Natural springs and petroglyphs

Here we are headed out for Thursday's ride. This group we are with takes rides on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tuesdays are "pink" days when the group stops frequently for the ladies to hunt for rocks. Thursdays are "blue" days and can be more of a hammering kind of day. I don't think it was a hammering kind of day but it was a long fun day. We left at 10 a.m. and returned at 4 p.m.

This time, I rode with Rose in her Razor. Rose is Bob's (Brenda) cousin. She is quite the character. I had a good time riding with her. John once again rode with Bob (Dee) in his bug. Bob (Dee) is the guide and is quite the gregarious person. Bob and Dee live in Novia Scotia in the summers and winter here in Brenda. I was a little cold on Tuesday's ride so I dressed a bit differently. I had a pair of pants on underneath my jeans, I had a top underneath a sweatshirt and then wore the windbreaker. Oh and I wore gloves. I tried wearing a ball cap to protect my hair somewhat from the dirt but it didn't fit what with wearing goggles. I was much more comfortable today.

We took "Killer Hill" to head towards the natural spring and petroglyphs. It was quite the hill going up at full speed and then when we topped it, it was a straight shot down. It reminded me of an amusement ride but without the speed. The first thing John asked me was how I did on "Killer Hill". I did quite well, thank you. Actually, it is quite fun going over all of the rocks and bumps. Too bad John didn't get a picture of it going up or coming down.

Here is a pretty scenic shot of the desert mountains.

When we got to the springs, we found this foundation of a rock cabin. It looks like people had stacked rocks so clear the parking area. This is a sacred area to the Indians and unfortunately, there are dimwits who desecrate the area. Bob (Dee) said this area may be restricted in the future do to those who don't believe in not leaving a trace.

All around the area, you can find these bushes that are in bloom with beautiful purple flowers. No one knew the name of the plant.

Some of us took the hike up the rocks to the springs. Here Brenda and I are standing in front of the spring (water can be seen in the lower left corner). It was very pretty little canyon area and much cooler temperature wise than the area around it. Stan said this would probably be the coolest spot in the desert in a few months. He is probably correct.

Here is a shot looking down at the vehicles and ones who didn't take the short hike up.

We got to see some lovely petroglyphs (a few of which had been desecrated). This one is my favorite rock drawings.

Here is nice rock shot with a long saguaro cactus.
Here is a shot of Bob (Brenda) and Rose making their way down the hillside. If you look carefully at the rocks between them, you can see some more petroglyphs.

This is the trail leading down to the springs. Another Razor and a Jeep joined us while we ate our lunches. We were told that the spur of the trail that leads off to the right was the site of a jeep accident where a person died after rolling his jeep down the hill. How sad. There was a memorial set in the rocks above the springs but I don't know if the two are related.
Another rock drawing. It does make you wonder what each picture represents.

Another scenic desert shot.
John liked this shot because at the top of the picture, almost in the middle, is a small arch.

Land of the cholla cactus. The cholla drops balls off of the main plant and then a new one grows. We saw why you want to stay far away from these cacti. Terry got a ball stuck to the heel of his shoe. It took pliers to pull out each barb. Thankfully, it stuck to sole of his shoe and not the leather. We've been told that the barbs will penetrate the thickest of leather (we are now true believers). We had also been told that cowboys had great fear of falling on a cholla as they would forever be impaled: that, too, we believe.

This picture pretty much explains why those of us in rails and Razors get so gosh darn dirty. So much fun that it is worth the dirt!

Upon our return, John saw Bob's (Dee) dog resting outside their motor home. He must have been bummed as he didn't get to go on today's ride. He certainly looks comfortable don't you think?

We got to chat with Melissa for a while. She is one busy young lady. Melissa works as a Media Buyer by day and has started a part-time consultant job with Bella Pictures. The girl likes to be busy which is a good thing because she is. Ah, the energy of youth. You go girl! We hope you feel better as she suffered a bout of stomach flu on Tuesday.

We finished off the evening with a little TV and reading.