COOLING DOWN

Leaving 90 degree days and sweaty sleeping nights we head east and north to higher elevations with home our direction.

We find a nice BLM spot on Vulture Mine road about a dozen miles south of Wickenburg, AZ.

We're alone in a meadow of Teddy Bear Cholla, Saguaro and Creosote Bush.

Jackie builds an obelisk of white quartz saying, "I've been here

and I create a feeding station to attract the birds~~~No takers.

Leaving the dirt trail and back on the paved road we see a driveway entrance with a couple of large metal Vultures.  Well it is, after-all, Vulture Mine Road.

We move on and skirt Phoenix to the north and east and spend a night at Superstition Mountain, Lost Duchman Mine State Park. Beautiful!

Rugged and huge, a great place to lose a mine.

 Strawberry Hedgehog cactus with a startling display of flowers.

With the wet spring even the Pancake Prickly Pear is blooming.

Lifer bird, "Bullock's Oriole.

Another lifer, "Western Scrub Jay.  *Photo by Jackie*

Headed further NE into yet higher elevations.  The sun is more intense but the furnace-like heat has past and the nighttime temps are in the mid 40's, good sleeping.

Arkansas oil spill~~You know this can happen to any one of us.