Saying "Good Bye"

We have been away from home since early November. Except for 2 weeks at Christmas, we have been in this wonderful RV park - Mesa Regal. We have enjoyed great fellowship and met many new friends while we have been here. Each activity we have been involved with has it's own group of people that we have come to know. We have enjoyed being involved here and have found it to be a friendly and accepting place - from hiking groups, aquafit, yoga, computer classes, street neighbors and just casual conversations in the coffee lines. Gradually the park has emptied out as already, two thirds of the winter residents have begun their journeys home. Going for a walk before bedtime has become a spooky affair - most of the park models are buttoned up, cars left behind have dust covers and great stretches of RV pads are vacant. This is the latest we have stayed in Arizona and now it is our time to leave. Over the past week we have said some more "Good byes" to friends as they took their leave.

 Jim and Judie Vander Galien are heading to Michigan. Though they are full timers, they will store their RV as they travel by car to Long Island to do Disaster Relief work for World Renew in the wake of super storm Sandie. We wish them well!
Other friends Art and Connie are leaving today and heading eventually to Canada to see the beauty of Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta and British Columbia

Dan Barb Bloem, though not at Mesa Regal, live nearby in their condo and have been friends for almost 40 years. They, too, have left Mesa to return to Michigan for the summer. We had lunch last week in Fountain Hills - just north of Mesa.

In the middle of the lake is the fountain that "erupts" every hour. We had expected to see this while we had lunch together - but, alas, for some reason the fountain was dry today.

    And now it is our turn - we are packed and almost ready to go. Though we are very ready to see our family again, we are reluctant to leave such a warm and welcoming place. But, though friends have scattered, we will see many of them next Fall when we return; and if they do not return to Mesa Regal, we will stay in touch with email. It has been a good season!

Canyon Lake Boat Tour

This is Canyon Lake from a vista point on Highway 88 - the Apache Trail. We have a reservation for the 2pm boat trip but will first stop at Tortilla Flat for lunch. Now it is a collection of old buildings that have a restaurant,ice cream bar and souvenirs.

But it was built over 100 years ago as a camp for the men that were building the road along the Salt River and constructing the Roosevelt Dam. When floods blocked access to the camp, they had to live on only flour and water - and made tortillas - until the water receded and they could be re-supplied.

The Dolly Steamboat takes three trips a day along Canyon Lake. The lake was formed with the building of  Mormon Flat Dam on the Salt River. Mormon immigrants had a small town of 400 people in the area where the dam was built but had left long before they flooded the canyon by damming the river.

The boat will go up this arm of the canyon.

On the top of this pinnacle of rock is an eagle's nest with two fledglings. 

 We spot three Big Horned Sheep on the steep hillside.

                                              Can you see the mastodon in this cliff face?

Pretty spectacular scenery!
The weather was perfect - clear azure blue skies as only Arizona with it's low humidity can have - and lovely warm breezes as we glide along the cliffs and admire an area that we can only get to by boat.
 A perfect afternoon as our time draws to a close here in Arizona.

Hiking Pass Mountain

This will be our last hike of the season. It is April 1st and it is getting warm (even hot by afternoon) and it is not pleasant to hike when it is 90F. Besides that, the snakes are out now that it is warmer and we are not anxious to meet up with a rattler on the path. Our leader, Bruce, will be heading home to  Illinois so that is another reason to be finishing until next season. But today we will hike this mountain. We begin in the parking area and will hike to the dip (or saddle) on the far right. We have to climb about 700'. Then we hike around the back side and descend the saddle on the far left with the 2 little jagged peaks. Round trip was 5.2 miles.

We are nearing the top of the first saddle - it has been uphill all the way and we are ready for a rest.

This is another reason to stop hiking in the hot weather - and for not being the hike leader! Sunning himself in the middle of the trail, is this Gila Monster! He slithers into the bushes and under a rock when he sees us and after carefully taking some pictures (using our zoom lens!!), we get out of his way. Gila Monsters are as poisonous as rattlesnakes - and we don't want to make him angry.

The trail gets pretty sparse on the backside of the mountain but there are cairns to mark the way - but also some false stone piles so we have to be careful.

At the edge of the second saddle, we stop for our snack break. In the distance, you can see Mesa and Apache Junction.

This is the trail that we will have to take down.

For last half mile, Bruce takes us down into a fairly deep wash - a dry stream bed that can gush with water when it rains but is dry most of the year. But the evidence of that rain is the lush shrubbery and flowering bushes - globe mallow, penstemon, chupa rose, and palo verde.

A Desert Garden

On Saturday, we drove about 35 miles east on Highway #60 to near Superior to see the Boyce Thompson Arboretum.  In 1923, Colonel William Boyce Thompson came to this area to oversee a copper mine that he had just purchased. Trying to escape the heat of the town, he began to build a winter  home in this valley near Picketpost Mountain. As the years went by, he added to his gardens while keeping it as natural as possible with pathways around the magma rock outcroppings and along Queen Creek.

Children's garden with flowers in all the colours of the rainbow.

Cactus garden looking toward Picketpost Mountain. The temperature got to 88F but there was a cloud overcast and a breeze so it was quite comfortable.
Humidity was only 9%!

Reflections on Ayers Lake - made by damming Queen Creek.

Well, indeed! We stayed back but further along the trail - at two different points, we saw rattlesnakes - one slithered into the grass in front of us and the other was just off the side of the path. This warm weather brings them out to sun and warm up on the rocks. We watch closely the sides of the trail as we are hiking.

The suspension bridge gives one an opportunity to hike along the High Trail or take the lower easier trail to the herb garden and the Australian area.
We chose the High Trail.

In a grove of eucalyptus trees, this is known as Mr Big. Planted as a sapling in 1928, the Red Gum eucalyptus  tree has grown to 8' around and 100' tall.

There was even a labyrinth nestled in the eucalyptus grove - a wonderful contemplative walk in a fragrant forest.

The wildflower garden

The aloe vera plant is blooming

 

 An arbour created by a huge Lady Bank's Rose plant - earlier this afternoon, there was a wedding here in the garden and the bride met her groom under the arbour!

Easter Sunday

                                                                He is Risen, indeed!
         Christ conquered sin and the grave and He lives now at the right hand of God the Father
                                                                     Hallelujah!

Memories

We are bringing home something special from the Arizona that we have come to love.  This hallway table is made of red sandstone and is highly polished and just reflects the colours that we love here in the southwest. We have also added a lovely picture of the red monolith named "Cathedral Rock" in Sedona to hang above the table in the hall of our new home in Oakville.

"Gotta Go"

 The end of March marks the time when many people are packing their RVs and their cars as they get ready to "hit the road". We have made friends, shared laughs, life stories and food together. We have helped each other out and become good friends. Since November, we have been next door neighbors and now it is time for George and Kathy to begin to travel again. As full time RVers,for 13 years,  their home is the RV and they now have travel plans to head east, visit friends and family, and explore where the road leads them. In May they will celebrate their 50th anniversary and we wish them well.

   Jack, Mary, George, Kathy, Judie and Jim as we say "Good Bye"and "Safe Travels". Perhaps we will see each other again in the Fall at Mesa Regal. You have all been a great group of friends!