Monday, January 2/2012

Loading up to head out to Box Canyon and Stanton Ghost Town

Keith - always ready for the picture pose!!

The start of our trail-Hassayampa River  - sand and more sand - no water

A cove just off the river

Keith and I climbed up this ladder and found a wonderful little  area behind the rocks

The other little  canyon Keith and I climbed into

Jeep pose under a fallen tree limb

Finally - some water!!

This is the Hassayampa through Box Canyon.

A couple of cowboys we met. Both had cows on their ropes and they were leading them to water

Keith was riding shotgun - so he had to open the gates

What remains of the Weaver Post Office

Keith - may he rest in peace!!  Who, in their right mind, lays on someone's
grave and poses!! He will be cursed!

Marie and Charlotte

Keith and Marie  "planking"

Bronze hood ornament on a quad - it is a gold panner.  Not a very good pic

Dead Tree Standing

Charlotte and Keith "planking"!!

The start of the Hassayampa River.  This is where it comes out of the ground at
the end of Box Canyon.

Ten feet from where it comes above ground, it is already flowing!

GPS shows we are driving on a river - and we were!!

flowing water

Back through "the box" -  darn shadows

Tarantula Wasp - you do not want to get bit by this thing!!

Wet distributor - stopped to dry out and enjoy a beverage along the river - no water here though

Keith - getting his "Jeep" on.  

Lots of horses in this territory

vehicle bridge across the Hassayampa

So many little washes to explore

After several tylenol I was finally able to get to sleep and this morning I am feeling just fine.  I got a bit of a sun burn on my face but at least I can move without my body screaming that I was so foolish to walk for as long as we did yesterday!!  No pain - No gain - Right?
The sun is shining and it should be a good day to make the trip to Box Canyon and Stanton Ghost Town.  Keith and Charlotte have not been to either place so it will be fun to take them.  There is so much mining history in this area and to see the Hassayampa River flowing on top of the ground instead of underneath the ground is wonderful.  There is very little "running" water in this area of Arizona.
We headed out at eleven o'clock.  With Keith and Charlotte tucked into the back seat and me riding shotgun we accessed the Hassayampa in no time.  Miles and miles of sand greeted us.  There were several well used trail throughout the sand and one simply has to pick a path and enjoy the scenery.  It really was cool and I saw sights I had not seen before so it is always like the first time when one travels the river bed.
We stopped at one of the favourite spots along the river bed and Keith and I explored an area behind all the huge trees and found a ladder that gave us access to an area above the river bed.  We climbed up and found   another little canyon which was kind of neat.   We took pictures, climbed back down, took more pics of the jeep (of course)  then carried on into Box Canyon.  We soon started to see water and that was great.   One never really knows how much water you will find in the box so you never really know if you can actually travel to the end or if you can't.  The first year we travelled the canyon, we had to turn around as the water level was half way up the doors of the Tracker!!  Last year (with Lorne and Marilyn) we were able to make it to the end of the box as there was just a little water flow.
This year, the flow was much the same as last year, easily traversed and we made it to the end of Box Canyon without any difficulty.  The water was crystal clear as usual.
Once out of the box, we accessed the trail that took us over to Stanton Ghost Town.  We saw a bit of wild life alone the way - rabbits, various birds including a pair of red tailed hawks and I almost forgot to mention  that Charlotte finally saw a roadrunner on the way into Wickenburg this morning.  The one bird that had eluded her and she was so wanting to see and presto, there he was along the side of the road!!
We stopped at what remains of the old Weaver Post Office and the restored Weaver Cemetery.  Keith got the brain wave to pose for a picture lying on one of the graves so I took the shot!!  Kind of creepy!!
We walked around the ghost town for a while.  Keith and I decided to "plank" across a bench and I bought a multicoloured lizard made out of metal for $15.00 dollars and shoved it under the back seat for the ride home.
We took a different way home, through a wash and Keith and Charlotte decided to "plank" across the top of the jeep!!  What the heck is this new craze!!  Oh my Lord - talk about  not acting your age!!  We laughed like we were teenagers!!
Eventually, we made it back to Box Canyon and found where the Hassayampa comes out of the ground.  The Hassayampa is actually an  underground river. We managed to splash through what water was in our path, getting the distributor wet and having to stop and dry it out.  Time for a beverage and that is when I was able to show Charlotte a Tarantula Wasp.  This sucker has a very painful bite (I am told) and one you do not want to experience.
With the jeep running again, we were off and heading home.  Keith drove for a while and I think he was getting his "jeep on" as he seemed to be enjoying it a lot!!  Who knows, maybe next year he will have one and we can go exploring with two vehicles!!
Charlotte and I were in the back seat and having a good time (refreshment and all) when she some how managed to jam her thumb and although she could move it, was convinced it was broken and she was going to die!!  She took a couple of Advil and decided that since she could still hold a beer can, life was still good!!
As we continued towards camp over some rather bumpy terrain,  John decided to give Charlotte and I a real good ride and decided to "goose it" over one of the many divets in the trail.  Before I knew it, we were both airborne and I somehow managed to hit the roll bar with my forehead, mangling my glasses in the process.  Oh yea, ask me if I was mad!!  I now have a bump and mangled glasses!!  John has been damned to hell and back 15 times and I sooo broke my New Year's resolution to not say the "F" word!!
Charlotte was unscathed in the attack which was a good thing since she had already "broke" her thumb!!
It is a good thing that I have a spare pair of glasses or I would really be hooped considering,  I can not manage life without them!!
Finally back at camp and Hogan, who we had to leave at home, was more that happy to see us.  He danced around like we had been gone for days instead of only 7 hours (it was only 6 p.m.)
Keith and Charlotte headed home and John and I sat outside for at least another hour enjoying the evening then headed into the bus for a game of Yahtzee, then supper and bed.  All in all, another great day - minus the injuries incurred along the way - although - those too, will heal!!