Sunday, April 19, 2020

Social Distancing with Nature




The other day we took a drive about 25 miles northeast of Fountain Hills to the Ballantine Trail in Tonto National Forest on the way to Payson, AZ. This is a trail we had not been on before but had heard good things about, and since we were needing a diversion from the news and some new scenery, we also hoped that being farther away from Fountain Hills and Scottsdale there would not be many people on the trail. 

There is a 3 mile loop that the Ballantine trail continues off of, and we decided to take it counterclockwise as there was a young couple who were heading off that way and we knew we would not be hiking as fast. A few other people came by us going the other direction in the first mile, but for the rest of the hike we were alone. It is a beautiful trail, especially with the desert being so colorful this spring.





                                                                                                                                                                 
We were amazed by the number of saguaros.                                                                                  








The Pine Creek loop has a view of Pine Creek, which surprisingly had quite a bit of water flowing.



  We continued on the Ballantine trail for about a half mile. It was steep and rocky but very scenic. 


                                                                                                                                      









It was a great hike until near the end when Jim did a little slip and fall, putting his hand down on cactus. Days later he still has some pieces in his palm.

Looking down on Hwy 87
Last week the director of Fearless Kitty called to ask if I would be up for some painting of cat rooms while many of them are empty of cats. I jumped at the chance for something to do and told her I was sure LuAnn would be interested in joining me. So we spent three afternoons painting and doing a few other little projects after the staff went home, keeping our social distance, of course. It felt good to do something "normal", although seeing most of the rooms without cats in them seems strange. We have a couple other rooms to paint next week after some of the remaining cats get moved around. We're hoping she finds more for us to do after that.                                                                                             

And finally, a few photos from our Fountain Hills walks.                                                              





This one made us smile

Stay healthy out there everyone!



17 comments:

  1. Good to see you getting out and about a bit. Stay safe.

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    Replies
    1. It's about the only thing keeping us sane. 🙂

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  2. Replies
    1. Yes it is, and there are other trails nearby for future hikes. May have to wait until next fall/winter, though, since it's starting to heat up around here.☹️

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    2. Yes, totally gorgeous! and the skies are achingly dramatic, as in Georgia O'Keefffe-worthy. And capping it all off with a photo of the funny cactus was an excellent choice Gayle :)

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    3. Thanks, as much as I love clear blue skies it was nice to have some clouds for a change to keep things cooler and add some drama to the photos.

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  3. Absolutely wonderful photos!! Thanks for sharing your beautiful hikes. Bummer about Jim's mishap - those cactus spines are the worst :-(

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    1. He's tried a needle, duct tape and liquid bandage but they still haven't all come out. Guess it will just take time!

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  4. Beautiful desert hike! The Tonto National Forest is suppose to have many crested saguaro. I've wanted to spend more time exploring here to see if I can find some. So sorry to hear about Jim's meeting with the cactus...ouch!!

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    1. We saw hundreds of saguaros but no crested ones. They are surely out there somewhere! I imagine you would have spotted one,🙂

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  5. We're so fortunate to have so much public lands around us...it makes social distancing in nature relatively easy! The desert's looking nice and green!

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    1. We're also fortunate the trails have not been closed like they have in some areas.

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  6. Can only imagine the pain that Jim must have and still is feeling. Might be wise to wear leather gloves.
    Great scenic pictures. That park picture is cute.
    Be Safe and Enjoy the isolation.

    It's about time.

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  7. Jim is hoping the spines left in his hand will work their way out one of these days. I braved isolation and went into Trader Joe's today, first venture inside a store in over a month. It was strange but comforting to see most everyone in masks. Weird new world we are living in.

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  8. John Q has left a new comment on your post "Social Distancing with Nature":

    Good to see you back on the trail in such beautiful surroundings. I miss your RV travel adventures and hiking posts from the good old days. Hope this Coronavirus isolation ends soon so you can enjoy any trail or restaurant. Nice of you to volunteer for the great full cats and staff.

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    1. Nice to hear from you! We all miss the good old days. I'm glad to have the blog to look back on. Hope you and Joalenn are well.

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  9. Love reading your updates! Your photos are beautiful. We bought a park model at the RV park in Tucson where we've been going for 6 years. Haven't even moved into it yet or done any fix up. So that is awaiting us this next season. Who knows when we'll get back to Tucson! We'll leave our Lazy Daze at home in Seattle and drive our car down. What's next on your adventures? Staying in Fountain Hills another year? Stay cool!

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