Life on the High Plains

 A few days ago we went in search of the Salt River wild horses again.  This time we started at the Phon D. Sutton Recreation area in the Tonto National Forest. The trail we chose was the Salt River Nature Trail Loop.  We were hoping it would take us down by the river where the horses would be getting a drink.  That wasn't the case, but it's always fun to explore new trails. The informational signs at the trail head referred to this as a Riparian Area.  What is a riparian area you might be asking?  Well, it's an area along a natural watercourse that is distinctly different that the surrounding area.  Riparian areas account for less than 1% of the land area in the western U.S.  The vegetation and soil are distinctly different than the surrounding area.  Riparian areas provide a habitat for many endangered or threatened critters in the western desert areas. This was a great example.  The riverbanks were deep with lush vegetation that was t...

 Today we put on our hiking boots and went in search of Wild Horses. The herd is managed by the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group near Mesa, Arizona.  It's located in the Tonto National Forest.  My dad was a forest ranger on the Tonto when he was stationed in Payson, AZ.  I love the desert plants here especially the saguaros and the tree in the foreground.  Is that a Joshua tree? We could see evidence of lots of horses in the area. I love the big red rock in the background. The trail was about 3 miles long.  I took dozens of saguaro pictures, but never spotted any horses. I'll definitely return to this area until a wild horse is spotted. I'm loving winter in Arizona....I may never go home. Linking with Skywatch Friday

One of my favorite things about the holidays in Phoenix are the lights at the Phoenix Zoo.  You can visit them through January 15th so last night we joined the kids for a walkabout. Palm trees, cactus and a beautiful sunset. We have nice zoo lights at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, but the Phoenix lights fall into the "great" category. As an added bonus you get to see Javelinas at this zoo and they were very active at dusk.  I just hope I never encounter one while on an Arizona hike. I highly recommend a visit to the Phoenix Zoo if you're ever in the area. Linking with Skywatch Friday!

 We made it to Arizona, or as I like to call it--Paradise.  We are now settled into our site for the next three months.  It was quite a task to get the trailer backed into our space as there are neighbors on both sides and the streets are very skinny.  With the help of our neighbor Irv was able to get it backed in and straight. We're staying in a 55+ RV resort that is comprised of three villages--Fiesta, Val Vista and Los Ranchos.  We are in Fiesta.  There are 1500 sites here that are a combination of what they call park models (permanent homes) and RV sites. There are all kinds of activities here and most of them are included in our monthly fee.  I played my first ever game of billiards. When we arrived the resort was decked out for Christmas.  So many new plants to learn.  What type of cactus is this? There are citrus trees everywhere.  The rules say we can't pick them if they're on someone's property, but the city of Mesa has citrus t...