Laurent, her two dogs, Alyssa, Ellie, and I (Paul) decided to go up to our little ranch over the fourth of July. This turned out to be one of the best trips we’ve had up there. We packed so many really fun things into the short time we had (we left Wednesday after Laurent got home from work, which put us at our ranch a bit before 11pm). We had only two days, but lots of fun!
Wenima Wildlife Area
Wenima Wildlife Area is a hidden (and, I think, not well known) valley near Springerville. It has a 2.5 mile (round trip) “there and back” trail, that follows the Little Colorado River. At the end of that trail is a marsh that is home to all sorts of wildlife, with some old stable type buildings that are now the property of the Forest Service. There are several beaver dams along the way (there is a picture of one somewhere, below). Mostly, lots of messing around, being noisy (so much for the peace and quiet), and playing in the water. There are pictures of the kids having a tight squeeze through the barb wire fences. The fences are that way intentionally. Those are man-gates. They let people through, but not (larger) animals. Really pretty area.
Bald Spot Mountain
Well, that’s what we call it. “Bald Spot Mountain” is a mountain that we can see from our place, that has a meadow half way up. From a distance, that meadow looks like a bald spot, so that’s what we call it. There is an old road that goes up, through the meadow, to the top. The road is no longer passible (even to a tricked out 4×4 or ATV), but I do manage to get my Tacoma part way up the hill, by driving beside the old road. From there, it is a fun hike to the top, where we can collect old snail shells (yes, snails live up there), and catch some really great views (you can see for miles).
Picnic in Jarvis Wash and Supper at the Ranch
Right at the base of “Bald Spot Mountain” is Jarvis Wash. That’s a very wide (and very sandy) wash that runs for many miles. Right next to the “road” (if you can call it that) that takes us to the base of Bald Spot Mountain is a shade tree that is perfect for a picnic. So, after our hike, that’s just what we did. I forgot to throw the chairs into the back of the Tacoma, so the kids had to sit on the tailgate (and I was relegated to sitting on the ground). Tasty sandwiches!
Bony Lake
Well, that’s what it is called on the topo map. To even call this mud puddle a lake is an insult to all lakes, everywhere. In fact, to even call it a mud puddle is an insult to mud puddles. At least mud puddles aren’t full of cow poop and pee. Perhaps a bit more than a mile from our place, it is fun hike, even if the destination lacks anything desirable. Along the way, we stopped at what I call the “Lost Cabin”. I am told that this was once a cabin for a settler family.
St. Johns Town Picnic
I never take pictures of what I am eating. This time, I made an exception, because, to my surprise, all that food was FREE. St. Johns was advertising a BBQ in the park, so we thought we’d show up and have some. I stopped by the ATM first, and withdrew a bunch of cash, because I thought I’d be spending a fortune! The whole town was there too. I ate so much I hurt.
Danger Mountain!
I keep bringing the kids back here, never remembering that this is a bad idea. The entire hillside is bentonite clay (decomposed volcanic ash), which is very crumbly and slick. This makes many of the rocks unstable (because they rest on the bentonite). Further, most of the rocks are either sandstone or mudstone, which means they are prone to cleaving (breaking up). So, we end up climbing this slick steep hill, grabbing onto rocks that either slide away or break up. The hill is bigger than it looks in that first picture too. In a few of the pictures, if you look closely down in the valley below, you’ll see the little white dot that is my Tacoma. That should give you an idea. We sure had fun, though. We made it up and down, with no injuries!
Laurent’s Photos
These are good pictures too!
