Kevin and I were at Applebee's yesterday afternoon for Happy Hour and Bill was there. I wasn't expecting him; he was last reported to be traveling around China. I came up to him and hugged him, as I often to, and asked about his latest travels.
"China is a country to be reckoned with" he said. "Those people are all worried about Service, service, service, something that we don't know how to do here anymore." He stayed in five-star hotels, but he commented that as soon as he'd call in for room service, someone would be at his hotel door with whatever it was that he ordered.
Bill promises me a more detailed trip report of his travels across China. I can't wait to hear them. I want to know what his favorite provinces were, what were the biggest surprises, best hikes, etc.
Did he have language problems in China? "Everyone in China speaks English now" he went on, "And everyone has an English name." How many Sammys did he meet in China?
No doubt China will be a military might against the US in about a decade or so, and China will surprise us since we are more concerned with the Middle East and control of Oil than we are of economic equitty among the strongest nations.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Trail Building along the Arizona Trail (AZT)
Sunday's work was no easy task. I joined 23 other people, most of them young Lieutenants of the Officer Basic Course on Fort Huachuca, to build a small section of the AZT north of Sonoita. Everyone present was a volunteer; no one was forced to show up today.
Steve, Brenda, her husband Gordon and Bernie also were there from the hiking club. Bernie was the organizer and another Steve, also in the club, was co-organizer.
It was back-breaking work in the heat of the day, and watching these young officers break ground with pick-axes and hoes made me think of the song "I've been working on the rail-road" although one young LT retorted with "I think of the song 'Chaingang'!"
I've been toiling in my own garden for the last month so the work didn't seem foreign to me. It did, however, get tiring: breaking into hard ground, pulling away bunch grasses and tree roots in semi-shaded slopes of the Las Collinas region for hours at a time was just too much for my arthritic joints. Although the group I was in had a shady spot, the group next to us, working uphill in the sun, broke the hardest part of the trail along a rocky, hard slope. When we were done with the section that group had built a trenched-in section three-feet wide. What an accomplishment.
It was a pretty area though, with Mount Wrightson once again poking its peak in the western horizon through a thick haze that I have no idea of origin. Where local wildfires to blame, or was the haze mere sand blown by the wind?
The dogs were with me, patiently waiting for me in the shade of nearby oaks as they watched my every move. Bernie was in charge of today's work detail, a man himself possessed with helping build the 880-mile AZT from the Mexican border up to Utah. In a few weeks he'll be hiking the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
"You don't know how long you have to live, so you might as well enjoy life while you can" said Bernie with a smile. Bernie is a svelte 60-something year old, a retired combat engineer who served a few tours in Vietnam.
Lunch was provided by Beyond Bread and the beer afterwards by New Belgium Brewery, makers of Fat Tire Ale. Both sandwiches and beer were excellent and much appreciated by everyone.
We helped build 1/5 of a mile. We finished at 3pm and some of us stood around for a while longer and enjoyed the microbrew.
I chatted with a very personable 2LT who claimed to be the oldest LT in his class. He said he was 40 but he easily looked like he was in his early 30s. (His youthful disposition helped!). His prior service in the Navy for 13 years as an enlistedman surely helped him become a better officer. We departed without ever exchanging names. He represents tomorrow's Army officer Corps, that together with the more demanding Enlisted Corps will fight future battles for our country.
I will always have a soft heart for our Enlisted Officers. But this LT really stole my conscience that day. I wish him well. No doubt he will be in Iraq within a year.
As I write this we have lost 46 servicemembers this month in Iraq, the most since last September. I don't see this war ending any time soon...
http://www.aztrail.org/
Steve, Brenda, her husband Gordon and Bernie also were there from the hiking club. Bernie was the organizer and another Steve, also in the club, was co-organizer.
It was back-breaking work in the heat of the day, and watching these young officers break ground with pick-axes and hoes made me think of the song "I've been working on the rail-road" although one young LT retorted with "I think of the song 'Chaingang'!"
I've been toiling in my own garden for the last month so the work didn't seem foreign to me. It did, however, get tiring: breaking into hard ground, pulling away bunch grasses and tree roots in semi-shaded slopes of the Las Collinas region for hours at a time was just too much for my arthritic joints. Although the group I was in had a shady spot, the group next to us, working uphill in the sun, broke the hardest part of the trail along a rocky, hard slope. When we were done with the section that group had built a trenched-in section three-feet wide. What an accomplishment.
It was a pretty area though, with Mount Wrightson once again poking its peak in the western horizon through a thick haze that I have no idea of origin. Where local wildfires to blame, or was the haze mere sand blown by the wind?
The dogs were with me, patiently waiting for me in the shade of nearby oaks as they watched my every move. Bernie was in charge of today's work detail, a man himself possessed with helping build the 880-mile AZT from the Mexican border up to Utah. In a few weeks he'll be hiking the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
"You don't know how long you have to live, so you might as well enjoy life while you can" said Bernie with a smile. Bernie is a svelte 60-something year old, a retired combat engineer who served a few tours in Vietnam.
Lunch was provided by Beyond Bread and the beer afterwards by New Belgium Brewery, makers of Fat Tire Ale. Both sandwiches and beer were excellent and much appreciated by everyone.
We helped build 1/5 of a mile. We finished at 3pm and some of us stood around for a while longer and enjoyed the microbrew.
I chatted with a very personable 2LT who claimed to be the oldest LT in his class. He said he was 40 but he easily looked like he was in his early 30s. (His youthful disposition helped!). His prior service in the Navy for 13 years as an enlistedman surely helped him become a better officer. We departed without ever exchanging names. He represents tomorrow's Army officer Corps, that together with the more demanding Enlisted Corps will fight future battles for our country.
I will always have a soft heart for our Enlisted Officers. But this LT really stole my conscience that day. I wish him well. No doubt he will be in Iraq within a year.
As I write this we have lost 46 servicemembers this month in Iraq, the most since last September. I don't see this war ending any time soon...
http://www.aztrail.org/
Wildfire potential extreme
Wildfire potential extreme
Officials say conditions are the worst in 23 years
Published on Monday, April 28, 2008
The Associated Press
PHOENIX — Wildland fire officials are warning of a potential disaster in southeastern Arizona.
Fire behavior analysts with the Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team say the potential for extreme wildfire conditions are the worst they have been in southeastern Arizona for this time of year and higher than the average fire danger normally experienced in June.As of Sunday the potential for extreme wildfire behavior is the highest it’s been in April in the past 23 years of scientific records.Fire officials urge caution while in the wildlands, since extreme fire potential exists.Officials say these conditions could easily last for a few more months with no relief expected until mid-July when monsoon rains arrive.The Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team, which has been in the Rio Rico area during the past two weeks managing wildfires, said it would hand full responsibility back to the Coronado National Forest, Nogales Ranger District, at 8 p.m. Sunday.During the previous five days, the team managed the Beehive Fire. It also dealt with an international fire incident, the Alamo Fire, with fellow firefighters from the Republic of Mexico.The Beehive Fire was 14 miles northwest of Nogales, Ariz. Fire crews worked the edge of the fire to meet the objectives of containing the wildfire to less than 500 acres. The fire was in a very remote, steep and rugged part of the national forest. Firefighters were shuttled into the fire with helicopters.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/28/news/doc481578722b69e370356896.txt
Hot days, low precipitation combine for wildfire danger
By Bill Hess, Sierra Vista Herald/Review
Published on Tuesday, April 29, 2008
TUCSON — The hazardous combination of high temperatures and low precipitation that came together last year will continue this year and make wildfires more dangerous, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service said.“Temperatures will be above average through September and precipitation will be below average through the summer,” Heidi Schewel said, concerning weather forecasts.
She spoke to media representatives Friday afternoon, noting the wildfire season, which normally is from May through June has already started.The amount of fuel is high. As the drought persists, there will be additional drying-out, creating even heavier fuels, she said.“Although conditions look bleak, no one can say how bad this year’s wildfire season will be,” Schewel said.It was noted that the Forest Service will have 24 heavy air tankers available in Arizona to combat wildfires.The Forest Service operates an air tanker base out of Fort Huachuca’s Libby Army Airfield.Late last year and early this year, the Forest Service and other federal and state agencies have done a number of prescribed burns in Cochise County to reduce the potential fuels.Besides the Forest Service, a number of other federal agencies have property in the country for which they are responsible, such as the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Defense and the National Park Service. Additionally there is a large number of State Trust Lands located in the county.Schewel said people should always be aware of their surroundings when it comes to wildfires and people need to ensure that brush and other flammable material are reduced around homes and other structures.The American Red Cross recommends people have kits ready in case they have to evacuate an area because of a fire.The kits need to include sufficient supplies for each member of a family to last three days to include prescription medicines, food and water, along with other emergency materials such as battery-operated radios, flashlights and first-aid items.There are a number of Web sites individuals can use to track weather conditions and fires.They include azfireinfo.com for fire prevention and restrictions information, azsf.az.gov for wildfire information, az211.gov for emergency and disaster information and inciweb.org for information on large, ongoing wildfires.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/29/news/doc4816c5ac58d7d104608737.txt
Officials say conditions are the worst in 23 years
Published on Monday, April 28, 2008
The Associated Press
PHOENIX — Wildland fire officials are warning of a potential disaster in southeastern Arizona.
Fire behavior analysts with the Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team say the potential for extreme wildfire conditions are the worst they have been in southeastern Arizona for this time of year and higher than the average fire danger normally experienced in June.As of Sunday the potential for extreme wildfire behavior is the highest it’s been in April in the past 23 years of scientific records.Fire officials urge caution while in the wildlands, since extreme fire potential exists.Officials say these conditions could easily last for a few more months with no relief expected until mid-July when monsoon rains arrive.The Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team, which has been in the Rio Rico area during the past two weeks managing wildfires, said it would hand full responsibility back to the Coronado National Forest, Nogales Ranger District, at 8 p.m. Sunday.During the previous five days, the team managed the Beehive Fire. It also dealt with an international fire incident, the Alamo Fire, with fellow firefighters from the Republic of Mexico.The Beehive Fire was 14 miles northwest of Nogales, Ariz. Fire crews worked the edge of the fire to meet the objectives of containing the wildfire to less than 500 acres. The fire was in a very remote, steep and rugged part of the national forest. Firefighters were shuttled into the fire with helicopters.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/28/news/doc481578722b69e370356896.txt
Hot days, low precipitation combine for wildfire danger
By Bill Hess, Sierra Vista Herald/Review
Published on Tuesday, April 29, 2008
TUCSON — The hazardous combination of high temperatures and low precipitation that came together last year will continue this year and make wildfires more dangerous, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service said.“Temperatures will be above average through September and precipitation will be below average through the summer,” Heidi Schewel said, concerning weather forecasts.
She spoke to media representatives Friday afternoon, noting the wildfire season, which normally is from May through June has already started.The amount of fuel is high. As the drought persists, there will be additional drying-out, creating even heavier fuels, she said.“Although conditions look bleak, no one can say how bad this year’s wildfire season will be,” Schewel said.It was noted that the Forest Service will have 24 heavy air tankers available in Arizona to combat wildfires.The Forest Service operates an air tanker base out of Fort Huachuca’s Libby Army Airfield.Late last year and early this year, the Forest Service and other federal and state agencies have done a number of prescribed burns in Cochise County to reduce the potential fuels.Besides the Forest Service, a number of other federal agencies have property in the country for which they are responsible, such as the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of Defense and the National Park Service. Additionally there is a large number of State Trust Lands located in the county.Schewel said people should always be aware of their surroundings when it comes to wildfires and people need to ensure that brush and other flammable material are reduced around homes and other structures.The American Red Cross recommends people have kits ready in case they have to evacuate an area because of a fire.The kits need to include sufficient supplies for each member of a family to last three days to include prescription medicines, food and water, along with other emergency materials such as battery-operated radios, flashlights and first-aid items.There are a number of Web sites individuals can use to track weather conditions and fires.They include azfireinfo.com for fire prevention and restrictions information, azsf.az.gov for wildfire information, az211.gov for emergency and disaster information and inciweb.org for information on large, ongoing wildfires.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/29/news/doc4816c5ac58d7d104608737.txt
Lyle Canyon Hike (Sat, 26 April)
High temperatures of near 90F were predicted for this hike in the eastern Huachucas, so I packed three quarts of water for the dogs and a quart for myself.
We met as a group at 7:45am at the Fort Huachuca Shoppette off the Main Gate, and ten minutes later were on our way to the Lyle Canyon trail an hour away. It’s six miles through post to the East Gate and another 20 some miles to the trailhead off Highway 83.
I enjoy the eastern Huachucas; driving there is half the fun as you pass the alluvial plains of the eastern mountain range. Mount Wrightson is prominent along the drive, and so are USBP vans on patrol; we passed three on our way to the trailhead.
Steve lead this hike and as I had never been at this site had no choice but to follow him in my van with two eager dogs breathing next to me. The dogs hadn’t been walked in three days and were anxious. We turned off on FR 201 for almost a mile and parked our vehicles along a dry creekbed.
We had a nice turn-out for this hike. Besides Steve and I, Paul, Susan and her friend and neighbor Jean were there, Brenda and her friend Georgie and their dogs Pugger and Chalita, and Rod and Casi. This made for nine humans and four dogs.
Sara is the more unpredictable of my two dogs, and she’s shown to be aggressive toward smaller, yappity dogs and puppies. She and her cphort Sammy were on an extended leash in the beginning, and I kept them up front where they like to lead anyway, as Sara always likes to be up front sniffing the trail. Sammy will be right behind her or me (or the first person on the trail), getting his nose in contact with the back of hikers’ knees.
This trail was not very well marked and it was no surprise that we got disoriented and hiked on am immigrant trail that led us more in a southeasterly direction toward Parker Lake than up toward Scotia Canyon. The immigrant trail we were on was well-trodden and marked with trash along the way.
We landed near a stock pond which we knew then was close to Lyle and Scotia Canyons where we wanted to be in the first place, and we resumed our hike on the official unmarked trail toward Parker Lake to cut around to Scotia Canyon. Steve insisted on hiking up a dry creekbed toward Scotia Canyon, which was steep but shorter than hiking up an official trail. We came near a bench cut out of an old juniper trunk, where we rested for snacks and re-orientation. Shortly after our break some of the hikers opted to turn around, while Steve, Paul Brenda and I resumed our hike uphill toward the saddle.
Rod, equipped with radio and in contact with Steve, opted to hike up the trail.
Steve and Brenda made it to the saddle, but I stopped when I came up to Paul who rested a mile away. The dogs were tired, as there was only intermittent water in the creek that they used for hydration. When the dogs show signs of exhaustion, I stop, as we still have to hike back.
“The saddle was further away than I thought” said Steve as he returned with Brenda and together we hiked back down to the juniper trunk where the others were waiting. By now all four dogs were tired and didn’t mind one another. Little Pugger, the smallest of the four dogs, got carried by Georgie the last mile back to the trailhead.
Geogie, Jean, Casi, Brenda and I each collected a few plastic bags of trail trash that I took home with me to place in our personal trash dumpster.
We made it back to our cars at 3:20pm, not a moment too soon as I was running out of water for myself. My van registered 80F when we got back. From here we all departed and went our separate ways, and I went to the PX Garden Shop, then Ace Garden shop where I picked up a Common Lilac shrub for the back yard. (The shrub will eventually take over from the rose bush, once I learn how to carefully transplant the rose ball to another more sunny location).
Sara was exhausted and slept on the cot behind me in the van, with her sleepy head resting on my old pillow that is now stained brown with dog dirt. She looked so angelic resting there, with Sammy in the passenger seat blowing stray fur around and out the open window.
Sara didn't get any more active once we were home, either. She crashed by the front door while Sammy stayed awake so that he wouldn't miss any leftovers from dinner, which was the rest of Kevin's home-made chili. In a few months the peppers, chiles and onions used in the chili will come from our own back yard garden.
We met as a group at 7:45am at the Fort Huachuca Shoppette off the Main Gate, and ten minutes later were on our way to the Lyle Canyon trail an hour away. It’s six miles through post to the East Gate and another 20 some miles to the trailhead off Highway 83.
I enjoy the eastern Huachucas; driving there is half the fun as you pass the alluvial plains of the eastern mountain range. Mount Wrightson is prominent along the drive, and so are USBP vans on patrol; we passed three on our way to the trailhead.
Steve lead this hike and as I had never been at this site had no choice but to follow him in my van with two eager dogs breathing next to me. The dogs hadn’t been walked in three days and were anxious. We turned off on FR 201 for almost a mile and parked our vehicles along a dry creekbed.
We had a nice turn-out for this hike. Besides Steve and I, Paul, Susan and her friend and neighbor Jean were there, Brenda and her friend Georgie and their dogs Pugger and Chalita, and Rod and Casi. This made for nine humans and four dogs.
Sara is the more unpredictable of my two dogs, and she’s shown to be aggressive toward smaller, yappity dogs and puppies. She and her cphort Sammy were on an extended leash in the beginning, and I kept them up front where they like to lead anyway, as Sara always likes to be up front sniffing the trail. Sammy will be right behind her or me (or the first person on the trail), getting his nose in contact with the back of hikers’ knees.
This trail was not very well marked and it was no surprise that we got disoriented and hiked on am immigrant trail that led us more in a southeasterly direction toward Parker Lake than up toward Scotia Canyon. The immigrant trail we were on was well-trodden and marked with trash along the way.
We landed near a stock pond which we knew then was close to Lyle and Scotia Canyons where we wanted to be in the first place, and we resumed our hike on the official unmarked trail toward Parker Lake to cut around to Scotia Canyon. Steve insisted on hiking up a dry creekbed toward Scotia Canyon, which was steep but shorter than hiking up an official trail. We came near a bench cut out of an old juniper trunk, where we rested for snacks and re-orientation. Shortly after our break some of the hikers opted to turn around, while Steve, Paul Brenda and I resumed our hike uphill toward the saddle.
Rod, equipped with radio and in contact with Steve, opted to hike up the trail.
Steve and Brenda made it to the saddle, but I stopped when I came up to Paul who rested a mile away. The dogs were tired, as there was only intermittent water in the creek that they used for hydration. When the dogs show signs of exhaustion, I stop, as we still have to hike back.
“The saddle was further away than I thought” said Steve as he returned with Brenda and together we hiked back down to the juniper trunk where the others were waiting. By now all four dogs were tired and didn’t mind one another. Little Pugger, the smallest of the four dogs, got carried by Georgie the last mile back to the trailhead.
Geogie, Jean, Casi, Brenda and I each collected a few plastic bags of trail trash that I took home with me to place in our personal trash dumpster.
We made it back to our cars at 3:20pm, not a moment too soon as I was running out of water for myself. My van registered 80F when we got back. From here we all departed and went our separate ways, and I went to the PX Garden Shop, then Ace Garden shop where I picked up a Common Lilac shrub for the back yard. (The shrub will eventually take over from the rose bush, once I learn how to carefully transplant the rose ball to another more sunny location).
Sara was exhausted and slept on the cot behind me in the van, with her sleepy head resting on my old pillow that is now stained brown with dog dirt. She looked so angelic resting there, with Sammy in the passenger seat blowing stray fur around and out the open window.
Sara didn't get any more active once we were home, either. She crashed by the front door while Sammy stayed awake so that he wouldn't miss any leftovers from dinner, which was the rest of Kevin's home-made chili. In a few months the peppers, chiles and onions used in the chili will come from our own back yard garden.
Friday, April 25, 2008
The mountains are drying up
I took the dogs to Carr Camp to walk around the ruins and couldn't help notice the dry brush. Everything is so dry and brittle the brush pokes your bare legs as you walk by. The tree leaves are turning yellow from lack of water.
Meanwhile, temps will near 90F again this weekend...
Meanwhile, temps will near 90F again this weekend...
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
It's going to be one hot summer
I am still so busy with the gardens that I have little else to get done lately. Looking at my three-year-old garden journal, though, I realize that April and May have always been my busiest months in Arizona.
Kevin finally agreed to help me build a container garden, one large enough to grow tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, lettuce, beets and onions for both of us. The west-end of our back yard, with the tall border shrubs providing afternoon shade, will prove ideal for the plants in the heat of the summer.
This is going to be an extensive project, but one I am happy to share with Kevin who loves to farm but hates to garden. ("I will only grow things I can eat!")
My fruit trees, however, are not doing so well and I doubt they will make it through this year. Although my apricot and nectarines are fine, my Santa Rosa Plum and Bartlett pear are pretty much dying a slow death and I don't know why. Are the Argentinian ants killing off the roots?
Forecasters are predicting weekend temperatures back in the 90s again. A 5040-acre wildfire buring near Nogales since Friday was human-caused and hampered by a common language: the fire has spread south into Mexico. This is the largest fire so far in the region, and the season has barely started!
I look at the nearby mountains every day and hope we make it through the night fire-free.
Another thing I am noticing is the increase in illegal activity in our county. More illegals are getting picked up after traffic accidents in which over-loaded vehicles roll over, injuring or killing the passengers from Mexico and countries further south. I've heard the USBP helicopters fly over our neighborhood twice now this week alone, and law enforcement personnel have been reporting an increase in drug smuggling as well.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/235472.php
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AZ_WILDFIRE_AZOL-?SITE=AZSVH&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Kevin finally agreed to help me build a container garden, one large enough to grow tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, lettuce, beets and onions for both of us. The west-end of our back yard, with the tall border shrubs providing afternoon shade, will prove ideal for the plants in the heat of the summer.
This is going to be an extensive project, but one I am happy to share with Kevin who loves to farm but hates to garden. ("I will only grow things I can eat!")
My fruit trees, however, are not doing so well and I doubt they will make it through this year. Although my apricot and nectarines are fine, my Santa Rosa Plum and Bartlett pear are pretty much dying a slow death and I don't know why. Are the Argentinian ants killing off the roots?
Forecasters are predicting weekend temperatures back in the 90s again. A 5040-acre wildfire buring near Nogales since Friday was human-caused and hampered by a common language: the fire has spread south into Mexico. This is the largest fire so far in the region, and the season has barely started!
I look at the nearby mountains every day and hope we make it through the night fire-free.
Another thing I am noticing is the increase in illegal activity in our county. More illegals are getting picked up after traffic accidents in which over-loaded vehicles roll over, injuring or killing the passengers from Mexico and countries further south. I've heard the USBP helicopters fly over our neighborhood twice now this week alone, and law enforcement personnel have been reporting an increase in drug smuggling as well.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/235472.php
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AZ_WILDFIRE_AZOL-?SITE=AZSVH&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Earth Day 2008
This was a big volunteer day for me. My morning started early with a meet-up at 7:30am with Brenda to help set up the table for the hiking club. Brenda came to help Larry, who was supposed to bring all the tables and chairs. Larry wasn't there until after 8am, when I was already helping Mel and the Master Gardeners group. I stayed with Mel throughout my morning shift, surprisingly getting quite a few people coming by our stand asking for questions.
"We just bought four acres in Palominas and we want to know what kind of stuff will grow there."
"How do I best keep rabbits from my plants?"
"I just moved here and want to know what all the plants are on the property I just bought."
"I have a lot in Hereford and want to start a garden. What are the best vegetables to grow here?"
Bruce, another MG associate (that's what we are called until we earn our 50 hours of volunteer work and are going through the course) came by the tent at 9am and ended up answering all the questions; I didn't want to butt in because I would have asked for more details before answering. The best thing to learn about the local flora is to read up on the desert gardening websites on the internet. There are many good ones out there. I learned most of my skills from the websites, but most of my knowledge I am getting from the MG course since most websites are also trying to market a product or push a certain ideology.
The Master Gardeners were next door to the Arizona State Parks/Kartchner Caverns park rangers, and then the Hiking club was next to that, next to the biking club that was next to the astronomy club booth. There were many interesting vendors, too selling neat products like blue agave nectar which tasted like real sugar, a hummus stand, emu oil lotions and cremes, and native plants and seeds grown by the SV Gardeners Club. I picked up several free seeds for Bee Balm, Chaste Trees, penstemons and a few others that I've had a hard time finding. I even bought a young catnip plant that I hope to grow large enough for seeds before the cats kill that off.
The vendors at the Farmer's Market were all interesting. Water Harvesting containers were on display, a static display of the underground water table was at one tent, organic foods, local plants and honies (but no wine from nearby Elgin!) were for sale. Even the organic coffee from Tucson was quite palatable.
The county Sheriff, Larry Dever, dressed in his typical sunshades and wide-brimmed cowboy hat, walked by, chatted with us about illegals in the mountains ("Most of them mean no harm; it's just a few in every bunch we need to worry about"). Even in person he is quite a personable and approachable man.
My camera was in demand today. One woman ask me to donate some of my photographs to the local newspaper so she wouldn't look like she was the only one taking photos. The astronomers came by me and asked me to photograph the prismatic cloud halo that they said is a very rare occurrence and normally seen further north. If the photo turns out well enough they will send it to the national magazine, have it published and make sure I get the credit for the photograph. I guess my Canon is quite an attention getter, although the Nikons I saw in the crowd were just as impressive.
One thing that I noticed was missing, and that was a big hit a few years ago at this event, were recycling bins for glass bottles, plastics, cardboard, tin, paper and newspaper. All they had today were recycling bins for plastic bags to benefit the Scouts. How can you run an Earth Day without recycling bins?! Sierra Vista and the county do a poor job recycling materials: only tin and aluminum cans and newspapers/magazines are recycled. Santa Cruz county to our west, a smaller and poorer county, recycles bottles, plastics, cardboard and the rest.
High winds (Brenda said up to 45mph) that were forecasted for today didn't arrive until after noon, and then only in small gusts. Still, several vendors shut down early to include the MG group that I help tear down the canopy with. With six people on the canopy the tear-down was quick and painless.
Live music was provided by local talent, from young school students to an elderly fiddling group called the "Arthritis Brothers" who were quite deft on the fiddles. One lady walked around with a female and male Bearded Lizard resting on her colorful shirt. Other curios walked around with their dogs, some rather large ones panting heavily in the heat. One such beauty was an Anatolian Shepherd. One of those dogs is as big as both of mine!
By 2pm things started winding down and most vendors were packing up their goods as the gusts made displaying small lightweight items difficult. I enjoyed meeting with the many local people and chatting with club members. Weather was ideal, in the upper 70s, but standing at the hiking club table with no shade got to me. I am glad I had my lemonade with me.
http://www.co.cochise.az.us/sheriff/MeetYourSheriff.htm
"We just bought four acres in Palominas and we want to know what kind of stuff will grow there."
"How do I best keep rabbits from my plants?"
"I just moved here and want to know what all the plants are on the property I just bought."
"I have a lot in Hereford and want to start a garden. What are the best vegetables to grow here?"
Bruce, another MG associate (that's what we are called until we earn our 50 hours of volunteer work and are going through the course) came by the tent at 9am and ended up answering all the questions; I didn't want to butt in because I would have asked for more details before answering. The best thing to learn about the local flora is to read up on the desert gardening websites on the internet. There are many good ones out there. I learned most of my skills from the websites, but most of my knowledge I am getting from the MG course since most websites are also trying to market a product or push a certain ideology.
The Master Gardeners were next door to the Arizona State Parks/Kartchner Caverns park rangers, and then the Hiking club was next to that, next to the biking club that was next to the astronomy club booth. There were many interesting vendors, too selling neat products like blue agave nectar which tasted like real sugar, a hummus stand, emu oil lotions and cremes, and native plants and seeds grown by the SV Gardeners Club. I picked up several free seeds for Bee Balm, Chaste Trees, penstemons and a few others that I've had a hard time finding. I even bought a young catnip plant that I hope to grow large enough for seeds before the cats kill that off.
The vendors at the Farmer's Market were all interesting. Water Harvesting containers were on display, a static display of the underground water table was at one tent, organic foods, local plants and honies (but no wine from nearby Elgin!) were for sale. Even the organic coffee from Tucson was quite palatable.
The county Sheriff, Larry Dever, dressed in his typical sunshades and wide-brimmed cowboy hat, walked by, chatted with us about illegals in the mountains ("Most of them mean no harm; it's just a few in every bunch we need to worry about"). Even in person he is quite a personable and approachable man.
My camera was in demand today. One woman ask me to donate some of my photographs to the local newspaper so she wouldn't look like she was the only one taking photos. The astronomers came by me and asked me to photograph the prismatic cloud halo that they said is a very rare occurrence and normally seen further north. If the photo turns out well enough they will send it to the national magazine, have it published and make sure I get the credit for the photograph. I guess my Canon is quite an attention getter, although the Nikons I saw in the crowd were just as impressive.
One thing that I noticed was missing, and that was a big hit a few years ago at this event, were recycling bins for glass bottles, plastics, cardboard, tin, paper and newspaper. All they had today were recycling bins for plastic bags to benefit the Scouts. How can you run an Earth Day without recycling bins?! Sierra Vista and the county do a poor job recycling materials: only tin and aluminum cans and newspapers/magazines are recycled. Santa Cruz county to our west, a smaller and poorer county, recycles bottles, plastics, cardboard and the rest.
High winds (Brenda said up to 45mph) that were forecasted for today didn't arrive until after noon, and then only in small gusts. Still, several vendors shut down early to include the MG group that I help tear down the canopy with. With six people on the canopy the tear-down was quick and painless.
Live music was provided by local talent, from young school students to an elderly fiddling group called the "Arthritis Brothers" who were quite deft on the fiddles. One lady walked around with a female and male Bearded Lizard resting on her colorful shirt. Other curios walked around with their dogs, some rather large ones panting heavily in the heat. One such beauty was an Anatolian Shepherd. One of those dogs is as big as both of mine!
By 2pm things started winding down and most vendors were packing up their goods as the gusts made displaying small lightweight items difficult. I enjoyed meeting with the many local people and chatting with club members. Weather was ideal, in the upper 70s, but standing at the hiking club table with no shade got to me. I am glad I had my lemonade with me.
http://www.co.cochise.az.us/sheriff/MeetYourSheriff.htm
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Another wildfire nearby
St David is the most northern terminus of the San Pedro Riparian Trail. It's perhaps the prettiest section, too.
*********************************
Wildfire starts along San Pedro River and spreads to the west
Published on Tuesday, April 15, 2008
ST. DAVID — A wildfire started along the San Pedro River Sunday and quickly spread to the west across Highway 80 due to high winds, causing traffic disruption, authorities reported on Sunday.According to Carol Capas, public information officer with the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, six fire departments had been called in to help the St. David Volunteer Fire Department handle the blaze.
The Bureau of Land Management is in charge of the fire and has named it Lonesome Fire.Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer Joy Craig said state troopers were on hand to help with the traffic.Capas also said firefighters were battling a wildfire in Cottonwood Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/15/news/doc4803beb650845888366847.txt
Strong winds, high fire danger for Cochise County, Southern Arizona
Published on Tuesday, April 15, 2008
SIERRA VISTA — Cochise County is again under a red flag warning due to a mix of strong winds and low humidities, creating what the National Weather Service says is a “very high to extreme fire danger rating.”The warning started at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and is in effect until 7 p.m.
A similar warning is likely on Wednesday because the same conditions will be in place.Other areas of Southern Arizona also have the warning in effect.The strong winds come with a low pressure system from the Pacific Ocean that is moving through the western states.The Electronic Proving Ground Meteorological Support Team on Fort Huachuca said in its planning forecast Tuesday that surface winds today were forecast for 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon and evening, with gusts to 33 mph in some areas.Breezy and windy conditions are forecast through Sunday, according to the proving ground’s team.Red flag warnings have been issued in the past couple of weeks due to similar conditions.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/15/news/doc48050d06781e9253415718.txt
*********************************
Wildfire starts along San Pedro River and spreads to the west
Published on Tuesday, April 15, 2008
ST. DAVID — A wildfire started along the San Pedro River Sunday and quickly spread to the west across Highway 80 due to high winds, causing traffic disruption, authorities reported on Sunday.According to Carol Capas, public information officer with the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office, six fire departments had been called in to help the St. David Volunteer Fire Department handle the blaze.
The Bureau of Land Management is in charge of the fire and has named it Lonesome Fire.Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer Joy Craig said state troopers were on hand to help with the traffic.Capas also said firefighters were battling a wildfire in Cottonwood Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/15/news/doc4803beb650845888366847.txt
Strong winds, high fire danger for Cochise County, Southern Arizona
Published on Tuesday, April 15, 2008
SIERRA VISTA — Cochise County is again under a red flag warning due to a mix of strong winds and low humidities, creating what the National Weather Service says is a “very high to extreme fire danger rating.”The warning started at 9 a.m. on Tuesday and is in effect until 7 p.m.
A similar warning is likely on Wednesday because the same conditions will be in place.Other areas of Southern Arizona also have the warning in effect.The strong winds come with a low pressure system from the Pacific Ocean that is moving through the western states.The Electronic Proving Ground Meteorological Support Team on Fort Huachuca said in its planning forecast Tuesday that surface winds today were forecast for 17 to 22 mph in the afternoon and evening, with gusts to 33 mph in some areas.Breezy and windy conditions are forecast through Sunday, according to the proving ground’s team.Red flag warnings have been issued in the past couple of weeks due to similar conditions.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/15/news/doc48050d06781e9253415718.txt
Heatwave
*Gasp*
This is the third of a four-day heatwave, with temps in the 90s. Although I've been very busy gardening from sunrise until around 10am each day, by noon I am exhausted! Even the dogs look disinterested in a walk.
This heat will do wonders for the seeds I am germinating in my "experimental garden" but if it gets any hotter too soon the vegetables will start wilting. I've already lost one Roma Tomato plant, but most likely to verticillum wilt.
Mountain lion and bob cat sightings in Tucson are increasing, but so are the rabid animals found: 23 so far this year. (Mostly skunks but a few bobcats).
A short walk with the dogs to the San Pedro River in the late afternoon revealed a severe infestation of the western Tent Caterpillar in the riverside Cottonwoods. The pillars were everywhere, in the sandy shore, drifting in the water, eating on a beaver-eaten tree stump and hanging around the low-lying shrubs along the banks.
Meanwhile, gas prices keep rising, now nearing $3.30 a gallon for regular unleaded in town. Violence is rising in Iraq again, so is the tension between Senators Clinton and Obama, and airlines are merging, cutting back flights with no notice, and prices for everthing else is rising.
As for flying: I will do my best from now on NEVER to fly with an American airline again. The Transportation Security Agency and the Federal Airline Agency both have ruined it for me. Sure, plying is faster and the land looks beautiful from above when there are no clouds below, but you can't experience America from an airplane. You need to be in a vehicle on the backroads!
This is the third of a four-day heatwave, with temps in the 90s. Although I've been very busy gardening from sunrise until around 10am each day, by noon I am exhausted! Even the dogs look disinterested in a walk.
This heat will do wonders for the seeds I am germinating in my "experimental garden" but if it gets any hotter too soon the vegetables will start wilting. I've already lost one Roma Tomato plant, but most likely to verticillum wilt.
Mountain lion and bob cat sightings in Tucson are increasing, but so are the rabid animals found: 23 so far this year. (Mostly skunks but a few bobcats).
A short walk with the dogs to the San Pedro River in the late afternoon revealed a severe infestation of the western Tent Caterpillar in the riverside Cottonwoods. The pillars were everywhere, in the sandy shore, drifting in the water, eating on a beaver-eaten tree stump and hanging around the low-lying shrubs along the banks.
Meanwhile, gas prices keep rising, now nearing $3.30 a gallon for regular unleaded in town. Violence is rising in Iraq again, so is the tension between Senators Clinton and Obama, and airlines are merging, cutting back flights with no notice, and prices for everthing else is rising.
As for flying: I will do my best from now on NEVER to fly with an American airline again. The Transportation Security Agency and the Federal Airline Agency both have ruined it for me. Sure, plying is faster and the land looks beautiful from above when there are no clouds below, but you can't experience America from an airplane. You need to be in a vehicle on the backroads!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Walking along the San Pedro River
Today was the hottest day of the year so far, approaching 90F in town (with a humidity of a mere 3%!). After a morning of yard work we drove to the Charleston Road trailhead to the San Pedro River, allowing the dogs to cool off in the water while I picked up some trail trash and took some photographs. We didn’t plan on staying along the rail for long, but we ended up spending two hours there. The lush green cottonwoods were a color sensation for the eyes.
At one point it even looked like Sara was chasing an antelope away. Or maybe it was just a weird-horned deer?
A few people were wading through the river as we passed on by. Another couple walked toward us on the new rail-trail; they had hiked to the Boston Mill a few miles downriver.
We followed the river the first mile, then continued on another half-mile on the rail-trail, looking at the colorful slag along the way. The metallic ore reflected the day’s warmth in our faces, adding to the already hot weather. The poor dogs’ paws were surely hot, too, and Sara took the liberty to run down to the river to cool off. She came back so muddy we had to wash her down in the back yard when we returned home, much to her dislike.
At one point it even looked like Sara was chasing an antelope away. Or maybe it was just a weird-horned deer?
A few people were wading through the river as we passed on by. Another couple walked toward us on the new rail-trail; they had hiked to the Boston Mill a few miles downriver.
We followed the river the first mile, then continued on another half-mile on the rail-trail, looking at the colorful slag along the way. The metallic ore reflected the day’s warmth in our faces, adding to the already hot weather. The poor dogs’ paws were surely hot, too, and Sara took the liberty to run down to the river to cool off. She came back so muddy we had to wash her down in the back yard when we returned home, much to her dislike.
Another pick-up full of illegals overturns nearby
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/13/news/doc48029008870b7822094255.txt
This is the third stolen vehicle within a week.
Update 15 April 2008:
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/15/news/doc48043c0a89a7b546294383.txt
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/crime/235028
Bonus: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/crime/234892
This is the third stolen vehicle within a week.
Update 15 April 2008:
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/15/news/doc48043c0a89a7b546294383.txt
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/crime/235028
Bonus: http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/crime/234892
Sheepshead Rock, Saturday
This was one hike I was looking forward to: taking Kevin and the dogs to the Dragoons for a short but strenuous 4-mile hike closeby.
Nine of us met at the Po’Folks Restaurant parking lot at 7:30am: Leaders Gordon and Brenda, Bob, Coco, Paul, Kevin and I plus our dogs Sara and Sammy. Rod and Casi met us at Middle March Road.
It was chilly and a tad windy at 8:30am when we got started, and even though I packed a windbreaker in my backpack, I never had to put it on.
I started ahead of the group so that the dogs wouldn’t bother anyone. Sara took the lead while Sammy was right behind me, dabbing dog snot behind my knees. We never went
further than visual contact with Brenda.
The first mile of this popular local hike is an easy grade up flat meadow and then foothill trails. Once the trail approached the nape of the Sheep’s head, though, the trail turns into a steep switchback up to the saddle, an elevation of just over 5800’. It was at the saddle that we had planned on stopping with the dogs while the rest of the group continued to the top of the sheep’s head.
Several rock climbers were getting their ropes ready for their morning ascent up Sheep’s Head. They were half-way up the rock when we came back down a few hours later.
We rested at the saddle, drinking fluids, joking and enjoying the vista toward Tombstone and the San Pedro Valley, with the Huachucas and Whetstones to our west.
The others took off after their snackbreaks. Sammy, who had befriended everyone in the group, wanted to go on with them, as I held him back by the collar. Even after Paul, the last one up the trail, had left our line-of-sight, Sammy wanted to continue on with them. After a good 15-minute break I finally relented and continued on the trail with the dogs, planning to turn around when it got too tough for them.
It never got too tough for them going uphill. While I slid a few times going up a short but narrow slot, the dogs clamored ahead of me, stopping to wait for me. Sara followed the scent of the others to the top, and we made it to the top with the rest of the group resting on the warm limestone. We were now at 6430'.
Bob was resting against his backpack, Brenda and Coco were leaning against an outcropping, and the rest were still enjoying their lunches. This was perfect for Sammy, who always enjoys a free lunch.
The wind on top was surprisingly mild, and the rocks reflected a warmth that added to our comfort. We could see our cars parked at the distant trailhead, and cars driving east on Middle March Road reflected brightly in the late morning sun.
Kevin remained in the saddle as he patiently waited for the rest of us to climb back down. Again I took off first, allowing the dogs to maneuver the rock obstacles ahead of everyone else. Both dogs did surprisingly well, but at one ten-foot drop Sammy froze, whimpering for help while Sara slid down and continued on. Sliding lose rocks had frightened Sammy into sliding down after Sara.
We had to let the others get ahead of the dogs, and with us all below Sammy (other than me) he had no choice but to slide down, receiving praise from the rest of us. The rest of the hike down was easy for the dogs, catching up to Kevin in the saddle and resuming their lead in the front of the group.
Brenda and Gordon did an excelling job leading this hike, with Gordon in the front with the fast hikers, and Brenda in the rear with the slower ones. No one was left behind and we rested several times to allow the entire group to catch up. At one stop Coco stretched out in positions previously unseen to human eyes. (She is quite limber!)
We arrived back at our cars at 2pm, with a waning quarter-moon rising over the Dragoons. After some small talk we went our separate ways. My thighs were again sore, as if I had run a marathon, feeling just as exhausted as I did last weekend during the trail clean-up in Bear Saddle.
Nine of us met at the Po’Folks Restaurant parking lot at 7:30am: Leaders Gordon and Brenda, Bob, Coco, Paul, Kevin and I plus our dogs Sara and Sammy. Rod and Casi met us at Middle March Road.
It was chilly and a tad windy at 8:30am when we got started, and even though I packed a windbreaker in my backpack, I never had to put it on.
I started ahead of the group so that the dogs wouldn’t bother anyone. Sara took the lead while Sammy was right behind me, dabbing dog snot behind my knees. We never went
further than visual contact with Brenda.
The first mile of this popular local hike is an easy grade up flat meadow and then foothill trails. Once the trail approached the nape of the Sheep’s head, though, the trail turns into a steep switchback up to the saddle, an elevation of just over 5800’. It was at the saddle that we had planned on stopping with the dogs while the rest of the group continued to the top of the sheep’s head.
Several rock climbers were getting their ropes ready for their morning ascent up Sheep’s Head. They were half-way up the rock when we came back down a few hours later.
We rested at the saddle, drinking fluids, joking and enjoying the vista toward Tombstone and the San Pedro Valley, with the Huachucas and Whetstones to our west.
The others took off after their snackbreaks. Sammy, who had befriended everyone in the group, wanted to go on with them, as I held him back by the collar. Even after Paul, the last one up the trail, had left our line-of-sight, Sammy wanted to continue on with them. After a good 15-minute break I finally relented and continued on the trail with the dogs, planning to turn around when it got too tough for them.
It never got too tough for them going uphill. While I slid a few times going up a short but narrow slot, the dogs clamored ahead of me, stopping to wait for me. Sara followed the scent of the others to the top, and we made it to the top with the rest of the group resting on the warm limestone. We were now at 6430'.
Bob was resting against his backpack, Brenda and Coco were leaning against an outcropping, and the rest were still enjoying their lunches. This was perfect for Sammy, who always enjoys a free lunch.
The wind on top was surprisingly mild, and the rocks reflected a warmth that added to our comfort. We could see our cars parked at the distant trailhead, and cars driving east on Middle March Road reflected brightly in the late morning sun.
Kevin remained in the saddle as he patiently waited for the rest of us to climb back down. Again I took off first, allowing the dogs to maneuver the rock obstacles ahead of everyone else. Both dogs did surprisingly well, but at one ten-foot drop Sammy froze, whimpering for help while Sara slid down and continued on. Sliding lose rocks had frightened Sammy into sliding down after Sara.
We had to let the others get ahead of the dogs, and with us all below Sammy (other than me) he had no choice but to slide down, receiving praise from the rest of us. The rest of the hike down was easy for the dogs, catching up to Kevin in the saddle and resuming their lead in the front of the group.
Brenda and Gordon did an excelling job leading this hike, with Gordon in the front with the fast hikers, and Brenda in the rear with the slower ones. No one was left behind and we rested several times to allow the entire group to catch up. At one stop Coco stretched out in positions previously unseen to human eyes. (She is quite limber!)
We arrived back at our cars at 2pm, with a waning quarter-moon rising over the Dragoons. After some small talk we went our separate ways. My thighs were again sore, as if I had run a marathon, feeling just as exhausted as I did last weekend during the trail clean-up in Bear Saddle.
Friday, April 11, 2008
A little green hummingbird came by today
I've had a busy week getting the garden ready and walking the dogs along either the foothills or along the San Pedro River. I haven't done much hiking this week. (But today it was the river). As I came back home in the early afternoon I was flabbergasted to be greeted by a little green Rufous hummingbird in the kitchen, flying around the lights and window with what looked like nesting material in its little beak. The little guy (gal?) let me trap it in my hands.
I immediately gave it some sugar water that had been sitting by the kitchen window specifically for hummers. The little thing took the water gratefully, sucking up what it could with its tongue. I held the frightened critter in my hand, feeling its heartbeat against my palm. Its flittering wings combined were just small enough to fit within my cupped palm as I held it.
It calmed down enough to sit still in my cupped palm for a few minutes while I got myself shodded and stepped outside to let it go, away from the cats inside.
I took the bird outside, still cupped in my hand, photographed it, and then opened my hand to let it go.
Surprisingly, the bird sat perched on my finger for a few seconds before it flew off. I hope it feels comfortable enough to come back. My garden is open to its visits.
I immediately gave it some sugar water that had been sitting by the kitchen window specifically for hummers. The little thing took the water gratefully, sucking up what it could with its tongue. I held the frightened critter in my hand, feeling its heartbeat against my palm. Its flittering wings combined were just small enough to fit within my cupped palm as I held it.
It calmed down enough to sit still in my cupped palm for a few minutes while I got myself shodded and stepped outside to let it go, away from the cats inside.
I took the bird outside, still cupped in my hand, photographed it, and then opened my hand to let it go.
Surprisingly, the bird sat perched on my finger for a few seconds before it flew off. I hope it feels comfortable enough to come back. My garden is open to its visits.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Nachmittags mit der Mutter
Die Zeit zusammen war halt zu kurz. Und natuerlich als sie wieder abfahren musste, kamen mir die Gedanken. Was mache ich jetzt? Und wie lange kann das Alltagskotz weitergehen?
Muetter wissen alles. Mann kann keine Geheimnisse den Muettern gegenueber halten!
Sie sah den Garten und sagte mir "Schaff die einen Landscape designer!" Ja, aber so einfach ist das nicht.
Muetter wissen alles. Mann kann keine Geheimnisse den Muettern gegenueber halten!
Sie sah den Garten und sagte mir "Schaff die einen Landscape designer!" Ja, aber so einfach ist das nicht.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Another wild fire...
*Sigh*
At least some of the trail trash will burn with this fire. It's pretty windy right now, with temps ten degrees cooler than yesterday. Earlier today it looked like rain with grey clouds overhead to our north, but they all blew away now.
___________________________
Wildfire burns area south of Huachuca Mountains
By Laura OryHerald/Review
Published on Wednesday, April 09, 2008
SIERRA VISTA — A fire south of the Huachuca Mountains began burning oak and chaparral forest Tuesday morning.The Bear 2 fire began before 10 a.m. and had burned about 100 to 120 acres just south of Forest Road 61 near Bear Canyon by 5 p.m., said Celeste Gordon, fire information spokeswoman for the Coronado National Forest.
Two Arizona Department of Corrections crews, five fire engines, two water tenders and air attack aircraft fought the blaze. Crews had a line around the fire and would probably continue to work into the night, Gordon said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
About 69 percent of fires in the Coronado National Forest are caused by lighting, but there were no known storms at the time the fire started, Gordon said. A red flag warning will be in effect from 11 a.m. to about 7 p.m. today for much of Southeastern Arizona.
Dry conditions and 15 to 25 mph winds, with gusts up to 40 mph, are expected to create critical fire weather conditions, according to the National Weather Service.A red flag warning is a forecast warning issued by the National Weather Service to tell area fire-fighting and land management agencies that conditions are ideal for wildland fires.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/09/news/doc47fc5e4f93257796621761.txt
WEATHER UPDATE: Windy conditions to be felt throughout the afternoon
Published on Wednesday, April 09, 2008
SIERRA VISTA — Cochise County is in for a windy Wednesday afternoon, according to reports from two agencies.The Electronic Proving Ground’s Meteorological Support Team on Fort Huachuca issued a range advisory at 10:30 a.m. that said “strong, gusty, southwesternly winds are in evidence at this time on all ranges.”
The winds, according to the fort team, are to continue through 7 p.m. today.Winds of 15 to 30 mph, with gusts of 45 mph or more, are forecast.The National Weather Service has put a red flag warning into effect from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“Winds are expected to increase today through early this evening as an area of low pressure” from the Pacific Ocean moves across Arizona, the weather service said. Cochise County and portions of Greenlee and Graham counties have the red flag warning in effect. The warning means windy and dry conditions exist that could be prone to wildfire.
The weather service’s wind advisory for the area said that sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph are likely in Cochise County through the afternoon.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/09/news/doc47fd023b34e7a492090282.txt
At least some of the trail trash will burn with this fire. It's pretty windy right now, with temps ten degrees cooler than yesterday. Earlier today it looked like rain with grey clouds overhead to our north, but they all blew away now.
___________________________
Wildfire burns area south of Huachuca Mountains
By Laura OryHerald/Review
Published on Wednesday, April 09, 2008
SIERRA VISTA — A fire south of the Huachuca Mountains began burning oak and chaparral forest Tuesday morning.The Bear 2 fire began before 10 a.m. and had burned about 100 to 120 acres just south of Forest Road 61 near Bear Canyon by 5 p.m., said Celeste Gordon, fire information spokeswoman for the Coronado National Forest.
Two Arizona Department of Corrections crews, five fire engines, two water tenders and air attack aircraft fought the blaze. Crews had a line around the fire and would probably continue to work into the night, Gordon said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
About 69 percent of fires in the Coronado National Forest are caused by lighting, but there were no known storms at the time the fire started, Gordon said. A red flag warning will be in effect from 11 a.m. to about 7 p.m. today for much of Southeastern Arizona.
Dry conditions and 15 to 25 mph winds, with gusts up to 40 mph, are expected to create critical fire weather conditions, according to the National Weather Service.A red flag warning is a forecast warning issued by the National Weather Service to tell area fire-fighting and land management agencies that conditions are ideal for wildland fires.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/09/news/doc47fc5e4f93257796621761.txt
WEATHER UPDATE: Windy conditions to be felt throughout the afternoon
Published on Wednesday, April 09, 2008
SIERRA VISTA — Cochise County is in for a windy Wednesday afternoon, according to reports from two agencies.The Electronic Proving Ground’s Meteorological Support Team on Fort Huachuca issued a range advisory at 10:30 a.m. that said “strong, gusty, southwesternly winds are in evidence at this time on all ranges.”
The winds, according to the fort team, are to continue through 7 p.m. today.Winds of 15 to 30 mph, with gusts of 45 mph or more, are forecast.The National Weather Service has put a red flag warning into effect from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“Winds are expected to increase today through early this evening as an area of low pressure” from the Pacific Ocean moves across Arizona, the weather service said. Cochise County and portions of Greenlee and Graham counties have the red flag warning in effect. The warning means windy and dry conditions exist that could be prone to wildfire.
The weather service’s wind advisory for the area said that sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph are likely in Cochise County through the afternoon.
http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/04/09/news/doc47fd023b34e7a492090282.txt
Monday, April 7, 2008
Van roll-over on Interstate 10
Our morning ritual includes getting up at 5am to share coffee and watch the local news before Kevin goes to work. This morning the news on KVOA (NBC, Tucson, "Balanced news you can count on") reported of a van roll-over ten miles east of Benson at the exit ramp of Empirita Road. "Twelve to fifteen people have allegedly been ejected" reported Rebecca Taylor, the annoncer.
"That sounds like a van full of illegals" I commented.
KVOA made this news their "Breaking News" all morning, until all the details were in. The facts were gory: 32 people (!) were packed in a ten-passenger van driving west on I-10 near mile marker 292 when the driver lost control of the vehicle and rolled over. One woman was killed. Seven were airlifted to regional hospitals with multiple traumatic injuries. One, possibly two of the passengers, had advanced chicken pox. Four of the passengers will remain in the US to stand witness to the driver. The illegals were from Guatamala and Equador.
The video of the van looked like a burned-out "carcass" of a van standing among mesquite.
Although a USBP van had seen the vehicle on I-10, there was no pursuit. Perhaps the driver panicked when he saw the USBP and sped up, losing control as he exited the interstate.
The exit ramp was closed until around noon today while investigators analysed the accident scene. It's amazing that not more people were killed.
I get angered at illegal immigrants (because they come in undocumented) but it saddens me to hear about these tragic deaths. Granted, these people normally come to the US for a better life, to make more money here than they can in their own countries, and then they end up dead or apprehended for reckless homicide and end up causing their families back home even more grief and even less income.
Ironically, last night I stayed up late watching "Al Otro Lado," a 2004 Mexican movie about illegal immigration and how it affects the loved ones left behind. The movie profiled a Mexican boy whose father disappeared across the Rio Bravo into the US, a Cuban boy who grew up hearing his father floated on a raft to Florida, (only to be told later by his mom that she made that story up; the real dad left her when he found out she was pregnant), and a Morrocan girl whose father left the family to work in Malaga, Spain as a Kebob server, living with a Spanish girlfriend who had no idea he had a family back in Morroco. http://www.thefilmconnection.org/films/924
http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=8128165&nav=menu216_3
And here's a bonus:
http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=7923835
"That sounds like a van full of illegals" I commented.
KVOA made this news their "Breaking News" all morning, until all the details were in. The facts were gory: 32 people (!) were packed in a ten-passenger van driving west on I-10 near mile marker 292 when the driver lost control of the vehicle and rolled over. One woman was killed. Seven were airlifted to regional hospitals with multiple traumatic injuries. One, possibly two of the passengers, had advanced chicken pox. Four of the passengers will remain in the US to stand witness to the driver. The illegals were from Guatamala and Equador.
The video of the van looked like a burned-out "carcass" of a van standing among mesquite.
Although a USBP van had seen the vehicle on I-10, there was no pursuit. Perhaps the driver panicked when he saw the USBP and sped up, losing control as he exited the interstate.
The exit ramp was closed until around noon today while investigators analysed the accident scene. It's amazing that not more people were killed.
I get angered at illegal immigrants (because they come in undocumented) but it saddens me to hear about these tragic deaths. Granted, these people normally come to the US for a better life, to make more money here than they can in their own countries, and then they end up dead or apprehended for reckless homicide and end up causing their families back home even more grief and even less income.
Ironically, last night I stayed up late watching "Al Otro Lado," a 2004 Mexican movie about illegal immigration and how it affects the loved ones left behind. The movie profiled a Mexican boy whose father disappeared across the Rio Bravo into the US, a Cuban boy who grew up hearing his father floated on a raft to Florida, (only to be told later by his mom that she made that story up; the real dad left her when he found out she was pregnant), and a Morrocan girl whose father left the family to work in Malaga, Spain as a Kebob server, living with a Spanish girlfriend who had no idea he had a family back in Morroco. http://www.thefilmconnection.org/films/924
http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=8128165&nav=menu216_3
And here's a bonus:
http://www.kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=7923835
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Trail Clean-up
This was an event I was looking forward to: a trail clean-up with other people from the community. It's nice to meet others who care about our forests and trails staying clean of trash.
We are early risers and today I was walking the dogs at 5:30am for 1.5 miles. They stayed home today for the clean-up because I wasn’t sure if others would tolerate the dogs. (And besides, I didn’t tell the trail clean-up organizer, Steve, that I was bringing two dogs.) In the end we were glad they stayed at home because the hike out-and-back was 8.5 miles on rough terrain, two steep uphills, and with little water on the way. The dogs would have been exhausted and thirsty and they would have slowed us down.
We left the house at 6:15am without the dogs. “It feels weird not having the dogs in the back of the truck” said Kevin. “I never drive this truck without the dogs with me.”
We had breakfast at the Lone Star Café off Highway 92, a name I’ve yet to figure out why. Was the Owner from Texas? Our server couldn’t tell us that, although she was from Texas. At any rate the food there is good and if I hadn’t had my breakfast I would have been hurting because I learned later that I left my Swiss cheese and tortillas, a hiking staple of mine, on the kitchen counter.
Volunteers for the event met at the Lone Star Café parking lot at 7am. There were eight of us: Steve, his sister Susan, a family of four consisting of Jim, Pam and their young children Jeremy and Jackie. And then there was Kevin and me. Zack from the Sierra Vista Ranger Station, who is in charge of all volunteer activities but who concentrates mostly on trail building, welcomed us with a safety briefing but then had to drive to another site where close to 30 volunteers had signed up for trail building.
Steve and I were a little disappointed that only half of the volunteers who had signed up made it. We were expecting 15-20 volunteers.
We all drove separately to the trailhead ten miles away: Ramsey Vista Campground at 7400’ and started our hike on the Comfort Springs trail at 8:05am. The sky was nearly cloudless and there was a slight chill in the air as we slowly descended along the edge of the mountain, with Ramsey Canyon to our north.
Eight-year-old Jenny amazed me. She trotted up front with Susan, Steve and Kevin while I stayed in the rear and took photographs. She kept a steady pace with her young legs. However, her step mom Pam had surgery a month ago and started feeling short of breath once we made it to the Hamburg trail and Jim decided to turn around with his family. (They ended up bagging a heavy bag on the return). For health reasons this was the right decision. It didn’t look like the children had enough water with them. I finished off two quarts in the eight hours we were on the trail and I had to ration my fluids the last two miles.
And then there were four.
The Hamburg Trail (or Wisconsin trail, depending on what source one uses), is a steep uphill trail along Ramsey Creek for 1.4 miles to Bear Saddle We got to the first major intersection at 9:45am at 8060’. One passes sycamores, maples and pines. A fire in 1983 created flashfloods later that year when dead trees came tumbling down the canyon. Many of those trees still remain as trail obstacles. .
An immigrant trail about a half mile from the saddle caught our attention due to all the trash along the trail intersections. Against our better judgments we started picking up trash here, knowing we had to haul the trash uphill to the saddle and then down to Bear Springs, over a mile away. This trash was new trash, with food still wrapped in plastic bags left in backpacks, This is the kind of stuff that black bears look for when they see discarded backpacks left behind by the illegals crossing in from Mexico.
I left all unopened cans of beans and corn for other Illegals walking that trail, placing them prominently off the trail. I even left behind a jar of hair gel (!). More than likely bears will get to the cans before more illegals find them.
Susan, as petite as she is, hauled two big bags uphill. I hauled two bags as well but had to take many short breaks; the marathon from last week was starting to affect my muscle strength and my thighs were sore. I knew then that I had bitten off more than I could chew, but I was not about to quit. My only option was to slow down.
Tall pines roared around us as we slowly made it to the Crest Trail. Weighed down with clothes, backpacks and discarded food containers, I vowed at that moment never to eat another Mexican meal again. (Let’s see how long that lasts)
We arrived at Bear Saddle at 12:30pm. There was so much trash at this point and we spent a lot of time collecting the trash that had tumbled down the trail into the ravines.
We had a direct view of Mexico and the distant Sierra Madres. Burned-out pines stood above us, swaying in the breeze. Two older gentlemen came up from the Ida Canyon trail, praised us for our work, but then hiked on not taking one piece of litter with them..
The last half-mile to Bear Springs was downhill but the first 100 yards was badly eroded and covered in fallen trees. I had to let the others get ahead of me while I wrestled with my heavy load. I started out carrying two bags of trash, one being much heavier than the other. Steve took that load off of me and carried three bags by himself while I had one bag for a while…until I stopped at the closed mine shaft and picked up another bag of trash. I was the last one at the Springs. Kevin was on his way back uphill.
I collected more trash around the Springs and at 2pm we hiked back toward Bear Saddle and our return to our cars.
This hike wore us both out tremendously. I over-calculated my endurance for this hike so shortly after the marathon from last week. I was weak all day and thus slow, but worked extra-hard with Susan to make up for the other volunteers who ended up not showing up after all. A few extra hands would have made our work today so much easier. We carried out 16 bags of trash.
Steve went uphill to Bear Saddle one extra time to haul two more bags back down to the Springs before we all hiked back to our cars. He hauled the most of us four, but we all worked diligently at cleaning up the trail. We made a noticeable difference today.
I was the last one on the return hike. I chose to take the immigrant trail back, hoping that would cut off some time from the Hamburg trail. If I hadn’t been so tired and slow, perhaps it would have been faster, but by now I was sliding and tripping all over myself. I couldn’t even handle seeing any more trash along the way although there was one more Mexican landfill a mile down that trail with more new trash. I let it be.
This immigrant trail stayed high most of the way before it took a steep descent down a north slope that came out on the Comfort Springs trail. It was a well-trodden trail that was easy to follow, until I crossed a dry creek bed and had no landmarks to orientate myself. All I had around me were tall Douglas firs. Oh shit. Lesson learned: STAY ON THE MARKED TRAILS! I was able to call Kevin who was 15 minutes ahead of me to let him know of my predicament, knowing well that if something had happened to me there would have been no way anyone could have found me. When I got back on the trail I called back to assure him I was OK. I made it to the campground shortly after 5pm, feeling tired, dusty, dirty, thirsty and quite exhausted. The others had waited for me 20 minutes.
We got home at 6pm feeling even more tired and sore. The cats appreciated a can of tuna we found on the trail; it’s not often they eat gourmet food.
“I am sleeping in tomorrow” said Kevin.
“Does that mean we aren’t going to Middle March Road?” I replied, referring to some exploratory hiking we had planned with the dogs in the Dragoon Mountains.
“You can go…I am sleeping in!” he repeated, making a point. Maybe I should sleep in as well and relax in the morning, too, while sipping coffee and watching TV.. I can’t remember when I last enjoyed watching the Sunday-morning line-up of political commentary.
Kevin was asleep within an hour, forsaking dinner. Not me! I raided the fridge.
We are early risers and today I was walking the dogs at 5:30am for 1.5 miles. They stayed home today for the clean-up because I wasn’t sure if others would tolerate the dogs. (And besides, I didn’t tell the trail clean-up organizer, Steve, that I was bringing two dogs.) In the end we were glad they stayed at home because the hike out-and-back was 8.5 miles on rough terrain, two steep uphills, and with little water on the way. The dogs would have been exhausted and thirsty and they would have slowed us down.
We left the house at 6:15am without the dogs. “It feels weird not having the dogs in the back of the truck” said Kevin. “I never drive this truck without the dogs with me.”
We had breakfast at the Lone Star Café off Highway 92, a name I’ve yet to figure out why. Was the Owner from Texas? Our server couldn’t tell us that, although she was from Texas. At any rate the food there is good and if I hadn’t had my breakfast I would have been hurting because I learned later that I left my Swiss cheese and tortillas, a hiking staple of mine, on the kitchen counter.
Volunteers for the event met at the Lone Star Café parking lot at 7am. There were eight of us: Steve, his sister Susan, a family of four consisting of Jim, Pam and their young children Jeremy and Jackie. And then there was Kevin and me. Zack from the Sierra Vista Ranger Station, who is in charge of all volunteer activities but who concentrates mostly on trail building, welcomed us with a safety briefing but then had to drive to another site where close to 30 volunteers had signed up for trail building.
Steve and I were a little disappointed that only half of the volunteers who had signed up made it. We were expecting 15-20 volunteers.
We all drove separately to the trailhead ten miles away: Ramsey Vista Campground at 7400’ and started our hike on the Comfort Springs trail at 8:05am. The sky was nearly cloudless and there was a slight chill in the air as we slowly descended along the edge of the mountain, with Ramsey Canyon to our north.
Eight-year-old Jenny amazed me. She trotted up front with Susan, Steve and Kevin while I stayed in the rear and took photographs. She kept a steady pace with her young legs. However, her step mom Pam had surgery a month ago and started feeling short of breath once we made it to the Hamburg trail and Jim decided to turn around with his family. (They ended up bagging a heavy bag on the return). For health reasons this was the right decision. It didn’t look like the children had enough water with them. I finished off two quarts in the eight hours we were on the trail and I had to ration my fluids the last two miles.
And then there were four.
The Hamburg Trail (or Wisconsin trail, depending on what source one uses), is a steep uphill trail along Ramsey Creek for 1.4 miles to Bear Saddle We got to the first major intersection at 9:45am at 8060’. One passes sycamores, maples and pines. A fire in 1983 created flashfloods later that year when dead trees came tumbling down the canyon. Many of those trees still remain as trail obstacles. .
An immigrant trail about a half mile from the saddle caught our attention due to all the trash along the trail intersections. Against our better judgments we started picking up trash here, knowing we had to haul the trash uphill to the saddle and then down to Bear Springs, over a mile away. This trash was new trash, with food still wrapped in plastic bags left in backpacks, This is the kind of stuff that black bears look for when they see discarded backpacks left behind by the illegals crossing in from Mexico.
I left all unopened cans of beans and corn for other Illegals walking that trail, placing them prominently off the trail. I even left behind a jar of hair gel (!). More than likely bears will get to the cans before more illegals find them.
Susan, as petite as she is, hauled two big bags uphill. I hauled two bags as well but had to take many short breaks; the marathon from last week was starting to affect my muscle strength and my thighs were sore. I knew then that I had bitten off more than I could chew, but I was not about to quit. My only option was to slow down.
Tall pines roared around us as we slowly made it to the Crest Trail. Weighed down with clothes, backpacks and discarded food containers, I vowed at that moment never to eat another Mexican meal again. (Let’s see how long that lasts)
We arrived at Bear Saddle at 12:30pm. There was so much trash at this point and we spent a lot of time collecting the trash that had tumbled down the trail into the ravines.
We had a direct view of Mexico and the distant Sierra Madres. Burned-out pines stood above us, swaying in the breeze. Two older gentlemen came up from the Ida Canyon trail, praised us for our work, but then hiked on not taking one piece of litter with them..
The last half-mile to Bear Springs was downhill but the first 100 yards was badly eroded and covered in fallen trees. I had to let the others get ahead of me while I wrestled with my heavy load. I started out carrying two bags of trash, one being much heavier than the other. Steve took that load off of me and carried three bags by himself while I had one bag for a while…until I stopped at the closed mine shaft and picked up another bag of trash. I was the last one at the Springs. Kevin was on his way back uphill.
I collected more trash around the Springs and at 2pm we hiked back toward Bear Saddle and our return to our cars.
This hike wore us both out tremendously. I over-calculated my endurance for this hike so shortly after the marathon from last week. I was weak all day and thus slow, but worked extra-hard with Susan to make up for the other volunteers who ended up not showing up after all. A few extra hands would have made our work today so much easier. We carried out 16 bags of trash.
Steve went uphill to Bear Saddle one extra time to haul two more bags back down to the Springs before we all hiked back to our cars. He hauled the most of us four, but we all worked diligently at cleaning up the trail. We made a noticeable difference today.
I was the last one on the return hike. I chose to take the immigrant trail back, hoping that would cut off some time from the Hamburg trail. If I hadn’t been so tired and slow, perhaps it would have been faster, but by now I was sliding and tripping all over myself. I couldn’t even handle seeing any more trash along the way although there was one more Mexican landfill a mile down that trail with more new trash. I let it be.
This immigrant trail stayed high most of the way before it took a steep descent down a north slope that came out on the Comfort Springs trail. It was a well-trodden trail that was easy to follow, until I crossed a dry creek bed and had no landmarks to orientate myself. All I had around me were tall Douglas firs. Oh shit. Lesson learned: STAY ON THE MARKED TRAILS! I was able to call Kevin who was 15 minutes ahead of me to let him know of my predicament, knowing well that if something had happened to me there would have been no way anyone could have found me. When I got back on the trail I called back to assure him I was OK. I made it to the campground shortly after 5pm, feeling tired, dusty, dirty, thirsty and quite exhausted. The others had waited for me 20 minutes.
We got home at 6pm feeling even more tired and sore. The cats appreciated a can of tuna we found on the trail; it’s not often they eat gourmet food.
“I am sleeping in tomorrow” said Kevin.
“Does that mean we aren’t going to Middle March Road?” I replied, referring to some exploratory hiking we had planned with the dogs in the Dragoon Mountains.
“You can go…I am sleeping in!” he repeated, making a point. Maybe I should sleep in as well and relax in the morning, too, while sipping coffee and watching TV.. I can’t remember when I last enjoyed watching the Sunday-morning line-up of political commentary.
Kevin was asleep within an hour, forsaking dinner. Not me! I raided the fridge.
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