The Granite Dells

My husband and I went to Prescott, Arizona last week for a little get-away and for him to participate in the Whiskey 50 Off-Road mountain bike race.  We love Arizona and have been exploring more and more of this beautiful state.  The Prescott area was totally new to us.  Like much of Arizona, it didn't disappoint.  It's incredibly beautiful and the higher elevation makes it possible to visit and enjoy even more of the year than some of the hotter parts of the state.

We stayed at Point of Rocks RV Campground.  They were very nice and there were full hook-ups for our RV.  The location of the campground was great!  It was right next to the Granite Dells.  We even got a campsite with a view of them!

Before our trip, I'd Googled Prescott and pictures of The Dells popped up.  The photos were jaw droppingly beautiful.  The opportunity to camp right next to The Dells and hike in them was wonderful.  We quickly headed out for a walk after setting up camp to check out the area and see some of the beauty.  It was stunning!

This is a view looking out over Watson Lake...

Click on any photo to see it larger.

There were lots of wildflowers.  Many of the bushes with these flowers were completely encased in flowers.  It was amazing!  Here's a view of just a few that aren't quite so crowded...

The cactus were blooming...

We scoped out the area to figure out where we wanted to hike the next day.  And, what a hike it was!  We hiked around Watson Lake and through the Dells.  It was amazing!  It was beyond words!  It was so beautiful and so varied!  And, SO fun!

There were more beautiful wildflowers...  

There was the beautiful lake (like in the top photo) and at one far end of the lake was a wetland area that made me feel like we were in the South.  It was gorgeous!  I just couldn't stop saying, "WOW!".  There were benches here and there throughout the hike to sit and take in the beauty.

One section of the hike went along a Rails-to-Trails path where old railroad tracks are turned into a trail for biking and hiking.  That was cool to finally be on a section of something we'd only read about and seen photos of.

The rest of the trail wound around, over, and through giant granite boulders.  At one point, we turned a corner to see lush green.  The trail went down into it and along a stream.  At the top of the stream was a roaring outflow of water coming from the center of the dam.  It was a surprise as we didn't realize we'd be seeing water besides the lake.

We came upon this sign as we neared the end of the hike.  It made us laugh but it wasn't joking!  It was a steep climb up granite boulders.  What was also funny was that both ways were just about as steep.

It's really hard to tell the scale of these boulders in photos or by looking at them from a distance.  They are HUGE!

There's a section high above the lake and near the dam for more incredible views.  That's my awesome hubby!

We saw a skink that was olive green with a red head and neck.  We'd never seen anything like it and had to look it up when we got back to camp to figure out what it was.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a photo of it.  It quickly ran away and hid from us.  We also saw a garter snake crossing the trail. There were lots of lizards. And, we saw lots of beautiful butterflies.  I did get a photo of one of them...

I could post a lot more photos but none of them truly capture what we saw and experienced on our six and a half mile hike.  It turned out to be one of my all time favorite hikes...so far.

It counted as number 18 in my 52 hike challenge.  My ankle did great!  Yay!  And, I was able to wear my old hiking shoes.  I'm going to try my boots on again and see if my ankle is ok wearing them yet.

Hubby had a blast doing the race.  He rode 54 miles in about six hours.  He said there was a lot of steep climbing involved but he'd trained hard and enjoyed it a lot.

We explored the town of Prescott a bit.  There are lots of antique stores and restaurants, and a few saloons left in the famous Whiskey Row.  We went to the Palace Saloon on Sunday for a drink.  We even saw old time western dudes walk in...complete with guns on their hips.  We had a great time in Prescott and plan to return again someday.  Maybe next time I'll even visit some of the yarn shops in town!

Throwback Thursday - Tombstone and Bisbee, Arizona

In my attempt to get back to blogging and to catch up a little with what I've missed posting, here's a throwback post to last December and a trip we made to Arizona...

We had gone with our RV to visit our daughter who moved to Arizona last year.  The weather turned really cold with freeze warnings at night and quite a bit of rain.  Hanging out at camp was great....lots of reading, knitting, hot foods and drinks, and I even got my Christmas cards done.  But, we eventually got cabin fever and decided to head out and do some exploring.

First, we headed to Tombstone.  It was a cute little town.  There were old buildings and horse drawn buggies and stagecoaches.  This is the courthouse.  I thought the horse going by made for a great photo opportunity.

Since it was so cold, the ghost town lived up to it's name that day and looked very empty, with very few visitors.  The wind was bitter cold and it made it hard to stick around for very long.  We quickly walked through some of the main part of town.  There are some fun little shops there.  But, overall, we were a bit disappointed.  There seems to be a charge for just about everything.  The O.K. Corral was walled in and you had to pay to see it.  There were people in the streets and on the corners talking at everyone who walked by in an attempt to get them to pay for historical information.  The stagecoaches traveled around with loud speakers inside telling about the area.  That didn't seem like a fun ride.  And, those speakers and microphones definitely didn't help with feeling like you were stepping back in time.  But, who knows, maybe it would be a lot more fun on a warmer and busier day.  The lack of crowds made it good for photos though.  Here's the main street...

Since we didn't stay long in Tombstone, we still had plenty of time left in the day.  We'd heard about the nearby town of Bisbee and decided to go see it.  It turned out to be fantastic and even magical!  The moment we caught a glimpse of it, we were gasping and ooohing and aahhhing over how adorable it is.  The weather that day added to the charm.  It made the town less crowded and we often felt like we almost had it all to ourselves.

Many of the homes are built into the side of the hill, they're old, and the narrow winding road made me think of photos I've seen of old European towns.  It was charming!  This photo almost looks like an old painting.  I love it!  That's hubby and Salsa standing on the sidewalk...

There were surprises everywhere we looked....even down on the sidewalk...

Beautiful stone or glass tiles had been set into the concrete and it looked as if they had once been lit from underneath.  That must have been beautiful to see!

Even some of the manhole covers were ornate and beautiful...

The sun was shining when we arrived in Bisbee.  I took a photo of this old church shortly after we pulled into town...

We walked in a building to see a weaving guild that was meeting that day and when we came out the sun was gone and the sky was completely cloudy.  We went into a cozy little restaurant for lunch and it soon started to snow.  That's something we rarely see.  So, we were in awe!  It was magical for us!  The waitress told us that it rarely snows in Bisbee.  She said it only happens once every few years or so.  We were lucky to be there to see it!

Here's that same church a little while later...

We enjoyed walking around some of the little shops in town.  We also stopped in for a drink at the old Copper Queen Saloon that had been there since 1906!  We sat in the back, had a drink and enjoyed watching the snow falling outside.

We headed back to camp with lots of great memories from a wonderful day of exploring.  I hope to go back someday when the weather is dry and take a LOT more photos!

It snowed again overnight in the mountains next to the campground.  Cold but beautiful!

And, to our surprise that next morning, we found that someone had decorated a tiny tree outside of our trailer the day before.  Such a fun and touching little surprise!

The ornaments were covered in frost and snow.

And, some had blown off in the high winds.

There were some sunny days while we were there though.  We bundled up one day and headed out on the "50 Year Trail" at Golder Ranch for some mountain biking.  It was a beautiful day and a fun ride.  But, I have to say that cactus along a single track trail adds a whole new dimension to mountain biking!  I kept a much closer eye on the trail and everything alongside it!  One guy parked next to us at the finish was pulling cactus thorns out of his leg!  Ouch!

That's my hubby in the photo...

Arizona is such a beautiful state with a lot to see.  We've been there a often since our daughter moved there.  We're heading back again this weekend.  I wonder what we'll see this time?!

Celebration Road Trip - North Rim, Grand Canyon

The second day of our celebration road trip started early in Las Vegas as we headed up through the south east corner of Utah and into Arizona to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  We saw some amazing storms as we got closer to our destination...

We knew that the North Rim of Grand Canyon was at a higher elevation than the South Rim and that there would be trees but we were really surprised at how green and beautiful it is.

We couldn't get reservations in Grand Canyon National Park because it was all booked up.  So, we had reserved a spot at a campground just north of there called, Demotte.  Just as we pulled in and turned off the engine the sky opened up and the rain poured, hard.  We sat in the truck for a while and watched it.  The ground was quickly covered in water and tiny streams began to run.

When it slowed down a bit, we headed out in the rain to get the trailer leveled and set up for our stay.

Our view from the trailer windows and campsite was wonderful.  What a gorgeous area!

Since we live in an area affected by a serious drought, it's always extra wonderful to see rain.

The campground was just off the highway that goes directly to the National Park.  The road runs through the longest meadow we'd ever seen.  It went on for miles and miles.  On each side of it is some of the most beautiful forest we've ever seen.  It's dense with Pine, Fir, Spruce and Aspen trees. 

We saw a few deer along the way but they ran off very quickly as drove closer.

The skies began to open up and sun was shining as we neared the park.

This was the first time my husband had ever seen the Grand Canyon and I was so excited for him!

It's such a spectacular and magical place.  I love it!  And, he does too.

We made sure to get there in time to see the sunset.  The clouds prevented it from being super spectacular but it was still wonderful...especially with my dear hubby.

After hanging out near the lodge and the rim for a while, we headed back to camp for dinner and a good nights sleep.  We enjoyed sleeping to the sound of rain on the roof most of the night.

The next morning, the sun came out for a while and we quickly went out for a walk before it started raining again.  This area was so beautiful and magical...it was like stepping into a Christmas card.  It was amazing!  I realized even more on this day and as the trip went along that there is so much that just can't be captured or preserved with a photo.  Some things and places are too big, immense, amazing and magical.  It can't even be captured in professional photos.  It's something that you just have to experience in person.  This is one of those places!

This is the dirt/mud road that lead to the campground from the highway....

looking toward the highway...

This is the same road looking back toward the campground...

A closer look at part of that huge meadow and some of the bordering forest...

Incredible blue skies!  And, skinny trees like those skinny Christmas trees I've seen.  I'd never seen real ones.  That was pretty exciting!  They're so cute!

I can't remember the name of this flower even though I've seen it many times.  I saw more of them on this trip than ever.  I saw areas along roadsides that had hundreds of them.  This one was especially tall...maybe six feet!  It was just outside of our trailer...

Here's a close up looking up at the top...

After our walk, we headed back to the National Park that was about 25 minutes away.

Here's the lodge at the North Rim.  Just wait til you see the inside!

The moment I walked inside, I gasped!  It was gorgeous!

This is the entry area, looking toward the dining room...

The dining room was huge.  I love the rock walls, wood beams, the beautiful lights and the rug...

And, then there's the view....it overlooks the Grand Canyon!  Spectacular!  The menu looked great too but we tried too late to get reservations for that night.  They didn't have anything until late and we were too hungry to wait.  Next time, it'll be the first thing we do when we arrive...make a reservation!

Toward the back of the lodge was a huge sitting room with comfy leather couches and chairs and...you guessed it...that amazing view of the canyon through huge windows...

Here's a great panorama shot that my husband took...

There were doors on both sides of the sitting room that lead to stone patios...

Both patios were lined with chairs to sit, relax and take in that spectacular view!

In another part of the lodge, there's the "Roughrider Saloon".  It's a cute little place that's quite busy.  We ordered a couple of locally brewed beers and headed over to the patio to relax and stare at that magnificent view.

Here's one of my Instagram photos from that day.  Cheers to the Grand Canyon!

Underneath the dining room of the lodge is a stone room that most people walked right by and didn't seem to notice.  That's ok because we had it all to ourselves for a while.

 And, you guessed it...it looks out over the canyon.

This huge stone fireplace was on the east patio.  The opening was at least six feet high.

On the opposite side of the lodge from the dining room was this room.  It has a stage in it, big windows, and lots of chairs.  They had old photos of entertainment that's been on that stage.  It looked like a great place for weddings too.

Here's a view of the canyon side of the lodge from one of the canyon lookouts...

There's an easel in the lobby with framed letters about the various Native American rugs hanging in the lodge.  This rug was obtained in 1940, took 25 months to weave, and at the time was believed to be the largest Navajo rug that had ever been woven....10 feet by 27 feet!

The lighting in the lodge was interesting and beautiful.

These are the dining room lights at night...

There's a bronze statue of "Brighty" in the lodge sitting room.  He's a burro that was used to haul water from the canyon to the lodge around 1917.  There's even a famous children's book about him called, "Brighty of the Grand Canyon" by Marguerite Henry.

He's so cute!

There are photos of him on the wall nearby...

He was good with kids and he let them ride on his back.

Those wooden canisters were filled with water for him to haul back up.

They say that he was paid each day for his work with a pile of flapjacks.

There are various cabins and motel rooms to stay in at the lodge.  These are the cabins that are closest to the lodge.  They look cute and cozy.  They all had fireplaces and little porches with rockers.

A few of them even have a view of the canyon.  This one is right next to the east patio.

Here's another angle of the same cabin...

If I stayed in this one, I'd have a hard time leaving the porch!

Doesn't this look like the perfect place to hang out all day?!

On our drive back to the campground, we pulled into a rest stop to see the beautiful flowers.

There were picnic tables near and in the woods.  So pretty!

We saw SO many wildflowers on this trip!  And, like many trips, the biggest concentrations and often the ones that I've never seen were along the roadsides where we couldn't pull over.  Luckily, there was a place to stop and get a closer look at these.

This was the only gas station/market for miles.  It was close to the campground and so cute!  They'll only be open for a few more weeks as the North Rim Lodge and Park will be closing for the season.  The gas station/market only stays open for a couple more weeks after that for the hunters.

The rain poured all that night...even harder than the night before.  We even had to hitch up in the rain the next morning.  But, it was still such a treat to see rain that we didn't mind.  It was wonderful!

We needed to stop to get something out of our trailer shortly after leaving and there was a surprise waiting for me....these wildflowers!  I've never seen them before.  They're itsy bitsy and so unique!

The rain continued most of the day as we drove to our next destination.  Here's a photo of a nearby area to where we camped that had burned recently.  The fire had burned for miles and miles.  In it's place are millions of baby Aspen trees.

Our next stop was wonderful and filled with surprises!

Stay tuned!