down town.

Like a lot of times when people get together to experience things like this old town, we split up and went our separate ways soon after arriving. Cathy even left me for some coffee while I toured the museum. She had already been through it when she was here last year.

 This is the press that produced the first newspaper in the state; The Weekly Arizonan.

I did my little tour and I rejoined the group briefly before Cathy and I stopped under a ramada for a picnic. We toured the town for the remainder of the day. I bought some pepper light covers that I wanted, but was never able to find. Cathy seriously considered buying a woven rug. That idea was set aside when it became clear that matching her color scheme needed a sample of her couch for comparison.

I had to get a pic of this aristra. We have come across ruins of these out on our hikes.

It was a nice day. I got to spend it with a special lady too!

Strike Two at Elephant Mt.

Dave and I went back to Elephant Mt. to hike the trail we found the last time we were there. This time Cathy joined us. We got on the trail quickly. We wanted to be ahead of the heat of the day. It was overcast the day before and was supposed to be at least partly cloudy today. The temps have recently been in the 90's. Today was no exception.

Once we got over the saddle, this was our view.

We made it to the saddle between the closer mountains and we still could not see Elephant Mt. We hiked over the saddle and continued on our way along an old mining road. It was about a mile and a half from the trail head when we got to a fork in the road. One way went uphill to a place called Quantrill Mine. The other continued down the valley and was what we believed we saw from our trip out here a few days ago.

The granite monolith of Elephant Mountain.

We took the down hill route. It was a 50 - 50 chance we had the right trail. We continued on until we could see the mountain. We were looking for the trail to turn in that direction. It never did. We came upon some ruins of what once was the Elephant Mining Company. The BLM placed a metal sign with a brief history of the site.

 

A few adobe walls are all that remains of Elephant mine.

It never amazes me of the effort that was made way back when, to do mining in these remote regions. The road we were walking on is now tough to negotiate on foot. It had to be a huge effort of hand labor to build it well enough for turn of the century vehicles to drive on.

We found a lot of these bright orange beans. Cathy collected them for a future project.

Our hike took us over 5 miles closer to the mountain. But we could not find a rout to it. Cathy is convinced the fork to Quantrill mine will take us to the mountain. She pointed out a tell tail trail high on the mountainside that stretched to the right direction. That 50 - 50 chance we took with our route at the fork seems to be the wrong one.

That's okay, well give it another try next week. By the way, the clouds never came today and the sun exaggerated the effect of the 90 degrees temps. There is little shade on this hike. We rested when ever we  found a few mesquite trees large enough to provide the relief of shade from the sun.

We turned around and headed back. One of those shaded spots was at the fork to Quantrill mine. This is where we ate our packed lunches and had a good rest. After lunch, Dave and I scouted the Quantrill trail to see if it was what we had seen from the valley. We came upon more ruins. This was one of the larger mine ruins I've come across.

There are remnants of a stamp mill. We found fire brick too. They must have smelted their ore and poured ingots out here. From the little write up we came across earlier, there were 11 mines in this valley. They produced gold, silver, lead, and zinc.

We got to the truck and finished the last of our water. I took a half gallon with me and I wished I had more. The next time we try to get to Elephant, I hope the temps and sun cooperate.

Rocky

It's been a sad day today. I have a new neighbor a slot down the line from me. He is from New Jersey and his wife is Canadian. This is the first time they have been in the desert. The back of their trailer abuts 40,000 acres of desert wilderness and all the critters in it.

Last night they let their pet cat outside. It's the last they ever saw of it. I awoke the next morning to them knocking on my door, asking if I had seen Rocky. I didn't let them know of the coyotes that come every night into the park to drink from the pond. I helped look for it, but I knew there was practically no hope to find it.

Small animals left unattended at night in a place like this has virtually no chance of survival. I am looking at my neighbors now. Mike is in his chair, staring at the cat bed he brought out of the trailer, his hands clasped in his lap. It's so sad to see.

Soupa De Albondigas - Tucson Soup

I've made this a couple of times now. It is the thing to do when we get to Tucson. The ingredients may not be available at every place, but it is worth the effort.

Spanish meatball peasant soup. I've added the option of prickly pear. It makes this Tucson Soup. The meatballs can be made with what ever is at hand: Ground beef, ground turkey, ground pork, sausage meat, etc. or any combination thereof.

Meatballs:

• 1 lb Ground Meat
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• ½ tsp Ground Red Chile
• ½ tsp Salt
• ½ tsp Ground Pepper
• 1 cup Dry Bread Crumbs
• 1 Egg
• ½ Onion, finely chopped

Mix together the ground meat, salt, chile, salt, pepper, garlic and bread crumbs. Lightly beat the egg and stir into the mixture. Add the onion and mix well, then shape into small balls and reserve while you make the soup.

Soup:

• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• ½ Onion, chopped
• 3 med Carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp chopped Cilantro
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano, crushed
• 2 Tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 4 cups Beef Stock or Broth
• 2 cups Water
• 1 cup Prickly Pear Cactus Leaves, chopped (optional)

Pour the oil in a large soup pot and saute the onion for 2 to 3 minutes, add the carrots, cilantro, oregano and tomatoes and saute for 3 to 4 more minutes. Add the beef stock and water and bring to a boil.
Add the meatballs, a few at a time, so that the boiling remains constant. After the meatballs are in, add the prickly pear, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve hot with warm corn or flour tortillas.

Elephant Mountain

 Cathy did decide to move next door. Yesterday, I helped her get her trailer into her reserved spot. It was a bit of a task to maneuver her rig. I was doing the guiding and she was doing the driving. Patience and persistence won out. She is safely in her new site. There are a lot of social activities in her park. There are a lot more facilities to accommodate such things there. But, on the other hand, it is an older park with small sites and all the problems that go with older RV parks.

We were to leave for our hike bright and early. It was 8:30 when I walked over to Dave's place where we were to meet. Dave was surprised to see me. It appears Cathy won't be coming today. She read the brief discription oif the trail area and determined it would be too rugged for her right now. She wants to be in better shape for these kind of hikes.

Dave is in his 70's and Cathy can walk circles around me. So, it was a surprise to me too that she wasn't coming. I'm thinking, "what am I getting into?" Maybe she wants to get acquainted with her new digs.

A Trail head Sign, But not our Trail.

I threw my pack, with my lunch, water and GPS, in Dave's trunk and we hit the road. Our hike today will be to scout out the trail to Elephant Mountain. Dave wants to see if this would be a good hike to get the park residents involved in later this winter. It is a new place to Dave and, of course, I don't know anything about it, really.

We drove out to the site. The directions told us any 2 wheel drive vehicle would be able to negotiate the 3 miles of dirt road. Dave's car is a Toyota Prius. His ground clearance can't be much more than 4 inches. We drove some of the road at less than 3 mph. We finally did make it to the trail head.

Doesn't this look like an elephant at rest? It's not the right mountain.

This is Elephant Mountain.

The problem was, the trail sign and the direction the trail was heading, was in the opposite direction of Elephant Mountain. We didn't see any other trails either. We chose to walk the road, which ascends around the unnamed mountain in front of us. The plan is to get above the desert floor to be able to spot a trail heading in the direction of where we want to go.

Looking over the adjoining mountains.

We walked the road all the way to the top of the mountain. When we rounded a curve I could plainly see the mountain I thought was Elephant Mountain. It looks like an elephant at rest. The problem with that is it isn't the right mountain. We rounded another curve and another mountain came into view. Okay, we know have Elephant Mountain in sight. Let's see if we can find a trail somewhere between it and the parking area 2 miles back.

The views were beautiful. We are in a remote area south of Tucson and you can see for ever. This area was opened up by some small mining operations which you can see evidence of, here and there. The road we are on is now used to transport and maintain communication antennas at the peak. It is a very rough and steep road.

What's this crazy old guy doing on this rock? (His words, not mine!)

We could make out a trail far below us that should be our trail. Our plan now is to get to it and follow it back to the parking area. Then we'll mark it's position on our GPS and come back to do a proper hike of it on another day. But, before we did that, we stopped in a shady area for lunch.

When lunch was over we headed across country, bushwhacking, through the desert brush, cacti and rocks that litter the mountain slopes. It was a steep area we chose. But we wanted to descend in an area with large rock. Believe it or not, it is much easier to climb down a mountain over rock than it is over the loose gravel that make up most of a mountain side.

An Ocotillo forest. Can you spot Dave?

We took our time and picked our way down. We got to an area that was a virtual forest of Ocotillo. Dave and I got separated in the maze as we picked our own individual way through it. I was wearing shorts and Dave had on long pants. The brush was doing a number on my shins.

We eventually made it to the trail safe and sound. We followed it back and found the trail head we were looking for was just across from the parking area. It begins in a wash, which we weren't expecting. Okay, next time we'll hike the trail.

A Valley View.

By the time we got to the paved road and the 30 miles back to Tucson, I was beat. I wasn't sore, except for all the scratches on my legs. I picked some cactus thorns out of my shoes and ankles. The real pain was on my fore arm. I somehow brushed it against a prickly pear. They have a beard of fine spines around the top edge of the leaves. They can be tough to get out.

I hit the sack at a little past 8:00.