Last Minute Trip

Ryan ended up with 2 days of unexpected time off in July!   We decided to take an impromptu road trip.  

We went to Sedona, AZ.  Which is beautiful country.  But it didn't speak to my heart as much as the red rocks of Southern Ut, my home. 

Slide rock state park is beautiful and fun and has some interesting history. 

It was early homestead property that the state later acquired and turned into a state park. 

It was really busy and crowded, but you didn't really notice after you got settled in and started sliding down the rocks in the river. 

The rocks were slippery, the water was a bit too brisk for my liking, and the current, swift.  The cold water took our breath away--but it was quite fun!!!  We got there late in the day and felt a bit rushed.  It closes at 5:00PM and I think we arrived around 3:45-4:00pm.

The parts you can slide on run for about 50-100 yards --I would guess.

Here's a look at what I'm talking about--slits in the rock that make slides and ditches that the current carries you down. 

Jace agreed with me-it was super cold.  He's like me-not a fan of cold water. In reality I would guess the water was around  70 degrees.  We keep our pool at 87-89  degrees- so that's like ice water to us Arizona peeps. 

Here is the history.  My paternal grandfather was a homesteader in St George Ut.  After he died, the state pressured my poor grandmother into selling her families homestead.  She didn't want to sell it, but finally felt she couldn't fight the state anymore.  It is now Snows Canyon State Park in Southern Utah.  So I have tender feelings for the homesteaders of the early 1900s.  It was hard, but rewarding work. 

This is the original homestead house, still on the property. I'm glad this place has been preserved, and I'm glad it's open for all to enjoy--because it really was a slice of heaven on earth. It was beautiful. 

We stayed at a place called Orchard Canyon on Oak Creek Cabins. The property had several cabins for rent and then a few acres of orchards and common areas to enjoy. The property itself was beautiful, and temperate.  Acres and orchards to stroll in, and the creek was on the property.  At night they lit it up with white hanging lights.  The cabins themselves, needed updating.  

It was just a mile up Oak Creek from slide Rock.  But the creek here was much different than farther down. It was cool and serene with gray rocks, not red.  Amazing that is can change  so much a mile upstream.

That evening while we were enjoying dinner and the property, our phones started going crazy with calls and texts.  Lightening had struck in Kingman AZ and a wildfire had started near our property and goose habitat. If I haven't mentioned it before, we own 60 acres of empty desert land just 5 minutes from our neighborhood.  We built a mini farm there and moved our pet geese there-because Dr Swigert hated the messy geese in his back yard.  And messy they were- but also vocal and very delightful!

Here are pictures friends sent us.  It started in the afternoon and moved close to residential areas by nightfall. But no houses were lost!!!  and the firefighters saved our structures!!

This picture shows the fire right on our land. Of course this happens when we are out of town!

This was the next morning. This is our No Trespassing sign the Ryan's dad "Poppy" put up for us. It wasn't even singed.  He was worried we'd  have theft on our isolated desert oasis, but it has been fine. 

 The containers that store the well equipment, and tractor, were safe and sound!   A blessing!!

It came right up to the geese's fence!   About 70-to  80% of our land was black.  Luckily it was just sage brush.  No great loss. 

But all was intact! And  the geese told me all about it when I went out to check on them when we got home. I wish I could have seen them during the ordeal.  I'm curious to know if they went to their pond, and hunkered down in it for safety?  I guess I'll never know. 

Day 2 of our little trip was a 7.4 mile hike in the July heat of AZ!    Everyone should do that at least once in their lifetime!  We had hopes of starting early, but you know how it goes with 5 people trying to get ready in 1 small bathroom, and then all the last minute things we thought to do. We got to the trailhead around 9:30AM and it was already 99 degrees.  Gracie melts really quickly in the heat.  

We carried lots of water and wore those cooling rags on our heads and necks, but they dried out really quickly. But it was ONLY a 3.2 mile hike into Beaver Creek.  We were headed for this popular spot that is known for its deep pools and jumping ledges. 

I was eager to go- because of the red rock.  It reminds me of home.  

The water was warmer than slide rock and the place was really quite pretty.  All the college kids that were there when we arrived around 1 pm were getting ready to leave for the day.  So we mostly had the place to ourselves. 

Yes-we all jumped off this 20 foot ledge into the water below.  Well, Kjersti decided it wasn't for her. 

Dr Swigert crossed over to the other side here and jumped off the 30 foot ledge.  I only took a video of that--oh well.  It was fun, but I learned that I have a 50 year old body now, not a 20 year old body.  As much as I love the thrill of jumping off those heights into the water below, it was hard on me.  I only did it a few times.    If I was still 20, I would have done it over and over and over again, just like I did growing up in my beloved Washington Fields Canal.  

Gracie is a smart one.  She prayed for clouds to come for the hike out and guess what--we left around 4 pm because it was indeed cloudy!!

You can tell by her smile she is doing much better on the hike out. 

On the way out  we found what is now called Kjersti's barf rock.  She got heat stroke on the way in and barfed!!!!  Luckily it was all dried up when we came back down, and the ants were enjoying a feast of regurgitated grapes!