A Spur Of The Moment Hike On Monday

With the hot sunshine out every day with cool temps, the hounds have been spending most of their time sleeping on the warm stones in the backyard. They rotate back inside once they get too hot. The weather has returned to beautiful with morning temps in the 30's. I'll take that with no complaints because I am not experiencing windchill temps below zero and no ice or snow. There has not been a lot going on ... but yesterday I took an impulse trip back out to the San Pedro River and hiked almost 4 miles in the late afternoon.

It's good to know that with each sunrise we are heading toward spring where the sun will start rising earlier, the hounds will get their daily walk in the morning right after my coffee and not in the afternoon. Then I will bike in the mornings right after we get back from the hound walk. I find it hard to ride in the afternoon because I am always finding something else to do. I don't have any projects going on like I would have in 'the tropics' of Southern Indiana. I don't miss the house maintenance and lawn care or in some cases, shoveling snow.

My move from Cox Cable Tv to Apple Tv and streaming Amazon Prime Video along with YouTube tv has worked out better than I expected. I have all the same sports channels I had on cable. I have more movies to choose from that are free on Amazon Prime Video and the programing on Apple Tv is not large in numbers of shows but the ones they have are great, from what I have seen so far.

I stayed up all night last night watching all 10 episodes of For All Mankind, getting to bed at 5am just after I fed the hounds. A few hours of sleep I was up and felt normal except for the concept of time ... it did not feel like 11am. I still have plenty of time to get in a bike ride today after hiking yesterday afternoon. With high 40's and possible rain in the forecast this week, I have to get outside when I can.

After the holidays of not seeing a lot of the Aerostat, it was back in the air yesterday. For some reason because of that, it felt like everyone was back to work when I saw it. Combine that with the increase in early morning traffic in the neighborhood, I could tell it was a 'work week.' Less cars in the driveways and more traffic on the city streets and highways. Things were back to normal.

One little sign I have noticed that my hip continues to heal after it's 4 month anniversary, there is no soreness or stiffness in front of the hip or the socket when I get up out of a chair or the couch. I am also able to get in my cars and truck the 'normal' way now, without facing my back to the seat and sliding in that way. I am also catching myself getting in and out of bed the normal way again, instead of sitting on the side the bed and swinging both legs around on top of the bed.

Small things but big differences.

I still want to take a tour of the inside when it's anchored but there is a zero chance of that ever happening.

Stella likes to check out the temperature of the sun numerous times during the day before she decides whether to sleep outside. She continues to sniff the air or perk her long hears up for any signs of the black lab puppy next door. We hardly hear the puppy anymore as it gets older. It is tall enough now that when it jumps up on their flowerbed on it's back legs and leans against the fence, I can reach over and pet it. Stella can only smell the puppy but can't see it.

I'm noticing in my Blogger traffic stats that when I blog less, the spam comments increase and bot traffic from the Ukraine takes over the lead of all readers.  The other day the number of visits from the Ukraine tripled the number of visitors from the United States with Canada being a distant third place.

With the return of the great weather I honestly thought I'd be riding my bike outside every day this week. I still can get in a lot of riding this week but yesterday I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted to or when to ride. Of course if I wait the temps will get warm as it gets later, but the winds increase. 11am seems to be the best time for both worlds to ride. It's not too cold nor windy and I can get home before the winds pick up.

Yesterday about the time I was going to change into bike clothes I had an urge to take a local drive, just to drive. But by the time I was almost walking up the hounds to get ready to leave, I changed my mind. I didn't want to drive just to drive ... I wanted to go hiking.

I had joined the hounds off to the left of them in this photo soaking up my own sunshine. So it was close to 2pm when I decided I was going to get out and do something. Like I have said before, this area is fantastic for doing things outside and the trails or bike paths/lanes are all close to the house.

By the time I had loaded my small backpack with water, changed shoes and grabbed my hat, Heidi had moved inside to the coolest part of the house to continue her afternoon siesta.

When I want a flat trail and quietness, the San Pedro House/River area is the place I like to go. As I pulled into the parking lot I was the third car and one of the other two belongs to the host at the San Pedro House. I was going to have all this vacant land and trails to myself. People were back to work, kids were back in school ... perfect weather with cargo shorts and a flannel shirt. I was going to start my normal path but had a different plan where on the way back I would make a right turn and head for the river, then circle back to the house.

I was walking at a pretty good pace because I wanted to get some miles in for hip exercise and I wanted to get back to the car before they close the gate out by the highway. I wasn't sure what time they do that so I wanted to get back to the car and on the highway by 4pm. I found out later the gate stays open until sundown. I can explore new territory next time even if I have a late start.

I was traveling light, with only a small pack for water and my iPhone. I took my trekking poles for this one spot I would need them but carried them most of the time and didn't need to use them on the trail. My heart rate was up to 109 bpm in no time and never went over 112 bpm. That's a nice range on the bicycle to get in shape without a lot of energy used. I am seeing higher heart rates on my recent rides and find it hard to keep it in the 117-120 bpm range.

While walking the trail I could see all kinds of signs for the past weekend traffic. Horse shoes marked the trail in only one direction, mountain bike tires, ATV tire tracks and multiple hiking boots or shoe soles. With all the fresh prints in the dirt and sand I could tell it has been a busy weekend with people out here.

If I were to ride my mountain bike anywhere off the pavement this area would be the place. With the new hip I cannot fall again unless I want to see my surgeon back in the operating room. He reminded me of that during my last followup appointment. There are only a couple of places with loose sand where I might have problems keeping the bike up but 99% of the trail is hard packed dirt, a few rocky areas but very safe for me.

Here I am heading east toward the San Pedro River or that group of trees on the horizon, left side of the picture.

There are many trails out by the San Pedro House, with a few that I have not hiked yet. No hills to climb, very little elevation change and a dry river bed I'd like to follow sometime. Walking miles in that soft sand would be pretty good exercise ... but the quietness is what I like the most in this area and of course the scenery.

It will be a lot different in a few months on this bench. The temps in the late afternoon will be over a 100°, yesterday it was 62° and sunny. That's the Coronado NF on the far left ... then Miller Peak at the highest point with Carr Canyon next to it. I love the mountain views that I can see in any direction.

Other than what you see here in these photos, not much else has been happening. I think this is the first time since I moved here in June where days feel like they are back to normal. Routines are relaxed, the schedule for doing things is wide open. With great weather, less tv time and less house/yard maintenance, I have time to do all kinds of different outdoor activities. Just as I expected.

I am going through a 'down period' for blogging though. I find it really hard lately to come up with the words, entirely opposite from the times I cannot stop talking/writing. I've noticed on sidebar blog list more bloggers are post less frequently. Some of them have moved to Instagram possibly, or making money on YouTube. Some have just stopped. I remember a few years ago I had 53 blogs listed and most of them were blogging on a regular basis.

I knew once I moved out here I'd be blogging less because there is just so much to do compared to where I lived before. Better year-round weather, more time available during the day and new activities. The hounds have settled in too but their routine hasn't changed that much, just more time outside per their choice. Heidi even leads the walk some afternoons and actually gets excited now when she hears the word 'walk' or sees me taking the retractable leashes out of the closet.

That's the latest update from the 'Wild West'.

Morning Exploring & Hiking San Pedro

We started Tuesday behind schedule but still had time to do the things I wanted plus one project I didn't expect. I had a cup of coffee thinking Stella would be begging and whining to go on her morning walk since we were over an hour late. That puts us in a busy time of morning with people coming to work in the two buildings we walk behind and around. Some use the back road we walk on for their way to parking in the back. It was warmer Tuesday morning and that was a nice change.

When Stella didn't show back up in the computer room I was curious where she was hiding. Did she go back to one of her sleeping spots in the living room? The bedroom? No, I found her sunbathing on the patio and it was almost 8:30am. I guess she decided we didn't need the walk. That meant we could get an early start on my plans to explore all the dirt roads east of Sierra Vista.

She never moved a muscle while I made changes to her seat in the back of the truck, loaded water, the Nikon D3500 and a blanket on the passenger seat for Heidi. I had looked at the map for all the roads down by Hereford and up by the San Pedro House, and north of Hwy 90. I would find out later that some of those roads were not accessible to public traffic and had a locked gate crossing them.

With the cooler temps Heidi spends a lot more time checking out her back yard. She has adjusted well from a grass yard to a rock yard. Guess what has happened? Where she use to like to lay in the grass, roll around in the grass under the sunshine ... she had skin allergies. A constant battle from a lot of raw skin to hardly any at all. Well out here in the 'Wild West' and a rock yard with sunshine to lay under, all of that raw skin and those allergies have disappeared. She has had hair grow back where a vet told me once it wasn't possible.

On our previous trip to Montezuma Pass a few weeks ago I had folded down the back seat for Stella's area. That put it pretty high for her to get into with my help by lifting her hips while she climbed in. This way it's a good 6"-8" shorter by leaving the 'back' of the seat up, maybe not as comfortable but she didn't seem to mind. I have a fix for that lack of comfort, a small project.

We were on the road a little after 9am with the windows rolled down, only halfway for Stella. Both hounds enjoy smelling the millions of scents in the air. I cannot remember now how we got in this area. I know we started on Hwy 90, further north of these photos ... ah yes ... I turned off on Moson Rd heading south. While driving I was trying to remember the names of the roads that I had seen on the map that would continue for many miles instead of just dead end roads that led to someone's house.

There are so many roads like this in a 20 square mile area near Sierra Vista the local drives are unlimited. The truck that is just a few weeks old is getting broken in from a 'mall crawler' to 'a truck'. I can assure you from seeing the wheel wells the first time, that this truck has never been this dirty nor has it ever seen a dirt road in it's short two year lifespan.

The inside has basset hound and mostly bloodhound hair in it. The leather and plastic dash seem to be magnets for hound hair. With the daily brushing and Fromm's Gold dog food, the shedding has really decreased but for some reason it all settles inside the truck.

This is looking at the Mule Mountains and if you look closely at the end of the dirt road there is a fence so we were at a turn around point. For those readers east of the Rocky Mountains, some of you might not know that people live in these areas, school buses stop on these roads to pick up kids going to school. Many times the brush is tall enough to block out a view of their homes, some ranches. Barbed wire fencing usually marks their property line. We aren't talking one acre lots either. LOL

There is just something about the mountains in SE Arizona that are like magnets to me. I can't stop looking at them, driving towards them and taking photos. Stella must be enjoying her ride this morning ... she stayed in the back as I got out of the truck to walk for a better photo. Most of the time when I leave she hops up in the drivers seat. Have you ever had to move a 90 pound bloodhound over the console and back into her backseat before? They are a stubborn breed if that gives you a hint.

This is from me standing just on the right side of the truck, which is parked in the same position as the above photos. Those are the same mountains I see from my patio just a few miles closer. Each time that I travel this type of country or on the backside of Montezuma Pass, I do not see how it is even possible for anyone of any age, to cross the border and walk through this many miles to their point of being picked up by a car. It is not possible for anyone to care the amount of water they would need.

I would have liked to have taken that road to the right but didn't want to travel onto someone's private property. The map in my dash computer showed that road only went as far as that owner's driveway.

Heidi seemed to have enjoyed this trip much more than the first over the mountains. Once she realize that lower window in the corner was the the same height to her as she experienced in the Mini Cooper last year, she stood up with her nose out the window for most of the trip.

While I continued to head south on the dirt road I came to a point that I was crossing E. Ramsey Canyon Road so I turned right and decided I would check out my bicycle riding area. Once we crossed Hwy 92, this is the road I ride on almost every bike ride I took before my surgery. They have been busy while I was gone from riding ... they sealed the road and painted new lines. You can tell the rough texture of the highway makes it pretty vibrating on a 'road' bike. My new gravel bike will make riding a lot more comfortable and easier on the hips and shoulders.

I decided I would dive to the top of Ramsey Canyon. It's not nearly as high as the other passes and with the incline not so steep, it's a favorite for all bicyclists to ride to the end where the road dead ends as you pass campgrounds, cabins to rent and a B&B.

This is heading back towards town just past the turn off to the Brown Canyon Ranch House that I blogged about this past summer. I always take the highway when turning for home, riding on the right side of that white line or on the white line because I am riding between 27-35mph at this point. Going the opposite direction I will take that bike path you see over on the right side since I am going between 7-9mph ... it doesn't look like it but it's a long gradual climb, and gets the heart pumping to get you up there.

It was back home for lunch. I was going to leave the hounds home for the afternoon. They were already in the sleep mode by the time I finished a sandwich. I had thought the past few days of taking the bed cover off of my truck and for some reason it hit me to "do it now." I grabbed my tool box and some wrenches, slide the cover to the end of the bed and took a look. How hard or easy was this going to be? It turned out to be pretty simple and I had the cover off and stored in the garage in 15 minutes.

On the first one I took those nuts off the two screws facing me. then realized that wasn't needed since the screw facing the bottom of the truck is the one that needed to be taken off. Once I did that and loosened the other two, that piece slid right out of the end of the rail. There were four of them and that was all I need to take out to slide the cover off of the truck.

Yes, trucks do look nice with flat bed covers. They are convenient when hauling flat boxes to recycling, or tubs of plastic as long as it is shorter than the bottom of the cover. On three different occasions since I bought the truck just a couple of weeks ago, I have loaded and hauled things where the cover made the job much harder and one impossible. I decided you cannot haul stuff in a truck even with a bed cover that rolls back.

You never know when you might find some used furniture you would like to bring home, or a load of small landscaping rock for the yard or landscaping material if I can ever come up with a plan. Yes, the short 4' bed is a problem sometimes but it's not like I'll be loading 8' pieces of drywall or plywood. I was happy with my decision and so is my friend up in Phoenix who has been wanting a bed cover for her Tacoma TRD Off Road pickup.

She wants a cover because she hauls snowboards and camping gear along with a couple of friends that sit in her backseats. So the bed cover would be perfect for her use. In the meantime I'll store it out of the way in the garage until she can came down to pick it up. I'll install it for her before he heads back north.

Due to all but one of my bicycles being moved inside the house taking up the third bedroom that never turned into a guest room, I have plenty of space to store the bed cover until she has time in her busy schedule to make the 200 mile trip south.

It looks more like a truck now and I may not haul a lot of things but when I need to it's there. Plus they have something that folds over the tailgate that protects its as you sit a bike up in the bed with it's front tire hanging over the edge with this wheel folded against the truck. That will come in handier than buying some sort of bike rack. Why would I need to load a mountain bike or that new 'used' gravel bike when I can ride most places from home?

Because out at the San Pedro House there are many hiking trails that are wide and multi-purpose trails. While I was hiking one of those trails for an hour and a half yesterday afternoon, I had one bicyclists pass me, a jogger, I saw dog prints on the trail as well as horse hoof prints. I am not in good enough shape to hike the 4 miles one way to the Miller Backcountry Camp but I could walk for as long as I wanted. I'd find out what my turn around point would be as I walked.

I didn't bring my small backpack with me but I will next time. I had one trekking pole in my right hand (surgical side) and a 64oz water bottle in my left hand. My Nikon with the strap installed was slung over my shoulder riding on my back and my phone was in my left rear pocket for easy access for taking those photos. It was a beautiful day, 83° with a cool breeze ... 1:36pm.

As I walked along the path I would stop not only to take photos but also to listen to all the quietness. No sounds of traffic or barking dogs. No one talking on the sidewalk, no jets at least in that picture, and no sounds of construction ... just complete silence.

Soon after I started I see this sign knowing that as much as I would like to hike all the way to the Miller Backcountry Camp I wasn't going to be able to. My hip is not in that good of shape yet and I later found out at the end of my walk, neither were my calf muscles. Yet I could still walk for as far as I wanted, plus I wanted to get back to the car by 3:30pm. I had enough time to walk an hour and a half.

I kept track of the road so I would not stumble over a rock or run into a snake. I still spent enough time looking at the beautiful skies as I walked once I saw the type of terrain in front of me. Another thing I really kept a look out for was goathead thorns. A few weeks ago I had one come completely through the sole of my Merrell hiking shoes that I wear as my every day shoe. I didn't want that to happen again and would step over more than a few thorns laying on the path.

The park employees had recently cut back the brush from the side of the trail. There you can see the different kinds of traffic. This will be a great path to ride my mountain bike and I plan to do that very soon. I can also ride the gravel bike on a trail like this. Riding to the Hereford Bridge and back would be about 16 miles. I am not sure how long it will be before I can do that length of ride. The doctor told me to 'listen to your body' when I asked him "how far can I ride" on the 22nd of October.

As I continued a nice pace it was like I had the whole place to myself.

To think I am living just a few miles from the San Pedro River and can come out there to ride or hike as much as I want is just hard for me to believe sometimes. There are so many trails just in this area. When I was talking to the Park Ranger last week heading over Montezuma Pass, he told me I could hike the railroad track all the way from this San Pedro House to the border. That would be quite a hike and not sure I could do all of that but I'll put that on my list of hikes to do.

By the time I finished the hike I could feel some muscles that had not been used in 59 days. It was a good feeling knowing some muscles had gotten used and thus will get stronger the more walking I do. Needless to say the hounds had to check out my shoes before I took them off outside. These shoes are washable but with a brush I was able to clean  them enough for today's hike ... I am thinking Brown Canyon as I drink coffee this morning.

I am listening to my body as my doctor said and man is it screaming to ride, to hike, to walk, to do this or that. It will let me know when to take a day off, just like the Saturday morning I ignored what it was saying and went riding anyway only to wreck 20 minutes into the ride on the 7th of September and as they say "the rest is history."

Yesterday seemed like a turning point to where the day felt like a normal day.

Life is good here in the 'Wild West'