Hiking in the muck

We are in monsoon season in Arizona.  We didn't really realize this because last summer (our first) there were no rains.

This year has made up for it.  Lots of hard rains.

We have been fortunate on our anniversary trip that the rains have come in the late afternoons and evenings.  Last night there was a lot of thunder.

For our hike today, we went up toward the rim, to catch some more of the Arizona Hiking Trail.

We parked the car and started out.  

(if you define "started out" as climbing 500 feet in the first mile).

 

 

But then we got to the top.  YAY!!!!

......except it was a muddy mess.  The trail had running water, there was mud everywhere, and sometimes we couldn't even go off trail to find a place to get through.   

 

So we slogged on up until we could see the vista.  It was really something:

The other interesting feature of today was the wildlife.  On our way out of "town" we saw a herd of elk, just meandering through the neighborhood.

We also saw an elk on our hike, plus a horny toad:

and a vulture which landed right next to us:

Boy were we a mess when we got home. We didn't hike far, because of the first mile's elevation gain and because it was so hard to hike through mud, but it was a nice hike nevertheless.  We will return and hike this trail another day when the ground is dry.  There is abundant wildlife and much beauty on this high plateau.

Hiking to the rim

Today we hiked to the rim of the Mogollon Rim.  It was a nice hike, quiet.  Some of it was very rocky.  We had our sights set on seeing the rim, and the view for miles that one can see from it.

We were on an old wagon train trail, which made the hike pretty neat.  This was the trail that the wagon trains traveled up over 1000 feet in just a few short miles to reach the top of the rim.  Who were those tough, desperate people?

Here is a photo from the rim.  You can see why we wanted to see it.  What a view!

 

Another hike on the Arizona Trail: Beautiful mushrooms and an amazing butterfly

We got out early once again, as there was a possibility of rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon.

We went on a section of the Arizona Trail that was close to Pine, AZ.  Where we hiked was OK, but the real excitement was the huge mushrooms and the most beautiful butterfly we had ever seen.

 

 

Here is Vicky in the field of huge mushrooms.  Some were 12 inches in diameter. 

And then Vicky found an amazing butterfly.

It had a 4-inch wingspan.

Can you believe the beauty of nature?

Our Wedding Day 10th Anniversary celebration

Started off with an awesome breakfast.  REAL bacon, avocado, eggs done just right, mashed potatoes, and (did I mention?) real bacon! 

Vicky had found a hike, and was it a good one.  A type of hike that we just love.

 It was several miles from where we were staying, on a segment of the Arizona Trail.  

We don't usually hike on trails anymore, but we have frequently caught segments of the Arizona Trail over the years.  Each segment is, understandably, different.

This section was up on the Mogollon Rim.  There wasn't a lot of elevation change.  But what there was simply was awesome.

We were hiking through a high (7500 foot elevation) pine forest. The trees were not packed together, but were spread out.  So what we could see were vast meadows with pine trees. 

Isn't it lovely?

It was fun for Vicky in another way---the wildflowers.  She stopped frequently to snap photos of them:

 

 

 

 

And, on our Tenth Anniversary, at the exact time we were married by my father and mother, we stopped to take a selfie:

 

 

Nothing could be more appropriate than to stop at the exact moment we were married 10 years ago--high in the mountain deserts on one of our 800+ hikes since we got married.

 

 

 

After completing our hike and driving back to our AirBnb, we celebrated by dancing.  We met at a dance.

 

 

We made videos.  The space was very small, so it was a challenge to be able to lose ourselves in the dancing while at the same time making sure Vicky, whose back is often to the furniture, didn't run into anything.  We were quite pleased with how we felt.  It was as magical as it was when we danced together the first time.

 

 

 

 

 

Our anniversary dance is one we will always remember. 

Then we had an anniversary dinner---fondue!  Yum.

Complete with a sweet desert of a chocolate chip cookie--HEAVY (and heavenly) on the chocolate chips!

 

 

Then we gave each other gifts.

 

First, Vicky:

 

Vicky has collected Lladro figurines all of her life.  I got her a dancing couple.  No one has ever given her a Llado figurine, but now they have---me!

 

Vicky gave me two things.  One was a beautiful copy of sheet music from the 1920s.    The title is You Danced Your Way into my Heart.....and now I am in love with you.

 

 

The second gift was a Made in Japan salt and pepper shaker of a dancing couple.  The post-war Made in Japan figurines were the best ever made, and this one still has the original tag.  It is beautiful.

 

 

 

Are you beginning to discern a theme in our gifts and day?  We'll see if you can figure it out.

 

 

Our day reflects us and our 10 years.  We hiked in an area we had never been, experiencing nature's beauty and solitude.  Then we danced.  Then we celebrated.  

We talked and laughed together.  All day we were within a few feet of each other, just like we are every day. 

We are both feeling like the most fortunate people on the planet.   

Our 10th anniversary

We almost cannot believe that our 10th wedding anniversary is tomorrow.  

10 years.  Can it be true?  The years have flown by.  10 years?

We decided to have a "blow out" to celebrate. We wanted to go somewhere and spend several days hiking and celebrating.  We could have taken our camper out, but realized that the weather was not very good for a camper.  It would either be much too hot or there could be rain.

So we rented a modest AirBnb close to the abundant hiking up on the Mogollon Rim where, because of the 7000 foot altitude, it is 25 degrees cooler than in Mesa.  We are quite pleased with our selection.  It isn't a fancy house---in fact it is a single-wide.  But it is clean, quiet, and comfortable.  It has a nice screened-in porch where we can sit in the afternoons. 

 

Us, on our screened-in porch.

On our first full day here we went on a nice 5-mile hike along a forest road that hugs the top of the rim.  One thing we were doing was scouting out sites where we could bring our camper this fall.  We found several, so are excited about that.

There were roads off of roads off of roads--some of which had been closed off years ago to vehicles and would be perfect for hiking when we camp in the area.  What we find is that these old, closed roads often lead "somewhere" or to "something." 

This was the best spot for camping we found today, and it is really ideal.  There is only room for one unit, so we wouldn't have to deal with other campers.  It is on the rim, so we could take chairs and see incredible views when we relaxed after hiking.

Tomorrow is our anniversary, and we are excited.  This is very meaningful to us.  These 10 years we have had together have been indescribably wonderful.