Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Wed Mar 30
Today we visited the Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park a few miles west of Superior today. This is a 300 plus acre facility with botanical gardens containing over 3000 different cactus, desert plants and trees from the U.S. desert Southwest as well as desert regions of South America, Mexico and Australia.

Because Queen Creek flows through the park there are also riparian areas along the creek and around man-made Ayer lake.

Many bird species can also be seen and we saw a number of our beloved hummingbirds. There is a large Magma Ridge that the main trail circles and high cliffs along both sides of the creek that provide many scenic views.

Many cactus, plants and trees were in bloom but we are still a bit early for some of the cactus. We walked most of the trails for about four hours. Dad also walked the High Trail to end our visit while I waited at the visitor center due to sore toes and being just plain worn out.

Upon the return trip we drove to Florence and then up the Hunt Highway through the San Tan Valley and Queen Creek. We stopped at a Cold Stone Creamery on Signal Butte for a delicious treat before going home to soak up remaining sunshine and take a dip in the pool. It was a beautiful day with a high temperature of about 85 degrees. A record breaking 98 degrees is forecast for Friday.

Winding Down

Tue Mar 29
This morning we did house cleaning and then I worked some more on my painting. It is now finished. How does it look?

While I was painting, resting and reading Dad was making preparations for our departure in a few short days including some trip planning on the way to Carlsbad Caverns and from there toward home. We will be spending a few days visiting and helping the families in Utah before we get back to Inkom some time around the middle of April. While at Aunt Eula's birthday party last Sunday Dad's cousins Norman and Kathy lent us an album with a brief photo history of the Walker family made following a reunion at his Grandma Damron's home in Inkom in 1953 that was apparently made by his Aunt Adrienne Worth. Dad scanned a number of Walker family pictures and recorded geneological data on his Walker cousins that he had been seeking. I then shopped for a pair of shorts but I could not find the color I wanted in my size. Dad got a movie instead. Oh well, there's always next year:)

Hike to Hackberry Spring

Mon Mar 28
This morning we took a three-mile hike to Hackberry Spring. I was not at all excited about going but Dad insisted. It wasn't too bad after all. We took it at my pace and were hiking about three hours. Early on we scared a little rabbit in front of us and right after that a green snake with yellow stripes down it's sides slithered across the trail and it scared me good. Most of the trail was easy and scenic.

But a section up a narrow canyon along the stream bed had some rough going stretches.

The tiny stream flowing in First Water Creek along most of the hike provided different scenery than most prior hikes and was very refreshing.

The spring itself was tiny and flowed from a small "tank" at the base of a vertical canyon wall behind the trees and brush along the creek bed below.

The drive to the trail head was fairly close to home, just a short distance past the Lost Dutchman State Park where we have hiked before and where the Liljenquists and Gardners camped during their recent stay. Dad had his first encounter with cholla cactus pieces that had fallen to the ground while trying to get a picture of some pretty yellow flowers.

Fortunately they only stuck in his shoes but getting them and the spines they left out helped us realize how much pain they could cause in skin. I had learned to use a comb to remove the spines so that was what I suggested to Dad and it worked well. We finished the day soaking up a little sun at the pool followed by a swim.

More Goodbyes and a Happy Birthday

Sun Mar 27
We attended our last Sunday services at the Goldfield Ward today. It almost felt as we said goodbyes like we were leaving home since we have come to know and love many of these members, some of whom like us are snowbirds. To make it even more like home there is a man named David in the ward who is a much older version of our own David in the Skyline Ward in Inkom. Both are mentally challenged but they are the most friendly, innocent and spiritual persons you could ever imagine. We then sadly bid farewell to the Bramwells since they are leaving for home in Arkansas very early tomorrow morning. As a parting gift Gayle gave me a beautiful watercolor painting she created of a desert view of the Superstition Mountains. In the evening we drove to Mesa to Dad's cousins Norman and Kathy Walker's home where nearly all their family gathered for a pot luck dinner and an 88th birthday party for Dad's Aunt Eula. There was plenty of good food, cake and ice cream. Over thirty people were there, half of whom were their grandkids from newborn to fourteen years old. It was a lot of fun for a change to be in the midst of a bunch of energetic, laughing children. We visited with Aunt Eula, wished her happy birthday, said goodbyes to all and returned home.

Norman, Kathy and Norman's Mother, Aunt Eula

Farewell Get Together with Cousins

Sat Mar 26
This morning I went shopping with Gayle and Lois Sedgwick to the Signal Butte flea market and bought a skirt, a blouse and a jacket. We then went to Queen Creek to spend the day with Dad's cousins Milo, Ivan and Ruby, Ruby's daughter Alayne and her kids Curtis, Lindsay and Wendy. We first went to Serrano's Mexican Restaurant in Queen Creek for lunch.

We then went back to Milo and Ivan's home for several card games including a new game to us called Zigity that was quite fun.

L-R facing camera: Curtis, me, Milo, Alayne, Lindsay. Back to camera Ruby and Wendy

We also went outside for nine holes of desert golf on the course the Milo created on their property. Milo came in first at 32 followed by Dad at 36 and then myself at 37.

We had a lot of fun and then bid all farewell until next winter.

Tonto Natural Bridge

Fri Mar 25
Today we made a nearly 200-mile round trip to visit the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park near Payson north of here. It seems that all Arizona highways are a lot of up and down and winding but fun to travel. At one point we were over 7000 feet elevation and saw snow on the ground in the forest along the highway. The bridge is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world at 183 feet high, 400 feet long and 150 feet wide. Tiny Pine Creek runs underneath and waterfalls exist along the canyon wall above the bridge and fall from the middle of the lower edge of the bridge.


Waterfall from the Waterfall Trail Along the Canyon Wall

Waterfall From Lower Side Into Canyon from Under Bridge

Lower Side of Bridge from Above (Can you see the tiny waterfall and rainbow below?)

The bridge is located in a pine forested valley and the travertine nature of the bridge makes it very scenic. It is like an outdoor cave underneath the bridge.

Upper Side of Bridge from Above

Upper Side of Bridge from Above

Lower Side of Bridge from Below

Upper Side of Bridge from Below

Looking Out Lower Side from Under Bridge

We hiked a little under two miles but it took us two hours. The hike down in the bottom of the canyon along Pine Creek and under the bridge was quite an experience. There was really no trail but just a rock and boulder-strewn canyon bottom with small arrows painted or posted on a rock periodically to help guide hikers.

Pine Creek Along Hike

This is Along the Pine Creek "Trail"

Canyon Wall from Pine Creek Trail

Route Marker along Pine Creek Trail

It got especially interesting under the bridge where the falling water or just so much traffic made the rocks very slick. At one point Dad and another hiker helped me down a "slippery slide" section over a huge boulder along the canyon wall that, had I slipped I would have ended up in a pool below the rocks.

The Shiny "Slippery Slide" (upper background) on the Trail Under the Bridge

In the end it was a fun hike and I enjoyed it.

After the Hike

For the return trip we traveled to Camp Verde on Interstate 17 where we stopped at a DQ for a scrumptious dinner of a blueberry sundae. We finished the evening back in camp at the pool as usual to complete a very fun day.

Painting and the Arizona Opry

Thu Mar 24
This morning we took an eight and one-half mile bicycle ride that included the East end of Baseline road where we had a fairly unobstructed view of the beautiful Superstition Mountains.



The Superstition Mountains

The new handle bars on my bicyle that we did earlier were comfortable and looked much better than before.

Then I spent much of the day doing water color painting with Gayle helping me while Dad read a book.



Painting So Far (I May Add More)

 We watched the first half of the NCAA tournament sweet 16 BYU basketball game with Florida before heading for the Arizona Opry. At half time they were tied but when we got home we were disappointed to find that BYU had lost. At the Opry we were served a delicious beef roast and mashed potatoes dinner before the show. There were nearly 500 people there and the place was packed. The show was wonderful with a variety of country and oldies rock and roll music played and sung by some very talented musicians. One band member did a great job as a comedian with a series of one-liners that brought down the house with almost every one. George Staerkel was the primary performer. He played at least a dozen instruments including a one-of-a kind bat horn that was like a trumpet, a huge saxophone that weighs ninety pounds and is one of only four in existence, a one-inch long harmonica and many other unusual instruments from an incredible collection on display on stage. Many had belonged to famous musicians of the past. The one that fascinated Dad most was a tenor saxophone that once belonged to Boots Randolph and the one he played while recording his "Yakety Sax" album. Dad and his friend. Randy Rose, frequently listened to the songs from this album while cruising around in Randy's '67 Chevelle around the time I met him.


Part of Collection on Stage (Boot Randolph's is tenor sax on right of the two in the middle)

George Playing Ninety-Pound Monstor Saxophone



Performers on Stage