Here we are on our first evening at Bears Ears….
Monday, September 30, 2024
Road Trip 8: Bears Ears National Monument and beyond….
Thursday, September 26, 2024
The buzzards are gathering….
This morning we saw dozens of buzzards gathered in the stately eucalyptus trees surrounding our home in an old folks community in Mesa.
It’s curious and a little frightening that the buzzards arrive and circle above us, just about the same time that all the old folks return to Leisure World every fall.
Reminds us of the old Alfred Hitchcock classic from our youth—The Birds.
And all we children of the 1950’s remember what happens next….
Friday, September 20, 2024
Please spread our ashes in our beloved grasslands
A glorious hike as summer was blending into fall—in the midst of the grasslands where we will to be together through all eternity….
We plan to return many times to camp, hike, and dance in our grasslands.
And at some time, our dear family, child, and grandchildren (and maybe great grandchildren) will return to our beloved grasslands to spread our ashes.
Then we will hold hands, wearing our matching shirts, and happily live here forever together.
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
The West Fire is threatening our town of Pine and Camp Geronimo (Scout Camp)
The West Fire was started by a lightning strike on August 28th.
On September 11, we left our home in Mesa to return to our mountain cabin in Pine.
We checked Watch Duty for forest fires near our cabin, and were shocked to discover this fire right in our backyard!
A forest fire was on the rim in one of our very favorite campsites ever. We had camped, hiked, and danced for a week in August in this spectacular area on the edge of the Rim.
The entire area on the edge of the rim where we camped, hiked, and danced just a few weeks ago is in flames.
This is the same spot where we hiked to with Sean, Emily, Soren, and Sebastian when they visited us in July of 2023.
This last summer in June we again hiked to this spectacular place on top of the Rim—this time with Rachelle, Ryan, Ida, Alden, and Wilder.
Rachelle fixed us all a picnic lunch, which we ate in the grassy meadow under the pine trees near the edge of the Rim.
This area, where we have played and have so many lovely memories, is on fire. Nothing can take these memories from us. We will cherish them forever.
And in a few years, when the earth has healed itself, we will return to this magical place on earth….and we will make more wonderful memories.
The yellow pin on the map below marks the area on top of the Rim where we hiked with our family, and where Danny and I spent a week camping this past August.
You can also see Camp Geronimo in the valley to the west of the yellow pin. Further west, on top of the Rim, is Milk Ranch Point.
Today, on September 18th, this whole area is on fire.
We are watching the smoke and flames as they approach our home.
We could see the smoke from the fires on Milk Ranch Point as we drove down off the Rim into Pine.
We know that this rim of fire, ignited and controlled by the firefighters will protect our little town of Pine and Camp Geronimo.
Thank you, dear firefighters….you are some of the many heroes in our magnificent country. We are very grateful for all you and your families sacrifice for us. What you do is much more than a job. You make a difference in the world.
West Fire updates:
September 19th-20th: Camp Geronimo is surrounded by fire, but the firefighters have saved the camp….the grounds and buildings have been preserved.
Camp Geronimo is located inside the green island in the center of the fire.
Here’s a photo of the West Fire the following night. It was taken from “downtown” Pine, just down the block from our cabin….
I took a video of the fire from the section of the hike that was about half way up Strawberry Mountain—in the Tonto National Forest on the west side of town.
Later when we went into Pine, we could see how close the fire is to Pine—the fire and the smoke is right next to the homes on the east hill of Pine.
This morning as we headed out to hike on Strawberry Mountain, we noticed that during the night ash from the fire had covered the ground and our car.
As we hiked on Strawberry Mountain, we could see the smoke that had settled in Pine below us. It reminded us of the fog in the bays and inlets early in the morning on Puget Sound around Whidbey Island, where we had lived several years ago.