Sunday, March 8, 2009

My hike for this week - Massacre Grounds in the Superstition Mountains

So, I had my hike yesterday. Out of all the people that I email, only one person showed up and he had to go at a different time because he had to be done sooner! It was really a great hike, though, so everyone else just totally missed out! The weather was a gorgeous, sunny, 73 degree day, so I couldn't have asked for nicer weather. It was a little chilly to start with because it was pretty breezy, but once I got down in between the hills, it warmed up a bit. The wildflowers are just beginning to bloom. It was gorgeous!! The trail is called Massacre Grounds Trail because in 1800 there was a group of Mexican miners that got massacred by the Apache Indians in the grounds below the cliff that this trail ends at.
Here are some pictures of the desert wonderland!


Beautiful wildflowers

These look like daisies!

Poppies?


More daisy kind of things with a yucca....kinda a cool contrast!

Baja Fairy Dusters in abundance



Even the cactus got into the blooming act!

Cool view

It's hard to tell in this picture but this guy actually had 2 horses. One he was riding and the other was following along with no harness or lead rope or anything. I asked him about that and he said the two are sisters and they never stray too far from each other. How cool!

The view of the surrounding area


A look toward the Superstitions

Cool rock formations


Desert Stonehenge!

A couple of dry waterfalls

More scenery


Lots of mountains can be seen from here


A very recognizable spire to guide you along the way


Rolling hills

Beautiful!


The cliff at the end! That's a LOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGG way down there!! Somewhere down there a bunch of Mexican miners died in 1800.







The view from the top of the cliff







This is a view of the cliff from down below








Another view from the cliff



One of the waterfalls. There's actually real water there!





Unfortunately, a group of about 15 teenagers showed up about a minute after I got to the falls and kind of took over so I really didn't get to enjoy them as much as I would have liked. I was going to take some video of them so that you could hear the dripping water, but alas, they were making way too much noise for that!



The other waterfall. This one was actually dripping pretty good! I think this is called Massacre Grounds Falls.


A view from the falls looking the opposite direction.



Another view of the waterfall.


A view of the falls from a distance


Another view of the falls from a distance

The falls




The saddle as seen from the trail head



Look who was waiting to welcome me back to the parking lot!

There were actually 3 of these little guys right in the path about 60 steps from the parking lot. I stepped down and one of them scampered away. I grabbed out the camera really quick and then had a devil of a time trying to find them again! I had to move my feet so that they would move again so I could find them. I saw two right away and snapped the pictures of them but as I was starting to move off, a third one moved! So cute! They were pretty little....definitely not full grown. I used to catch these guys up in Flagstaff when I was a kid! How cool to see some down in Phoenix too.
It was a fabulous hike and a beautiful day. I got a bit sunburnt but it's all good. There were only a few people on the trail (with the exception of the group of 15 teens) so it was very nice and quiet. A great way to start the weekend!
The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. The Suns lost AGAIN...this time to the Spurs.
There's no question that we have to win the game on Tuesday. We play the Mavs who have the 8th playoff spot that we're trying to take over from them. A win wouldn't put us there, but it would get us closer! After the game I did a little housework and a little yardwork. Made some dinner and now I'm just chillin' watching some stuff on the DVR.
I didn't get to do a workout today, but I've been running since I got up this morning, so I'll call that activity for the day. Back at it in full force tomorrow with a morning and evening workout. I have a tanning session planned for tomorrow as well, so it'll be a busy day! With 3 home games this week, it'll be a busy week as well.
So, the bad news....I also have a sick kitty. My baby that I've had for 15 years since he was a 1 1/2 pound ball of fur that fit into the palm of my hand is feeling very under the weather. He isn't eating or drinking at all and I think he's lost quite a bit of weight. He's also kind of dispondent and very limp when I pick him up. I'll be making an appointment for the vet tomorrow. I can't have him sick....he's always been as healthy as a horse!
Anyway, better get some rest for the busy week ahead. I'll check in later!