FR 41: Dec, 2009

We had Jacki's 6 month check up coming up in a few days, and we were afraid the doctor would tell us that she shouldn't do off-road trips anymore. So we decided to call some friends and set up a trail run before it was officially to late to do any runs. We met up with our friend Bryan and Wil from Sierra Expeditions. Once we were aired down we headed for the Verde River. This trail offers only a couple of challenging sections, but it is good for a day trip and some spectacular scenery. It took a little longer than anticipated due to stops for photo ops and a little goofing off on the great rock formations. A nice lunch under the cottonwoods and then trying to find a way across the river. It was a great day spent with good friends and even got to see a Toyota swim. Lots of fun in deed.



Some of the very interesting rock formations scattered along the trail.


Jacki sitting on top of the world at 6 months pregnant.


Jacki conquering the small hill.


Wil tackling a slightly more challenging hill.


Wil checking the river crossing for us. It's a bit deep for the Montero and Jeep.


Jacki finding a shallow crossing.

And we were right, the doctor told us that we should not be doing any more off-road trips. This was our last trip for a little while.

Remember to always tread lightly and leave no trace.

Aaron

Turkey Creek: Oct, 2009

We had just installed a new suspension on the Montero and wanted a chance to try it out a bit. We called our good friends, Rex, in Prescott and our friend, Bryan to see if they wanted to join us for another relaxing weekend of camping. They were happy to come along. We set up the meet at the bar in the town of Cleator. From there we followed the trail back to the edges of Turkey Creek. In the past, the creek was always flowing and full of water due to the large number of natural springs in the area. This time we found it dry, but didn't let it bother us. On Saturday we lounged around a bit and then decided to go hike up to a mine site not too far from camp. It was quite a climb to get up to the mine, but the views from the top were outstanding. Again, we did not have Ellesha for this trip so it was just the grown ups. We wanted to get as much outdoor time as we could before Jacki could no longer go on these trips. It was a good call to do this trip as it turned out to be a great weekend.


We had to stop to let this little guy cross the trail safely.



Getting to the campsite was an adventure all in its self. The new suspension did great.


Nice spot with a lot of greenery around. It was a little sandy though as we were on the bank of the creek.


The mine shaft.


View from the mine. That is the trail to our campsite.


Cool artifacts were to be found. This is an insolator from when there used to be a telegraph line to the mine. We only inspect and put it back for the next person to enjoy.

Remember to tread lightly and leave no trace.

Aaron

Apache Maid: Sept, 2009

We found out a couple weeks ago that Jacki is pregnant. We were very excited about the news of our growing family but had a trip planned to go camping over Labor Day weekend. This news did not stop our adventure as Ellesha was also very excited to go. She loves camping as much as we do and likes to help out around the campsite. As she is still a little young to help set up, we send her out to police the campground and pick up any garbage that she sees laying around. This trip was not meant so much for exploration, but more for relaxation. We did take a quick run up to the Apache Maid lookout, and the ranger that was manning the station was kind enough to invite us up, talk about about the area, and instruct Ellesha on what it is that she does up in the lookout. Needless to say, the views from the lookout were amazing, we could see all the way to Sedona.


View to the red rocks of Sedona.


Cool dead tree haunting our campsite.


Camping with a full moon. Way cool.


Our campsite. It used to be secluded and quiet, but during the holiday weekend we had noisy neighbors about a 1/4 mile away.

Remember to tread lightly and leave no trace.

Aaron