Here you can see the Goldmine Mountain behind us as we started our climb.
This hike is nothing like the one we made together up Picacho Peak, but it did give us a workout. And we never stopped talking as we hiked.
Arizona has had an amazing amount of rain (for Arizona) so far this year. Everything is very green.
The reservoirs are nearly full, even before the snow starts to melt and flow down from the mountains in the north. And on the evening news we hear about fears of wildfires when the heat of summer arrives and all that greenery dries out. But it sure is beautiful now.
The wildflowers are just beginning to bloom. We saw some small yellow and lavender flowers. I took pictures, but they were fuzzy. This photo of an orange poppy came out pretty good.
Two years ago we saw thousands of poppies, maybe millions, in southern California. I blogged about them then. That fall when we were in Arizona, I was told Picacho Peak had been covered with them in the spring. Maybe we will see that in a few weeks.
It was spring break for at least some of the Arizona school districts last week, so a lot of other people were also hiking at San Tan Park. At one stop, a passing hiker offered to take a photo of all four of us. Don't we look hail and hearty?
You might think hiking is what keeps us all so slim and trim. Certainly not when we go to Pizza Hut and pig out on a pan pizza supreme. But it was a great end to a wonderful time with friends.
Earlier in the week we were outside the trailer talking to other volunteers when one of them spotted a yellow bird in a tree.
When John climbed up on the roof of our trailer to take pictures, it didn't fly away. That made us think it might be a parakeet that had escaped from a cage in someone's home, since it wasn't afraid of people. It did finally fly away, but not for over 15 or 20 minutes.
This Mourning Dove is resting on the arm of our awning. He (or she) seems very comfortable there. We have lots of them living around us.
I clicked on that link to your poppy preserve visit. How gorgeous! Nope, it sure didn't look like that the year I was there.
ReplyDeleteI have been catching up on your latest postings. I didn't realize I had missed so much.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you have had lots of rain there. We had a Winter drought here, not getting nearly as much snow as usual. It has continued with hardly any rain since it got warm enought to rain.
Hopefully, April showers will bring May flowers.
I admire your hiking. I know I could not do it. My older sister is going to Machu Picchu and is considering the 3 day hike to reach it. My brother and his wife are on their way to hike the Appalachian Trail, all 2,178 miles, finishing in September. I will settle for just enjoying their journal reports along the way.