For example: Coffeepot, Hellsgate Wilderness, Santa Claus, Cash Mine, Hidden Treasure Mine... I mean, who wouldn't want to go to Cash Mine? Or Hidden Treasure Mine? And how neat would that look on a locality label? I'm still debating if this is a good thing or not, to go somewhere just because it has a fun name. This new obsession started with Bumble Bee, which is where I went collecting about two weeks ago. The original plan was to go to Horsethief Canyon, but after getting such a late start and still having to finish off Christmas shopping I picked a closer trail: Black Canyon National Recreational Trail.
The trail itself is 79 miles long, "stretching from the Sonoran Desert lowlands in Phoenix to the high grasslands in Prescott Valley." Edwin and I, of course, did not and could not possibly walk the entire thing, though we were content with snooping around for beetles and then walking a good two miles afterwords. I don't think words can describe how beautiful the landscape was, even on such a potentially dreary day. The wind was like ice, clouds covered the sky, and the rain came sporadically. We were lucky to have packed raincoats... and even so, nothing could defeat my overwhelming sense of happiness.
How could I not be happy around a face like that?
Or walking around a place like this?
My absolute favorite thing about Arizona is that one doesn't have to travel far in order to find someplace scenic. Earlier in the week we had taken an afternoon to trek North Mountain, where we stumbled upon... Santa Cactus?
(Please note the coals for eyes.) I told him that this year I wanted a GPS for Christmas, and when I got home I traveled back in time three days and ordered one from Amazon. I think he used some sort of hypnosis on me, though I'll never be able to prove it.
Directly across from our spiny friend there was also a heavily decorated mesquite tree. The "top" - in quotations, because this was a broad/general area - had a solar-powered star that I couldn't successfully photograph. While many of the ornaments dangling from the branches were store bought it looked like an equal number were hand made. My favorite was easily this little Cupid:
He shot Edwin and I, and now we're even more studpidly in love, which I didn't even think was possible.
Well... it's about that time to scamper off to bed. Hopefully the dog will relinquish my pillow by the time I'm ready to fall asleep.
