Cottonwood To Box Canyon

Group ride from the Cottonwood trailhead to Box Canyon. I rode "shotgun" with Dave H in his Can-Am cadillac and acted as his videographer. Highlights of the day were avoiding artillery shells...

Watching professional engineers at work...

And riding through Box Canyon...

Big Horn Sheep

Terry, Gail, and I took a leisurely ride to the gypsum mine where Terry spotted a group of big horn sheep. It consisted of a huge male, three females, and possibly a kid. Here are the cropped images of what we saw (I would have liked to have had a more powerful telephoto lens)...

Click on photos to enlarge

Organ Stop Pizza

A group of us from the park had dinner at the Organ Stop Pizza in Mesa. What makes this such an unique experience is the live music featuring the world's largest Wurlitzer organ (nearly 6,000 pipes)... the pizza and chocolate fudge sundae were not bad either.

Saguaro Creek / Sugarloaf Mountain

Another great day riding off-road in the desert. Keith, Jane, and I trailered our machines up Highway 87 to a trailhead about 30 miles northeast of Phoenix where we unloaded for the purpose of exploring some new trails. The first section was mainly flat, sandy washes with spur trails that led to some interesting hill climbs. If you want to see what your ORV can climb, this would be a good place to try it out.

Then we followed a narrow, winding trail up a mountain and turned east towards Highway 87.  Although the views got better, the further we went, the rougher it got. Finally, we came to a section where we decided it would not be wise to proceed without a couple more bodies and possibly a wench.

Keith & Jane and their new quad

Four Peaks in the distance to the left and Weaver's Needle to the right

Fun Ride To Martinez Canyon Road

Six of us left the Arizonian RV Park and rode to Martinez Canyon via some interesting trails. A group of jeep drivers told us that the gate is now up to the entrance to the Martinez Mine and the only way to get back there is to hike.

Looking For Gold In All The Wrong Places

Jim P and I went prospecting for gold today. And although it was a great day to be outdoors, it is with regret that I must report that the Lost Dutchman's Mine is still lost.