[admiral]

After Quartzsite, we headed east to the Phoneix area to visit my parents and our oldest daughter/grandson (for G-son's birthday). We stayed about a week and did our "towny duty"=no riding! The Mesa Flea Market and drive up to Bearazona Zoo-type attraction near Williams were the highlights of the towny action. Mrs. Admiral will have to post any pictures as my camera only works in riding/adventure mode!

...and then back to the fun. We drove a whopping 30 minutes outside of Apache Jct. to continue the "not towny" adventures. Camp Gold Canyon we'll call it.

Our first couple of days riding we did scout trips in the golf cart, so excuse the golf cartness and focus on the pretty places we got to golf, errrr I mean ride.

We're just winging it so we decided to ride the easy "Pucker Ridge" easy loop.

We now know why it's called "Pucker Ridge"! There are some gnarly parts that even made the golf cart teeter-totter! Even the clouds look angry!

The views were amazing though!

On day 2 we rode in the same general area but took the longer Montana Mtn. loop which is the larger trail you can see on the map below. Pucker Ridge was the trail on the inner portion.

On the map, this looks like it should be an easier trail than the day before. Hummm, well maybe!

Say what? Snow in Arizona? We're pretty high in elevation but even we were surprised to see some remnants of snow in them thar hills.

Thankfully, it wasn't any worse than this (snow-wise) and we went back into sightseeing mode.

Maybe not a swimming hole but cool just the same.

To be continued

 

[Purple]

Sorry Kris - kinda catching up here - (no worries, I got it) .....

 

[admiral]

Golf Cart Scout Trip Day 2 continued.
Took a little side trip to see an old miners/ranchers' stone cabin. Very cool. We love to see these things/places!

I bet this was a hard life. We're softy's living in our homes and camp trailers aren't we?

One of the miner's doings

Dead windmill. I don't know what came first, the mine or the ranch but I bet they used the same stone cabin.

First time I've seen a water/feed trough like this before.

Time to head back to camp via the "easy stream", I mean trail! Tonight a forum member is gonna drop in for a while to meet us.

Once the sun starts to go down we have the pleasure to meet and visit with forum member yaaintdeadyet! He brought some firewood and we sat around camp and told stories. Mostly true stories to boot!

It's been great getting back out into coyote country. Yeah, we hear coyote's once in a while!

To be continued - Day 3

 

[Fred]

Glad you could enjoy some of the natural beauty out of town.
This looks post card grade pretty:

 

[admiral]

Day 3, back on the TW.
Mrs. Admiral is taking a day off so I head out solo into the wilderness! You know...on an easy trail!

TW country for sure!

Again, gotta cut the ride shorter than I want as we have some more forum visitors (Donzo & Donzo wife) are coming to spend some time with us out at Camp Gold Canyon!

We spent a wonderful night around the campfire telling lies only to wake up the next morning to what I'll call "weather". We had a substantial rain which would put a damper on riding today. So we didn't! Even some new snow in them thar hills.

It was a muddy mess. Even the normally dry creek behind us experienced some flash flooding.

So with riding officially called off, we did the next best thing. We headed into a nearby town (on the very outskirts of town haha) and had lunch at a Bar & Grill. I can't remember the name. Then we went back to camp, took a nap, and then told more lies around the campfire with Donzo & Donzo Wife. They stayed a second night due to the mud around camp but will head back home today. It was great to visit with them again (we saw them last fall as well). Thanks for coming out and visiting us every one!

P.S. We've been on the Winter/Spring Adventure for a month now and we don't miss home one bit! While it's been cool here it looks like it's much colder at home.

The adventure continues!

 

[Ski Pro 3]

What a great adventure you two are sharing with us. Thanks! I hope you come home to a damage-free ranch. We've been having a hell of a time with the snow and winds. It'll snow enough to knock down trees, then warm rain to melt it all within 24 hours. Here's an example:

Can't even ski with the highways closed due to avalanche controls:

Snow Reporter's Message
MON 2/27 8:28AM: Sierra-at-Tahoe will be closed for the day due to road closures and delays, current wind holds from 50MPH wind gusts that are increasing + the second more intense wave of the storm forecasted to arrive at 12:00PM. Blizzard Warning is still in effect until Wednesday morning with Sierra forecasted to receive 4+ feet by then on top of the 4+ feet over the past 2 days, bringing the season total to 462" of snow so far to date.

Doreen, remember her? Was in your area recently but is now in South Padre Island, not heading back to Idaho until APRIL!

 

[Fred]

Admiral, I think your Gold Canyon area looks so much prettier than any pictures I have seen of the Quartzite region.

Ouch Skipro!
At least that downed oak will eventually make good firewood, the gate(s) looks demolished though.
Blizzard conditions on my side of the mountain though. Closed interstate a few miles away means good business for local resturants and bars as interstate travelers get stacked up in town.

 

[Ski Pro 3]

Admiral, I think your Gold Canyon area looks so much prettier than any pictures I have seen of the Quartzite region.

Ouch Skipro!
At least that downed oak will eventually make good firewood, the gate(s) looks demolished though.
Blizzard conditions on my side of the mountain though. Closed interstate a few miles away means good business for local resturants and bars as interstate travelers get stacked up in town.

I agree. That's the lushest desert I've ever seen!

Regarding the trees, when the weather stops, I plan to drag them to the street with the tractor and call county DOT and have them deal with it. Ha! I got all the firewood we could ever handle after PG&E came through last summer and chopped down to the ground anything that could fall into their lines. I had neighbors request it cut into 18" lengths and stacked at the street. Those that used firewood, I hauled down to their homes with the tractor. Those who didn't want it, I hauled to my place and split it. Next year it will be seasoned enough to donate to seniors and widows. I couldn't bear the fact they were mulching it all. Ever seen a mulcher that can handle oak up to 24" in diameter?! It was impressive. Heck the crane arm that fed that thing was impressive.

 

[PlacerLode]

I always loved Apache Junction the first time you see the Sups it's mind blowing

Gold Canyon is still well within the Superstition range for many miles around and blows Quartzsite away

I came very close to buying a home in AJ with the Sups and government land in the backyard around 2011 I think I would still be there it's a wonderful location

 

[Donzo]

Agree about the Apache Junction area. It’s about 20 minutes from my home here in AZ. I haven’t ridden Gold Canyon, after seeing the RZR pics of the Admirals - want to!
I attached some pics of my NorCal front yard and a close by town (Pollock Pines). Very wet year up there and lots of snow. The reservoirs are full or filling. So much snow, the filling will go on for months this spring.
Love AZ…. This time of year - plan to spend 3 to 4 months in NorCal this summer

 

[Fred]

It is the reservoirs along the Colorado River that really need replenishment, after all Arizona has the highest per capita recreational boat registrestion and they need to float their boats . Further west expect water district managers to do the delicate dance between conflicting interests of recreation, irrigation, wildlife and flood protection by early withdraws and draw downs to maintain storage capacity for flood control should Sierras get another all to common "Pineapple Express" warm storms. The warm rains associated with these atmospheric river events can melt a significant snowpack with historically devestating results downstream.
Don't forget at beginning of previous century similar warm rains melting snowpack upstream on the then unregulated Colorado River surged downstream and overwhelmed contruction of a canal being built to bring water to southern California.
The entire flow of the Colorado River diverted itself from the river channel and barreled across the dry land eventually pooling in a lowland creating what then became the Salton Sea. Left Mexico wondering "Where did our river go?" for several years. The San Francisco earthquake diverted available federal aid so the Salton Sea creation continued. It was a massive undertaking to restore the Colorado to its historic river channel to Mexico and Gulf of California. Dumping ever grater quantities of fill into the breach kept getting flushed away. Eventually took an entire train of cabled together cars full of boulders driven into the breach to make progeress. Salton Sea has been slowly drying up since.

 

[admiral]

Admiral, I think your Gold Canyon area looks so much prettier than any pictures I have seen of the Quartzite region.

Ouch Skipro!
At least that downed oak will eventually make good firewood, the gate(s) looks demolished though.
Blizzard conditions on my side of the mountain though. Closed interstate a few miles away means good business for local resturants and bars as interstate travelers get stacked up in town.

If one desires look’s Quartzsite indeed is not the prettiest place but the riding and history are neat. I like desert riding as a nice change of pace compared to the forest riding I do in the summer. Besides, even though it’s been cooler here this year I’d still be plowing snow back home and not riding so I’ll put up with the desert…as long as the snakes are still mainly hibernating or whatever ever they do.

 

[admiral]

Last night we were strafed by the Arizona Air Force Para-motor patrol. He or she waved to me and glad I didn’t mistake the wave for a bomb being dropped or I would have had to open fire with my anti aircraft weapons.

 

[axismatt]

Don't be surprised by the snow... we had snow flurries in Gila Bend a few weeks ago. Shocked us all.

 

[Stimus]

If one desires look’s Quartzsite indeed is not the prettiest place but the riding and history are neat. I like desert riding as a nice change of pace compared to the forest riding I do in the summer. Besides, even though it’s been cooler here this year I’d still be plowing snow back home and not riding so I’ll put up with the desert…as long as the snakes are still mainly hibernating or whatever ever they do.

Your trip report of the last few days looks wonderful! Quartzite is a nice change from the East Coast these last 5 weeks but I’ve about had my fill of fine dust, runny noses and salty well water in my RV freshwater system. Now we’re heading towards the Spring months about ready to start planning a move north towards Sedona or east out your way towards the Superstition Mountains

 

[Stimus]

One last note about Quartzite, met a fella a couple weeks ago who has been spending the winter season in the same site at La Posa North since 1987. He’s a lifelong volunteer trail constructor and maintainer including the AT and the PCT and has been creating a trail in one of the washes for the last number of years. Very nicely done with care taken to preserve as much vegetation as possible. In harmony with the terrain as well.

Speaking of history, he mentioned about the area being used as training for Patton’s tank corps and pointed out the two tracks still visible from the tank treads. He also pointed out a foot path that connected mines in the Plomosa Mtns and Dome Rock. Goes back I believe he said to the late 1800s

 

[PlacerLode]

my post might have seemed like I was dissing Quartzsite but it is in fact beautiful and a fantastic riding / prospecting area

Thats one of the things I loved about AZ was the every varying regions and Micro regions of flora and fauna and terrain I have yet to find any place in AZ I couldn't make my home

 

[PlacerLode]

the first time I visited Apache Junction I was at the Safeway on a rare cloudy overcast day and as I walked through the parking lot the clouds opened and I saw the mighty Sups looming what seemed like over my head!

It's etched in my mind and it is another thing that you must see in real life vs pics to get the full astounding vibe lol

 

[admiral]

Today we're calling it a snow day, so no riding. Not because of the snow but it's cold and extremely muddy underneath this wet heavy white stuff.

At least I don't have to plow right? haha

 

[Fred]

What, you're not going to go look for the Lost Dutchman Mine today? Hear there is lots of treasure out there at Thunder Mountain, things like royalties from old Westerns

• Gunsmoke (1955–1975)
• Bonanza (1959–1973) ...
• Three Amigos! ...
• Ghost Adventures (2008– ) ...
• Have Gun - Will Travel (1957–1963) ...
• The Unhealer (2020) ...
• Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) ...
• How the West Was Won (1962)

No wonder place looks familiar.
Hear there are stories of some interesting wildlife out there too, like the Hookum Indian's Thunder Bird