It cooled off to the low 40s overnight but today there’s not a cloud in the sky and temperatures are promised to be in the low 60s.
Ron left early with camera in hand to see if he can get any owl photos or any new birds we haven’t seen. He did not have any luck and think we’ve gotten most of the common birds here but he did get some unique photos.
There are 13 varieties of owls and most of them are nocturnal, but the Burrowing Owl is mostly diurnal, active during day. They live in treeless areas and make their nests in burrows, generally those abandoned by ground squirrels and other small rodents. These are the birds that we hoped to capture photos of, but without success yet, at least we think so. He did get another photo of the Harris Hawk with prey in its’ clutches and we’re not sure if it’s a quail or a burrowing owl :(!
Ron is getting a lot of use out of his Lectric bike here but not me – until today. We bought them before we left on our trip, and I drove it some at home but also crashed a few times making me a bit nervous about it. It’s one of those things that kind of eats away at you, that you want to do it, but you lack the courage to try it. I decided to give it another go, and this is the perfect park to ride them with black-topped roads in the campground and not much traffic. It went well and I’m much more confident and really enjoying it. Not sure I’m ready for the trails here since they have a lot of whoop-de-doo’s that are followed by quick turns, but I used to be quite the bike rider when I was younger and maybe with more experience, I may give it a try.
Being here is Maricopa County brought back a lot of memories for me as my oldest brother, Roland, lived here for 20+ years. We visited him over the years on numerous occasions and went sightseeing to see the red rocks of Sedona, the copper-mining town of Jerome, a hike on Superstitious Mountain at Christmas when they had luminaries set on the trail, rafting down the Salt River, and sliding down Slide Rock. He was a very talented, intelligent person but I think his greatest gift was being a great listener which is the best gift you can give to another. He loved this place and after our visit here, I can see why and I’m glad to be here on my birthday and my mother’s birthday on Feb 4.
2025 Airstream Travels 