Take a Hike- Part II

 Nearby Buckskin State Park was our destination one morning.  Our goal was hiking a different trail that started at the base of the park and continued on to the other side of the highway.  Two of us crossed the bridge and three stayed behind after climbing the one hill and finding a bench to sit on.  You'll find out who those 3 were as this post progresses. 😅😀.  

Don, Sandy, Doris and Jerry checked out the Buckskin Mountain Trailhead.  Yep, it was the same as it was the last time we were here 10 years ago.  Same mountain, same trail (although my legs could have sworn the steps were a bit steeper and the path rockier than last time).

This map shows the locations of both Buckskin and River Island State Parks.

Doris was the leader, with me behind her, then Sandy, Jerry and Don

Somehow Don managed to pass up Sandy and Jerry to claim his spot on the bench with Doris.

Isn't this a beautiful view?  These three decided to plant themselves here and wait for Doris and I to continue on.  They were happy to have made it to the bench.  Kudos to Sandy for doing this after going through knee replacement surgery last year.

Doris and I continued on even though I had forgotten my water bottle.  If you look closely, the bridge over the highway is in the middle of the picture, slightly to the right of the middle.  We had to go across the bridge to get to the rest of the trail.

Here was the view from the pedestrian bridge.

After many ups and downs, Doris and I had a nice view of the Colorado River on its journey south to Mexico.  Mobile homes and RV campgrounds line both sides of the river.  Beautiful to look and peaceful at this time of the year, but during Spring break and  summer the noise from all the boats would be next to unbearable.

It was a great morning for hiking.  However, we reached a point where we were running out of water and also out of Kleenex!  The cool air made our noses run and run.  My Kleenex were used, so were the ones that Doris had. If we had continued, I would have had to start using my shirt sleeves!  We both had a good laugh out of that, even though it was a bit disgusting!😂😂  I sniffled all the way back, but at least both of us had clean shirts.  

"This is for the Birds"

 How many times have you heard that expression?  The connotation "This is for the birds" usually comes with a negative experience or feeling.  However, this is NOT the case for this post.

Although I don't consider myself an avid bird watcher, I have enjoyed hearing their sweet songs and capturing them in photos.  For instance, the Vermillion Flycatcher is a tiny, petite bird that I have only seen in one area during our many years of traveling across the states.  Many years ago I saw one at Buckskin State Park, which is also situated along the Colorado River, a few miles from River Island State Park.  This year, there were numerous Vermillion Flycatchers flitting around our site.  Out came my camera with the long range lens.  Getting halfway close to these tiny birds was not an option.

By comparing the size of the grated grill to this small creature allows you to comprehend how diminutive it actually is.

Here is a further shot of the Flycatcher while it's perched on a Mesquite tree branch.

The other petite bird that caught my eye was the hummingbird that was flitting from blossom to blossom on the early blooming Palo Verde tree.  While it's not rare at all and we have them in our home garden, they are still fun to watch. A long range wasn't needed for these pictures, but I made sure the setting was set to "sports" so the camera would take dozens of shots within 30 seconds.

Whiners for Wine

 We had very few nice afternoons during this camping trip.  Most of the days were cool, cloudy and windy.    Doris had gotten small bottles of wine from different countries for Christmas and she graciously became the sommelier for our group as we sat in the warm afternoon sun. There was not one whiner amongst us! Only "wine-ers"!

"Just a little more, Doris!"

"What kind is this again?"

While the samples were being enjoyed, Don showed off the hat he got from Boyd Lake many years ago.  The cap allowed him to sleep outside while his fake eyes were wide open! Even though he was pretending to sleep he sure didn't miss out on any round of drinks.

Thank goodness for fresh air and wide open spaces, which allowed our small group to get together despite COVID.  

Havasu Havoc

After many days of camping and hiking, we decided to go to Lake Havasu for a short trip down the Colorado River and lunch.  As you can see, the day was a bit cool and windy.  Everyone was wearing long pants except Allen!  He loves shorts even more than Don does.

Round trip to the Casino on the California side and back again was a whole $2.00 each.  Roberta paid for all of our group which included Don's cousins Allen and Shelley, her husband Jim, Roberta, Doris, Sandy, Jerry, Don and me.  You can see part of the London Bridge in the background behind the ferry boat.

Jerry was busy taking some pictures while Sandy enjoyed the view.

I wonder what Doris and Berdie were discussing along the way.  Maybe they solved some of the world's problems during that short discussion. Believe me, it was hard to hear with the wind blowing and everyone having masks on.

Our destination point, the Havasu Landing Resort and Casino.  We all had to disembark so they could sanitize the seats once more.  Not one person in our group wanted to go inside the casino.  No one was interested in: 1) gambling or 2) going inside that building with COVID still around.

As the crew disinfected the ferry, we roamed around  and found this lone palm tree with a beautiful backdrop. There was a sign directly behind the tree, but I was able to align everything up just right so it was hidden behind the trunk.  Even on an overcast day, the turquoise waters and purple mountains showed off their beauty.

Sandy had to stop and make a quick call to someone in London after we got off the ferry.  I waited patiently in line for her, doing the obligated social distancing required.  I don't know if she ever got through....

Lunch was at the Blue Chair.  All of us wanted outdoor seating even though it was threatening to rain.  It was a bit cool but the outdoor heaters were right above our table, so that helped immensely.  The overhead tarps diffused the light rain as we ate.

All of our group ordered fish and chips. Yes, every single one of us!  Doris did end up teasing the waitress that she had gotten the wrong order when the basket was set in front of her.  

This was a great meal.  Fish was nice and crisp and the fries had garlic and parmesan seasoning.  Delicious!  I guess the flowers were edible, but all of us skipped that part.  Do flowers even qualify as a vegetable? After all, they are plant based.  Maybe if I asked a vegan I would be able to find out, but at this point in my life, I'm not about to give up being a carnivore.😀😆

Exploring Prescott

 So you think from the previous post we might have just spent the whole time on our duffs, eating, drinking and playing cards?  Nope!  We explored the area, visiting new places and going back to places we have been before.  Our reservation for the cottage was from Tuesday until Friday morning.  On Wednesday we drove up to Watson Lake, which is surrounded by huge boulders.  We found out that on Wednesdays, the entrance to the city park is free.  Music to our ears. 

As we hiked around the lake, we discovered we were in the middle of a disc golf course! Seriously! That was surprising since the terrain was quite rocky and the vegetation was difficult to get around at times. 

Jerry took the lead and helped us navigate between the mesquite branches as we tried to find an easier path.

One of the "traditions" for us ladies is to wear matching shirts. That way, if one of us gets lost, we know exactly what they are wearing!  LOL!  Doris had found these for us and we posed in the parking lot before we started out on the hike.

The next day we drove in a different direction to Goldwater Lake.  No matching shirts, but you could easily pick us out from far away.  Obviously, Jerry took the selfie of the five of us.

This was a much nicer lake to hike around, and there were quite a few people fishing and hiking. The fishing must be pretty good since there were quite a few people with several trout on their way to the frying pan.

Here are the two guys standing on the dock.  Nope, no matching shirts!

As we walked around the perimeter, I noticed this roundabout sign.  I thought it was pretty funny since it required the driver to go into the water before they could launch their boat or kayak!

It's the first time I've seen a roundabout like this!

There is never a dull moment when the 5 of us are together and always something to laugh about.  I can't remember what Doris and Sandy were chuckling about as I took their picture but I'm thankful to be married into this wonderful family.

On our way back, we came across two ladies on horseback.  One of them was riding a horse named Penny and the lady commented that she didn't know what the branding on the horse's flank meant.  Take a look.

Immediately, I thought of the 3 crosses on the hill at the crucifixion of Jesus.  No doubt in my mind.  Another reminder of God's love for us, even on the back end of an equine!💗

Perfect Prescott

 What do you do to escape the ongoing heat in Phoenix?  Take a short drive north to Prescott!  We did just that after renting a small cottage through Air B n B.  This cute tiny home perched on the hillside was built in 1927 and has been completely remodeled to include two bedrooms and two bathrooms.  Perfect for us and Doris (Don's sister).  Jerry and Sandy (Don's sister and brother-in-law) stayed in a nearby hotel each night.

There were 25 steps from the bottom where we parked our cars up to the porch.  Not too bad unless you were lugging up a cumbersome and heavy ice chest. It looks like Don is standing on the porch orchestrating the process of moving everything up and in!  But he  and Doris ended up with the heavy ice chest.  It had wheels but they sure didn't help much with all the cement steps.😔

The small and intimate living room was just roomy enough for all five of us to sit and relax and watch a movie.  Amazingly, the cottage had 3 flat screen TV's!  One in each bedroom and one in the living room.

The compact dining area was just big enough for 5 of us to play cards or use for dinner.  It was up one big step from the kitchen and had a low ceiling, which meant both Jerry and Don bumped their heads coming out.  I guess that is one great advantage to being short, since Sandy, Doris and I didn't have that problem.😂

  I think the kitchen was a bit larger than one of our bathrooms....and then again, maybe not!  But we

managed to prepare and cook our meals here non the less.  Cozy!  In 1927 this would probably have been considered very large and it made me wonder if it would have even had an icebox or a stove in in.  Maybe they heated the cabin with a wood stove, which they also used for cooking.  It would have been great to see what it looked like almost 100 years ago.

In addition there was even an outside grill, which we used for our evening meals, and a nice sitting area further up the hillside.

Yep, even more steps up from the back porch!

The Last Hurrah

 Our last weekend in Colorado included a quick trip to the small town of Castle Rock.  The old part of town has lovely old buildings and restaurants that individually owned.  Ken and Lisa first took us to Wild Blue Yonder, which had outside seating in the front, side and back yards.

They had beer (of course) and you can barely see Lisa's head behind the two dark beer glasses.

The best part for me was the fried cheese curds.  Bad for the diet, but wonderful for the taste buds!

We walked off some of the calories and headed towards Yolanda's Tacos for dinner, located near Festival Park. It turned out to be our last cool evening walk for many months.  I savored every moment.

I thought this was such a unique way to paint the crosswalk, I had to stop and take a picture.