Getting ready to pull up stabilizers and head east

We are one of the last of the 'snowbirds' still here in Apache Junction. It is amazing how quiet our park has become. The temps are climbing into the triple digits.  Our plan is to leave Monday and head towards southern New Mexico. There are several national parks and state parks that are peaking our interest...so I am making a list ....Gila Cliff Dwellings, City of Rocks, White Sands, Roswell, NM, Carlsbad Caverns......

Our last few weeks have been a mix of lazy, hiking, lazy, visiting with friends, lazy, SNAKE, lazy... get it? :)).

One of our last hikes in Usery Park was supposed to be a nice, easy, quiet... you get the picture, until we saw our first snake! After much use of our zoom to get pictures, we continued our WIDE berth around as it slithered away from us!

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I made Jerry walk in front with the big stick from that point forward and kept Bailey back with me. It was a good thing, because another was discovered in the bushes right off the trail farther on! Ugh!
Pretty exciting for us, hahaha

The last full moon we had, we went on about a 2 mile Full Moon hike with Ranger B at Usery Park. Sooo interesting and pretty....who knew you can see in the dark! The hike started out with the moon illuminating the paths and our way, but clouds then moved in about a third of the way in....we could still see great as our eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Very cool to see and hear the little animals that come out at night. The city lights were also beautiful. Almost towards the end, we had to hurry to our cars as lightening and thunder was heard all around us!

Apache Trail Drive to Roosevelt Lake/Dam

Our weeks/days are still being spent hiking and swimming, mostly swimming lately with the temps climbing up.

Good friends took us on an incredible drive up the Apache Trail to Tortilla Flats and then on to Canyon Lake and Roosevelt Lake/Dam. A beautiful drive with breathtaking views of the desert mountains.

Had dinner with good friends at a local bar just under the Superstition Mountain. A wonderful, noisy, fun place to eat with live music, dancing and great food. There is a hitching post out front for the horses if you are lucky enough to have one :) a thunderstorm rumbled through while we were there and left us with this incredible full rainbow!

Have finished off a number of gifts and have tucked them away, now if I can only remember where I put them.....

Garden Trail with a friend :)

Our first foray into The Lost Dutchmen Mine Park was absolutely beautiful. It ended up being a very hot day for us. We still have a long ways to go to get into 'prime' hiking shape, but our progress has been great! The Garden Trail was almost 4 miles and was a beautiful, gradual up to the base of the Superstition Mountain and back. The vistas were breathtaking and being that close to the mountain was awe inspiring!

Another aspect of the desert that we have enjoyed has been all the blooms on the different cactus, that we have been able to see. The colors are spectacular!

A Great Group!

We spend our days, that we are not hiking, with a great group of people we have met here at Happy Days, in the cool, wet pool.  Potlucks and nails and wine are also included!

A fun hike on Moon Rock Trail :)) Moon Rock Trail is located in Usery Park, a state park that we have had a lot of fun hiking!