Dana and I have been out hiking in the desert several days this week. On Thursday we explored a 5 km trail in the McDowell Mountain Park. The park is part of the Maricopa County park system, one of the largest county park systems in the U.S.A. McDowell Park covers about 21,000 acres, most of which was burned by wildfires in 1995. Fortunately the north loop trail was untouched and offers a good representation of the Sonoran Desert, although it appears to be under stress due to the lack of rain. We identified many desert plants, some birds and a few lizards. No snakes although we were told that Diamondback rattle snakes were present.
On Friday we visited the Saguaro Lake Park which is located off highway 202, the Bush Hwy. It is a large lake frequented mainly by boaters and fisherman. The lake was created by a damn on the Salt River. The Salt River provides an excellent habitat for birds. While we did not explore the riparian areas we did bookmark the area for future exploring. The same day we enjoyed a short hike in the Usery Mountain Park, another one of the Maricopa County parks. The Usery Park desert appears very healthy and has an abundance of birds and small animals. It was encouraging to see given the lack of rain in this part of Arizona.
Speaking of rain...... Given the scarlet sunrise this morning (see picture below) we knew we were in for a change in the weather. They have been predicting rain for a few days but none materialized. Today, Saturday, 1/2 inch of the stuff fell in the afternoon. Boy do they need the rainfall here! Dana and I are very excited to see what affect the rain will have on the desert, the flora and fauna. From what we hear, the effects can be glorious. We will start checking things out at first light tomorrow morning (Sunday) at the Gilbert Riparian Preserve. Warm sunny days are due to return on Monday and we will do more exploring then.
Inspite of my temporary physical limitations we are staying active. Hiking of course, but we also regulars in the fitness facility here at Mesa Regal. Dana runs on the treadmill and works out with weight equipment while I spin (boring....) on one of the stationary bikes. Yesterday we worked out for about 1 hour. As it was pouring rain for most of the afternoon, it was a great way to pass the day and get a reasonably good workout. Does "hot-tubbing" count as activity?
Social wise we have been getting out and about. Yesterday we attended the big French Toast breakfast which is a fundraiser for the softball teams here at the park. Speaking of ball, Spring MLB Cactus League starts in less than 10 days. We are in a great location to take in several major league teams home parks. The closest park is Hohocum, home of the Chicago Cubs. More on that later. (PS: Roy, your suite at Mesa Regal is still not booked but don't wait too long.....)
As a footnote to the walk this morning in the Gilbert Water Park, we saw 2 new bird species that we had not seen before. They were the Inca Dove, just a little guy and a Ruddy Duck. The Ruddy Duck has a cobalt blue bill. They were stylin....
Here are a few pictures from this week. If your computer permits, click on he photo and it will enlarge it so you can get a better appreciation of the subject. Enjoy!
View of Superstition Mountains from Usery Mtn Park
Amazing "chain fruit" on Cholla cactus.
Nest in Cactus at McDowell Mountain Park
Water on street outside our Park Model in Mesa Regal RV
Red sky in morning, sailor take warning (view from our deck Sat. Feb 19)
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