Traveling with a couple people who are set on filling their National Park passport is that you end up stopping at even the smallest attraction. Passing within fourteen miles of Pipe Spring, we had to stop and see it. Although small, people do seem to enjoy it for an hour or two. We found some instant joy upon arrival simply because the cactus was in bloom.
A few of the cactus blooms.
Enter and flash and "American the Beautiful" card (or pay the fee) and take a look around. The center is the usual with a few souvenirs one could buy and a movie that is not quite ready to play right now, so we head out the back door into the yard, which is far more interesting. It is full of items from the era when the area was settled by Mormons. Poke around them a little and you notice something odd, they seem to actually be in good working order.
A couple carts in the yard. Sometimes a bit of cute is needed, even if it is just a saw horse. First dibs on the water was secured buy building a fort on it. The water flow has drastically reduced over time as well have been sunk nearby. Stable and cowboy residence. The fort, called Winsor Castle.
The tour of the fort, which was called Winsor Castle, is included with entry so it really should be taken. It allows poking around the rooms and catching some details that might not be noticed otherwise.
In the kitchen with quite a nice stove with oven and warming boxes. In the courtyard where apparently quite a bit of partying went on. In the corner beside the sign is Arizona's first telegraph. Heavy doors keep the courtyard secure.
The spring room is getting renovated, so we cannot poke around it and feel its natural "air conditioning", so the tour is a little shorter than usual. Still, we get to hear quite a few stories and see quite a few rooms. Oh, and we did enjoy ourselves for quite a while before continuing down the road.
Patapsco Valley State Park interactive map link I was charged with deciding on a hike that kids could do, except I have no experience in this or in evaluating what a particular kid can do. Plus, I would be without any parental supervision. Alltrails offered up Cascade Falls as a possible suitable suggestion, except that it would be done on the weekend and is a very popular location. I liked a climb on Garrett's Pass and a drop on the Cascade Falls Trail, which is 4 miles and only 300 feet or so from bottom to top. (It goes from ~20m to ~100m.) That's not so much, right? And I even had the means for up to 2 kids to be self sufficient, able to carry water, snacks, camera, and a light sweater on their own. Self sufficiency for the win, right? The hike would be in the Patapsco Valley State Park, like most my hikes would likely be. This park has a mix of free lots and pay lots. The pay lots have different prices for in state or out of state, weekends/holidays or weekdays. T...
Since I last wrote about digital maps, the S1 Mobile app has been shut down and the Forest Service released a new map app that looks pretty good. It might be time for a new post on maps. (Check the "equipment" tag for older editions.) USFS app in offline mode showing a section of the Pacific Crest Trail north of Marble Mountain Wilderness including intersecting roads, streams, and contours. As before, this will focus on legal, free ways to have maps stored on your handheld computer (AKA "phone") so you can have them anywhere and any time. While these are free, it does help insure that independent developers keep going next year if you send some money toward them. My criteria for a map app: Works offline. If you only have a map when online, you don't have a map. It is as simple as that. This is non-negotiable. Maps should include contours. I'm looking to hike with these maps after all. Shows location. User configurable storage opt...
Inyo National Forest Locate the trailhead. DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5 | DAY 6 | DAY 7 | DAY 8 Today is a very easy day. The morning is to be looking for monuments around Casa Vieja Meadows and wandering three miles or so down the trail. The afternoon is to be sitting in the hot springs and exploring old cabins from when it was a commercial concern. The morning sun on the meadow is stunning, and after some battling with the camera in need of a new battery, I can capture a slightly lesser moment of the light. Then, with breakfast put away, I turn my attention to climbing the small peak just north of my campsite. Manzanita makes a feeble attempt to block my way sometimes and I am quickly into a cold wind, but soon find myself on Doc Peak, as it is labeled in the OpenStreetMap. It is another labeled with a benchmark on the 1905 Olancha 30' map and on the more recent 1987 Casa...
Picture Canyon Natural and Cultural Preserve Click for map. Picture Canyon is a little bit of open space developed jointly by the City of Flagstaff and Arizona State Parks. It boasts cultural artifacts and plenty of birding. The Tom Moody Trail makes a loop through the area to take in some of these. It sits at the edge of a couple bits of industry and my nose can't help but tell me that one of those is sewage treatment. Um, I mean "waste water". That won't dominate the whole area, but it is noticed in the wetter spots. A place to start with some parking. Signs include an area map. Ground zero for the stink up ahead, but certainly not the source. That is throughout the city. Trail heads toward the smell past an "outdoor classroom" that is benches and a semicircle of educational signs, then the loop splits. I head left away from the smell and into the trees, but also away from the cultural artifacts. It's an old road through gentle hil...
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