Wow It Really Does Rain in Arizona

March 6, 2000
It has been such a long time since we had rain (last September) that we had pretty much given up on seeing rain untill we go to Seattle. (Tentative plan for this year if gas prices don’t go berserk.) It actually rained for more than 24 hours, which isn’t very typical, but also not unheard of. We really needed it too. Everything was so dry that a couple inches of rain barely made a difference even for wildflowers. Now is the time of year that they usually come out, but we are not expecting much. The only problem Gary and I have with rain is that Gary normally does’t sleep well when it rains. I think that comes from the old Winnebago days when the major leak in the roof was right over his bed. He would have to get the dish pan out and lay it on his chest whenever it rained. I guess that type of experience really sticks with you.

The next morning there was snow on the Superstition Mountains. Since we don’t necessarily see snow up there every year, we thought some pictures would be a great memory.

Now, three weeks later, the difference that 3 inches of rain makes is really amazing. The average annual rainfall in this area is 7 inches, so when 3 inches falls all at once, the desert plants and trees take advantage of it. Take a look at these new pictures of the Lost Dutchman Park after the rain.

Besh-Ba-Gowah

March 3, 2000
Besh-Ba-Gowah (besh buh go' uh) is another Indian ruin site. This one is very similar to Tuzigoot up near Cottonwood, but there is more to see of this one. It is about 700 years old and was probably inhabited from about 1200 A.D. tilll about 1400 A.D., which is about the same time the Indians left the northern part of the state. There must have been a serious climatic change about that time and all the conjecture points to a very long drought. This particular pueblo was discovered by Apaches sometime after 1600 A.D. In fact, they named it Besh-Ba-Gowah which translates roughly to “metal it’s house”. That is because the Apaches who named it that were also aware of the copper mining in the nearby towns of Globe, Miami, and Superior. Before you walk around the ruin, there is a 15 minute video that runs which tells you about the life of the people who originally lived there. The cool thing about this pueblo is that you can actually walk around inside the rooms. Here are pictures of the site as it looks today. The next series of pictures show the entrance to the structure and some shots of the inside. This is stilll an archeological site in progress, just outside of Globe. If you read the January page, you may remember me talking about the Apache Trail. If you actually follow the entire trail, you will go right by Besh-Ba-Gowah. We kind of liked the site because of it size and because you can walk through the rooms. This is the third Indian Village ruin we have visited in Arizona and I can honestly say that we learn something new at each one. As with the others, it was interesting, but not amazing so our rating is:

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

March 3, 2000
As usual, leave it to us to find a unique place. This arboretum is not like any other we have visited, not to mention, it is a state park. It is an oasis in the desert, complete with huge shady trees, a lake, and a trail that takes you through several environments. You start out at the visitor center where you can browse the gift shop or check out the hundreds of plants and cacti for sale. From there, if you follow the trail, you pass the Smith Interpretive Center where there are lots of cactus plants from all over the world on display. What makes the area between the two buildings so interesting is the shade. You don’t generally see much shade in the desert, but here there is a huge Eucalyptus forest with some of the biggest trees we have seen in this state. There is also a pine grove and a sheep shearing cabin. We’ve been there twice, but no sheep yet.... After the eucalyptus forest you come to the herb garden. They have lots of variety, and as usual, if you touch some of the herbs, you get some fantastic scents on your hands. The first time we visited here, we stood and watched a cardinal eating an orange. We were only about three feet away from it and it never stopped eating. Inside the herb garden is a small stone building called the Levenger House. It is probably between 200 and 300 square feet, and according to the plaque inside, at one time it housed a family of six. There are basically two rooms—I guess that family got along real well. After the herb garden, you walk along a path that has trees and vines all along each side and in several areas, they form an arch over the path. We figure this must be a wonderful place in the summer. As you walk along, you can hear Queen Creek running next to the path and you get occasional glimpses. Up to this point, the path is wheelchair accessible, or the park has guides that will drive you in a golf cart if you need the assist. However, from this point on, you can only go by foot, as you have to walk over a narrow bridge. (Definitely one-way traffic only.) On the side of the path opposite the creek, is Magma Ridge, which gives you the feeling that you are travelling through a canyon, not a botanical garden devoted to trees. Around the corner from the bridge is a rock grotto with a bench. There is also a bench nearby on the other side of the trail for those who want to just sit and enjoy the sounds of the creek. Then, you make the turn and start to climb to the top of the ridge. It isn’t a real long climb, but it is a little steep. Steepness aside, the scenery is pretty good. Here are some pictures of this part of the walk. Once you get to the top, the plants are all from the Sonoran Desert Upland, which means lots of cactus and scrub bushes like creosote and jojoba. There is a small lake where you can see lots of waterfowl if you are there at the right time of the year. This trip, we heard a red-winged blackbird, a bird we learned to recognize by its song back when we lived in Illinois. Apparently they are fairly rare in these parts, so we reported it to the park staff. They have a list of birds that they hand out so visitors can help them keep track of the birds seen in the area. (We always like to do our part when it comes to wildlife.) Shortly after the lake, the main trail branches two ways: one to the Chihuahuan Desert Trail and one to the Cactus Garden. Either branch will ultimately end up back on the main trail near the Smith Building, but all three trails are a nice walk. Here is a picture of a very unique type of plant found in Sonora: the Boojum Tree. Most of the people we meet along the walk are going the opposite direction. I guess it’s because the uphill walk is much easier if you go the other way. Oh well—after climbing the trail at Lost Dutchman, this one seemed kind of easy. The entire trail is a mile and a half long, and because of all the shady spots, quite refreshing. All along the walk, there are signs that identify the plants (all of them, not just the trees), and if you are interested, there is a picnic area near the visitor center. The park is open from 8 AM till 5 PM every day except Christmas and the admission fee is $5 for adults and $2 for children 5-12 and free for children 4 and younger. (Since we have a state park pass, it was free for us! YAY) All in all, a very nice walk with a Spoerlein rating of :

Apache Junction Wildlife

We don’t consider ourselves wildlife experts, but we do try to pay attention to all the creatures around us. We have always been interested in birds—when we lived in Illinois we used to walk through the Forest Preserves carrying our Peterson Guides and National Audubon Books to identify birds, trees, and wildflowers. We got pretty good at it. Since we have been in Apache Junction, we have seen quite a few interesting birds. One of them is a Phainopepla which looks like a black cardinal. About a week ago, we saw a great horned owl on a tree across the wash from our trailer. We have heard him lots of nights and it was very cool to finally see him so close. For the last few weeks we have been hearing and seeing a cardinal in the tree at our site. The cardinal doesn’t have quite the same sound as the ones back east, so we figure it’s probably speaking Spanish. Cactus Wrens, the state bird, are numerous of course. We mostly identify them by their sound before we see them. Also numerous are the red-tailed hawks and Gamble’s quail. There are zillions of mourning doves, but we have heard and seen Inca doves too. Not so numerous, but stilll around are roadrunners. We saw a ruby-throated hummingbird at Boyce Thompson, a kestrel at Lost Dutchman, but as long as we are in Apache Junction, the most populous bird is the SNOWBIRD, identified by its gray head and—well never mind that.

You may remember the tarantula we saw in the Lost Dutchman State Park on one of our walks. We also recently saw a Velvet Ant, which is not even an ant. It is a wasp, also known as a cowkiller because of its sting. The sting is supposed to be so painful that it “could kill a cow”. Don’t want to play with that guy! We have heard the coyotes singing at night and one Sunday when I went to get the paper, I saw one trot across the road ahead of me. That wasn’t too unusual for me. We used to get coyotes walking through our yard a lot when we lived in the desert south of Phoenix. So far, there aren’t too many lizards out. I think they need it to be a little warmer. We haven’t seen any snakes since we left the house, but we stilll remember the rattlesnakes on the patio. We aren’t really in the market for more close encounters, although we are always on the lookout for them.

What’s Next?

We moved to an RV Resort in Casa Grande, Arizona on March 30th. Look for news from there in a few weeks.