Ironwood Forest National Monument -- an Arizona Jewel

I'm actually hesitant to blog about this particular location, as it is so pristine and unspoiled. Thankfully, there is a group of dedicated people (Friends of the Ironwood Forest) who work alongside the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to care for this gem of a National Monument.

The Ironwood Forest National Monument, or IFNM to shorten the long name, is easily accessible from either Tucson or Phoenix and offers acres and acres of stunning Sonoran Desert landscapes. Most notably, the Ironwood tree, and of course, lots and lots of stately Saguaro Cactus.

I have visited the monument a few times in the past weeks with family and friends on separate occasions and it is a photographer's delight. Also, if you like exploring dirt roads on foot, mountain bike, or by vehicle, you won't be disappointed.

Here are a few notable photographs from my recent visits.

Entering the monument on Sasco Road greeted by a beautiful specimen of a 

Crested (Cristate) Saguaro Cactus

View of Ragged Top

Saguaros and Palo Verde Trees

Me and the crested cactus

Another view of the crested cactus

A brand new arm bud on a Saguaro, which means this particular cactus is around 75 years old

An Ironwood "nurse" tree with the crested cactus -- they are both well over a 100 years old

A fallen giant -- wondering if lightning was the culprit

Another beautiful view of Ragged Top

"Circle of Friends"

Fallen Cholla Cactus

Southwestern view along Sasco Road with Ragged Top in the distance

Drone Photo Credit: Derrick Lattibeaudiere

Separate from the monument are ruins of the old Southern Arizona Smelting Company (SASCO) that you will encounter driving in on Sasco Road.

Drone Photos Courtesy of Derrick Lattibeaudiere

Gotcha!!

Three years ago today, I did something I swore I would never do again -- I rescued another cat! At that time, I was "catless" for the first time in about 40 years and decided it was best at this stage in life that I did not have a pet that relied on me. Afterall, I had recently retired after 45 years of working and was looking forward to galavanting across this great country of ours in search of places I have yet to experience. 

However, someone else had other plans. Sometime in November of 2017, I received a text message with the following image attached:

A small black cat was living under the solar panels on my neighbor's roof! I decided if possible, I would catch him or her, have them spayed/neutered and release them back into the neighborhood. I started talking to the kitty, who turned out to be very skittish, but would vocalize to me as if to say "help me". I started putting out food and water, and after about 3 weeks, she would get within a few feet of me. Then, to my surprise, on December 8, I put the food and water down at my feet, but did not move. She ran over and started chowing down and without even thinking, I scooped her up and brought her into the house. 

OH, MY GOODNESS!! WHAT DID I JUST DO!! I swore I wasn't going to bring another cat into the house and I did just that. Well, long story short, I did have her spayed, but classically rescue failed in the process. She was just so cute and adorable, and tiny! She bonded to me so quickly, and of course, I fell in love with her. Needless to say, I now have a cat to take care of for the next 15 or so years. Even though she is a girl, I named her Thackery Binx (Binx for short) after the black cat in the movie Hocus Pocus.

Binx's first meal indoors

Binx bonding with me on her first night as an indoor cat

After a few vet visits to get her tested for diseases, dewormed, vaccinated, and spayed, she came through with flying colors and has enjoyed a very healthy life so far. 

She has made good friends with my daughter's big boy cat Salem, but after 3 years, she is still vary of Boo, my daughter's little female cat. I've given up trying to get them to become friends. Sometimes, cats just don't get along. We've all learned how to co-exist with as little stress as possible, and Binx is doing fine.

Binx has an amazing personality and is truly my "furry child". I can't imagine life without her, and even though I thought I didn't need another pet, I'm glad she is with me. Here are some random pictures of her from the past 3 years.

Those eyes!

Watching the outside world from a new perspective

Binx and Salem enjoying some fresh air

Loving the Indoor Life!!

I love you, Meowma!

Picacho for Thanksgiving

For the first time in my life, I spent Thanksgiving camping!! I can check that off my bucket list now. I was joined by my oldest daughter, Cheryl and her BF, Orion. What a great way to celebrate the holiday with family.

Dining in the desert

T-shirt weather for Thanksgiving

As you can see in the photos, we enjoyed all of the usual trappings of a Thanksgiving dinner: Turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, zucchini, and cranberry sauce! With the exception of the turkey that I cooked the day before, we were able to cook up everything else using my trusty Coleman Fold-n-Go stove.

Using my Coleman stove to heat water for my morning coffee.

As a treat, I turned my Roofnest over to my daughter and Orion for Thanksgiving night. They absolutely loved it! They liked it so much, they are seriously considering buying one of their own.

Babies in my "nest"

Of course, this meant I was delegated to the ground floor for one night, but other than the ground being a little cold due to sleeping on top of an inflatable mattress, I was warm and cozy. The secret to cold camping is layers and insulation -- layers of clothing and insulation between you and the surface you're sleeping on. The temperature overnight stayed close to the low 40s, but just before dawn it dipped into the upper 30s. Brrrr. That's downright cold for us here in Arizona.

The crisp air makes for some beautiful blue skies. Here's a shot of Newman Peak looking Northwest from the park.

I'm heading out to Picacho again in a few days to test out another piece of new gear, a 12V heated throw. I'll be able to plug it in to one of my solar generators, which will provide me with hours and hours of use time. I don't plan on using it all night, but it will be nice to warm myself up just in case it gets a bit too chilly. My motto is to hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Having a way to warm myself up without having to run my car engine or use a portable heater is the way to go for me. 

In case, you're wondering, no, I will not be using a portable heater inside my Roofnest (or any other tent) or my cargo trailer. The popular one out there is the Mr. Heater Buddy, but let me tell you, you're asking for trouble using one of those inside a small confined space. When dealing with open flames, all it takes is one small mistake and you have a potential disaster on your hands. There are plenty of YouTube videos and Internet images to confirm that. I won't even use a candle in a tent -- it's just too risky.

Ciao for now!

Flock Yeah!!

As a birthday gift to myself, I purchased a 2020 Roofnest Sparrow EYE rooftop tent to add to my camping repertoire. This explains the title of my blog post, as I am now considered a member of the Roofnest Flock.

After giving car camping a go in September, I knew I needed a bit more room than what my compact Crosstrek could provide. Don't get me wrong, I love my Crosstrek and it worked well as a camper, but it is a bit cramped for sleeping. I have been eyeing rooftop tents for over a year, and the 2020 Roofnest Sparrow EYE has all of the features I was looking for:

• Lower cost (compared to similar clam shell RTs that are available)
• Lightweight (under 150 lbs)
• Made in the US (updated 11/15 - these tents are made in China)
• Clam shell design
• Aerodynamic profile for better MPGs
• Enough height to allow me to sit upright or get up on my knees
• Allows all bedding, including pillows to be stored when the tent is closed
• No hardware to install (with the exception of the hardware to mount the tent to my racks)
• Ladder included
• Great customer support

I could go on, but those are the key selling points for me. An added bonus is that the tent was designed to allow for installation of a solar panel, and includes an area at the rear of the roof for storing loose gear in the supplied bag.

Here it is just after installation.

I am so grateful to my lovely daughter, Cristina, and her boyfriend Jeff, without whom I would not have been able to get it up there and locked down.

I was itching to test out this new piece of gear and chose the Lost Dutchman State Park located at the base of the legendary Superstition Mountains southeast of Phoenix near the town of Apache Junction. 

On my very first trip to Arizona in February of 1980, I purposely stayed at a motel in Apache Junction even though it was 15 miles from the company I was visiting, as I had heard through word of mouth that the AJ area (as it is locally called) had some pretty special geography. In 1980, there was no Internet, so all I had to go on were AAA maps and guides. When I pulled into my motel after a late night plane flight, I checked in wondering what the area looked like. Well, let me tell you, when I awoke the next morning and pulled out of the parking lot, I was stunned at what I saw!

The picture above was taken with my phone and doesn't do these mountains justice, but Google them and you'll be astounded at the plethora of beautiful images people have taken. I took this photo from my campsite and enjoyed this same view from the large back window of my rooftop tent.

Room with a view

Campsite set up

Good morning!

It was a bit chilly overnight (low of 43), but I was nice and warm. The mattress supplied with the tent is only 3", but it was really comfortable. I was able to use a fitted sheet and make up the bed like I would at home, using my 30 to 50 degree sleeping bag as a comforter. It was so nice to be able to sleep like I would at home. Roofnest states the tent is for two people, but I think it would be a bit tight, but doable. They do offer larger width tents in case you're interested.

So there you have it! I'm all set in the camping department now. I'm still planning on using Clutch Cargo for local camping trips, but having the Roofnest opens up the entire country for me and my plan for 2021 is to take longer road trips exploring the roads less traveled. If Covid is still a major issue, I'll restrict my travels to the state of Arizona, which offers many wonderful Spring and Summer destinations, so stay tuned!!

Birthday Getaway to Picacho Peak State Park

 Ahh... Picacho Peak State Park. One of my all-time favorite places in Arizona and it's only 20 miles from my home. Picacho Peak holds the distinction of being the location of the western-most conflict of the Civil War known as "The Battle of Picacho Pass".

A little history on the Civil War skirmish

Thankfully, the monument above was not erected to glorify either the Confederate or Union factions, but rather, it was placed to honor the Mormon Battalion who marched through this area in December of 1846 on their way to California during the war with Mexico on the longest Infantry march on record. This battalion was the first to raise the American flag in Tucson.

As a treat for my birthday, I reserved a campsite for the 27th through the 29th, and couldn't have chosen better days as the weather was absolutely perfect! As most anyone knows, it can get a bit toasty in my region of Arizona during the summer, and 2020 has proved to be the hottest on record. That being said, you can't complain about daytime temps in the mid-60s at the end of October. What a nice relief from all of the heat we had.

View of the "peak" from my campsite

One of the interesting things (at least to me) about this area is that the English translation of Picacho literally means "Pointed Peak". So, the name of this state park is technically Pointed Peak Peak State Park. LOL! Everytime I pass by Picacho, as I call it, I think this to myself. That's what I get for being a Technical Writer/Editor for multiple decades. I can't help myself!

For this trip, I used my trusty little cargo camper conversion, Clutch Cargo, and he proved to keep me safe, secure, and warm as the nights were in the upper 30s. I didn't have to worry about critters trying to sleep with me or steal anything like my last ground tent adventure in August.

There's no place like home (away from home) :)

I walked up from my site to capture this sweeping desert view with my trusty Clutch in the background.

Speaking of critters, other than a wide variety of bird life, the only real mammals I observed were Harris's Antelope Squirrels who kept me company off and on during my stay. They are so adorable!! They look quite a bit like a cross between a Chipmunk and a Ground Squirrel, with a body length of approximately 8.5 to 10 inches.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of my camping traditions is to build a small Cairn at the entrance of my campsite. Here's my Picacho contribution.

My trip ended all too soon, but I've already reserved my campsite for my next adventure, which will take place at Lost Dutchman State Park in mid-November. I'll be testing out my latest acquisition, a Roofnest Sparrow EYE rooftop tent!! So, stay tuned for that!

If You Can't Stand the Heat (Part II)

True to my word, I was able to make it back to my beloved Mt. Graham (a.k.a Pinaleño Mountains) to round out my summer camping.

This time I chose another campsite (5), which features a three-sided shelter that is reminiscent to those found in the Adirondack Mountains. I was tempted to use it as a garage, as it appeared to be the perfect size for my Crosstrek. 😛

I brought along my Pop-up Pod to provide me with an in-camp restroom. The Shannon Campground has several vault-style toilets, but having a Porta-Potty of my own was money well spent (which wasn't much 👍). The pod also doubles as a place to change clothes or shower if desired. 

Another change to this visit is that I camped in my car instead of a ground tent. I built a low sleeping platform and my car is just long enough to allow me to stretch out. The weather during the day was in the upper 60s, but the nighttime temps dropped into the low 40s, so having the car provided me with a nice warm place to sleep, plus the critters couldn't mess with me like they did last time.

Site 5 backs up to Marijilda Creek, which runs North to South through the campground. Even in mid-September it still had running water, which is always a nice addition.

(View of Marijilda Creek looking North)

(Looking up to my campsite from Marijilda Creek)

Even though Fall was technically just a week or so away, the local flora was not yet experiencing any color changes. I did see a few trees on the way up the mountain that were beginning to show signs, but in the campground, the only evidence were the wild Geraniums, whose leaves change to a brilliant deep shade of red.

Something fun I like to do when hiking or camping is to build a "Cairn", which is a grouping of stones, typically used to mark a special site or trail route. I took advantage of a large flat boulder that was in my site.

It will be interesting to see if my cairn is still present on my next visit and whether anyone decided to add to it.

I couldn't verify this, but according to someone I spoke to in camp, who has been coming to this campground for 30 years, that may have been built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It has all the markings of such a build, with lots of stone walls and steps and two three-sided shelters, but I'm pretty sure the campground is at least 60+ years old, based on the sign you encounter when entering. That's the Smokey I grew up with -- a bit old school and not so modern.

Here's a URL to an ad campaign housed at the Smithsonian from the 50s:

Be Careful With Matches, With Smokes, With Any Fire

(Not to worry, Smokey, there was no fire ban in effect, 

and I made sure to douse my fire before leaving camp)

I have one more chance to camp at Mt. Graham next week, as the weather is still staying quite warm at night for this time of year, but I think I'm ready to head to a local lake and get some kayaking and camping in for a change. Stay tuned...