Easter Morning Bike Trail Hike

Argo was anxious to get out on the trail Easter morning.

This trail was built by our builder and his buddies.

It's near the boulder area where we frequently take the dogs.

This bike ramp is calling your name, Jacob! You have to bring your bike the next time you visit.

Cooper thought he would try it out. It reminded him of his agility course classes.

Beautiful area with lots of boulders and great views.

Hedgehogs are starting to bloom on this trail as well.

A perfect way to start the day. Happy Easter Holiday!

Argo Lately

Argo weighs over a hundred pounds now. Yes…..Randy lets him sit in his recliner.

That nose leaves runny prints on all of the windows he can reach.

He often sleeps like this. This is the biggest dog bed we could buy, but he always seems to roll off of it.

Pine Trailhead—Highline Trail

When the first settlers ventured into the area in the 1800s, they found a trail of sorts which they believed was used by Indians and game. They named this the Highline Trail because of the trail's location on a high contour on the ridges below the Mogollon Rim.

The Highline Trail weaves through woods of ponderosa pine, piñon, juniper, and fir. The trail wends its way across creeks and under massive rim outcroppings. Unfortunately, we only saw dry creek beds on this hike.

An agave plant beginning to bloom.

Clusters of agave. Randy has started some agave plants from seed and they are ready to transplant. We're thinking we should try and plant them in a cluster like this.

In 1979, the Highline Trail was designated as a National Recreation Trail.
Note: Argo and Cooper love this trail.

Wildflowers and Hedgehogs

We have been doing quite a bit of hiking lately. We are having perfect weather for it….in the high 60s and low 70s with some clouds. The Lupines are coming out along the Boulder trail.

Desert Primrose along the Pine Trailhead.

Not sure about this one…..maybe Goldfields. They bloom from March-May and like poor soils and open, dry areas. (Pine Trailhead)

Indian Paintbrush along the Pine trail.

The hedgehog cactus are beginning to bloom in our neighborhood.

Love this purple one!

Drainage Redo

We are having some drainage issues when it rains. The water has been running in the wrong places so we hired Brian and all his "Tonka toys" to help us out.

You have to call a company called Blue Stake and they contact the water, gas, electric and cable companies. They come out to check if you can dig.

We needed to put two culverts in….one in front of the house across the "old" dirt driveway, and the other on the south side of the house.

Culverts cost $250 each. We bought used ones so we saved a little bit of money.

Brian is digging a ditch for the culvert and also moving a lot of this rock as we don't need such a wide rocked area. We are actually going to plant some trees here and "erase" the extra driveway.

This is the south side of the house. The water was running down the slope and into the garden area. Brian dug a ditch and put in the culvert. Lupe rocked the ditch.

Pretty much done. We have some extra dirt on the garden side but we can spread it around. We need to add more dirt to some of the garden beds thanks to Argo. And we have to re-bark the area around the beds. Home Depot was having a sale on bark so we ordered 60 bags.

The rock area in front of the house is getting smaller…..

and smaller. We now have to get some crushed granite and spread it around. We ran an irrigation line as we want to plant some Cottonwood trees, a Weeping Willow and a Honey Locust tree in this area. We also got some Forsythia. Photinia and a Lilac bush for a section on the west side of the driveway.

Just Stuff...

The dogs and I have been hiking the elk trail in our neighborhood. We just follow the poop up to the ridge.

They are happiest on a trail with no dog leashes. They really are best buds.

I have been meeting some gals for a hike once a week……when we don't have exercise classes.

Forsythia is in bloom. We just bought a few bushes to plant.

One of the first wildflowers here in Payson….

The elk have been coming by early every morning lately. They drink in the water hole near our house and then head up the ridge. (I tried to take a photo from our deck.)

Target Garden Finds

I found some great stuff for the garden area at Target in Scottsdale. I love this orb.

Couldn't resist this red pot. I planted a columbine in it….we'll see how it does.

Really love these cement cylinders. I bought one…..loved it and bought some more!

Randy is not so fond of the grey goose but I like him. I put him in an area where we can't plant anything.

Thought a few garden stakes might be fun too.

This one moves around in the wind which we are having a lot of today……35 mph gusts. Maybe we should get the kites out!