Polaris RZR 900 XC

After three years, 6700 miles and countless smiles, I traded my RZR 800 in for a 2015 RZR 900 XC which comes standard with power steering, Fox shocks, engine braking, 27 inch tires, LED lights, GPS and the new 75hp ProStar engine. I added a hard top, half-windshield, HDMW skid plate, rock sliders and a winch.

Naturally, the day I pick it up, a storm front moves into the valley bringing with it over 24 hours of rain. It will probably be Wednesday before the desert dries out enough that I can take it for a long ride. On the bright side, future drought-ridden states will only have to buy me a new machine and have me pick it up there.

This is what I have had to look at for the past two days

Geocaching2

Most of our group have been through Box Canyon numerous times never realizing there are four geocaches hidden along the route. Once again, our crack team of treasure hunters found all of the caches we were looking for (ten for ten). They may make us turn professional if we keep this up.

Our first cache was in a cemetery
(fortunately, we did not have to dig anyone up)

View from the top of the mountain

Our fearless leader

Geocaching

I joined a select team of expert trackers, guides and explorers for my first geocaching ride (if you are not familiar with geocaching, click here for more info). It pays to go with the best as we found all five of the caches we were looking for including some which were very well hidden.

Here's our group at the first cache...

The most difficult cache to find was a small, camouflaged, waterproof match container which required Terry to climb a twenty foot wall of rock...

The most difficult cache to reach was a bat cave which required a quarter mile hike down a wash and then a near vertical climb over loose rock...

All in all, it was a fun way to explore the desert with friends and get some much needed exercise (next time I'm taking a defibrillator).

Nikon D7100

As you may have guessed from my blog, photography is a big part of my retirement lifestyle. Although my Nikon D80 digital SLR has been a great camera, it is eight years old and in the world of technology that is ancient history. So, I have upgraded to the Nikon D7100 which includes high definition video.

The camera arrived yesterday and I have been playing with it ever since. It is definitely an improvement over the older D80. I will probably never use all of the camera's features but have already discovered some items that I really like. Here's a photo taken in the "effects" mode using the "selective color" setting where all colors other than the selected colors are recorded in black and white...

Guess which color I chose as the primary
(click on photo to enlarge)

It should be noted that I am still using the Nikkor 18-200mm zoom lens which in my opinion is one of the best multi-purpose lens available.

Sunday Drive

Today, I took a leisurely drive in the desert via the Florence-Kelvin Highway which as the name implies links the towns of Florence and Kelvin. It starts out relatively flat and then winds its way up through the mountains.

Not too far out of Florence I came upon a rare crested saguaro cactus...

Next was an incongruous field of large boulders most of which had been "tagged" with spray paint by teenage mutant vandals...

Lastly, on Highway 177 heading to Superior, I stopped at the viewing area of a huge open-pit mine...

Click on photo to enlarge

A person standing beside one of these trucks would only reach about half way up the tires...

First Photos of 2015

This is not how you want to start out the new year when in southern Arizona for the winter...

Where's global warming when you want it

The Superstition Mountains...

Judy's Ride

Judy took her first big ride in her RZR 570 and talk about a fast learner; by the end of the day she was going places a mountain goat would not go. I am afraid we may have created a monster. Watch out Evel Knievel, there is a new thrill seeker in town...

Judy in her RZR

Gail, Judy, Terry

The Gang

A lot of experienced riders will not try this
(much steeper than it looks in a photo)

Christmas Parade

Every Christmas some of the park residents decorate their off-road vehicles and parade through the park. To paraphrase Cyndi Lauper "seniors just want to have fun"...

Santa's 4 wheel drive sleigh

It's not easy being on the cutting edge of fashion

Parade judges

Rattlesnake Den

My friend, Mack, sent me some photos of a rattlesnake den here in the southwest...

Fortunately, this time of the year they are in hibernation but starting in April you definitely want to watch where you walk.

Pinal Peak

I downloaded a track from Everytrail to my gps that allowed me to loop Pinal Peak south of Globe, AZ. Once again, it was not a hard trail but had enough variety that I was able to gain more experience in the Jeep, particularly, with off-camber and hill climbing conditions.

As you climb in elevation, the desert recedes and you enter an area of tall pines and cooler temperatures. It's like two rides in one.

The road less traveled

Surprise of the day

View from 7,777 feet

My ATV/UTV friends are beginning to suggest that I am getting soft now that I am inside a cab protected from the elements and enjoying the comfort of heating and air conditioning. Nonsense! Just today the cappuccino machine in the Jeep broke and I had to rough it by going to Starbucks. Hey... no one said driving off-road was going to be easy.

Apache Trail & 4 Peaks

These were good trails to familiarize myself with the new Jeep. They are not particularly hard but have enough variety that I got to try all the neat gadgets on the Rubicon including four wheel drive (high & low), sway bars and wheel lockers. Now, I know how to use them, the next step is knowing when to use them.

Today's photos...

Jeep Rubicon

One of the things I enjoy about the western states is the abundance of wide open public land, something that is almost non-existent east of the Mississippi. However, access to a lot of this area requires a four wheel drive vehicle with high clearance. To this end I have purchased a 2010 Jeep Rubicon as a complement to my Polaris RZR side-by-side for exploring off-highway destinations. This is a big, beautiful country that I hope to see as much as I can for as long as I can.

Hardt Tank & 1900

The summer rains made these trails much rougher than last year. It was a true "rock crawling" day.

Hardcore riders

The Sonoran Desert can be surprisingly beautiful

Tortilla Flat

Tortilla Flat is still a great place to visit for lunch or dinner and the chimichangas are as good as those from past years. Here's a couple of seasoned cowhands bellying-up to the bar...

On the way back, we stopped at the Goldfield Ghost Town...

where I photographed of a real cowgirl (model)...

Box Canyon

In my opinion, if you can take only one ride out of the Arizonian, it should be to Box Canyon. The variety of terrain combined with interesting waypoints and spectacular views make it a great four wheeling destination.

Here is what is left of the old stagecoach depot on Mineral Mountain road...

On our way back, we met George, the owner of the Mary R mine. His father discovered gold here on Thanksgiving Day in 1922...

Bomb Range

Mack & Joleen, who I rode with in Moab, are spending a week at the Arizonian before heading over to Quartzsite for the winter. Part of the RVing experience is meeting and making friends in one part of the country and then re-uniting in another part.

In as much as this was my first off-road ride in five months, we took a half-day trip out to an old WWII practice bombing range behind the park. Here's the bomb disposal crew in action...

That's the remnants of an old bomb in the foreground

360 Panoramic Photo

I am still discovering unique features on my Nikon CoolPix S9700 camera. The most recent is the ability to take a 360 degree panoramic photo...

Click on photo to enlarge

I am not sure how usable this feature is as it appears the photo would have to be enlarged quite a bit in order for it to be really effective. However, it might provide an interesting perspective if taken from something like a ferris wheel - time will tell.

Also, I have found some additional settings that may improve the camera's ability to take photos in low light conditions; I am still experimenting with this.  All in all I consider it to be a very good point & shoot camera for the price.

Arizonian Resort

I am back at the Arizonian RV Park east of Gold Canyon, AZ where I will spend the winter. This is my fourth season here so it has become somewhat like a family reunion in that I get to reconnect with friends from previous years. It's that camaraderie along with the great off-road riding and warm, sunny weather that keeps me coming back.

Hoover Dam

If I did not know better, I might think I am getting old. Last night, when I took my sock off, I discovered a blister the size of Rhode Island on my toe but never felt it because the rest of my body was in much more pain from two days of non-stop activity. Thankfully, Sunny suggested we drive down to the Hoover Dam today which probably saved a life or at least a trip to the ICU.

Today's photos...

Dam from the bridge

Bridge from the dam

Hoover "Dam Burger"

One thing I have learned in the last three days (other than do not try to keep up with Sunny) is "The Strip" is no longer an inexpensive place to visit. You are going to pay a premium for anything close to Las Vegas Boulevard.

Red Rock Canyon & Valley of Fire

Today, we drove out of the city to visit Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire. These parks are a photographer's nirvana as they have rock formations of every shape, size and color.

Climbers at Red Rock

No problem understanding why they call it the Valley of Fire

Watching a professional photographer at work

Cabins built by the CCC in the 1930s

The surprise of the day was running into a group of big horn sheep...

Tonight, we saw Cirque du Soleil's "Zarkana" at the Aria. In my opinion it was good show but not a great one. Whereas, I would go see "Mystere" a second time, I cannot say the same for "Zarkana".