Monday, March 7…The Rock (Harry Chapin)

   The morning was cool but the sun was breaking over the bushes…time to do some yoga. I’ve been doing yoga at home the same way I do tap dancing: I found a downloadable source that I like.  So I brought my mat and I brought Adriene on my computer so I could do yoga while I’m out here.  Today is the 1st time though.  Up to now the most action the yoga mat has seen in Arizona is being moved in and out of the shower where it’s been stored. But today was the day to get back to it.

   Ryan is a big fan of keeping gravel on the campground driveway and some campsites to keep the dust down.  Our site is one that gets a regular grooming with gravel. Since I knew that I actually brought two mats because I intended to do my yoga outside on our camp rug.   So glad I did because the gravel is more like a layer of medium-sized rocks and it took some maneuvering to find a place with the least amount of bumps.  But that’s okay…I know where the good place is now.

   The temperature was in the 45 to 50 degree range this morning and while I felt comfortable outside, my feet sure appreciated coming back into a heated camper.  

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   I used the All Trails website to help us decide where to hike today...it gives the location of various trails, the distance, the difficulty, etc. Ultimately we decided to keep it local…rode out to the Picacho Petroglyph Site and hiked a 3 mile loop out there.  What I discovered on the phone app is that it tracks you in real time on the map…impossible to get lost that way. 

   We didn’t spend any time wandering around the petroglyphs because we’ve been there many times and one can assume that the ancient people haven’t added any new images lately. 😏  The trail started out in loose sand then cut in on firmer ground between the big hills or small mountains…I’ve always been unsure how to classify these formations.  They weren’t huge but they weren’t flat either.  Did a search when we returned and while the results made me chuckle, I am none the wiser:  In short, the main difference between a mountain and a hill is elevation. The idea that a mountain is taller than a hill is perhaps the most widely accepted difference between the two. Additionally, mountains are often considered to have a much more defined and pointed peak than that found on a hill.  Then there’s this:

Hills are easier to climb than mountains. They are less steep and not as high. But, like a mountain, a hill will usually have an obvious summit, which is its highest point. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there is no official difference between hills and mountains.  But wait, there’s more: The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not as tall, or as steep as a mountain. Okay, hills…I’m saying we were walking in and around hills today.

   The hills, which are covered with boulders, formed a semi-circle and the loop followed the interior of it. So we had plenty of time to study and discuss rocks today.  I expressed amazement at the positioning and balance of some of the boulders. If they fell from the top of the hill as it was pushed upward from pressure below why didn’t the big boulders continue falling instead of perching so precariously on smaller ones? Wouldn’t gravity just keep ‘em rolling?  Kim wasn’t so sure that they fell from the top; he thought that erosion was responsible for size, cracks and positioning of this whole mess of boulders.  So tonight after reading about hills/mountains, rocks/boulders, faulting, erosion, mechanical vs. chemical weathering and more, this is the one phrase I remember: No rock on Earth is hard enough to resist the forces of weathering and erosion.  I’m good with that.

   On our return, in an effort to avoid walking through loose sand again, I suggested we follow the contour of the hill…keeping it to our right we should be able to walk through the hard packed desert right back to where we parked. Wasn’t long before we realized that there was actually a road on this side of the hill also...and bonus! it had less loose sand than the one on the way in.  

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  Checked the trail cams again tonight. Nothing but Kim coming and going on the cameras but we’re not giving up.  After reading that a javelina will eat tubers such as potatoes and yams, we scattered some about tonight.  Hopefully that will draw them in.  Then again, maybe packrats like potatoes also.

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   A new toy arrived today…a cellular trail cam which will notify us on our phones when it takes a picture/video. Played with it tonight to see how it works and probably tomorrow we’ll put it out by the owl nest.  There’s enough cover out there that it should be hidden from the road; however if someone else wanders out there like we do, we realize our camera could be taken…but if that happens at least we’ll get a notification/record of the theft on our cell phones.  Small consolation, I know.  Anyway, I hope to see something of the owls’ activities.  According to what I’ve read, the eggs could be hatching in the next week or so. 

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   Today’s 40 Days of Lent challenge was to tell a loved one how much they mean to you. I think I accomplished that one with sincerity although I guess Kim would be a better judge of that.    

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   No riding today.  By the time we got back it was a bit cool…I was more of a mind to hide under a blanket than get on a bike.  But frankly, as much as I love riding, it’s not been my priority this trip. Out of necessity we’ve replaced riding together with hiking/walking together and I’ve been digging that time spent together.  I know that I’ll get some riding in but on these cooler days I’m okay with walking in the desert with Kim.

   No imaging tonight.  Clouds…can’t image with a telescope when there are clouds. 

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