Useful Usery

For Spring break this year, we decide to meet up with Jerry, Sandy and Doris at Usery Mountain Regional Park, just an hour's drive for us.  Doris had been here many times with Gary, but this was the first time for us to camp here.

 Kyla checked to see that Hailey was putting  up the tent correctly while Don and I busied ourselves with setting up the 5th wheel.

Some people might wonder why we'd go to the trouble of loading up the trailer and driving across town to camp when we could just stay home   Here, at the campground, it was quiet and peaceful.  There was no TV to distract us from  seeing  the Superstition Mountains turn purple and the sky into various shades of pink and lavender as the sun set in the west.  It's a time to slow down and smell the flowers, so to speak.

Kyla discovered that one of the fun things about camping is not having to use a fork to eat your pancake.  No table, no fork, no mess, and no plate to wash!

 Another great thing about camping in the desert is enjoying the amazing sunsets and listening to the coyotes howling.  The night I took this picture it was like God had lit a lantern in the western sky.

 Another camping plus: camp fires and S'mores!

 After a little cajoling, I was able to get Hailey and Kyla to stand still together so I could take their picture.

Camping doesn't mean that you only have hamburgers or hot dogs on the grill.  Hailey had a pre-dinner snack of two lobster tails!  We had promised her a lobster treat for playing well on her basketball team.

 Naturally, Delaney, Kyla and Jenny watched closely as Hailey dipped her lobster in the butter before she ate it.

 That same evening, friends of Jerry and Sandy came to visit.  We shared food and stories about our travels.

 Yes, we were camping out in the desert.  However, for the girls it did NOT mean they had to completely give up their phones or games.

Time to pack up.    This time, it was Hailey telling Kyla to keep rolling around on top of the tent to get it flat.

The last stop:   the dumping station!  Time for one last hug before we all head home.

Take a hike...

Usery has all sorts of trails.  Rough ones, ones that involve climbing over steep hillsides, short ones and lots of desert trails of various lengths.  It was time for us to check out some of these while we were camping here. I've been told to "take a hike" lots of times, but it didn't necessarily mean that exact thing.  Anyway, I digress.  Back to my blog about hiking trails at Usery.

Here is our group, ready for Buckhorn Campground Nature Trail.  All of us had eaten a nice breakfast, it was warm and sunny, and there was nary a complaint from the younger generation.  Doris was the narrator for this hike, reading the pamphlet information as we reached each point in the brochure.

 Looks like Jerry, Delaney and Kyla had taken the wrong path and had to circle back.

 This spring there had been enough rain for the local Ocotillos.  They were sporting green leaves on their stalks and red blossoms on their tips.

The next morning, it was just Doris and I with the girls.  We decided to take the trail that wound up by the Nature Center.

 I had Delaney stop by the Teddy Bear Cholla, warning her to stay away from all the little pieces of cholla that were on the ground.  You never, ever want to come into contact with any type of Cholla cactus.  Trust me, I know from experience!

If this were a painting, I think I'd call it "Kyla's Kactus Kontemplation".  Did you notice her shorts and cowboy boot combination?  She had gotten a new pair of riding boots a few days before, and wore the boots almost the whole time we were camping.

Hailey and Delaney found a nice bench to sit on near the end of our hike. Why do kids feet tire so easily when you take them out like this, but they can walk in a mall for hours???

 Hike Number Three

I thought we were all ready to get out on the trail, but Don is still goofing off and Sandy is talking on the phone.  Time to go!

 We headed up the side of the small mountain to get to the Merkle Trail, all the while watching out for cactus plants and rattlesnakes.

 At one junction, the girls decided to take the Vista trail, which ran up and over the small hill.  I was surprised to hear that Don volunteered to stay behind them just to make sure they would be okay.  His one knee bothers him when he climbs up steps or, in this case, climbing up on rocks.

 Sandy spotted the girls and was waving to them as we walked along the flat gravel Merkle Trail that encircled the hill.

 When Don and I were here about 5 years ago, this trail was covered with wildflowers.  Unfortunately, the winter this year was warm and there was hardly any precipitation.  There may have been a lack of wildflower color, but we didn't have to worry about shoveling snow or dealing with freezing temperatures for months on end. I can deal with this a lot easier than sleet, snow and black ice.

Usery Nature Center

We discovered that Usery had a lot of things to do while we were there.  You can hike along the many trails that meander around the desert, or you can take ranger led tours to learn more about the Sonoran Desert , the saguaros or bird watching.  They even sponsor a program for home schooled children called "Cow Eyeball Dissections".  Definitely not for me or anyone who is squeamish.

On Tuesday morning the adults decided that we'd all ride our bikes to the Nature Center.  We have learned how to get the girls away from their phones/Ipads by simply stating:  "We are going to hike/ride/walk/ etc."  You never give them an option by saying, "Do you want to ....".  We may be old, but some aspects of dealing with teenagers and pre-teens are still the same as when our children were that age.

Don and Hailey are ready, and I think Delaney (Doris' granddaughter) has a definite idea on the way she thinks we should go.

There were no cars behind us, thank goodness.  Our group was hogging the road inside the park!

As soon as we got inside the Nature Center, we were greeted by Kona, who belongs to one of the park rangers.  It seems she went over to one of the lower shelves and picked out her own stuffed raccoon!  She went from one person to another, wagging her tail and never letting go of her new toy.  She was an instant hit with the 3 girls.

Time to head back to our campsite.  Hopefully, no creepy crawlers will be there to greet us when we get back!  The girls and Don did see a snake near the restrooms, but it was a non-poisonous one, for which I am eternally thankful.