Cottonwood Springs Hike in the Bulldog Canyon

It was a great morning for a hike starting at the Cottonwood Springs Trailhead in the Bulldog Canyon in the Goldfield Mountains.  The hike was slightly more than three miles with gradual elevation changes of 200-300 feet with some loose rocks.

Monday Hiking Group

Took Time Out For a Little Geo Cacheing

Yikes!! The Snakes are Out

Y

Guide Talking About Saguaros

Four Peaks in Background

Huzzah! The Arizona Renaissance Festival

 

No Passport to Time Travel 

The Renaissance Festival  is a medieval amusement park, a 13-stage theatre, a 30-acre circus, an arts and crafts faire, a Jousting Tournament and a feast, all rolled into one non-stop, day-long, adventure. There is interactive entertainment going on all around you.

A Royal Feast 

There is comedy, music, street performers, jousting knights on horseback, shopping and indulging. There are over 500 costumed characters roaming the festival village. You can immerse yourself into the world of Royals and peasants. If you want to be part of it you can even rent a costume there!





Whimsical

Delightful

We were surprised how attendees get in the whole carnival mood by dressing in styles of "merry old England."  Ren Fest brings to life the language, science, arts, engineering and ambiance of the 16th Century village marketplace. 

There are Artisan shops filled with unique treasures village street shenanigans There are over 200 elaborately adorned shops offering an array of goods such as leather goods, jewelry, pottery, swords and knives

Indulging

 

Peasants

Wenches

 

Humpback & Friends

 

Artisans at Work

Jousting Tournament



Marketplace

Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch

The Town of Gilbert's water recycling facility treats its waste water and then pipes it into basins where it replenishes the underground water supply.  The water can then be pumped out of the ground to support the water needs of the Gilbert community. The Gold Canyon RV Resort Camera Group drove to the Riparian Preserve to take photographs of birds and animals in their natural habitat.

Stork Nesting Box

Gilbert, AZ created ponds with treated waste water and attracted a wide array of wildlife  The water is fenced due to the fact that it is not treated to a high enough standard for public safety but animals are attracted to this area.  There were ducks, egrets, storks, hummingbirds and more along with rabbits and many species of cacti growing here.

 Observatory to View the Stars

The Gilbert Rotary Observatory opened in 2006 and over 45,000 visitor have gazed through the 16" Telescope installed in the observatory dome. 

An amazing place -  a peaceful pocket of the natural world that demonstrates the potential for resource conservation and an escape from the ordinary - green space and water conservation. It;s located in the middle of a fast growing urban area and contains trails, ponds, sitting areas and a variety of birds and vegetation. It's a five-acre oasis in the desert.  

Anniversary

It's #44 in the Sonoran desert. We went to Osaka's Japanese Steakhouse for Teppanyaki to celebrate.

Champagne for Two

It was a fun night with old and new friends. Not to mention the sake.

Bulldog Canyon Hike in the Goldfield Mountains

This hike was a mere 2.8 miles and considered "easy".  Today we were even able to talk as we walked. The trail doesn't have a name but some suggested Bulldog Canyon Trail and directed us to imagine a rock formation was a bulldog.

Bulldog Looking Heavenward

 Weavers Needle is an extinct volcanic core. A 1,000 foot column.  This distinctive peak with its summit elevation of 4,555 feet is visible for miles around.  It was named after mountain man Pauline Weaver. Thousands of people have searched for gold around Weavers Needle.

Weavers Needle

Always on the Lookout for Gold

Boundary Fence from the Past

Claim Marker



Parker Pass & Praying Hands

This hike was described as 4.8 miles and "moderate." It quickly turned into a climb that went higher and higher up the mountain.  I slipped on some small rocks and hit the ground scraping my elbow on the narrow, rocky and steep trail. This hike just about killed us.  After the steep descent we were walking like zombies hoping the parking lot was just 100 yards away. It became obvious that we were in the wrong hiking group.

Teddy Bear Cholla Grove



Getting a Hug from a Saguaro Cactus

Praying Hands



Massacre Grounds

 We hiked up to a cliff overlooking Massacre Grounds, the site where according to legend, Apache warriors slaughtered a party of Mexican miners.  During the mid 1800s the wealthy Peralta family of Mexico operated several mines in what is now Arizona. After the Mexican War and the Gadsden Purchase, which shifted the border far to the south, the Peraltas decided to extract as much ore as possible before their mines became U.S. territory.  Their last expedition laden with rich gold ore, was on its way back to Mexico when Apaches attacked, slaughtering the miners on the north west side of the Superstitions.  Some years later in 1912 a couple of prospectors found gold ore worth $18,000 in the area where the massacre allegedly  took place.


See My Boo boos