Simply Belle

It has been raining and snowing here lately so the desert is getting all the moisture to green up and bloom out the wildflowers. I haven’t seen it that lush green for a while. The soil is soft and moist. The four of us, E, R, my husband and I went for a hike hoping to stumble across one of the Indian ruins. We wandered around the desert for some time, cutting through barbwire fences often. We probably covered 3 miles but over some tough terrains. It was just what I needed as I haven’t been working out lately. Finally, after going around in circles for several times, we spotted the ruins.

The Jumping Cholla cactus

The reason why it is called Jumping Cholla is because the minute you brush by it, the pin cushions jump out and the quills jab you. My friend R was once a victim of this when he took a nasty tumble on the cholla while on a hunting trip. He took off his pants and religiously removed each pin off his body. Imagine being half naked in the middle of the desert? It is a good thing that he always carry a needle nose plier with him when he goes on a hunting escapade.

These are the indian ruins- dwellings from many many years ago, that we were looking for, while on a hike.

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Look what we had to go through yesterday just so we could be with our daughter, Lexi, on her 19th birthday.

Pretty nasty huh? We were not aware of such road condition until we were mid-way through. Weather forecast called for rain and wind so my husband and I took a chance just for the love of a daughter. We thought we were not going to make it back. Although, if push comes to shove, we can always stay overnight in Lexi’s dorm because she has an extra bed.

My husband couldn’t hold still while we were shopping for clothes. He wanted to head back home before the snow turned into ice. He knows how treacherous it is to drive on an icy road. We left Flagstaff at 5 PM and drove home via a different route – a much longer but safer route. We didn’t get home until 7:30 PM. We were so exhausted!

The birthday girl, Lexi (wearing red blouse) and her friend on our way to an early dinner.

Anyway, the following morning I woke up to a big surprise when I looked through the window. The snow must have followed us all the way home. And I had to go to work and be on the road for at least 6 hours. Ahhh, this is what I call the downside of my job. Lucky were those who got to stay indoor and sipped a tea by a cozy fireplace.

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A week ago, we had an excursion at Walnut Canyon with my daughters. It was our first ever visit here. The Walnut Canyon is located about 10 miles southeast of Flagstaff. The canyon rim is at 6,690 feet; the canyon floor at 350 ft lower. A 0.9 mile long loop trail descends quite a ways down into the canyon passing the cliff dwellings.

The exposed canyon rocks have eroded over time creating shallow caves. During the 12th or 13th centuries, the Sinagua Indians spotted this area, constructed cliff dwellings, and lived here for several centuries.

Because of the presence of water, this place was rich in flora and fauna- perfect place for farming community. Though, now, the walnut creek as you can see in the picture is dry because it is held back in Lake Mary which provides water for the city of Flagstaff. The creek rarely ever flows anymore except when it rains hard.

Can you see those shallow caves along the cliffs? The Sinagua people built a single-story cliff dwellings there from about 12th century AD.

Cliff dwellings up close.

No excavation was needed to build this shelter as nature provided the back wall, floor, and leak-proof ceiling. All the builders did was simply laid up the unshaped blocks of limestones for side walls, enclosed the front, leaving a teeny weeny doorway to the canyon. (I presume that Sinagua people were as small as I or even smaller judging from the size of the door.)

Overhanging ledges protected their rooms from snow and rain, and shaded them during hot summer days. Thick walls of stone and mud insulated their dwellings from harsh winter weather and retained the much needed heat in the cold winter days.

Not much left in this dwelling after such a long time or someone could have ruined this on purpose long time ago, looking for artifacts. Now, visitors are only allowed to take pictures.

This is how the rocks look like before walls are erected.

In response to Annamanila’s question as to why it’s called Walnut Canyon, I added this photo.

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In our neck of the woods, persimmon trees are unknown, as well as figs. But, that doesn’t stop my husband from planting them despite the warnings of the experts that they wouldn’t grow here. He is stubborn, you know, but in a good way. He likes planting fruits trees. Every place we moved in, the first thing he did was surround our yard with fruit trees. I asked him why, he doesn’t have an answer. He simply likes to do it. If he likes a certain variety of tree and our nursery doesn’tcarry it, he doesn’t mind traveling 90 miles just to get that tree. No one could stop him. On our trip to Seattle last year, he was so adamant on visiting a nursery out in the woods that he thought carry the best variety of fig tree. The kids and I had to go along with him because his mind was already made up and there was nothing we could do to stop him. It took us forever to get there. I had been hinting him to turn around as we had traveled quite a ways already and had been driving in circles, still there was no nursery in sight. But, he wouldn’t give up until he found the place, and he did.

Three years ago, my husband stopped at our local nursery to get a fig tree but they were all out. He happened to notice persimmon trees. Since we enjoy persimmon fruits immensely, he bought two trees. He planted them both – one survived and the other died. He went back to the nursery one day for something else, and also inquired about the persimmon tree. The guy said that the trees that my husband bought were sent to his yard by mistake because they don’t thrive in our area as it freezes here during winter.

So, the next spring, a bunch of shoots came up from the roots of presumably dead tree. He it let grow as a bush instead of a tree. He watered it regularly. Last year, it had few fruits on it but nothing to be thrilled about. But this year, it was loaded and so was the other one that remained as a tree. Recently, we noticed that the other persimmon tree looks like it is going die although there are some shoots coming out from below – exactly what happened with the tree below. Probably, next year it will grow up as a bush when the main tree dies. From this experience, we learned that trees which prefer the mild Mediterranean climate like figs and persimmons survive as bushes in our type of climate while apple, pear, and peach trees do fine in the form of a tree.

My husband – an avid orchardist

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When my husband went to Oak Creek Canyon, we briefly passed through Sedona. I wanted to take time to take photos of the awesome red rocks which the town is famous for, but we were under time constraints that day so I took half of these pictures from inside the car.

Sedona is about 80 miles from home. It is an expensive place to live. Jane Russell, a retired movie actress, was the one who made this place popular when she moved here permanently after her retirement.

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As I was pulling into the driveway, coming from work, I chanced upon a bird on top of the pine tree. I knew it wasn’t a common bird that I normally see in my yard. It was a bird of prey. My husband has been wanting a photo of a hawk for a long time but we can never get close enough to get a good shot.

I parked the car hurriedly in the garage since these chances don’t last long. I left my belongings in the car, went inside, ignored mango’s squawking for attention, and headed directly to the bedroom where the camera was. I quickly slapped on the 300 zoom lens as it was impossible to get close to the hawk, and I immediately took off–exiting through the garage. Huh! The hawk disappeared! He must have heard/known that I was coming to photo shoot him. I was utterly disappointed!

A few minutes later, my husband and I went for a walk in the Green Valley park. I suggested that we take the camera just in case we see something interesting worth taking on our walk. At first, he was against the idea, but somehow, I managed to convince him. As we were pulling out of the driveway, the hawk returned to his post. It was a good thing my camera was ready and loaded. I went out of the car and gingerly walk closer to the hawk. I wasn’t sure how far he would allow me to approach him. I took several shots as if they were my only chance. I walked closer and closer and closer. And miraculously, he was still allowing me to snap pictures despite of my proximity. I was never that close to a hawk before. I was so keyed up but tried to maintain my composure. My husband was watching inside the car, from afar, and holding his breath. Finally, the hawk has had enough of me and flew away.

Then, we drove to the park to take our afternoon walk. The park is only a mile away from home. I was very much looking forward to seeing the igret that frequents the lake every afternoon. I didn’t mind hauling the heavy camera at all. Lo and behold, I saw a white silhouette from a distance. It was an igret! How lucky could I get? It looked like he sensed I was coming to take photos of him. I was very cautious in approaching–trying to avoid any sudden movements. Fortunately, he allowed me to get close enough to photograph him. I was awed by his beauty and elegance. Indeed, today is my lucky day.

And not far from the igret, posed the blue heron, almost invisible because of his camouflage. My husband spotted him first. I crossed the road and slowly walked close enough to be able to take decent pictures. I could tell he didn’t approve of me getting close. The closer I got, the farther he went away. I was lucky enough that he allowed me to take a couple of shots.

My husband took a picture of these wild geese. Soon, they will disappear and move towards south where the weather is warmer.

At the end of our walk, we were saluted with this fiery sunset.

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This morning, my husband and I went for a drive to Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona to catch some awesome fall colors. The drive took about 1 1/2 hours from home. This is the time of the year when fall foliage has reached its peak so we didn’t want to miss it. We took the scenic drive through Oak Creek Canyon. The contrast of the oak turning colors and the awesome red rocks against the evergreen pine trees was extraordinary. Too bad, we were in a hurry as we had to meet Lexi at the university at 3:30 PM. But, we plan on going back there again around Thanksgiving to finish what we missed.

Sharing with you these pictures:

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Last Sunday, my husband and I went to Tonto Natural Bridge, a half an hour drive from home to take some pictures. This was also a chance for us to get a good hike because the bridge is quite a drop off from the top. The drive down was very enjoyable with occasional stops to relish the sight and and capture some pictures. We even saw a couple of deer.

First, I would like to give a brief history of Tonto Natural Bridge. Many years ago, in the mid 1800, an American white, named David Gowan Godfellow stumbled in this area while being chased by Apache Indians. He hid in one of the caves for two nights and three days. The Apaches lost him and gave up a chase. On the third day, Gowan resurfaced and explored the area and eventually claimed rights on the territory.

He then persuaded his family from Scotland to live in this place permanently. Of course, why wouldn’t he love this place? It saved his life from the Apaches. Also, it is a beautiful place, tucked away in the tiny valley surrounded by a forest of pine trees. It has two nice springs that create two separate beautiful waterfalls. The bridge is believed to be the largest travertine in the world. The bridge stands 183 feet high over a 400-foot long tunnel that measures 150 feet at its widest point.

I didn’t get a good shot of the deer as they were too shy.

Waterfalls

Tunnel

Tonto Natural Bridge

Lodge that has been restored periodically and is filled with Gowan/Godfellow family heirlooms.

Stalactites under and along the ledges of the travertine leading to the cave.

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We planned to leave early for this trip but for some reason, we didn’t get out until 9 AM. Then, after we drove for about a mile or so, my husband realized that we didn’t have the blankets, quilt, and pillows so we looked for a place to safely turn around on the freeway and headed back home. I was so busy packing food and other stuff, I totally forgot the beddings, too. He suggested that we buy them in Wal-Mart, instead of driving back home, but I didn’t fall for his idea as it could add up. It was a good thing because not only did we forget the beddings, he forgot his wallet, too. Could you imagine going on a camping trip without your wallet and your driver’s license? That meant I would have to drive the car the whole trip or he would have to drive carefully to avoid getting pulled over by a cop. Anyway, glad we came back although we wasted quite a bit of time.

After a series of bathroom, shopping, meal, and photography stops, we arrived at the camping site at 4 PM. It was a little too late to take pictures as the sun was going down already. It gets dark there quickly because of the mountains. But we took some pictures of the view on the way in. My husband immediately got situated by looking for the best camping site before it turned dark.

Here are some pictures of the camping site:

I didn’t waste time either fixing our dinner. I cooked salmon, and heated up chicken adobo and pansit that we brought from home. Mango had to come, too, because we didn’t think it was safe for him to be home alone for 3 days.

See how quickly he found a spot inside the car to perch on? He didn’t want to stay in the cage when we were traveling. Here, we were heading to a Mexican border called Agua Prieta to do some shopping–and at the same time, a chance at improving my spanish skills. We parked on the US side, which is Douglas, AZ., and crossed the border. We didn’t want to get tangled in the traffic there which we found out later was at least an hour wait for the cars to get through the border. Didn’t we do the smartest thing? We looked for the pharmacy, and there were several of them. We chose the one that this english speaking woman recommended in exchange for a dollar. She said she needed help for her medication so my husband unhesitantly gave her a dollar.

Conversation inside the pharmacy:

Me: Hola!

Lady: Hola!

Me: Tienes medicina como esta? (Do you have medicine like this)

Lady: Si!

Me: Cuanto cuesta cada pedazo? (how much does it cost per item?)

Lady: 5 american dolares!

Me: muy caro! (expensive), si compro 10 pedazos , no marka?(if i buy 10 pieces, no discount?)

Lady: No!

Me: Hay otros lugares que venden esta misma medicina? (are there any places selling this same medicine?)

Lady: Si, pero los precious son el mismo. (the prices are the same.)

Me: si, compro 20 pedasos, me darias un descuento? (if i buy 20 pieces, would you give me a discount?)

Lady: No! pero cada Lunes, tenemos 25% descuento. (no! but every monday, we have 25% discount.) We were there Saturday.

Me: okay, dame 20 pedasos y tienes el bano? (okay, give me 20 pieces and do you have a bathroom? )

Lady: No bano!

Me: sabes un bano que podemos usar? (do you know of any bathroom that we can use?)

Lady: Si!

She directed us somewhere inside a certain restaurant which required some left and right turns on a busy street so we bagged it and decided to cross back to the border– to the US . My husband, who has absolutely no knowledge of spanish, by the way, was impressed with my spanish. “How do you know I was saying the right thing,” I asked him. He said, he was looking at the girl and she didn’t look confused at all and understood at what I was trying to say.

On our second day of our camping trip, we stayed under the spread of the sycamore trees. We owned the place to ourselves for the night. I quickly started the fire because the fire pit and woods were already available — leftover from old campers, possibly. We had enough woods to last us through bedtime. Don’t you just love the sight of the camping fire? I do!

Cozy place, huh? Mango was inside the car as he was complaining about the fire smoke. We went to bed at 9 PM because we ran out of things to do, besides it was getting chilly. My husband extinguished the fire before bedtime– a smart thing to do. I was a little bit scared not of the invisible things but of the wayward people that might harm us. I had the flashlight next to me, just in case. I constantly peeked through the window making sure that there was no one lurking around. At around midnight, I heard soft knocks and so did my husband. I sit up promptly trying to decipher where it was coming from. The noise quit. Then I would lie down and it would start again. I would sit up and the noise would disappear. Weird! I looked through the window watching for animals or anything. Nothing! My husband was not bothered at all and was sleeping soundly. He told me earlier that the noise could be from the car cooling off the engine or from the air mattress. Whatever!

I got tired of sitting up that I finally went to bed. I slept through until early in the morning when my husband couldn’t sleep anymore because he felt he had enough sleep already. He got up, turned on the lantern, and heated up some water for tea. While sipping a hot cup of tea, we put away our camping stuff to get an early start. We left the camping site at 5:30 AM heading to Tucson.

Our next destination was Sierra Vista where we used to live. My daughter Lexi asked me to stop by at our old house and take pictures. Evidently, she misses the house and its surroundings.

My husband built that shed behind the tree.

Our next destination was Phoenix to do some oriental grocery shopping and to eat at our favorite restaurant and then we drove home.

Stand by for our next camping trip to Puerta Penasca.

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“Wilderness is where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, and where man himself is only a visitor who does not remain.”The Wilderness Act 1964

I had another fun long weekend at the Chiricahua National Monument. Reason why I haven’t updated my blog for over a week now. The place we went, is a very beautiful place of spectacular rock formations–dramatic pinnacles, stone columns, balanced rocks, which were formed by a volcanic eruption that took place 10 to 15 million years ago. In 1976, the United Congress designated 9,440 acres of Chiricahua Monument as “Class 1, pristine wilderness.”

The forces that sculpted these rocks are still in progress. Heating, cooling, and freezing and thawing constantly change the rock formation, even as we were watching it. Like a grain of sand washes down in the rain, dissolving minerals and washing away softer portion of the rocks. These tiny changes add up over the years. And eventually, perhaps 10 million years from now, the forces will wear out the mountains and this whole thing will just be nothing but a memory.

This is called “Balanced Rock,” a perfect nature’s work of art. Someday, due to some forces, this rock might fall off.

This was taken right after we got up to catch the sunrise but didn’t quite make it there.

I was actually scared driving below these pinnacles, and towers because they look like they could easily fall off like one of the pinnacles in the picture. I wonder what has kept it from falling down?

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