Arizona – Page 3 – Paint Your Landscape

This Nomadic Life ~ The People You Meet

February 13, 2013LuAnn

I have a little secret to share. I am an introvert, and being such, I was more than a little nervous about plunging into this RVing lifestyle. Who would we meet? Would I have anything in common with them? When I was firmly ensconced in my career, few saw me as an introvert. I knew my stuff and felt totally comfortable standing up in front of a large group of people, giving presentations. Doesn’t sound much like an introvert, right? This new adventure was taking me out of my comfort zone so I wondered if I might retreat back into my little shell, much like a hermit crab when you pick him up.

Who is that with Terry? Hard to tell with my blurry photo!

I have been pleasantly surprised by the wonderful folks we’ve met in the past 1.5 years on the road. What I have discovered, and should have known had I stopped to think for five minutes, is that we all share the travel bug. We all have a passion for seeing this beautiful country, the good old USA, her exciting cities and all their variety, soaring mountains, stunning desert vistas, rugged coastline, national monuments and parks… so much to offer. A passion for nature weaves a common thread through each of us, so I no longer wonder when we pull into a new campground. I feel certain that we will meet interesting people with whom we can forge that connection, even with just a passing greeting.

When we booked our reservation into Cave Creek Regional Park, what I did not know was that a couple from Colorado, whose blog I follow, Live Laugh RV, would be parked right next door, a little serendipitous for sure. We have had the opportunity to enjoy a meal at the Buffalo Chip Saloon (cause we are in the Wild West you know) and a few hours around the campfire with Ingrid and Al, swapping stories of where we had been and where we are headed.

This RV lifestyle, once approached with trepidation, I now look upon as a grand adventure, in awe of the jaw-dropping beauty around every corner and thankful for the great folks who have provided such color and texture along the way.

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Desert Hikes and RVing Friends ~ Cave Creek, AZ

February 8, 2013February 8, 2013LuAnn

dancing saguaro

Soft breeze, deep blue sky

desert delight round the bend

Saguaros dancing!

When I rounded the corner on the Spur Cross Trail, this saguaro, with his arms extended, looked to be dancing. He didn’t seem to have a dance partner at the time and, given his prickly nature, I wasn’t about to oblige him either.

We have enjoyed a few hikes now while hangin’ out in the burbs north of Phoenix, taking advantage of these warm winter days. Spur Cross Trail is one of many in what is the newest addition to Maricopa County’s Regional Parks system, Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area. A moderate hike at 5.2 miles; link up Elephant Mountain Trail with this and you have a nice 7.5 mile trek. We chose to just gaze at Elephant Mountain on this day as I was looking forward to another 7.5 miler the next day with the gals, friend Nina and her most precious pooch Polly.

Saguaros against a cerulean blue sky

Harmony Hollow Ranch at the base of Elephant Mountain

Barrel cactus up-close and personal

What a day for a hike!

Surrounded by sauaros

Mother Nature’s changing hues

Hiking destination for the girls’ outing was Pass Mountain Trail in Usery Mountain Regional Park. Terry and I had done this hike last year so there was zero risk of me being found wandering aimlessly in the desert. I do have quite the reputation for having a pitiful sense of direction, which I will not even attempt to deny. This trail offers sweeping desert vistas, mountain views, and saguaros dotting the landscape, a most enjoyable way for Nina and I to catch up on the adventures we each have had over the past few months.

Polly and Nina at Pass Mtn

An old soldier

Me giving a little perspective

Four Peaks off in the distance

Golden desert sunset

Spring’s arrival in the desert

Meeting other RVers is always an enjoyable part of this lifestyle. What we didn’t know when we booked our reservation at Cave Creek Regional Park was that we would have the opportunity to meet another nomadic couple and they would be camped right next to us! Stay tuned for my next post when I introduce you to our new RV friends.

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The Sounds of Silence ~ Cave Creek Regional Park, AZ

February 3, 2013LuAnn

We have seen some fabulous country since we began this nomadic RV adventure and many times we find ourselves asking “could we live here”? The west is where we feel the greatest pull, from the sandy beaches in So Cal, to the mountains in the Eastern Sierras, to the rugged Oregon coastline, we seemed to fall in love with the land around every turn.

Driving across the deserts of Arizona, looking out over the layers of craggy peaks, spiky cacti and the vast open spaces, I felt a strange pull, oddly comforted, like I had come home. Having lived in Arizona for 20+ years I wondered, when we leave an area we have loved, does a little piece of our soul remain, to be reconnected with us upon our return? This is exactly how I felt. Looking across the great expanse of desert, I felt I could hear the whispers of our native ancestors welcoming me back. The hawks circling overhead seemed to be guiding us towards our destination, Cave Creek Regional Park.

Barrel cactus with its menacing fish-hook needles

Stately saguaro, home to the cactus wren

I could hardly wait for the next morning’s sunrise, wondering how I would feel as I walked alone in the desert. Out the door before the break of dawn, complete silence enveloped me, the air punctuated only by the trilling of songbirds and the distinctive sound of the desert quail, which will forever remind me of our home in Sedona. Bunnies merrily chased one another and the stately saguaro, barrel, teddy-bear, and ocotillo cacti seemed to quietly nod their welcome as I passed by. The scent of desert sage wafted over me as I inhaled deeply. In the early morning splendor of the desert, all manner of creature was awakening for the day. I walked back to the RV, a deep sense of contentment filling me, as the thought of sunny days hiking deep into the desert mountains filled my thoughts.

A desert awakening at Cave Creek Regional Park

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Reflecting Back on 2012

December 29, 2012LuAnn

This year is quickly coming to an end and what a whirlwind of a year it has been for us! We were blessed with a myriad of new adventures, visits with family and friends, and had a few setbacks along the way, just to keep things real. Our year has been chock-full of travel (just what we nomads need to feed our souls) and our landscape has been painted in broad brushstrokes of colors and textures, by way of deserts, mountains, a nice mix of big cities and cool little towns and jaw-droppingly gorgeous coastline. Biking, hiking, kayaking and long strolls on the beach have filled our days and allowed spirits to take flight.

Our wandering took us through the western part of the US, where we feel the most fulfilled and the flames of our passions were brightly fanned. A medical concern for Terry early in the year diverted us away from plans to re-visit Yellowstone National Park but we were able to hike through several other national parks in lieu of the granddaddy of them all. A trip back to the midwest to visit family rounded out the mix for us, making for a most rewarding year.

We began our year in Arizona, where we spent many of our working years, then continued on to Southern California, camphosting at San Elijo State Beach for several months, into Northern California, then lazily making our way up the Oregon coast, which was beyond breathtaking. We crossed over into the state of Washington to take a peek at Mount St. Helens, and on the way back down south spent a few days in Nevada. As we continued south we drove highway 395 in California (amazing), stopping to revel in the beauty of the Eastern Sierras, searching for ghost towns and Methuselah. We met up with friends who introduced us to boondocking and when the fiery reds and golden glow of fall moved into the pronounced chill of winter, we came full-circle and returned to San Elijo State Beach, where we will stay until the end of January. It was so good to hook up with friends we had previously met on the road and wonderful to meet a few new folks.

I’ve had my camera by my side almost every step of the way so I thought I would provide a glimpse of some of the beauty we have seen along the way. If you have never been, hopefully you will be inspired to check out the breathtaking vistas of the Wild West. Enjoy!

Breathtaking So Cal sunset

Tidepool starfish ~ So Cal

Giant sequoia ~ Kings Canyon NP, CA

Stunning red rocks ~ Sedona, AZ

Kayaking Sahuaro Lake ~ Mesa, AZ

Santa Catalina Mtn hike ~ Tucson, AZ

Bell tower ~ San Juan Capistrano Mission, CA

Desert sculpture ~ Anza Borrego State Park, CA

Rattlesnake ~ Sequoia NP, CA

Stunning vista ~ Yosemite NP, CA

Golden Gate Bridge ~ San Francisco, CA

Fern Canyon ~ Redwoods NP, CA

Toby’s Market ~ Pt. Reyes Station, CA

Bandon beach ~ OR coast

Mosby Creek covered bridge ~ OR

Art Deco bridge ~ Florence, OR

Cape Foulweather ~ OR coast

Mount St Helens ~ WA

Washoe Lake SP ~ NV

Virginia Lakes hike ~ Eastern Sierras, CA

Petroglyphs ~ Eastern Sierras, CA

Ghost town church ~ Bodie, CA

Wipeout ~ Swami Beach, Encinitas, CA

Brown pelicans over San Elijo beach ~ So Cal

Cape Blanco lighthouse ~ OR coast

Crater Lake NP, OR

Trinidad Bay harbor seals ~ CA coast

Mono Lake Tufa Towers ~ CA

Mobius Arch ~ Alabama Hills, CA

Ancient Bristlecone Forest ~ White Mtns, CA

Rugged OR coastline

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Meditation and a Hike

January 27, 2012April 8, 2012LuAnn

For many, hiking is a form of meditation, getting in touch with nature. This is certainly true for Terry, and I love hiking myself, but I need a little more. That is what took me to the Tucson Community Meditation Center last night. It came highly recommended to me by our friend Kevin. A 30-minute Q&A, followed by a 45-minute sit and a Dharma talk about how to merge tranquility into your meditation practice rounded out the evening.

The speaker for the evening was Upasaka Culadasa, a lay-practitioner who has practiced Buddhist meditation for 35 years and is now devoted to helping students master meditation skills. It was a very welcoming group that I spent the evening with and I felt blessed to have had the opportunity to sit in the presence of this revered teacher. What I didn’t realize until this morning is how much his talk on serenity spoke to me.

You see, for the most part, I tend to see myself as a tranquil person but I have discovered that I have been anything but serene for the past week or so. What I have been is restless, with a somewhat uneasy feeling about me and not quite sure why. I think I may have gotten to the crux of the matter.

When I retired and started this blog, it was with the intent of keeping family and friends informed of our travels throughout Mexico, but also with the thought that I would now have time to pursue my spirituality and write with a more philosophical bent as well. After all, the front page of my blog does say a ‘Journey of Self-Discovery and Adventure” and in my post on Ringing in 2012 I said to be true to yourself, so I guess it is time I do just that.

I enjoy writing about our travels and will continue to do so, as I want to share another great hike we did today in the Santa Catalina Mountains, for those who might like hiking and find themselves in the Tucson area. Hopefully my occasional philosophical musings will not scare anyone off but if you think they might, hit the back button and get out while you can! Otherwise, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The Santa Catalinas are so beautiful and so vast that we decided to do the Pima Canyon Trail, on the other side of the mountain. We completed 8 of the 14 miles of this trail before turning back, and with an elevation gain just shy of 2000 feet, we said “good enough”. Truthfully the literature warns that once beyond the 3-mile mark, the trail becomes noticeably more rugged and steep. For me that means treacherous on the way down. We did a lot of boulder-hopping after the 3-mile mark as well and had to stay alert to make sure we did not make a wrong turn, as the trail was not well-defined beyond this point.

I mastered the descent down the mountain, well almost. We always carry a first-aid kit with us, mostly for the benefit of Terry, as the standing joke is that he seems to take any opportunity he can to injure himself in some way. But today, this first-aid kit was to be all mine. I got through the worst of the loose, steep descent, stepped onto a granite boulder, and slid down the other side, whacking my forearm on the way down. I hit my funny bone (can someone remind me why they call it that?) and drew just enough blood to invoke sympathy from Terry, as he rounded the corner to see me laid out. Thank goodness for an ice pack in our lunch sack, to reduce the knots that began to appear on my arm. After a few minutes of easing the light-headedness I was feeling from where I hit the nerve in my elbow and my embarrassment, we were on our way once more.

Except for my minor mishap today, with enough trails under my belt, I think Terry may just make a hiker out of me after all. Now, if he could just teach me how to pee in the wilderness without getting my boots wet! Not happenin’.