SNAKE PART II: The Return of the Rattle

Wednesday, February 25th we begin a voyage northwest to Roosevelt Lake. We traversed an insane road called Apache Trail Highway (88). This highway wound about the hills and canyons at times leaving only enough space for one car to get through and several single lane little bridges. Then it suddenly goes from paved to unpaved retaining all of the fun single lanes, etc. The scenery was insanely beautiful with multicolored and layered, rock canyons. The canyons were carved out along the hillside of the Salt River leading into Canyon Lake, Apache Lake and Roosevelt Lake. Very strange to see the contrast of a saguaro cactus two feet from the water. We stopped to peek at Roosevelt Dam and take a few pictures. 

The 3 of us at Roosevelt Dam

Roosevelt Lake

All of our hiking and nature adventure to date has occurred in the Tonto National Forest (Strange that it's a forest with cactus instead of trees). Tonto National Monument, located within this forest was our actual destination for the day. The monument includes several protected ruin sites of a prehistoric people posthumously called the Salado. We were able to visit one of the ruin sites and had the pleasure of being pestered by Africanized honeybees as pointed out to us by the park ranger.

Ruins

Ruins Close-up.

On our way down from the ruins we happened upon our friend the rattlesnake once again. But this time he was coiled up and rattling to beat the band. And we have VIDEO! Check it out.

Pic of our friend

Charly's Video of our friend.

My Video of our friend.

SNAKE!

We went for a hike today in the Superstition Mountains. Drove past the Lost Dutchman State Park and went to the First Water Trailhead. We chose a set of three trails which created a loop about 8 miles long. We were leery about even beginning our trek because we were having trouble reading the confusing map (see below). It's confusing because It doesn't really have a "You are hear" designation nor is there any clear way of figuring out where on the map you actually are. 

We filled our little backpack with extra shirts and food but wisely opted to replace it all with a gallon jug of water. It was near 85 degrees today and the sun was hot. We started our hike and were not far into it (about 1/2 hr) when I distinctly heard the sound of a baby rattle. I stopped dead in my tracks with Charly bumping into me from behind saying, "What?" In a hushed voice I said, "Rattlesnake!" Approximately 3ft ahead of us from a clump of grassy brush right next to the trail came the unmistakable sound of a baby rattle again. We moved back a little and to the side. I picked up a pebble and threw it at the brush to verify the sound. It came again. We were at somewhat of a standstill not really sure where to go. (What is really strange is a man had just passed us coming from this spot a couple minutes earlier) At this moment we heard a group of people on horseback approaching. We still hadn't actually seen the snake.  I shouted to warn them of the snake as Charly said, "I see it! I see it!"  I looked back and there it was a Diamondback Rattlesnake. He looked pretty big. Long and golden brownish in color, it actually stood out quite well against the green grassy area. The group on horses passed by and we all made exclamations about it being a big one. We were glad to see it on it's way in the other direction however we remained spooked for a good while after. 

Big F'in Snake

Blurry but you can see the head.

We continued on our trek with much hesitation at each clump of brush near the trail. But sanity prevailed and we went back to enjoying the views and the little lizards we would see along the trail. 

Lizzy the Lizard.

Lizzy's cousin.

We stopped for a snack and then continued on. We had been on the second trail of the 3 trail loop for quite a while, moving rather slowly because of our earlier encounter. We started to get concerned we were not where we should be, it was 3:45 and already we had been on the trail nearly 3 hours and were not half done. Darkness would come in 3 hours. We ran into several groups of people who were no help as they had been part of groups and had a leader who had already passed us. :(  We marched on. We finally ran into some guys with a map. Thank goodness, we thought. Unfortunately they seemed more lost then we were. We had to show them where they were on their own map. However they made us nervous because they mentioned there was no clear signage ahead. Well we pushed on because I just couldn't believe there wasn't a sign. We were however getting progressively more nervous and we decided if we did not reach the sign at a certain point we would turn back. 

Tada! Turns out there was a sign and we were happy however we had a lot of ground to cover. We made 3.9 miles of rough terrain in 1 1/2 hours. 2 hours less then the first half took. We arrived at the trailhead by 6:00. Well ahead of sundown. 

What an eventful day.

Charly Snacking sporting her new hair-do.

Map with arrows to Snake Encounter and Encounter with Stupid Guys.

Snake Skin we found at a different location.

More Jeeping Pics

Some more pictures from jeeping. A friend of my Dad took these. 

Ren Fest Characters, House Search, and More!

Tony and I have been busy working at the RenFest lately and haven't had much time to blog. He is selling bread bowls and gets to wear a fun costume. I work in back of a pub doing cocktail prep. It's been fun work and even cooler is that we get to walk around the fair everyday and eat free turkey legs or bread bowls or whatever for lunch!

NEAT-O!

Since getting hired today is the first day we've had off besides Monday and that was when we found our new place. We moved out of Tony's parents' living room and into a nice, furnished house with 3 other ppl between ages 45-62??. They are all very friendly and it's nice to be able to cook for ourselves and spread out a bit more than we have all month:) Today we are enjoying temp work applications (blah!) at Starbucks (delish!). This afternoon it's going to be 75 degrees!!!!(in February!!!) and we are going to hike and then bbq with Tony's parents to celebrate the Sale of their place down here--they have decided to travel more, too. wooh!

Don't forget to comment or email us and tell us your news-we miss you all-lots of love!

Charly has a new haircut

In all the job excitement we forgot to mention Charly got a new haircut. I only mention it because it is tres cute. Pictures to follow :)

Ye Olde Job Hunt

Enter Rockstar:  So Tony and I decide to apply for jobs at the Renaissance Festival for our first temp jobs. We headed to the on-site office to pick up applications and fill them out in the car. I head back in to submit them when this lady outside asks me my name. I'm wondering why but just tell her. She tells me that she was waiting for an interviewee and thought I could be her. My response? Why yes I am! What was the name you were looking for?  ;)

She seems to take a liking to my spunk and says she might look at my application later as I'm telling her she should interview me instead. I turn in my application and cockily inform the receptionist to expect someone to ask for it soon. Before I leave I return to the lady to get her name telling her I need to know who to expect a call from. Rose, she tells me. Then she tells me to wait there a few minutes because she's decided she wants to interview Tony and I now. In a short time I'm being interviewed for a cocktail prep position at RenFest...but she tells me there is only one position available. Not too much later she's telling me she'll put Tony in money handling and boom we both have our first jobs on our adventure. If you can't tell, I'm proud of my smooth talking- but it just goes to show that being a pushy little bugger gets you places ;)

Postscript - She really is my cute little ROCKSTAR...I love her -Tony

Jeeping with Larry

Today Tony and I went jeeping with Tony's dad and his jeeping, snowbird buddies up to Montana Mountain in the Superstition Mt Range. Rain on Monday was snow at higher elevations. This snow stopped us just before the top, and we turned back to avoid slipping down steep slopes to our gory deaths. 

We had lunch at where we turned around, and Tony found the time to build a snowman:)

Peralta Trail

Me near one of the waterfalls

Caveman Tony

Two excitable crazies with a self-timer camera

Where's Waldo?

Tony atop the  Superstition Mts

Me in front of Weavers Needle

Tony in front of Weavers Needle

Tony and I went hiking on the Peralta trail today. I think it was about  seven and a half miles long. All day Monday it had rained and this made the scenery gorgeous! All around us water was trickling down rocks and we could trace small waterfalls up the side of the mountain to the top. At the top of the trail we saw weavers needle which you see up each posing in front of in the last pictures here. It was great weather and amazing to be out hiking in February :)

The Silly Mountain Adventure

We went on a hike on Silly Mountain today and Charly had her portrait sitting with a Saguaro. This mountain is really a glorified hill. In the past motorbikes and four-wheelers made big ruts going straight up the hill to the top. It has now been closed off to motorized vehicles and is in the process of restoration. Part of the restoration has created several miles of trails. Now to look at this hill you'd think ah easy, no problem. This will be a quick hike. Well we went late in the day and thought the same thing. Soon we had gone up one side and down another and were heading away from the car as darkness was setting in...We were lost...well not really lost so much as very far away from the car and it was getting dark. As the darkness closed in we decided to ditch the trail and walk straight across the desert. Good thing too because we made it back to the car just before it went completely dark. At least we got some cute pictures! It also primed us for our hike on the Peralta trail tomorrow.

View of Superstition Mountains from Silly Mountain

Charly hugging a Saguaro

Us on Silly Mountain

Assumptions and Expectations

Whether through the influence of television, movies or other medias certain assumptions formed in my mind through the years. For example I assume the desert is hot, windy and sandy and I assume the north is cold, icy and snowy. Yet at no point has weather really met my expectations on this trip. Our experience of rain today in Arizona is odd but common enough. However SNOW in the desert...it just doesn't compute. The pictures above and below were taken in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The snow/slush lasted for about a mile or two and then disappeared as we crested the mountain. But, again not a particularly uncommon occurrence. When living in Minnesota though the only time we here about Phoenix, Albuquerque or Los Angeles is in the searing heat of summer. We make no complaint about the weather we are experiencing but we are flabbergasted at how if fails to meet our assumptions and expectations. Experiencing a place first hand appears to be an exercise in correcting assumptions and breaking expectations. 

Interview at Full Belly Farm

THE FARM

THE INTERVIEW

We interviewed at Fully Belly Farm on Friday. They've been very busy and were not getting back to us so we called the farm and asked if we could come by and take a look around. Checking in at the office we toured the farm joined by 3 of the farm dogs they acted as our guides :)  After checking out all the crops and orchards we were invited to lunch with the owners. They shared a wonderful meal with us as we chatted and answered questions. The atmosphere was communal and pleasant. Everyone was very friendly and Charly had her pant leg nibbled on by the cutest abandoned black lamb just born that morning and wandering about the house. Dru one of the owners and our interviewer took us to see where the sheep were having lambs and gave us a tour of the living arrangements. We also met some of the interns and talked to them about their experiences. It seemed to go well and we should know in the next couple of weeks. 

Hooray for Wind Power!!!

As we crossed the Mojave Region yesterday, we were excited to see the world's largest windfarm in action!! Right in our country's very own Calli :) According to our very reliable sources (postcard) this windfarm is the largest source of wind generated electricity in the world and provides power to over 150,000 homes each year.

Hecklers + Bad Math = WTF mate?

After our interview we thought about running straight to Arizona but then realized we were tired and postponed the ordeal for the next day. (Good thing too because turns out my miscalculations registered it as a 12 hr drive rather than 15, ugh) So, as has become our routine in seeking out a place to sleep, Tony drives us around to the motels in the area and I run in and check prices (even though Motel 6 is always the cheapest) I went into the Budget Inn which was this tiny place with a somewhat sketchy look but ok. The lady behind the counter tells me "$51, best deal in town" and as I always do, I just say thank you and walk away to consult with Tony in the car. Sometimes, as I'm placing my hand on the door to exit, this elicits panic in the desperate hotel clerk and they begin bargaining. 'How much do you want to pay?' they might ask. So at the Budget Inn the lady here says it's the best deal and since she won't let me leave I tell her that Motel 6 is 50 and we've been there before. This seems to outrage her because she is nearly yelling at me while she informs me that MY ROOMS have a microwave and are still a dollar cheaper! This may have swayed me if I wasn't being yelled at so I tell her I need to consult on it and she shakes her hand at me as I walk out the door. Odd? Maybe, but then we go to Econolodge. I'm still bemused from my last encounter when I walk into the lobby and ask the elderly desk-worker the price of a room. He quotes me a room for $59.99 and I say thank you and put my hand on the door. Again the hageling begins...'How much do you want to spend?' I tell him that we were looking more like 50$ range. He responds, 'Ok I'll give you a really good deal --$60!' I think about this for a second, confused...did I hear wrong. I start to tell him that he has actually just offered me a room for a cent MORE when he starts going back and forth 59.99, 60 dollars he repeats. Baffeled I walk out the door and we head to the Motel 6.

More Arizona Rain

Agave in the Rain

We are taking a respite from our interviewing and traveling for a short stay with my parents in Arizona. 

Arizona, not exactly what one would expect weatherwise, pouring rain and a bit chilly. However it's better then 20 below. Strange weather seems to be a theme in our travels so far a topic which we will come back to in other posts recounting the last few days.

My parent's place is located east of Phoenix in Gold Canyon near Apache Junction. The picture was taken right outside their place. We seem to have missed the 80 degree weather each step of our journey. 

In the Beginning

Here is a picture John E. took on the day we left. Thanks John and Juliana for your hospitality. It made for a great beginning to our adventure. Love Tony & Charly

We're Here!

...well sort of. We've landed in Woodland California just west of Sacramento. What a beautiful trip through the Sierra Nevada mountains. Although stressful at times poor Charly drove it like a trooper through the craziness that is Interstate 80. My hand may have been clenched to the door handle and my body tensed but she did a great job. Sadly we mourn the loss of the grapefruit we brought from home the agriculture border patrol confiscated it, said it had citrus pests...the nerve! We arrived at our motel and Charly did a twirly dance in the parking lot in a t-shirt. You heard it a T-SHIRT! Oh yeah and palm trees! The weather is great and we are happy. 

This may be a good time to go over why we are doing this. Charly and I have abandoned Minnesota and its famous winters to be somewhere, anywhere milder. In addition we've applied to work on an organic farm www.fullbellyfarm.com in Guinda California. We interview tomorrow or Friday so wish us luck. 

Odds & Ends

Here's something we found on the first day in Chamberlain, SD. 

Travel Bear and Charly

Charly has taken to petting and talking to Travel Bear. He is our companion on this trip and I'm starting to get a little jealous. He may just find himself laying along the interstate someday soon. 

Unexpected Marvels

All yesterday I was craving a hot ham and cheese and I finally got it at a greasy spoon in the city of Wall (as in Wall Drug), SD- YAY! It was all I had hoped it would be:) We saw so many things today from the Badlands to Mt Rushmore to the Black Hills and I have to saw a few things that surprise me: first off I have to give South Dakota -at least the western bit -more credit than I previously did because it really is fascinating land, secondly it is damn difficult to drive in the Mts when you don't know what in the hell you are doing and suddenly roads are closed and you have to backtrack all that way, and finally I was pleasantly surprised to find that my favorite sight of the day was somewhat unexpected. I found a particular set of rocks in the black hills which I am now kicking myself for not taking a picture of them. Though my words couldn't do them justice they looked to me like giant pestles all leaned up against a mountainside and just as tall as the mountain, too. They appeared free from one another and I imagined one of them peeling away from the others the way a baseball bat may if you stood it up against a wall... peeling away and crushing the car with it's mightyness. awe.

George Washington's Eyes

I've travelled to South Dakota several times. In summer roads winding through the Badlands, leading to Mt. Rushmore, and traversing Custer State Park flow with an undulating mass of vehicles the inhabitants trying to get a glimpse of these National wonders. Winter sees the flow slow to a trickle. As the chaos of Sunday recedes and the giddy excitement of Monday steadies the tranquility of this environment brings a smile to my face. We embark on an adventure and we are happy, scared, elated, worried, hesitant and enthusiastic about the future. We left Chamberlain SD. this morning and finally breached the border of that state into Wyoming. Stopping for the night in Cheyenne, WY. 

Along the way traveling highway 16 we pass the faces on Mt. Rushmore, George Washington's noble gaze upon us. Watching. 

Setting Forth

Be it no concern

Point of no return

Go forward in reverse

This I will recall

Everytime I fall

Setting forth in the universe

Setting forth in the universe

Out here, realigned 

A planet out of sight

Nature drunk and high

Eddie Vedder, Setting Forth (Into the Wild soundtrack)

With Perspective and a Deep Breath

We began our adventure today a 2pm...Central Time ;)

Last night we stayed at my apartment until 2am getting everything out, packed up and cleaned. It was one the the most exhausting exercises of my life - at least I would've swore it so last night. We stayed with J+J. Juliana was sleeping and Tony went right to bed, completely exhausted. High off excitement to be done with the packing, I downed a glass of wine and kept John up talking to the insane hour of 430am. Sleeping in was a treat and the "fort room" was super fun:) John and I walked to the corner store for breakfast essentials and the day was beautiful and it was great to walk comfortably outside and breath deeply and know that packing was behind us and adventure ahead. Thank to J+J was enjoyed eggs and crepes and showers, the latter much needed (to wash off the stank). Trip planning involved approximately 5 min of weather.com and mapquest. With a shrug of our shoulders we decide to head to Mt Rushmore.

We've already been lost once - right in our back yard! When taking 394 to 169, Tony accidentally merged back onto 394 without noticing and we ended up in a town called Independence before we realized something wasn't right. We laughed and turned around.

We enjoyed the last two minutes of the superbowl over a shared plate of french toast at a truckstop and have stopped for the night in the middle of SD.

Enjoy!