Read These First! Only have a few minutes to learn about Wickenburg? Start here:
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Posted by Lee Pearson on December 13th, 2008After over two years of effort by the Wickenburg Conservation Foundation in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management the Sophie’s Flat Trailhead and Trail System is open for business. The opening celebration, held November 8, 2008, had over one hundred in attendance. Eighty horseback riders and several trekkers “tested” the newly marked trails after which all enjoyed a BBQ lunch catered by Charley’s Steak House. An official dedication is planned for this coming spring.
The trail system will become part of the official Arizona Trail System and was selected from some of the many trails that exist in the area. …
Continue reading “Sophie's Flat Celebration“
Posted by Lee Pearson on July 18th, 2008Definition from Wikipedia: Litter is waste disposed in the wrong place by unlawful human action and can vary in size of incident, occurrence or items. It can occur as small items like wrappers, large collections of waste or scatterings of litter dispersed around public places outdoors. Litter can be occasioned by malicious, careless or accidental intent and is generally disposed of illegally rather than lawfully. Litter has the potential to cause harm to human health, safety and welfare, it harms wildlife and causes environmental impact (1).
My definition of Trash: Those people who litter.
There is a great sense of accomplishment helping with …
Continue reading “Wickenburg Area Clean and Beautiful?“
Posted by Lee Pearson on March 25th, 2008The Wickenburg Conservation Foundation, recognizing the immense value of cleaning up the desert, recently assumed responsibility for the Wickenburg Clean and Beautiful program that was begun quite a number of years ago by Dana Burden (deceased), Tom Riggs, and John and Debi Main.
The help of groups and individuals is needed to continue improving our surrounding areas. If you can volunteer for desert clean-up activities, please submit your name, phone number, eMail address and preferred clean-up dates to Lee Pearson at WCF.WCB@GMAIL.COM, call 928-684-7473, or write to Wickenburg Conservation Foundation, Wickenburg Clean & Beautiful, P.O. Box 20008, Wickenburg AZ 85358.
Primary clean-up …
Continue reading “Desert Clean-Up Volunteers Needed“
Posted by Lee Pearson on February 12th, 2008For 10 years, the Wickenburg Conservation Foundation (WCF) has worked to preserve the Western heritage of the area and to provide future benefits based on the scenic beauty and outdoor lifestyle available in the Wickenburg area.
WCF Trails Committee members and other local riders, hikers and mountain bikers have used GPS units to track and document nearly 500 miles of trails during the past two years. Generous donations of labor, material, equipment, and funding from businesses, organizations and individuals have culminated in the establishment of the first information kiosk. The pictured kiosk marks trailheads located on Sophie’s Flat, several miles east …
Continue reading “Sophie's Flat Trailhead Kiosk“
Posted by Lee Pearson on December 31st, 2007The Tallest Saguaro is now only a footnote in history.
Art Dorner of Sun City AZ reported, “I’m sorry to say that the tall saguaro cactus fell over on or about December 6, 2007. It was a beauty and I visited it many times,” in a comment to Allan Hall’s article, “The Spring Flower Show of 2005” posted on this web site.
It was a sight to behold, a magnificent towering desert sentinel standing guard near the mouth of Unida wash where it enters the Hassayampa River. The height was estimated to be 50-1/2 feet reported by Dana Burden, ref [1]. …
Continue reading “Obituary for the Tallest Saguaro“
Posted by Lee Pearson on September 17th, 2007Now that the “dog days of summer” are nearly over, its time to locate your backpack and boots and get ready for some Desert Trekking. This is a hike that Dennis Orr and I made last March before the weather turned hot. While Ocotillo Loop[1] is not as spectacular as other treks [2], it offers two advantages: It’s in our “back yard” for us living in Wickenburg; and the trail head is easily accessible without the need of a 4-wheel drive vehicle.
Cemetery Wash (2001 Photo)
The Route: First, download and print the PDF map file [3] to help make sense of following …
Continue reading “Ocotillo Loop Trail“
Posted by Lee Pearson on July 31st, 2007Last year our friends Adrian and Efrosine Richards invited my wife Sharon and I to spend some time sailing with them in their boat. But alas, we had prior commitments, something about our 50th wedding anniversary, and so had to decline. They asked again this year and our answer had to be YES because they may not ask a third time.
We’ve sailed before with other friends when living in the Seattle area but those were just day trips, not for an extended period of time. But this trip is extra special in that we will be spending the month of July …
Continue reading “A Summer Vacation“
Posted by Lee Pearson on June 29th, 2007The monsoon is near, which means that during summer, July thru September, the winds over Arizona and New Mexico, that normally tend to come from the west to northwest, shift direction and come from the south to southwest. This shift brings moisture-laden air from the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean. As the air moves inland the sun adds its heat and the mountains force the air to rise, thus creating thunderstorms.
These storms generally develop during the early to late afternoon and on into the evening, usually ending by late evening. Monsoon storms range …
Continue reading “The Monsoon Is Near“
Posted by Lee Pearson on May 30th, 2007It was disappointing not having had enough time to search for the “Balanced Rock” during the previous trip, “Desert Trekking: Unida Wash and Beyond“. It certainly didn’t take any coaxing when I suggested to my trekking partner, Dennis Orr, “we need to complete that trip”.
This time, we drove to the trailhead near the White Mine stamp mill site via Scenic View drive instead of hiking Unida wash. That gave us more time to explore “the beyond”.
We re-visited the tallest saguaro with tape measure and combination square-with-spirit-level in hand to measure its growth since that reported by Dana Burden (1). We …
Continue reading “Desert Trekking: Tallest Saguaro and Balanced Rock“
Posted by Lee Pearson on May 15th, 2007Allan Hall invited me to see the work that he and his son are doing to document graves, the arrastre and mine remnants in the Black Rock Mine area, and afterwards to hike Slim Jim wash.
Nearing our Constellation road destination, we stopped to chat with a Boy Scout group hiking the road. A couple of the boys spied a rattlesnake slithering out of the brush. It continued until it found shady “quarters” beneath Allan’s pickup. The snake was not disturbed even when Allan moved his truck so I quickly took this neat picture – using a ZOOM telephoto of …
Continue reading “Crotalus Oreganus Concolor or Crotalus Mitchellii?“
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