Blooms Abound!

The weather has been wonderful! I remember many years when the start of May meant triple digit temperatures. Fortunately, this year is still relatively cool, The forecast high for today is only 70 degrees. A rare treat.

Papa and I took advantage of the mild temperatures to explore Boyce Thompson again. Yes, it is a favorite destination. And it did not disappoint. The spring flowers are blooming. In fact, the rose garden seemed just a few days beyond it's peek. Next year, an earlier April visit to see the Wallace Rose Garden.

The excitement, if it can be called that, was waking up one morning to find a weight used on the patio curtain had been an overnight meal for a critter. After investigating, it seems a mouse or rat had gnawed the ONE sandbag that had rice vs. sand. Why? It was my test bag to see if they would weight the patio curtains. Once I obtained sand, I filled the remaining bags, but didn't replace the rice with sand. My fault.

The day I found my mistake, I repaired the bag, replaced the inner bag and filled that with sand. Problem solved, right?  Nope. The little vermin returned, gnawed a new hole and discovered the sand. A couple other bags had small teeth marks as if the critter had to double check for possible rice, then gave up.

An electronic mouse deterrent has been added to the patio (I do not want to deal with traps or dead rodents). The potential entrance points have been secured. New low curtain rods have been added, better securing the curtains in the breeze and allowing for easier cleaning.  We have enjoyed a few nights with no evidence of nocturnal visitors. People are welcome visitors! Dogs, too. Little critters with long tails are definitely NOT!

Final Preparations

Less than a month until my grandson and I descend into the Grand Canyon. This will be his first trek and likely my last. He is excited. I am a bit nervous. The Camelback hike reminded me that I'm not as young as I was. 

When Papa and I hiked the Canyon before, I put together a table with the various waypoints along the route and estimated arrival times. That is still a reference point for us, but this graphic was posted online. Unfortunately I did not grab the source, I apologize. It was a hiker who is planning rim-to-rim-to-rim. That is a much longer/harder hike than we will do. Our plan is to go down the South Kaibab (1st column) and out Bright Angel (4th column). This graphic provides a better visual.

Outside of last minute details, and continued training, I believe we are set. We're prepared to send mail from Phantom Ranch, the only place in the U.S. where the post mark reads "delivered by mule." It is also the only place to purchase a Phantom Ranch (PR) souvenir t-shirt. That's a definite to-do item. The sack lunch is ordered, and we will toast the midway point of the hike with a lemmy (that's lemonade folks) during our lunch break at the PR cantina.  The anticipation builds.

Big Kachina

Just outside the town of Carefree, Arizona stands a 39 ft. tall statue of a Kachina doll. Kachina dolls are part of the Pueblo Indian culture and very popular in the desert southwest. 

Roadside America published an article on this unique attraction. There are many places to see around Arizona. In fact, we missed the giant sundial located nearby. We did drive to Bartlett Lake. I'm kinda partial to visiting lakes, beaches, water in general. It looked like a beautiful lake although a bit out-of-the-way. Guess that might be why it didn't seem as busy as Saguaro or Canyon Lake.

This trip reminded me that Arizona has so many interesting places to visit. We have the time, we need to continue to explore!