Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Day 2: Tlaquepaque

Shopping shopping!!


Who can resist picking up some bling from the southwest? I certainly can't! The most attractive place to shop in Sedona is the Tlaquepaque (pronounced Tal-keh-paw-keh) Arts and Crafts Village. It is modeled after a mexican villiage and was orginally conceived as an artist colony. Now it is filled with galleries and shops. It is the ambiance, however, that is the most striking. Filled with bronze scultures, fountains, balconies, and ecentric sycamore's, Tlaquepaque is a very pleasant environment indeed!



My second cousin, who lives in town, said she can spend the entire day there. I managed to spend 2.5 hours, which is a lot for this gal who would rather be hiking than shopping. Still, I managed to find a nice tourquoise inlaid ring that I am very pleased about. My father, who is not much of a shopper, moved from bench to bench and photographed the scenery. Below are a few quick shots to give you an idea of the place.



Day 1: Montezuma's Castle

Telephoto view of the castle. With the naked eye, it is far up the cliff face.

This National Monument was one of the first ever created. It happened back in 1902 by the enlightened fiat of President Teddy Roosevelt. There is short (1/3 mile), sycamore shaded trail to view the castle, which is a Sinagua (meaning without water) cliff dwelling high up a rock wall. While not as impressive as Mesa Verde, it is still interesting to see and the most well preserved of the Indian Ruins in the Sedona Area. If you have only one day, however, and don't mind driving on a dirt road, I would recommend visiting Palatki. It is in a much more beautiful setting and also contains very interesting pictographs.

Directions: Take exit 289 off of I-17. Drive past the casino and follow the National Park Service brown signs to the site.

Day 1: Turkey Vultures

Vulture on a roost. I adjusted the contrast so it's wing feathers would stand out.

You would have thought there was an AIG executive on the side of the road near Montezuma’s Well for all the Vultures circling. As you might guess from their featherless heads, these boys know that bald is in, Turkey Vultures (Cathartees aura) feed on carrion. It has been a long time since I have seen a Vulture up close, so I could not resist snapping a few photos. Most of the time I see Vultures high in the sky riding thermals, their flight feathers a dead giveaway.

Vultures in flight. Note the spread wing-tip flight feathers and identifying V-shaped stance.

What I did not know was that Vultures tend to roost in groups, breed in caves, and will regurgitate a foul smelling mash of undigested carrion in threatened. Maybe bald is not so in.

Day 1: Montezuma’s Well

Distance: 0.5 miles
Elevation: 3,800 ft
Elevation gain: 100 feet up stairs to the top and down to the irrigation ditch


Montezuma's Well from far side. The cliff dwelling is in the recess in the upper left.

Montezuma’s Well is a large limestone sinkhole formed when an underground cavern collapsed. 700 years ago its continuous flowing water, up to a million gallons a day, was used to irrigate Sinagua fields. It is 368 feet across and 55 feet deep. There are several cliff dwellings in the walls and lots of moss in the water. This desert oasis is home to some ducks and several creatures that live nowhere else.

The algae in the water feeds a tiny shrimp, which in turn feeds a small water going scorpion as well as some nocturnal leeches that congregate at the bottom of the well and rise to the surface at night to feed. Scorpions? Leeches? Gee, let me just go for a swim…NOT!

More dwellings at the base of the well

The well has a C02 concentration that 600 times higher than normal. This anaerobic environment precludes fish although they live in the nearby stream. We saw a Bald Eagle fly over the well while were there and wondered what it could eat in the area. Perhaps there is sufficient fish in the stream to keep it happy.

A Fence Lizard (Sceloporous sp.).

The early Caucasian explorers, who found the ruins of Sinagua culture including Montezuma’s Well, thought the Indians were Aztec, which is why the site is misnamed.

Ruins on the side of the well

There is a side trail that goes down the outside of the well to where the irrigation ditch started. It was quite a technical feat to dig through the sinkhole to get the water flowing. There are also several pit houses along the upper edge of the well.


Irrigation ditch where it comes out of the base of the well

I would not go way out of my way to see this site, but if you are going to the V-bar-V ranch to see the petroglyphs, you might as well drop by. It is only a few miles up back up county road 618, right before I-17. From the well, you can head the 11 miles to Montezuma's Castle with only a short jog on I-17.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Day 1: V-bar-V Petroglyph Site

Distance: 1.1 loop
Elevation: 3,800 ft
Elevation Gain: none

Petroglyph Wall

In the foothills west of Sedona is the V-bar-V ranch, an archeological site run by the U.S. Forest Service. It contains one of the best Petroglygh sites in Arizona. The glyphs themselves were etched between 1150 and 1400 A.D by the Sinagua (pronounced sin agua or without water in Spanish).

Trail to the petroglyph wall

Desert Paintbrush along the trail

There is a short 0.5 mile trail from the small visitor’s center down to the petroglyph wall. There was docent from the Verde Valley Archeological Society there. She used a laser pointer to discuss the history and significance of the petroglyphs.


It is believed that the glyphs represent a calendar. At various times of the year, sunlight hits certain glyphs, marking times to plant or harvest. The website Sinagua SunWatchers contains a detailed discussion of this theory, so I won’t try and reproduce it here.


The trail to the glyphs follows wide road that borders a creek shaded by dramatic Sycamores. I was very impressed by the number of the glyphs and how close you can get to them. At other sites, I have had to use a telephoto lens. At this site, you could practically touch the glyphs.


One thing you should know is that this site is only open Friday through Monday, so plan accordingly. The glyphs are well worth the trip.

There is a different trail one can take back to the parking lot. It is not as flat but wanders through pleasant desert plants.

Directions to the site: From the Y (intersection of 89A and 179) in Sedona, drive south on highway 179 for 14.7 miles. Go under I-17 . At 17.4 miles, you will come to a 3-way fork in the road. There is a large sign for the V-bar-V heritage site. There is a fee unless you have a National Parks Pass.

Sedona: Overview

Cathedral Rock seen from Upper Red Rock Crossing Rd.

Sedona is a touristy and quirky little town situated in an oasis of geologic wonders. Surrounding the town are monumental spires of spectacular red rocks. The bright orange-red rocks are more than 250 million years old. You have to have been employed since then to afford to live here, however. You can afford to visit, and should.

Whether it is panoramic views, serious gallery hopping, or new age vortex worshiping, Sedona has something for everyone. I will be here a week with my parents and who knows what we will end up doing. I shall try to blog it all. This post will become my index to which I will add links to all the posts. One advantage of traveling with my parents is that they walk slowly, so I can snap a 1,000 pictures without getting on anyone’s nerves.

Topographic image of the Colorado Plateau. The Mongollon Rim is the edge of this Plateau

Sedona is all about geology, so here is the “dirt” on what you will see if you visit.

The rocks of Sedona are primarily sedimentary, which means layered. It is sort of reminiscent of the soap scum in your bathtub if you don’t scrub it out sufficiently, it just keeps building up. About 320 million years ago, the area of Sedona lay under water in a sea, and the first layer of Sedona's rock formation came from the shells of sea creatures. The next layer arrived about 275 million years ago as sand that was eroded from ancient mountains was carried by ancient rivers and deposited in a delta. This continued for a really long period of time. Much of the colorful rocks in the area were formed this way. Their technical name is the Schnebly Hill Formation. Eventually, about 1900 feet of rock covered the entire Sedona area.

At the Bell Rock (out of the picture to the left) overlook on Highway 179

Several million years ago, the Colorado Plateau uplifted, which created numerous cracks in this broad area of sediment. Water flowed in, sediment flow out, and we are left with these wonderful formations. The formations survived the process because they are capped with a protective layer of white limestone.

This rock is red because of iron oxide. Iron oxide drains through the porous sandstone and coats the grains, giving it a rich red color. Outside of Sedona’s unique oasis the rest of this part of Arizona consists of bleak rolling hills covered in desert shrubs. It is no wonder that people are drawn here by the millions. Take note oh millions, there are only about 500 parking spots in town so most of you will be driving around looking an opening, creating quite a traffic snarl. At least there is a pretty view to keep you entertained while at it.

Looking west from Upper Red Rock Crossing Road. The two small spires in the middle of the picture are near the famous chapel.

To make matters worse, at least for us, is that the bright folks in Sedona have decided to expand the major road, highway 179 that runs through town. So for the moment there is a very unattractive and highly annoying cone zone impeding the entrances to all the galleries. In the end though it will be much improved.

Our first day consisted of some scenic drives to visit ancient Indian sites. That will be the subject of the next few posts.

Trip Index:

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Hefferman Gulch Snowshoe

Distance: 3.5 miles round trip
Elevation: 9,452 ft to 10,550 ft
Elevation Gain: 1,098 ft

Left: Road sign on Hwy 103. Parking is just along the side of the highway itself.

Hefferman Gulch, off Hwy 103 going towards Mt. Evans, is a pleasant snowshoe that is close to Denver and yet devoid of people. I saw one couple about 0.5 miles from the trailhead on my way back and that was it. Unlike my recent trip to on a fire road off Guanella Pass, this trail was open and airy.

I confess that I stumbled across this snowshoe looking for another one, Idaho Springs Reservoir, which turned out to be about 1 mile further up Hwy 103. It was not until I got back to the car and consulted the guidebook that I realized the route I had taken was profiled. Most people travel up Hefferman Gulch Road to the South Chicago Creek trailhead. From there you can continue another 1.5 miles into the Mt. Evan’s Wilderness. I decided to stay on the road, however, until I lost the trail in the trees.

Distinctive rock formation to the right of the trail

Openness of the area

Hefferman Gulch is not pristine wilderness. The road is doted with cabins of all sizes and shapes. Just as I was returning to my car, an older couple was heading up with their snow cat and several coolers, magazines, and pooches. I am curious how much the real estate is in that area. Seemed like a nice place to own a cabin.

My pup Ginger heads up the right for at the first junction. You can just make out the "no outlet" sign in the trees to her left.

There are several easy milestones on this road. Within 0.4 miles there is a very large rock formation to the right of the road. This borders a large open meadow.

Typical cabin along the road

0.7 miles from the trailhead is a fork. There is a large sign pointing to the left that says “no outlet”. Stay to the right here.

The road past the South Chicago Creek Trailhead was more narrow and devoid of snow.

0.4 miles farther on is another fork. The left fork leads to the South Chicago Creek trailhead, while the right continues upwards. On this trip I stayed to the right. After this point, the road becomes narrower and heads up a tall ridge surrounded by Aspens.

Apsens to the right of the trail. There is more moss than snow.

Around 0.5 miles beyond the South Chicago Creek trailhead, the road seemed to dead end in a small meadow. I could see what looked like a trail heading off to the right with a steep ascent. I followed this for short distance until I could no longer follow any trail. There were aspens everywhere and while it would have taken some effort to get lost, particularly with snowshoe tracks, I decided my fun meter was pegged, and I turned around. Later I studied a topo map of the region and saw that from the trailhead junction, the trail/road continues on quite a distance in a large sweeping arch to the north.

The open meadow that might make a more obvious turn around point.

Because of the conditions at the trailhead, I had left my snowshoes in the car and had headed up with just Yak Traks. That was a mistake. While the snow was packed down, it had been driven by a vehicle, so it was rutted, soft, and slippery. Snowshoes, while not technically necessary would have made the going easier.

I followed the trail until it led into these trees.

This snowshoe is not filled with spectacular views but it is open, filled with solitude, and accessible to dogs. Sometimes braving the I-70 traffic is just not feasible. When this is the case, consider Hefferman Gulch. This year the snow on the eastern side of the Divide has been sparse. In other years, it has been impassible. A good snow year would make this trip even more enjoyable.

A frozen Echo Lake

Echo Lake is 4 miles farther up Hwy 103. I drove up there to admire the view and to each my lunch. On a nice fall day, Echo Lake is a pleasant destination for a family picnic. There are tables, bathrooms, and an easy trail around the perimeter. For views farther up, check out my post on Mt. Evan’s Summit Lake.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Old Monarch Pass Rd Snowshoe

Distance: 2.6 miles round trip to the pass
Elevation: 10,939 ft to 11,392 ft
Elevation Gain: 453 ft


The summit of Old Monarch Pass and the blowing snow.

In January of 2006, I took a road trip to Salida for Martin Luther King’s birthday. One day we hiked in the rocks to the west of Salida and the next day we did a short snowshoe up the Old Monarch Pass Road.

I decided to profile this very short trail because as you can see from the pictures, the conditions were less than perfect. Most of my trips, rejoice greatly, show relatively benign weather. In the mountains, however, you take what you can get. It was this trip that made me invest in a facemask and goggles. I have used them occasionally since then.

Beginning of the trail. You can see the sign in the picture above at the tip of the left most tree.

The trailhead is near Monarch Pass, which is the pass over the Continental Divide on Hwy 50 between Salida and Gunnison. It is 18.2 miles up Hwy 50 and is very near the Monarch Pass Ski Area. The current road takes a different route up and over the Continental Divide and this snowshoe follows the old road. There is a large pullout on the right and a sign.

Since it is an old roadbed, it is very gradual and suitable for the novice. Part of the route travels right next to a downhill run of the ski area. We ended up attracting attention with our dogs by a couple of dog loving skiers. It turned out later we were staying in the same hotel.

A little farther up the trail. For perspective compare the trees on the upper most knoll with their location in the previous picture.

After taking a couple of bends, the route goes around a sharp corner to the old pass. There is a sign proclaiming it that can be seen from the start of the trail. When we reached the pass, the wind was blowing snow into our face and eyes so that it was hard to see. The road does continue for another nine miles down the other side, which would make a nicer and longer journey, but on this day, without goggles, it was a no go.

Across the road from the sign. You can see that the road continues. Around this bend was a blizzard.

Salida made a great weekend getaway and if we go again, I would certainly considered checking out more trails in the Monarch area. If your time is short, this trail is very easy and very doable but a bit of a drive from Salida. The guidebook says that from the summit, there are stunning views of the entire breadth of the Rockies from Pikes southward. On this trip all we saw was snow. Please check it out and let me know.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Phoenix Botanical Gardens

A few years ago I made a trip down to the Phoenix area to spa after getting laid off. In addition to hiking the Go John Trail, I went with my aunt and uncle to the Phoenix Botanical Gardens. We went on a day when the butterfly conservatory was open to photographers. Below is a sequence of photographs, in no particular order, from this outing. I decided to not try and identify everything after finding an online cactus guide with 500 entries. If you know, let me know and I will add an appropriate caption to the pictures.

Part 1: In the Butterfly Pavilion










Part 2: Desert Cacti







Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Black-billed Magpie

Black-billed Magpie on a frosty winter's day
I once won a Trivial Pursuit game down in Mississippi because I was able to correctly identify the colors of a Magpie (Pica hudsonia) much to the amazement of all present. The colors are black and white. This was hardly a feat of mental prowess. I see the dang things every day.

A Magpie's "Ka Ka-ing" is filled with mockery. “she is such a Magpie” did not enter into the vernacular because of their sweet song. Magpies are members of the Crow family (Corvidae) and are BIG. Their screeching tones match their size of their rotund bodies, huge beaks, and even larger tail. Interestingly, Magpies are the only non-mammals that are known to recognize themselves in the mirror. Perhaps all the cacophony is the Magpie equivalent of bad-feather-day mirror shock. To be fair, not all cultures find the Magpie’s vocal habits so offensive. In China, the squawk of a Magpie is a sign of good fortune.

Magpies are omnivorous. They feed mainly on the ground, eating a wide range of food, including such tasty morsels as beetles, seeds, berries, small mammals, small birds and their eggs, nestlings and even reptiles. If you had a beak the size of a surfboard, you would eat reptiles too. They are also scavengers, swooping down to rapturously dine on road kill pizza.
Who needs a telephoto lens to photograph a Magpie, when these bad boys will walk right up to you and let you know how they feel. Note the dark beady eyes filled with scorn and the iridescent wings. 
Even though Magpies are often seen in large groups, they are solitary nesters, forming large dome-like nests high up in trees. These lofty perches offer them a better perch from which to thrown down insults on the inconsiderate humans passing by. Bad feather day indeed.

North Rock Creek Snowshoe

Distance: 4 miles round trip Elevation: 9,180 ft to 9,780 ft Elevation Gain: 600 ft Dogs: Off leash until the wilderness boundary North...