Thursday, May 1, 2025

Trail Log: 5-1-2025

Drifter being a punk

 

  • Trail: Aguila-hood State Land- Arena
  • Miles:5 
  • Riders: Self
  • Horses: Jack - Drifter
  • Dogs: Groot

Blooming Sam

 

Rode in the arena for a little and then took Jack out into the desert to say "see ya in the fall" to Sam. It's about time to head north. Not looking forward to it. If we didn't have a shoot I should help with, I wouldn't go. It's not that hot yet and everything is just starting to bloom. I always dread going north...not sure why I go; self imposed obligations I suppose. It will be nice to get up into the mountains though. 

I get a little bored up North. There is a lot more for me to do in AZ: easy access to miles and miles of riding/jeep'in...awesome dirt in my arena...cool places to explore, etc, etc.  Plus...it's quiet. Golden Silence. No squawking - gossiping...senseless yapping...no negativity. Simple, blissful silence. 

Drifter thought we'd left him for good


Trail Log: 4-27-2025

 


  • Trail: Aguila - My Arena -  The hood
  • Miles: 4
  • Riders: Self
  • Horses: Jack - Drifter
  • Dogs: Groot

Notes: Fed early and caught the ponies for a early morning ride. I played in my arena for a bit and then rode Drifter and ponied Jack around the hood.


 

 

Trail Log: 4-24-2025



 
Didn't take many pictures around the hood - so here's a picture of Alamo Lake


  • Trail: Aguila-hood
  • Miles: 4.97
  • Riders: Self - Celia
  • Horses: Jack - Dirt
  • Dogs: no dog

Notes: Another short jaunt around the hood. With the heat and potential for snakes this time of year...you want to ride early in the morning to beat the heat and out in the open so you can see the snakes. Although, we haven't seen a rattler YET this spring. You do watch for them...

We rode around the hood and then back to my place for crepes. I then hauled Celia and Dirt home...tossed a bunch of old pallets and junk she'd gathered and make a dump run. 

 

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Trail Log: 4-22-2025

 

Argentine Cactus in bloom at Celia's place

  • Trail: Aguila-hood
  • Miles: 6.0
  • Riders: Self - Celia
  • Horses: Drifter - Raven
  • Dogs: Groot

Notes - Left early in the AM to beat the heat. Met Celia at the halfway point between Williams and Pete Rd. Drifter did well for being his first time riding down the road alone. He was watchy - but more curious at all the new sites than spooky. We rode down some back-roads...well, pretty much all the roads around here are "back roads" but this one was more back-roadsie than others. A pack of 6 or 8 dogs came flogging toward us as we passed one house. Groot dropped to the ground flat on his belly and showed no aggression at all. He probably outweighed the entire pack's combined weight but he did the right thing. They barked and flitted around until we got past the house...then another half dozen or more dogs kenneled  in the back  of the house chimed in. Some serious animal hoarding going on. It could have been a rescue but I've found a thin line between some rescues and hoarding. Anyway...we managed to get by them with little incident. We opted to find another way back to my place. I whipped up a batch of crepes for breakfast and hauled Celia and Raven home in my trailer.

Dan calls my place "The Cafe Next Door" when he and Robyn are here for the winters. I found this old headboard(?) in the desert last year. I drug it home and made it into a sign. Not 100% done - but you get the idea. 

 

The Cafe Next Door

 

Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Trail Log: 4-21-2025

(f-b) - Celia - Taylor - Cole

 

  • Trail: Hasayampa - Box Canyon
  • Miles: 7.57 
  • Riders: Self - Celia - Cole - Taylor
  • Horses: Jack - Dirt - Shasta - Shanta
  •  Dogs: No dogs

Notes: Cole, Celia's son, planned to meet us at the Box Canyon trailhead off Rincon Rd about 4:30. He was running late, so Celia and I rode on up the Hasayampa to the Box Canyon. Cole and his sister-in-law, Taylor, would catch up. 

What a mess. The entire section of river from the parking lot to above Box Canyon is a stinking mess. This is a common occurrence as this is a popular spot for ATV's.  Evidently, groups of folks camped on the river over Easter weekend. Literally SHIT everywhere. From actual human feces, clothing, bags of household  garbage, toys and plastic Easter Eggs. A large blanket has been draped between two  boulders on the side of the river to act as a screen for a bathroom. The dumb bastards couldn't even use that properly and literally scattered shit and TP all over the outside. 

What is wrong with these people? I have no concept of what goes through the minds of people who behave in such a way. ZERO respect for ANYTHING! Their own properties must be disgusting. They obviously had children with them - (naked and barefoot from the looks of all the clothing scattered about) - they are teaching these kids to do the exact same thing. 

I don't know what the solution is; put up cameras and prosecute them once identified? I know what will happen - eventually, the area will be shut down for everyone. There are groups that go up and clean the area occasionally - but will it be enough? How do you even begin? There were these black bags full of crap just laying in the river. I don't know why they bothered. If your going to go to the trouble of pooping in a bag, you might as well dig cat holes. Perhaps they figure once the monsoons come - it will wash it all away like magic into the land of the poop-fairy and be turned into sparkling pixie dust. Fucking idiots. 

On up the river into the narrows, a man was cooling his feet off, (or possibly getting ready to take a dip until we interrupted), in one of the deeper pools of water. I thought, dude...I hope your up to date on your immunizations! I wasn't terribly comfortable with my horse wading through it. 

It was hard to enjoy such a beautiful area when everywhere you looked...trash. Some of it buzzing with insects and stinking to high heaven. There was a dead cow in the area that didn't smell as bad as some of it. It would be a perfect place to sit on a log and rest for a spell. Nope...not sitting on that log...not with the feces covered butt wipe clinging to it.  

Ugh...I'm done ranting about it. I'll look into finding a group that's interested in cleaning it up or just go up and do it myself. Not sure how to pack it out though....no way I'm putting it in any of my pack bags...I'd have to throw them out! Good hell...I'm really done  ranting now. 


 

Celia and I rode up into the narrows for a bit after leaving the box canyon. On the way back, we met up with Cole and Taylor and rode with them back into the narrows for a spell. This section was a little less trashed as it's slightly harder for folks to access. 

We got back to the trailers just as the sun began to set - 



Thursday, April 17, 2025

Trail Log: 4-17-2025


 

  • Trail: N. Eagle eye to Robson Mining World
  • Miles: 10.19
  • Riders: Self - Celia
  • Horses: Drifter - Dirt
  • Dogs: Groot

Notes: Well, that was a fun day I almost passed up. We had made tentative plans to ride but it was windy when I got up to feed this morning. I can easily be talked out of riding when it comes to the wind. I text Celia if she wanted to go..."it's pretty windy" I said. She pointed out that if we didn't go, we'd just sit around and be lazy. Shit...OK. If Celia's not wimping out...neither am I! I threw Drifter into Run-around-Sue and picked Celia and Dirt up at her place. We rode out to where I'd earlier seen a side panel of a car hung in an old cactus and used as a target. I'm happy to report, somebody took it down. 


 

The area is not far from the trail leading in to Robson's Mining World. Celia has never been there so off we went to remedy that. It's one of the first rides I took Drifter when I started riding him. I was happy to see it was still open and even more happy to see Michelle, the caretaker, still at it. We tied up outside the town and walked in to find Michelle hard at work. She keeps that place immaculate.  She gave us a deeply discounted tour through the buildings since Celia hadn't seen them. It's one of the coolest places and a real treat to get to visit. 

 

Ice cream parlor

After the tour, we climbed back on our ponies and headed across the desert to my trailer. We were starved, so drove straight to the Coyote for lunch. I started to remove my leg holster and noticed my pistol was missing! Shit. I had a pretty good idea where it fell. We were loping along and I thought I felt/heard something. I had already dropped my hat twice and one glove...so I sort of patted my self down: Hat...check, gloves...check...sunglasses...still on my face. Figuring it was my imagination...we loped on. Meanwhile...back at the Coyote and halfway into our drink order, I get a sick feeling: somebody is going to find it and commit a heinous crime I'll be accused of. I'll be sentenced to live out my golden years in an 8x8 cell with a broad shouldered gal named Helga with really hairy legs. I wasn't that hungry...the Coyote can wait. We jumped back in the rig and backtracked to where we hauled. It was a simple matter of following Drifter's tracks to where the pistol lay...right where I felt it escape it's holster. *phew* - Dodged that bullet...sorry Helga...no doubt your a nice gal and everything...but I prefer my hairy legged companions with four hooves.  

At least I didn't lose my horse



 


Trail Log: 4-15-2025

Jack at 16 yrs and 364 days before his 17th birthday. He has not slowed down

 

  • Trail: Aguila - The Hood (neighborhood)
  • Miles: 8.0
  • Riders: Self - Celia
  • Horses: Jack - Raven
  • Dogs: Groot

Notes: I rode Jack today so he can have tomorrow off for his birthday. Celia and I left our respective properties and met in the middle about halfway between Williams and Pete Rd. We rode the back-roads between my place and hers. I've never really wandered out that direction. There is more out there in the way of developed and semi-developed properties than I realized. Most of the snowbirds have gone home so it was pretty quiet. We ended up riding to Celia's - tying up and moving a shop table she  bought at an estate sale over to her place. Celia rode part way back with me to familiar ground so I didn't get lost. 

Kaw Liga on a road trip after being left standing at the cigar store by his fickle Indian maiden.