kaspily

Just upgraded. No more hijacking my husband's account

Chris and I are also interested in a Super Moon Camping trip.

Chris and I took a few extra days of vacation before the Smiley Rock trip to go play up in Sedona. When Chris got his WJ the first trail we did was Broken Arrow. We used every skid plate on his stock WJ. So we decided to run the trail again to see how "Hope" did. It turned out to be really easy and fun to play on now that she modified. We do still need to do something about her fat rear and change the bumper as we rubbed a few times. We got to Sedona around lunch time and it was a bit cooler (90s) than Tucson. This was after some electrical issues that caused some weird transmission hiccups. We stopped off at O'Reiley Auto to buy some new battery connectors and that seemed to fix the hiccups for the rest of our vacation. We did Soldier's Pass First (since it was right next to O'Reily). Other than two spots the trail was really easy. We went to the right to go check out Devil's Kitchen first. We certainly annoyed the hiker's who wanted total quiet. We only saw two other Jeeps on this trail which is surprising for the Sedona area. We then drove on to the seven pools section. We came across more hikers who didn't have enough water. We offered to refill their bottles but they declined. I hope they made it back okay. After running this quick trail we drove over to run Broken Arrow. The views of Sedona from the trail are awesome! We tried to recreate some of the shots from when we got the Jeep to what she looks like now. Here is the current look: This is the before in the same spot: This time we got to see Submarine Rock and the trail ends right in front of what would be an easy climb to the top of Submarine Rock. Chris and I hiked up to the top and enjoyed the views: We ate a quick lunch of chicken enchiladas in our car oven and then were on our way. I think the tourists were envious of our air conditioning as they baked in the sun At Chicken Point I finally noticed all of the scrapes to the underside of the Jeep. We got some of these on the previous Chivo Falls runs. I think my husband is just trying to really convince me about needing a different bumper. The last time we ran this trail we were too scared to try this steep spot. This time it was easy: The true test of the Jeep was the steps at the end of the trail. the first time we did this trail we bounced on our skid plates off every step. This time was completely different: We had fun playing midweek on these trail and they weren't overrun with pink Jeeps. After this we headed over to Prescott to stay at The Motor Lodge for a few nights.

You beat me to the report! I would also rate this easy to moderate. I even drove the first part until that narrow shelf road part. Here is the link to the highlight album that I took: https://picasaweb.google.com/110968346826086888564/RedrockPowerlineTrailSharing?authuser=0&feat=directlink Leaning a bit climbing up the spur trail: Looking back at Jeff. We teased that we made an oreo (black Jeep, our silver jeep, black Jeep) on the trail. It was neat to have the three WJs together. The views from the spur trail were neat. Down in the valley I noticed what looked to be a commune or something. It turned out to be a vortex retreat center. Heading backdown the switchbacks to continue on to the powerline trail and our lunch spot. Jeff's first trail repair...this time his CB was acting up and needed to be secured: The one and only moderate challenge with a small step: We stopped to check out a sign and noticed that Jeff had a flat tire Thankfully the hole was in the middle of the tread and only took one plug. I just love taking pictures in this scenic area: We had lunch at the indian ruins. It was hot but we found some limited shade under our rear hatches. Jeff's AC decided to act up as well (he had a rough trip!) and poor Rudy was hot. After lunch we headed out the easy dirt road back to the highway: After the trail, Kris and us decided to head over to Prescott to find the entrance to Smiley Rock that Kris wanted to run. We kept hitting dead-end roads, private access only, etc. Finally Kris decided it was better to start the next's day trip out of Jerome where there was access. After that we went down to Dewey, AZ for some excelent BBQ at Lucky's BBQ. We then parted ways and we went back to our hotel for the night. Thanks to Jeff and Kris for joining us to check out this trail. We had a lot of fun!! -Sarah

Day two: I was of course awake before the sun came up and my husband was thrilled when I climbed out of the Jeep at 4am. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was still fairly comfortable out and sat back and watched the sun rise over the trees. The group eventually crawled out of their respecitve sleeping spots to make breakfast, pack-up and get ready to take the dirt roads over to Cherry, AZ. The road winded along through the forest, along ridgelines, and through some previously burned fire areas. The views of the valley below were cool: Clifford leading the way: A quick break along the trail: We sadly hit pavement and had to air-up: Chris and I then made the long drive back to Tucson. It went from 80 degrees to 109 in Phoenix and then settled in to 105 in Tucson. Yuck! We had a wonderful trip and really enjoyed meeting some new people. Thanks again for leading another adventure. I can't wait till the next trip. -Sarah

Chris and I had a great few days in the area. The link to the highlight album is at: https://picasaweb.google.com/110968346826086888564/SmileySharing?authuser=0&feat=directlink The link to the entire album (240+ photos) is at: https://picasaweb.google.com/110968346826086888564/SmileyComplete?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCOfR_4OEgpezlgE&feat=directlink Chris and I left The Motor Lodge , in Prescott early in the morning to make the drive over to meet everyone at the new meeting spot in Jerome. The drive between Prescott and Jerome is super scenic and fun to drive. While waiting for everyone we took a few shots of Jerome and the Ghost Town: The group of I think 8 Jeeps met in the parking lot near the fire station. Moose promptly looked for a shady spot to chill out in: Driver's Meeting: Then we were off to run the easy portion of Smiley Rock on some really dusty roads. The views of the valley below were beautiful: Looking Back to Jerome: Up by the powerlines we came across three cows and a newly born calf. The calf was still wet with the cord attached. I wasn't able to get a picture as it kept hiding behind mom: Kris showing off his new spotting techniques: Mike starting on the fun rocky section of the trail after lunch: Playing in the rocky wash: Smiley Rock and the lesser known Yawning George: Loved the cool shade in the forrest sections: "Hope" doing what she loves best: "Caroline" showing her skills: Kris making it look easy: Who loves tipy shelf roads? We got up to our campsite and sat around the imaginary campfire. The bugs soon joined us but didn't dampen the mood. I had previously picked up some tasty wine from the Jerome Winery and since I am such a lightweight it didn't take long for me to find it difficult to navigate over the rocks. But after some coaxing my husband convinced me to get a sunset shot or two: Day two coming....

Bradywgn71 and myself will be there on Saturday for the trail talk and will run the trails with you. Most likely camping with you saturday night providing it isn't too hot -Sarah

OOOO...she looks so shiny!! Any tricks for getting the dust out of the inside cabin air vents? Tried a swiffer, toothbrush, etc and so far still can't get all of it.

The red rock powerline trail sounds fun. Depending on how long that takes maybe we'd have time to check out the Cottonwood forest roads as well. We are staying at the Motor Lodge in Prescott. I'll send you our cell phone numbers so we can figure out where to meet. Thanks for coming up early

Chris and I are spending three nights in Prescott/Sedona area before the Smiley Rock Trip. Anyone have a favorite trail in this area? Looking for an easy to moderate trail. We have run a bunch in the Sedona area but were hoping to see what Prescott/Sedona had to offer that we have missed. We have done the Senator Highway to Crown King route a while back. Thanks in advance. -Sarah

Has anyone tried the campsites on Mt. Lemmon in Tucson? Is it worth it or too crowded? -Sarah

Count Bradywgn71 and myself in. We will be camping and will send a check shortly. -Sarah

Very welcome. I can't thank you enough for taking us out there. Nature is way cheaper than a therapist -Sarah

Day Three: Charoleau Gap Trail to Catalina, AZ Day Three began early. I once again was up before dawn and tried to be quiet so I didn't wake anyone (other than Chris). I love watching the sun rise and relaxing in the quiet. Soon it became light out and everyone started packing up and eating a light breakfast. We were all ready before 7am which has to be some kind of record So we headed down the very rocky and rough wash. We had our breakfast (ham, bacon, sausage egg biscuit casserole) heating in the oven and pretty quickly it was done. The fun part was trying to give the spoon to Chris while he was driving over this really bumpy and rocky section of the trail. Ksmith announced we were at "The Step" and we got out to investigate. The ledge was really steep and with wet tires I had my concerns. I climbed up the ledge to get into a spot where I could take pictures and video: Kris and Chris having fun pointing out different routes up the rock: Video of the attempt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r16rVLz5UxU I am impressed the Kris even attempted this so early in the morning and before the multiple red bulls At one point I could see the complete underside of his Jeep and was holding my breath. I am very happy that my husband didn't try this one because he doesn't wake up until at least noon! The bypass was a steep slick rock section that Chris later powered up as I tried to stay out of his way and not get run over while taking photos: We continued driving through the wash and playing in the water: We stopped to check out Camp Coronado. I still want to learn more about this spot. Then back to playing in the wash: The trail had some good sized boulders to crawl over: As we were in the car wash section Chris managed to slip off a rock into a hole and we heard a large metal crunch. I had visions of the radiator being busted but thankfully that wasn't the case. Only a tie-rod. As we were crawling out of the wash we came across a sign warning about the dangerous trail ahead. We quickly encountered more cows in the trail and had to honk to encourage them to move. Poor Gear thought we were honking at him to hurry up. We then began the climb up out of the wash: Rest stop before climbing up the gap. Crossing the cattle guard that is at the top of Charoleau Gap: View of Oro Valley and Catalina from the top of the Gap. I was able to pick out our housing subdivision from up here. A view of Pusch Ridge overlooking Oro Valley, AZ: Kris was approaching Kiss Rock obstacle: It was pretty slippery to walk on but i managed to get down below Kiss rock to shoot a few pictures: Gear once again made this obstacle look easy View towards Catalina, AZ. There were a lot of camp spots and two spur trails off of the main trail. Chris and I plan to go back up and check these out before it gets too hot out. We finished the trail and I signed the log book. We had a great time and want to thank Kris for leading and Gear for coming along. I really needed this break from reality and had so much fun. I can't wait for the next trip. Thanks again for making this possible!! -Sarah

Day 2: Chimney Rock to Reddington Pass Rd to Charoleau Gap Trail So day two began early and we broke camp and continued to follow the Chimney Rock trail out to Reddington Pass. The road to Chimney Rock was easy dirt road. The road out to Reddington pass was rocky, narrow, and tree filled. Somewhere along this part is wear Gear's tire sidewall got a slice Here is a nice tippy spot on the edge of a small cliff. So after a while Kris stopped and flagged me to come look. We got to see a Gila monster making its way across the trail and then trying to hide under a ledge. Promptly after this Gear announced over the CB that he had a possible flat. We all stopped by a windmill and solar panel array to help him plug the tire. Gear was in good spirits and posed with the failing tire. I still find it odd to have a solar panel in the middle of no where. I am sure we missed the entrance to the secret lair We made it safely to Reddington Pass Rd and then topped off our gas tanks and ice in San Manuel, AZ. We then took a short road over to Oracle to begin Charoleau Gap Trail. I was super excited to finally be able to see this trail since I live so close to it and have been wondering what is up there. I decided to drive the first portion of the trail until I chickened out This was only my third time driving my husband's baby offroad. He thankfully is a great coach! View from the start of the trail: I made it driving all the way to the hill before the "Elevator" obstacle. I am SO glad I switched with Chris to have him drive. The trail from this part on was super steep and difficult. The washout section before you get to the "elevator" was beyond my skill level of driving. So I went back to snapping photos. I snapped a couple of pictures (see the large Charoleau Gap folder) of our view as we climbed up this long hill. All you could see was sky and hope you were still on the trail. A couple of times the tires felt really light in front but we slowly crawled up the hill safely. Once again Gear's Jeep scampered up it like it was nothing!! Here is a view looking back from the next ridge toward "Elevator" As we were going up the next ridge Gear let us know he could he air escaping from the same tire So we had to find a level spot to work on his tire. While the guys were busy putting a bunch of tire plugs in I investigated the hill above the jeeps. I found there was a great view of Biosphere 2 in Oracle from up there: Sadly the plugs wouldn't work and the tear kept expanding. The tire had to go. The trail became really steep and we went into a series of some pretty tight switchbacks. Once again I am glad I wasn't driving this. After the long climb down into the wash we were treated with running water and shade. I always love this about trails in AZ when you find running water. We found a nice camping spot to pull our Jeeps into and set up camp. Chris and I made some burgers and were eating these when a small herd of cattle decided that our campsite was were they wanted to be. There were several babies, several moms, and one large bull. We stared at each other for a while and I snapped some pictures of the babies who were so curious. Finally the bull herded them over to the other side of the wash. So with our "cow problem" gone we decided to get a quick trail nap. While sleeping in the Jeep I heard noise outside and woke up to see two mother and two babies making their way through our camp site. One of the babies was looking into Ksmith's tent cot with evident curiosity. I was so mad that I couldn't reach the camera that I put on the dash without spooking them. They continued on their way through camp and hung out behind my Jeep for a while grazing. After our naps we explored the camp area a bit to gather firewood and check out the stream. Then we settled in to enjoy the campfire and conversation. Day three coming up...

Good morning all, Sorry for the delay. Work has been brutal. I took over 700 photos. I broke them up into albums for those with time enough to check them out. Highlights from entire trip: https://picasaweb.google.com/110968346826086888564/TucsonApril2013ForTripReport?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJKpxOmLsI2VhAE&feat=directlink Day 1: https://picasaweb.google.com/110968346826086888564/Day1ToChivoFalls?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPmO8JLIrszhmAE&feat=directlink Day 2 Chivo: https://picasaweb.google.com/110968346826086888564/ChivoFalls?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIuZ3LSqk6X-qAE&feat=directlink Day 2 & 3 Chimney Rock: https://picasaweb.google.com/110968346826086888564/ChimeyRock?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIStwYPKpbCyJQ&feat=directlink Day 3 Charoleau: https://picasaweb.google.com/110968346826086888564/ChareleauGap?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMe1hbH6tYyWTQ&feat=directlink Okay so now for the trip report: Day 1 to Sunrise Day 2: We met in Oracle, AZ and proceeded out the Mt. Lemmon Control Road. While airing down near the old post office we came across some people with horses. After talking with them it turns out they are neighbors of mine in Catalina during the winter and then they run a cool dude ranch in Colorado during the rest of the year. I got a brochure and will keep this on my list of places to vacation in the future. We then decided to do some exploring a try a new way to get to Reddington Rd in the San Manuel area. This new trail was a nicely graded dirt road with some interesting side trails. Chris and I plan to check these out in the near future since it is so close to home. We made it to Reddington Rd safely and made the long drive arond the backside of the mountain range to get over to the Chivo Falls trailhead. I was surprised to meet up with a bicyclist so far out but in Tucson you see all sorts of things: We started onto the Chivo Falls trail and it quickly became rocky. There were some amazing views of the surronding mountains and wildflowers were abundant: We stopped for lunch around 1pm under some nice tall trees. As Kris mentioned it was crazy to see how high the water level could be during a monsoon. After lunch we climbed up higher towards the falls. There were several tippy spots and I kept remembering why I wanted to get Chris's spare tire off the top of his WJ I am getting better at not closing my eyes during the scary moments and try to remember to take pictures instead!! Right before the falls there is a narrow squeeze section. You can park before this and walk to the falls but what fun would that be!! We could see and hear the falls from a distance and had to do a little bit of boulder climbing to get to the falls. Here is Gear and Ksmith checking out the falls while Chris and I cool off in the shade. We hung out for a bit and I dipped my toes in the water which was surprisingly cool. We then headed out and my husband suggested we try the trail that goes to the top of the falls to see the pools. So we and Kris decided to try the very steep trail while Gear smartly stayed behind in the shade. Ksmith quickly discovered that the line he was on was not going to work so he had us drive around him and park so that Chris could get out and spot him. I got out to snap pictures. I sadly was holding my breath and forgot to take a picture of when Kris's tire went off the ground. There is a nice shot of my husband running for the Jeep and then he had to hold on to the mirror/window to help keep the Jeep on the dirt. Next time I wil video this! Kris was able to safely back down and then come up the edge of the cliff which was amazingly the safer choice. We hit a split in the trail and decided to go left to what we thought were the pools. However, after further poking around the pools were not found. I think if we had turned left and kept climbing we may have spotted the elusive "pools". The view was amazing from up here. So back down the trail we go to meet back up with Gear. There were so many cows on this trip. Here is one of the largest groups with a bunch of babies: So as we are riding along I see in the distance a wall of rock and I don't see any trails. An expletive or two may have come out of my mouth after releazing how the trail got out of this valley. Turns out the wall of rock was the "three feathers" obstacle. The guys got out to check out the three different lines. Ksmith was the first to test out the middle line. Ksmith then was spotted up to the right of the middle line to exit the obstacle: Then it was "Hope's" turn with my husband driving: Now after the two larger WJs made it through I was walking back down to get a pic of Gear. He made it look super easy and was scampering up the trail before i could get many pictures. More Cows in the road after three feathers: At the gate (noe of many on this trip) to Chimney Rock Kris has some very large cows checking him out. I was waiting to see them charge him. Stare down....who blinked first: We arrived about 90 minutes before the sun went down at Chimney Rock. This was a great quiet area to camp and I was surprised not to see anyone else here. We hung out around a nice campfire for a while and then got to see Border Patrol in the skies twice over us. In addition we got to see this big metor with a green contrail behind it light up the sky. I have never seen anything so bright. In a while the full moon rose up over the hills and we could see really well. After a few more drinks and banter us "old folks" got sleepy and all went to our respective camping spots. In the morning I woke up just as it was starting to get light out. The first night on our new Alps sleeping mats was much better than our usual foam mats. I snapped some pictures of the moon setting over the rock formations. More on Day 2 and three to come.... -Sarah

They are doing another event (bigger this time) in Tucson at Steam Pump Ranch: Steam Pump Ranch Settlers' Day Spring Festival Saturday, April 13, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. 10901 N. Oracle Road ORO VALLEY, Ariz.(April 8, 2013)- This FREE, family-friendly event at the historic Steam Pump Ranch will provide hours of fun and entertainment, featuring: Salt RiverRegulators "Wild Bill Cody" Old West Show Live music and performances Arts, crafts and activities for kids Haywagon rides Local food vendors GUEST SPEAKERS 10 a.m. Hank Zipf, grandson of George & Matilda Pusch 10:45 a.m. Barbara McIntyre & Nancy Cobb, Pusch granddaughters 11:30 a.m. Cathy Sutherland Hartline & Debbie Sutherland Motzkin, great-granddaughters of William Henry Southerland 12:30 p.m. Van Fowers, Storyteller Extraordinaire 1:15 p.m. Barbara Marriot, author of "Local Legends" FAMILY ACTIVITIES 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Talulah the (Cowgirl) Clown Face Painter Philip Olson's Bugs & Snakes of the Southwest Garden activities 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Pusch Ridge Stable Wagon rides Kids' stick-horse crafts by local artist A. Jane Hicks 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Carters Farm Petting Zoo DEMONSTRATIONS & PRESENTATIONS 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Buffalo Soldiers 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Garden presentation, Ramona Farms, Arbico, Master Gardner Joyce Rychener 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sky Sharp, horsemanship skills, horse whispering & horse training MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT 10- 11 a.m. Cowboy at Heart David Rychener 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Bill Ganz Western Band 12 noon Coyote Country Cloggers 2- 3 p.m. Salt River Regulators "Wild Bill Cody" Old West Show

signed

Found this article on a closure of some areas off of Redington pass. Hopefully these will reopen in the future: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/trashed-redington-areas-will-be-fenced-off-cleaned/article_ab12212c-c5d1-5f48-9506-754ba357c405.html

Just wow.... http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/double-wide-side-side-jeep-wrangler-puzzles-world-172326623.html

Just got this in my email. For those in the Tucson area I thought you might be interested in learning more about the history of this ranch: _____________________ Second Saturdays at Steam Pump Ranch begin Jan. 12 10901 N. Oracle Rd., Oro Valley, AZ The Town of Oro Valley proudly presents Second Saturdays at Steam Pump Ranch, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month. This exciting new way to visit Oro Valley's vivid past will include special guest speakers, tours, and an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery and eat lunch on-site. The January 12 guest speaker is Van Fowers, a regular at Empire Ranch and Old Tucson Studios. Mr. Fowers has the unique ability to bring the past to life through costuming and storytelling. January 12 11 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Property tours 1 p.m. Guest speaker Van Fowers February 9 11 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Property tours 1 p.m. Guest speakers Pusch Family great grandchildren For more info: http://www.orovalleyaz.gov/Town_Government/Parks_Rec_Cultural_Resources/culture_history/SPR.htm