We arrived back in AZ after a quick trip to Yosemite, for brother Roy's 50th Wedding anniversary, and were back in our normal groove quickly. Nancy started hiking again and enjoyed a wonderful new hike, part of the Arizona Trail, located 15 miles south of Superior. An easy journey with a fairly smooth trail. The steepest grade was only about 7.8 percent as we climbed back up from the Gila River after enjoying an up close and personal look at an old train trestle.
And a bonus, 2 crested Saguaros along the trail.
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| ©Nancy Harvey 2013 |
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| ©Nancy Harvey 2013 |
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| ©Don Harvey 2013 |
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| ©Don Harvey 2013 |
Not to be outdone, Nancy also photographed a sensational saguaro skeleton. Underneath that live spiny exterior are a series of ribs. I've never seen a dead one that "wilted" like this to form a "saguaro umbrella". The photo I took on Jan 18 is shown at the left, Then on Feb 1 I showed my friend Joan Pierce the same saguaro, as we finished a different hike in the same area...along the Lost Goldmine Trail. She took her picture from a different perspective but you can still recognize its unique shape and I'm sure you'll be amazed what just a little rain can create within 2 weeks!!!
The photo on the left shows a close up of a very small "Teddy Bear Cholla" (about 1' tall) tucked safely away under a "host" plant while newly grown green grass provides a soft contrasting carpet.
On Jan 17th, my brother Roy had a massive heart attack, so Don and I flew to San Jose CA a few days later and had an unexpected visit with the family again. We stayed about 6 days and returned to AZ once Roy's health had stabilized a little. (He finally returned home on his wife Anna's birthday after about 5 weeks in the hospital.) He's going to need lots of care for a while and we're hoping for the best...
While there we were able to enjoy grandniece Gracie (14) and grandnephew Drew (17). They will be featured in the next blog.
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