Spruce Tree House

We arrived in Cortez, Colorado last night.  We stayed at a local Holiday Inn Express at the end of town heading out toward Mesa Verde National Park.  The hotel staff were extremely welcoming and we found the property to be very clean and comfortable. 

On our 2^nd day on the road, we immediately headed to Mesa Verde National Park, which was the main reason for staying in Cortez in the first place.  It took only minutes to reach the entrance to the park from downtown Cortez. Current construction work on the single lane road led to some delays, but it wasn’t too bad.

 The ride through the park itself, before you even reach the visitor center, is just gorgeous!  If driving on cliffside roads with no guardrails is not your thing, you may not enjoy the views along the way as much as we did. We also had the opportunity to see some wildlife in the meadows as well which made the ride that much more interesting.

 Once you arrive at the Visitor Center, be sure to purchase tickets for any of the tours you may want to do.  Each tour is $3 per person and there are discounts available depending on age (both young and those who are young at heart have the opportunity to get a discount!)  The park offers tours of certain ruins, which is the only way you can experience these particular areas up close.  However, there are plenty of other areas available which do not require a ranger-led tour.  These ruins (and there are plenty of them) are just as interesting as the ones you pay to see.  Of course, with the ranger-led tour you have the opportunity to learn a little more from the ranger as you go along – if you get a knowledgeable ranger.

 Before we met up with a ranger for our guided tour, we decided to visit the Spruce Tree House ruins.  This is a great site to see.  There is a bit of a hike to get to it, which is all downhill getting there. Coming back out, especially in the heat, can be a bit of a challenge for those who don’t do normally do much hiking or walking.  The kids really liked this particular site because you can climb down ladders into the 800 year old kivas where it is said that the Pueblo people held ceremonies and had social gatherings. It was definitely one of the highlights of the ruins.

 We then headed to our guided tour. We selected a tour of Cliff Palace, one of the larger sites. The remains of the Pueblo civilization are definitely impressive and really awe inspiring.  It’s amazing that structures of this magnitude could be built 800 years ago and the still remain standing in relatively good condition. I sometimes wonder if our modern houses would last that long!  Anyway, the Cliff Palace is a bit more of a challenging hike then the Spruce Tree House.  It’s not bad getting down to the ruins at all, but you are required to climb several ladders to get back out. But, I think it is worth the effort.

 So we concluded our trip to Mesa Verde National Park by driving to several more of the ruins that are accessible without a guide. The Mesa Loop trail is worth driving as it gives you access to several of these ruins and the views are phenomenal!  So, if you are heading to Southwestern part of Colorado, don’t miss the opportunity to check out Mesa Verde National Park.  Even if you have only a few hours to spend, just check out a couple of the ruins. It would be well worth your time! 

 With our visit to Mesa Verde National Park done, we then headed to Durango where we planned to do a little shopping and dining. Check out our next blog posting which will highlight a couple of fun things to see and do in Durango!  If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to comment below on our blog or send us an email at info@takeahikearizona.com.  We would love to hear from you!!

Jim Gray's Petrified Wood Co.

In,  addition to hiking in our beautiful Sonoran Desert, we also like to adventure out to surrounding areas as well in the great Southwest! Then we get to tell you about our experiences. Well, we just returned from a fantastic whirlwind trip to Colorado and Utah!  Along the way we paid special attention to things we saw, experienced and liked and disliked knowing that this would be great information to share with you.  So, the plan is to share bits and pieces of the trip as it progressed each day in different blog postings over the next week. 

First off, just to let you know, our itinerary included the following “official” stops along the way:

• Cortez, Colorado – Mesa Verde National Park
• Durango, Colorado – the Million Dollar Highway
• Silverton, Colorado – on the way to Ouray
• Ouray, Colorado – Switzerland of North America
• Ridgway, Colorado – Ridgway State Park
• Telluride, Colorado – home of the free gondola!
• Moab, Utah – Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Deadhorse Point State Park and Warner Lake

The plan was to stay one night in a hotel in both Cortez and Durango. Then from that point on, it was camping in a tent for us!  Overall, the trip was planned for 11 days, so we were set up to spend 9 nights in our tent as we moved from place to place on our route.

We started out from Scottsdale and headed in the Payson direction.  I had two sets of directions to get to Cortez. One set put us on Highway 17 North through Flagstaff where we could then pick up 40 and head east.  The route we chose was the one that took us out on Highway 87, the Beeline Highway, toward Payson and ultimately dropped us off in Holbrook where we then jumped on 40 heading east.  The difference in total mileage was only 10 miles with Payson being the shorter route, but the Payson route was estimated to actually take about 45 minutes longer due to lower speed limits and back road driving.  We decided on the Payson route just to see some new sights along the way versus driving up 17 North which we do quite often.   

So, day 1 was a lot of driving.  We did make some stops along the way to Cortez. One fun stop worth making (if you like rocks and petrified wood) is Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood Co. in Holbrook, AZ.  It is like rock heaven!  They also have some neat fossils of prehistoric turtles, dinosaurs and birds to check out inside the store. The kids will love it!  I did find the prices on some of the rocks to be a bit higher than what I am used to seeing at other rock shops, but the selection was amazing! Check them out at http://www.petrifiedwood.com to see what they have to offer before you make a trip up there.  Eventually, after a number of other stops, we made it up to Cortez, Colorado. I have fond memories of counting many cows and horses along the way.  So, stay tuned for more details on our adventures in Cortez and the Mesa Verde National Park!

If you have any suggestions or tidbits of information that you picked up on your travels to any of the areas listed on our itinerary, please feel free to share and I can include them in our postings!  Just  comment below on the blog or send us an email at info@takeahikearizona.com. Until next time!

Inside the tunnel under the bridge

Just spent the weekend up in Payson camping with the kids and enjoying the somewhat cooler weather.  One of the main activities we planned for our trip was a visit to the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park.  The park itself is located 12 miles north of Payson right off Highway 87.  It is very easy to find.  Due to state budget cuts,  the park is currently open 5 days a week – Thursday through Monday (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) and is scheduled to close as of September 27th!  Hopefully, a resolution (other than actually closing the park) can be found before September so we can continue to enjoy this beautiful area.

The natural bridge itself is thought to be the world’s largest natural travertine bridge.  Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs.  The precipiation of the mineral springs forms a coating on nearby surfaces such as plants, roots, rocks, etc and forms very interesting formations including stalactites and stalagmites in limestone caves.  Another great example of travertine forming over plants and roots are the Havasu Falls in the western part of the Grand Canyon on the Havasupai reservation. But, back to the Tonto Natural Bridge.  The bridge itself sits 183 feet up above the ground.  The tunnel below the bridge is 400 feet long and as wide as 150 feet in some places.  Both the views from above and looking up from below are amazing! 

Our favorite part of the trip was hiking down the Gowan Trail and entering the tunnel itself below the bridge.  We spent quite a bit of time inside the tunnel climbing around and hiking to the other end.  Some spots were a bit hazardous due to the slippery, wet surfaces.  With that said, keep in mind that it is a lot easier to climb up some of these slippery slopes than it is to come back down them.  So be sure to take a look at what you are contemplating climbing up and see if it is something you can manuever back down. 

heading down some slickrock

In addition to the beautiful scenery the bridge provides, the other great thing about the tunnel is the cool air and refreshing water constantly dripping down from the ceiling above.  It is a great way to cool off on a hot day!

Also, you are allowed to enter the water to swim as long as you are not within the tunnel.  So as you come down the Gowan Trail, right before you step onto the man-made bridge that takes you to the entrance of the tunnel, veer off to the right and you can swim right there.  The water is very refreshing (meaning down right cold) and there are quite a few little critters that the kids will enjoy looking for around the swimming hole.  We found monster size crayfish (seriously, they looked like lobsters!), lots of fish and some interesting frogs.  There’s also a large number of swallows that nest in the tunnel and many other colorful birds flying in and out of the area.  So there is a lot to see.  We spent the better part of our day enjoying the park and we look forward to going back up again later this summer before the park closes in September.  For more information about the park visit the state park website and check out our photo gallery on our Facebook Fan page to see our photos from the trip.

The organization is committed to the preservation, protection and rehabilitation of companion animals.  As part of Phase One, the organization has established a sanctuary for domestic bunnies that have lost their home for one reason or another.  The group offers a number of programs including adoption, spay/neuter services, community outreach, classroom presentations, pet parenting classes, education and collaborative partnerships with other like-minded organizations.  What is really great (and this is the fun part for the kids) is you can visit their location and play with the bunnies!

The goal is to keep the bunnies accustomed to being handled and of course to make them feel loved!  What child doesn’t enjoy petting and playing with a bunny rabbit? Also in addition to having the chance to interact with the animals up close, the kids will receive some great information from the staff about how to treat and care for the animals.  You can also sign up as a volunteer and go through a short orientation on handling the bunnies and become part of a great group of animal lovers!  Check out the Trainquility Trail website for more information.

For those of  you wondering about what to do with a wild bunny you may find in your yard, check out the House Rabbit Society website.  There is an abundance of information about what to do and what not to do with our wild furry friends.  Probably one of the most important things to realize is if you find a baby bunnies in a nest, they have not necessarily been abandoned by their mother.  Mother rabbits do not attend to their babies as many other mammals do.  Did you know that rabbit moms only feed their young for about 5 minutes a day?!  So don’t rush to relocate the baby bunnies as more than likely their mom will return in the evening to feed them.  If you do happen to find a wild bunny that has obviously been injured or is in need of help, there are a number of people you can contact for guidance.  A few of the organizations/individuals in the Phoenix area that you can contact include:

• Adobe Mountain 623-582-9806
• Ginny – Fountain Hills 480-816-9095
• Judy – Mesa 480-807-8355
• Regina – Queen Creek 480-987-3544
• Ruth – Paradise Valley 480-483-0130
• Liberty Wildlife 480-995-5550

These people specialize in the treatment/rehabilitation of wild animals and can be of great assistance to you.  I hope you found this posting informative and I hope you find some time over the summer to visit the bunny sanctuary at Tranquility Trail in Scottsdale.  If you know of any other fun/different things to do in the Phoenix area during the hot months of the summer, just send us a note and tell us about it!! We’d love to hear from you.  You can post a comment here on the blog or just send us an email at info@takeahikearizona.com.

View looking toward Superstition Mountains

I love when family and friends come to visit us here in beautiful Arizona!  It gives me the perfect excuse to do some more local sight seeing in my own backyard that I otherwise probably wouldn’t take the time to do.  Sound familiar?  Our latest “adventure” was taking a day to travel along the Apache Trail, one of my favorite scenic drives.   To begin this drive just head out on 60 East and take the Idaho Rd exit and follow the signs to Canyon Lake.

After a short drive down the Apache Trail, we started our day at Goldfield Ghost Town, the old mining town located right by the Lost Dutchman State Park.  We had a great time exploring the old town and taking lots of photos of the area.  Years ago, this little “ghost town” didn’t have much to offer, but it has since been rediscovered and tourists have been pouring in ever since.  As a result, it has gotten a little bit kitschy but it is still worth seeing especially with the kids!  I think we investigated every nook and cranny the town had.  We also spent a bit of money of some of the tours they offer there such as the mine tour.

The mine tour was a pleasant surprise. We learned quite a bit about how the miners spent their days and toiled under ground with only candle light to help them see.  Did you know that the miners were only given about 6 small candles on each shift to help them see what they were doing?  They would conserve their light by putting the candles out and eating their meals in the dark of the tunnels.  If I’m not mistaken, there are some restaurants that currently charge a pretty price for guests to eat in the dark now!  I guess the miners were on to something.

After our adventures at Goldfield, including a mock gunfight battle performed by volunteers, we hit the road again.  We drove towards Canyon Lake.  It is a gorgeous drive through interesting landscape with rock formations, plants, and animals not commonly seen in other parts of the valley.  We stopped at the Marina where Steamboat Dolly is docked.  We parked there and walked across the street to the Boulder Canyon Trail entrance.  We hiked up the trail to get some unbelievable views of the area.  We could see far into the Superstitions Wilderness and a good bit of Canyon Lake.  We saw some folks rafting up into one of the canyons that the larger boats cannot get into (add that to my list of things to do this summer!) and we saw plenty of collared lizards and a snake! 

After working up an appetite hiking, we got back in the car and continued down the Apache Trail.  Our destination was Tortilla Flats.  We made it just in time for dinner.  Even for a Saturday evening, the restaurant closes pretty early at 7:00pm so we felt fortunate to get in for last call (for food that is).  Tortilla Flats is best known for its decor of dollar bills covering every inch of space on the walls of the restaurant.  It is quite entertaining to read what people have written on the dollar bills and to see how old some of them are.  The food is pretty good too!  I will warn you though, if you plan to order the Nachos Grande, make sure you have someone to share them with!!

At Take A Hike Arizona, we love to share our experiences with our fans and we love to hear from you as well!  Tell us about some great adventures you have had whether it is here in the valley or in your hometown.  Just send us your experiences to info@takeahikearizona.com and we can share them with our readers as well!  Also, we offer great day hikes in the Superstitions area, described in this posting, during which our guides will show you some fantastic scenery and share many local legends and history with you along the way.  Just call us at 480-634-8488 to learn more about the excursions we offer!

• 1 cup of quick cooking (not instant) rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds (I use slivered)
• 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 Tablespoons of good honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss the oats, coconut, almonds, oil and honey together in a large bowl until they are completely combined.  Pour mixture onto a sheet pan and bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown. This takes about 15-20 minutes.  Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring once.

I then serve the granola with honey and greek yogurt.  I use the honey flavored greek yogurt, but plain is good as well.  This is a great way to start the day or have as a snack.  It is also really delicious on ice cream or sprinkled over fruit.  I included a photo below so you could see how I serve it when we have guests over for brunch. I also make it “pretty” for the kids. They seem to think it tastes like a treat that way! Hey, whatever it takes!!

Anyway, give it a try and let me know what you think. We would love to hear back from you as well on your favorite, healthy and easy recipes.  You can either email us your favorties at: info@takeahikearizona.com or submit comments on our blog.  We look forward to sharing more fun, easy recipes with you in the coming months. Enjoy!

A delicious and easy recipe!

Speaking of which, we just did a hike this past Sunday (a very stormy day).  We started out (and finished the hike) with 17 people in an absolute downpour!  First of all, I have to say hats off to the hardy souls that joined us for what promised to be a very wet hike.  Fortunately, the rain did slow down and actually stopped for some time so we were not being rained on the whole hike. I have not had many opportunities to actually hike here in the desert during a rainstorm. It seems more often than not, that our rains are accompanied by thunder and lightning and we do not go out in that weather. But on Sunday, we were fortunate enough to have the rain minus the lightning which would have been a showstopper.  Anyway, as I was saying, this is one of the first times I’ve been out hiking in the desert mountains in the rain here in the valley.  I have to say it was absolutely beautiful!  The creosote bushes, which give our desert that great aroma when it rains, literally filled the air with their scent.  It kind of reminded me of when I used to hike in the pine forests back east and you couldn’t seem to breathe in enough of the beautiful scented air.

Not only did the desert smell fresh and the air felt crisp, but we were rewarded with some great views from within the clouds and above the clouds as we hiked up.  At some points during the hike it felt like we were walking out of the mist into a new world. It was very serene to say the least.  Then to top off the hike, the clouds cleared just enough to let the sun peak through and create an unbelievably bright, colorful rainbow as we were hiking back down to reality.  It really doesn’t get any better than that!  Anyway, I was just so in awe of the beauty of the desert on this hike, that I just had to mention it on our blog. And I wanted to highly recommend to those of you who haven’t done so yet, try to take advantage of some of the rainy days and get out there and hike!  Just don’t go if there is thunder and lightning in the forecast!  If you do get out there, let me know about your experience and send me some photos. I’d love to hear about it.

Lastly, you can go to our photo gallery on our site http://www.takeahikearizona.com and look at the gorgeous photos we took during this hike. They are included in the WM Symposium folder on our flickr page (which is linked to our photo gallery).  I also included a photo with this post of the rainbow we saw on our way back down.

Sonoran Desert Rainbow

Piestewa Peak Park (Phoenix Mountains Preserve).  From Highway 51, take the Glendale Ave exit. Head east on Glendale Ave (which actually turns into Lincoln Ave as you head further east).  About 3/4 of a mile from Highway 51, you take a left turn at the traffic lights onto Squaw Peak Drive.  Follow this road straight into the park and stay on this road all the way to the far end where you come to a circular parking area and can drive no further.  This is where we will be meeting to start this hike.

McDowell Sonoran Preserve (Gateway Trailhead).  For those of you with GPS, the exact address for this location is 18333 E. Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale.  We will be meeting at the main building area on the east side of the parking lot. For those of you who still drive around the old fashioned way (like me), here are the directions.

Heading North on Hwy 101, take the Frank Lloyd Wright exit.  This exit will drop you onto the service road that runs parallel to the highway (Pima Rd). Stay on this road through the first set of traffic lights (cross over Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd at the traffic lights). Go past the West World entrance. Stay straight until your next set of traffic lights at Bell Rd. Turn right onto Bell Rd.  Follow Bell Rd past the Ice Den skating rink and past the Basha’s shopping center. At Thompson Peak Parkway (major intersection) take a left.  Follow Thompson Peak Parkway for a few hundred yards. The entrance to the Gateway Trailhead parking area is on your right.  Follow the entrance into the parking area and park wherever you find a spot. We will all meet up by the main building.

Heading South on Highway 101, take the Pima Rd/Princess Rd exit.  From the exit ramp, stay straight through the first set of lights at Pima Rd. At the second set of lights, take a left onto Bell Rd.  Follow Bell Rd past the Ice Den skating rink and past the Basha’s shopping center. At Thompson Peak Parkway (major intersection) take a left.  Follow Thompson Peak Parkway for a few hundred yards. The entrance to the Gateway Trailhead parking area is on your right.  Follow the entrance into the parking area and park wherever you find a spot. We will all meet up by the main building.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@takeahikearizona.com. See you there!

The Chuparosa, always an early bloomer, is hitting its full stride right about now.  You will find the red blossoms on the plants especially abundant on the sunnier sides of the trail and along the warmer areas along the washes.  In particular, you can see these plants in full bloom along the sides of the road as you drive around town as well. The Chuparosa further up the slopes and on northern sides of slopes have yet to blossom.  For those of you who  may not already know this, you can eat the blossoms of the Chuparosa. You will even find them mixed in for color in salads you order from select restaurants around the valley.  So go find a blooming Chuparosa and pick a fresh red blossom and try tasting it (please make sure you know it is a Chuparosa before eating it!).  Let me know what you think it tastes like.

Other plants not yet blooming quite as spectacularly as the Chuparosa are the Creosote and Brittlebush.  Both of these bush-like plants produce pretty yellow flowers. The Creosote flowers are smaller and are accompanied by little white fuzz balls (I’m sure there is a technical name for those cute fuzz balls – if you know it – please tell me). The Brittlebush produces larger daisy-like flowers and can be found all over the desert in the Spring. I also noticed that the Buckhorn Cholla (not Staghorn which is not in this part of the desert) is starting to produce the very beginnings of its blossoms. As you hike along, check out the burgundy color shoots sprouting from the tips of the cholla branches on the Buckhorn.

We’ve also been seeing quite a few tiny little yellow and white flowers sprouting up here and there among the rocky slopes.  I’ve yet to see any poppies, lupine, owl’s clover, desert marigolds or any other cactus blooming.  As soon as those start popping up, I will be sure to let you know.  If you’d like to see what these flowers look like, just go to our photo gallery and head to the Flower folder. We have photos of all kinds of desert flora. If you have any questions about anything you see during your desert wanderings, please give us a shout at info@takeahikearizona.com and we’ll try to help you out or find someone who can!  Enjoy the Spring!

As many of you may already know, the State of Arizona is starting to close 13 state parks in the coming weeks.  Many of us are contacting our representatives about this issue, but in addition to the state closures I also wanted to provide you with some information about the planned closure of a number of our beautiful Phoenix parks.  These closures are not getting the same amount of press as the state park closures, but to those of us who love these areas and use them regularly these closures will have a significant impact on us and visitors to our area!  As of right now, it appears that the City of Phoenix is planning to lay off 14 park rangers and reduce public access to our local parks in the area.  The city plans to reduce public access to the parks by closing them on Mondays and Tuesdays.  The anticipated closures include:

• Camelback Mountain
• Piestewa Peak Park
• North Mountain Park
• South Mountain Park
• Shaw Butte
• Lookout Mountain
• Papago Park and
• Shadow Mountain

If this concerns you as it does us, please email one or all of the City of Phoenix Councilman listed at the links below and tell them to keep our parks open and save the jobs of 14 Phoenix Park Rangers: 

Councilman Thelda Williams at: http://phoenix.gov/district1/emdist1/index.html

Councilman Peggy Neely at: http://phoenix.gov/district2/emdist2/index.html

Councilman Bill Gates: http://phoenix.gov/district3/emdist3/index.html

Councilman Tom Simplot at: http://phoenix.gov/district4/emdist4/index.html

Councilman Claude Maddox at: http://phoenix.gov/district5/emdist5/index.html

Councilman Sal DiCiccio at: http://phoenix.gov/district6/index.html

Councilman Michael Nowakowski at:http://phoenix.gov/district7/emdist7/index.html

Councilman Michael Johnson at: http://phoenix.gov/district8/emdist8/index.html

Mayor Phil Gordon at: http://phoenix.gov/mayor/emmayor/index.html

Help us save our Phoenix Mountain Parks from closure!