more Sleeping Bear Dunes, MI

A 2.2 morning hike led us down a path to Lake Michigan from our campground. The slogging through the sand slowed us a little but we finally reached the pristine shore.

We rewarded ourselves with lunch on the northern part of the park near the Lifesaving Station. A tour revealed more than I ever knew about how they would rescue those whose ships got stuck in shallow water.

The boathouse held two boats that would be rolled out on these rails.

Next stop was to watch folks at the dune climb. No way were we going to walk up a sand dune. And then.....

I walked a little way up for a photo op!

Then I rested while Leon walked a little way up!

110 feet later we were at the top (30 minutes after our lunch, remind you!)

Running down the dune seems to be the thing to do!

We saw a few fast tumbles face first into the sand.

The Platte River flows right beside the campground. What a nice little float it appears to be. So where are our kayaks? Right! In Arkansas! But there is a rental place in walking distance. OK! A 2 mile hike and a dune climb. That should do it for one day. "Always save a reason to return" is my motto.

Four and a half miles downstream and the Platte River empties into Lake Michigan.

This has been a great stop in our journey north but more opportunities await!

Red Rock Canyon, NV

Red Rock Canyon, 17 miles west of Las Vegas, consists of rugged peaks, ravines, canyons, and sandstone hills amid the ponderosa pine, creosote, and barrel cactus. It is a popular national recreational area, a 197,000 acre preserve. Leon's daughter, Trisha, led the way.

Hiking trails abound and we gradually climbed uphill to the entrance of the canyon, about 1.5 miles one way. I, of course, stopped along the way to view some wildflowers.

A front was moving through the area and the temperature rose to 59 degrees, compared to 81 yesterday. The winds blew and in the canyon they were reported to be gusting at 61 miles per hour. I don’t doubt it!

We finally reached our destination and posed in our Easter bonnets.

Afterwards, the nearby visitor’s center allowed this magnificent view.

Peralta Trail hike

The Superstition Mountains loom skyward east of Apache Junction. This is the location of the Lost Dutchman Gold mine. I read about the legend when I was in high school and have always been enthralled by the story.

Today we hiked in the Superstition Mountains on the Peralta Trail. It was a well worn rocky trail that began with a steady climb but became a little steep in spots in the second half. There were lots of hikers coming and going.

There were several streams to be crossed and plenty of rocks to climb on, over and around. Saguaro cacti dotted the hillside.

We stopped several times, once for a few snacks and were surprised to find several shady spots along the way.

Our goal was to reach Fremont Saddle which gave us a fine view of Weaver’s Needle, the famous pinnacle on the opposite side. With all our stops it took us 2 ½ hours, and that was just to the top.

Two more hours found us delighted to be back at the trailhead. We were proud! We met several hikers, much younger than ourselves, who did not make it to the top.

Then we realized we did not have to walk! We could have gone by horseback.

Or even perhaps with llamas, but why is the guy carrying a backpack. Isn’t that what the llama is supposed to do?

Silly Mountain

We are settled in at the Moose Lodge in Apache Junction, Arizona, east of Phoenix, soaking up the sunshine. My computer was not happy about the fall from the dash and quit operating. Well, actually it operated, I just could not see anything. So now with my new computer in lap I can continue sharing our fun experiences while sitting in front of Subway. Not far east from us is Silly Mountain Park at the base of Silly Mountain.

 After a picnic lunch we ascended the trails. We had not gone far when I stopped for a quick geocache.

We then zigzagged along the rocky trail ascending the peaks. In the distance lies Superstition Mountain and Apache Junction.

When we got to huff and puff trail we did.



We were pleased to reach the peak. It really wasn't all that steep. Lots of switchbacks. And I had to stop a lot to watch the quail on the hillside. Superstition Mountain is in the far background.

We stopped to observe the small flowers blooming. In about two weeks the hillsides should have an abundance of color.

We met lots of folks out enjoying the trails on the sixty something sunny day. There are geocaches all over the hills but I decided we should focus on the trails we were on. It was at times a little steep and one does not reach out and grab a tree as you descend the hillside like I am somewhat used to doing.

The poppies are just beginning to bloom.

Why does Leon appear to be waiting you might ask? Because I keep finding little flowers to study!

On the way back “home” we passed this most unusual palm tree, unlike the other palms we are seeing in the area.

Thanks to Barbara and her blog for letting us know about this Silly Mountain!