Day 68 - Piper Down

Parks are in high demand during the entire winter in Phoenix.  I was lucky enough to find and opening at Lost Dutchman State Park, in the suburb of Apache Juction, for three nights.  Last year they closed down almost half of the park (under much controversy) to retrofit the RV sites with water & power hookups.  Opponents argued that the cost was too high, and recouping the costs would take far too long.  The park was also losing money (though not much), and was in danger of closing completely.  Fundraisers and private donations saved the park, and the retrofit was approved.

Not all sites are complete, which could have been my lucky break.  I snagged the last site open for the days I wanted, and it was one with no services.  Not a big deal, I was able to fill up the trailer with fresh water on the way in, and had the new generator to provide power.  I have little doubt that the entire park would be booked solid if all sites had water & power.

One of the reasons it's so popular.

This is the view from the hiking trail just outside of the campsite.

During the day I had to try out the new throttle cable, so I cruised around town a bit.  I think everyone in Phoenix has a car and drives it all day long.  The traffic was ridiculous.  Checked out some of the locations I'd be heading to in the following days (laundromat, airport), had lunch, and browsed a couple of RV shops for accessories.

Arrived back at the trailer around 4:30 and figured that would be it for the day.  Had a light snack and started looking at the hiking trails.  Hmm, the "Siphon Draw" trail is listed as four miles round trip and about four hours to complete.  A further 0.9 miles (1.8hrs round trip) is a peak called The Flatiron, at 4650 ft.  It was now 5:15.  Last decent light is about 8:15 and full darkness just past 8:30.  Challenge accepted!

I threw a few things in a small backpack and started my hike at 5:25pm - three hours to complete an almost 6hr hike.  As I started up the trail, I started to see fellow hikers about a mile or so up the trail.  They were all coming down, not going up.  I did pass a single hiker about 10minutes in.  No way he was making it to the top tonight. 

After a lengthy approach, the trail starts to ramp up, and descending more hikers appear.  The overt ruggedness of the mountains also begins to show.

About 35 minutes in, a unique feature appears.  It's a smooth rock valley (not quite like the slickrock of Moab)...and it's steep.  Fortunately, it's also very grippy.  I easily walk straight up the smooth wall of rock.  From this point forward, the trail is not well defined. You just make your way up an obvious valley.

Just above this is more smooth rock, but this time with "marbles".  A few layers of small rocks & pebbles coat the "trail".  I stop and watch a group of five struggle their way down the slippery slope.  Two of them descend on their bums.  Not a technique I'd recommend.  Ascending is not difficult, and I quickly slip past the trouble just before a another group is about to tackle it.

View down the trail towards Phoenix

 45 minute in, I reach the end of the Siphon Trail (unmarked, just going by distance and it's an obvious plateau) and the start of the ascent to The Flatiron (also unmarked).  The trail from here is not recommended for anyone but advanced hikers.  Two groups of hikers are here and I confirm the correct direction with one of them.  I also ask how long to the top, the response is a snarky "about a half hour [laughter].  That's my standard response where ever I am [more cackles].  It's likely about two hours from here."  I feel a bit dejected, as I figured it would only be 15 minutes further.  They also mention the distance to the black coloured spire (centre/top of the picture below.  It's only about an hour.  Either way, better get moving.

Looking towards the Flatiron

 from the top of the Siphon Trail

The trail was steep before.  Now it got near vertical.  You had to work your way over & around rock outcroppings and traverse a couple of narrow ledges.  Progress was slow and difficult.  I pass a couple more groups, neither can believe someone is still on their way up.  I can't believe others that are this high up this late.  None look like they have proper footwear or clothing.  Just a bunch of tourists on a stroll.  That's fine for the early hours.  Not OK when you're pressed for daylight.

I continue picking my way up the trail and eventually come to a feature I called the Hillary Step.  The real Hillary Step is a 40' rock face near the top of Mount Everest.  It is the most technical part of the Everest ascent on the South Col route (most popular and arguably easiest route).

The obstacle I had in front of me was a vertical rock face about 15 feet high.  I'm guessing many people turn around at this point.  If I wasn't a rock climber, I may have as well.  I scout a decent line, and scurry to the top.  Not difficult, but would be intimidating for a non-climber.

 Just above the crux of the trail, you reach the end of the ravine, and the world opens up.

View down the trail looking towards Phoenix

 A little higher and to the right of the above picture is a nice lookout spot.  It's now 6:45, 90 minutes since I started off.  I decide that this will be the end of my hike.  No sense on pushing forward and eliminating my buffer time for returning to the campsite before dark.  Just not worth the risk.

I take have my snack, down a bottle of water, and snap a few pictures.

Once again, looking West towards Phx

 Couldn't decide which of these two I liked better

... so I included both

The sun is making a dash for the Pacific

Got close to the black spire, but not quite to it

Why is the spire black when nothing around it is?  Sad story.  About four months prior, on the eve of Thanksgiving, a plane carrying three men and three children took off from a nearby airport.  The pilot either did not know how high these mountains were, or misjudged his location.  The plane crashed into this spire, killing everyone aboard.  Just after the crash, a fuel tank exploded, setting everything around it on fire.  You can read the full story here.  Picture of the same model of plane is here.

Time to get back down.  I make good time, and reach that solo hiker I had passed at the bottom about 20 minutes into my descent.  I tell him how far the top is and that he should think about turning around unless he has a light.  The ascent would likely take him at least 40 minutes, and the time was already 7:10.  He stopped to think about it while I carried on down.

I continue to pass groups of hikers also descending.  The can't believe I've been to the top and back so quickly.  I can't believe they're going so slow at such a late hour.  Most of them will be finishing their hike in the dark for sure.

Near the bottom now I stop to take a few pictures in the waning light.

Campsite just right & above the short spire

in the middle of the picture 

 Almost back.  I can't remember the final flat

 section being so long.

 A final look back up

 Well, maybe one more

Why panos are better

I reach the bottom at 8:00, 2hrs 35min after I had started.  Mission not completely accomplished, but close enough.  Time for a dinner and a well deserved beer.  Maybe two.



Profile of the hike.  Yep, it's a steep one.

Day 67 - Literally, the "Big House"

Destination Phoenix.  Travel day was a Saturday, and I wanted to pick up that throttle cable before Monday.  Of course, the Honda dealer is closed Sundays.  Planned my departure time to allow for at least two hours of flex time.  That meant leaving before 9:00am.  Not a big deal, since I loaded up the truck the night before, and everything that could be ready the night before was ready.

If you're looking at a map, you might say "hey, Phoenix is only 90 minutes away, what's the rush?"  Well, I wanted to check-in to the new campsite and set everything up before going to the downtown Honda shop.  Not much room there for a travel trailer.  Plus, I had a stop to make.

About half-way between Picacho and Phoenix is a small town called Casa Grande, and within it, the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.  When in Rome right?  The entrance fee is only $5, and there is ample parking for RVs.  There would be more RV parking if it wasn't for the SUV driving knobs that parked RV spots.

I've added pictures of some of the interpretive signs to give you a better understanding of the site.  Hope you enjoy them.

The Casa Grande (Spanish for "Big House") is the main adobe structure on site that bears it's name.  It was constructed around the 13th century of caliche by the Hohokam people (you may recall them from a previous blog entry), and originally consisted of four floors.  Two adjoining wings were each three stories high.  In 1903 a shelter was built for the Big House to protect it from the elements.  This shelter was replaced in 1932 and remains to this day.

The Casa Grande

 The remains of smaller houses fill-in the bulk of the main site

  A note on vandalism

 Picture taken from near the same location as above

 Close-up

 Rear of the Casa Grande

Like all ancient relics,

we assume there is a connection with the stars

 Just inside the rear (West) door

 The North side

 From the South

Some details on it's construction

 

More remains of the smaller houses

South of the Casa Grande

 Map of the greater area.

All pictures were taken within the Casa Grande compound.

 The ball court (common structure in Arizona)

lies just outside the Casa Grande compound.

 Not as grand as it once was

Off to Phoenix.  The drive went smoothly, not very much traffic.  Checked into the campsite, and unloaded the trailer.  I kept the moto on the truck to make sure the new throttle cable matched.  It did.  Got to the Honda shop in plenty of time.  Took the opportunity to enquire about two other parts.  Price was good, so I ordered them to be shipped to my next destination (stay tuned).

Throttle cable was installed in under 10 minutes.  Fit perfectly.  I had my motorcycle back again :))

Day 65-66 - The Picacho Part 2

I check out of Patagonia Lake and head back to Tucson.  Just planning on passing through this time though, need to move on to Phoenix.  I hadn't yet found a campsite there yet though, so I stopped at a rest area south of Tucson for lunch and to search for a site.

Couldn't find much, and nothing for 5 days straight.  I wasn't really interested in moving sites once I got there, so I settled on a campground for the last three days.  I'd stay at Picacho Peak State Park again for the next two nights, and take the time to make some repairs.  I also had to pick up a new generator - Harbor Freight to the rescue.  Stopped there and Costco to re-supply on the way out of town.

Arrived at Picacho late afternoon and set-up camp quickly.  It was nice to have mobile phone coverage at my campsite again.  Didn't have that since Kartchner, and that wasn't great coverage.

Climbed the peak again on day 66, got the new generator up and running, and 'made' a new bolt for the moto seat.  Not sure how the old one got away.

Started with the one on the right, the left is the end product.  Needed to cut it down, and extend the threads.  The holes in the steps for the trailer made an excellent 'vice'.

One more sleep, then off to Phx.

Day 64 - I'm Givin It All She's Got Captain, But...

The area around the IMBA "epic" ride is all open to motorized use, and there are thousands of acres to explore.  You need to say on the gravel roads (no singletrack for motos, just MTB), but there are a few places to test yourself.  I loaded the bike into the truck for this trip, as the distance to the staging area is about 50km and there are no gas stations nearby.  Had to save all that gas for the trails.

Loading ramps at the staging area.

Very nice

I knew of the existence of these loading ramps before going, so didn't need to bring my aluminum one.  Loading/unloading the bike is super simple, just back up to the ramp appropriate for the height of your vehicle.

Luxury

Let's ride.  There is a helpful map at the staging area - same map located at two other places in the area.

Can't beat a good map

I map out a route and head off.  The start is through a loose, sandy wash.  It's no match for the XR though.  After a couple of turns, I head up a steep road and reach a viewpoint.

Rolling hills looking East.

Great for moto, maybe not so great for mountain biking.

I backtrack a few hundred meters to a road going West and up what looks like a bigger mountain.  Steep & chunky road, but not very technical.  In about 3km I reach a nice scenic saddle.

Looking West.

A plume of smoke from a moving vehicle breaks up the barren landscape.

One road switchbacks West down the far side of the saddle.  Another (much rougher) road to my left ascends yet again.  I work my way up the road with the back wheel kicking all the way.  It's steep and loose.  Wouldn't have it any other way.  The road dead-ends in a couple of kms at a clearing.  The mountain continues up a couple hundred feed or so, but climbing shoes and a rope are necessary to reach the summit.  I scramble up a to a narrow saddle to snap a pic.

Previous saddle in the background left centre

Collection of shells at the clearing.

There were dozens.

I retrace my steps and head South.  The road here is good, no problem for a bike.  I then miss my turn and end up on the main highway.  No big deal.  I zip along the pavement for a few kms, then duck back in with no harm done.  Another 10k of gravel and I arrive at the trail to one of my destinations for the day - Kentucky Camp.  From here it's non-motorized access only.  The KC site is only a 1/4 mile walk though.

The camp was built in 1904 as the headquarters of the Santa Rita Water & Mining company.  Four of the original buildings remain standing today.  One of these is open to the public, one is a B&B (I'll explain this one later), one is used for storage closed, and the final building is closed to everyone due to unstable flooring.  It may eventually be repaired and open to the public.  All buildings are adobe construction.

Remnants of one of the original buildings

Inside the main headquarters building.

The interior has been restored.

Looks like a bordering house?

It was.

 An old sluice box for panning gold

 Outside view of the main building

 The B&B

 ...and why the second 'B' above is crossed out

 Remainder of an old truck

 vintage mining equipment

 The closed building

I eat lunch, then head back to the bike.  Still plenty of time left in the day, and at least 2/3 of a tank of gas.  I rip down some roads I haven't been on yet and actually find some techy 4x4 bits.  Then out of nowhere, the bike loses power.  The engine is still running though, so I have gas.  Twist the throttle a few times and nothing happens.  I shut off the engine and contemplate how I'm going to get out of this one.

Can you tell what went wrong?

Hint: my red-gloved finger is holding up a piece of it.

Broken throttle cable.  I don't carry a spare, so this was a concern.  What a break (no pun intended) that this didn't happen a day earlier.  At least it was only 10km back to the truck.  I had time to walk back if absolutely necessary.

Fired up the engine again and began to idle back to the truck.  I was able to work the carburetor with a wrench, but it would slip off when I hit the slightest bump.  Better not be any big hills...

Spoke too soon

May not look impressive, but there was no way I was getting up this without some throttle.  Even upping the idle speed to the max wasn't going to work - I know, I tried.  The road was rocky as well, loads of bumps.

After two failed attempts, I was determined to make it on the third.  I held the wrench firm on the carb, and bulldogged my way up the slope.  It was a battle every second to keep the wrench in place with one hand, and steer with the other.  In the end, I triumphed.  There was one more hill to overcome on the return, but not nearly as steep or bumpy as above.  I was able to ascend it with the same technique.  The remainder was at high idle as I limped home to the truck.

Good thing I was going back to civilization soon.  No more moto until I get this fixed.

On the way back to the campsite, I stop for to check my email, and order a new throttle cable into Phoenix.  I needed to be there in five days, so that would work out fine.  I couldn't find one in Tucson, or I'd have picked it up on the way through.

What else am I going to break on this trip?  Stay tuned.  It gets worse.