May 13, 2019May 13, 2019 by kritterspaw

A trip to the Rim

Travel
arizona, elk, mogollon rim, northern az, rim, ritter, wildlife
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Life gets busy, but we should never be so busy that we don’t take time out to frequent our favorite spots and do the things that rock our individual boats … and for us that includes the Mogollon Rim.

We actually got snow, sleet, hail, and rain during our short trip, which made for awesome scenery and elk wondering what we were doing there.

It made me wonder what took us so long… oh, there was that project, and that chore, and that meeting, plus that snow storm, the roads were closed… well, okay.

Always find time to smell the roses, or in our case fresh forest air.

March 28, 2019March 28, 2019 by kritterspaw

Desert to Tall Pines

Travel
az, cactus, cascading water, desert, fish creek hill, flowers, ritter, tall pines, waterfall, workmens creek
2 Comments

This time of year the snow is melting up North…. and the sun is shining in the Valley. We have become pretty acclimated to the cooler temps… so HOT HOT is just HOT, as it was when we went down this past week and experienced a whopping 87F. Ok, I know we’re spoiled… but we’re toughened up by our winters.

We went to see the flowers, but in truth, while we got into a couple small pockets, it was already late in the season, as most were already gone.

We enjoyed those we did see, and soaked up the heat. But enough is enough, so we took the appropriately named, Desert to Tall Pines Rd (SR 288) back to the snow.

In a matter of hours we were back in our comfort zone, with snow on the ground, amidst the forest and Tall Pines.

We ventured to Workmens Creek, outside of Young, and enjoyed the cascading water from their snow melt.

Ahhhh….. how refreshing. : )

March 3, 2019March 3, 2019 by kritterspaw

Joshua Tree National Park

Just East of Palm Springs along I-10 in California is Joshua Tree National Park. Established as a park in 1994 it is home to it’s namesake, the Joshua Tree.

The Joshua Tree looks like a Yucca Tree, but it actually part of the Agave family.

The park itself is a big loop that takes one through hiking trails, multiple camping sites, and picnic areas.

It makes for a scenic drive through boulders, wildflowers, and lots of Joshua trees… making it a fabulous drive through this desert oasis.

December 27, 2018December 27, 2018 by kritterspaw

More Best of 2018

Travel
best of, cinque terre, fall colors, france, italy, landscapes, mogollon rim, photos, provence, ruins
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I did a Best of. 2018 here…. https://kritterspix.com/2018/12/27/best-of-2018/

I’m fortunate to have taken enough worthy photos that I can share multiple Best of 2018 posts, albeit some similar themes.

ts snohort2_IR.jpg 1. Tree Saddle Snow First Snow of 2018, January 21 on Mogollon Rim.

vsm st hirt_IR.jpg 2. Blue Shutters Provence FRANCE

v waterrok_IR_IR.jpg 3. Water Rok Vernazza, Cinque Terre ITALY

4. Rio Boats Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre ITALY

5. Fog Trees Fog over Moqui Draw

pt imp river_IR.jpg 6. Point Imperial River Sunset over Grand Canyon North Rim, Point Imperial

D_Smathia_Grand_Canyon_NR_0918 copy_IR.jpg 7. Awesome View Your’s truly, taken at North Rim Grand Canyon by Arizona Highways Photographer, Suzanne Mathia

cp flwrs hort_IR_IR.jpg 8. Cape Flowers Grand Canyon North Rim, Cape Royal

9. Aspen Maple Fall Colors on Mogollon Rim

10. Ruins Burst Sunrise of old Indian Ruins

I love these posts. They make me reflect on the year past, where I have been and what we have done. These images are a glimpse into our lives and our souls. I hope you enjoyed taking the journey with me.

For more pix check out… https://kritterspix.com/2018/12/27/best-of-animals-2018/ and https://kritterspix.com/2018/12/27/best-of-2018/.

November 19, 2018December 10, 2018 by kritterspaw

A Special Place

Travel
arizona, az, indian ruins, outdoors, ritter, ruins, special
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Do you have a special place?

Maybe a restaurant you meet your one and only? A place of solitude that elicits fond memories? A spot you go to so that you might clear your head?

We should all have such a place of tranquility and peaceful reconciliation. Alas, many of the restaurant / bars that my husband and I remember fondly – where we met, where we danced to quiet music, etc. – are now no longer there. And I’m not talking just change in names… buildings gone, and unrecognizably landscapes have taken the place of long forgotten icons.

But we still have our special place. It’s not a restaurant or a bar… it’s an attitude of peaceful reflection. My husband first went when he was a boy of 10 years old. He went camping with his dad. His dad felt he should know how to drive in case anything happened to him. So it’s a place, he first learned to drive with his dad – gone now some 20 years.

My husband took me there before we were married, some 30+ years ago now. It was then that we discovered these ruins as we looked over this grand landscape and saw this structure tucked into the side of the hill… seemingly undiscovered all these years.

We have been going back ever since, and deem it our special place. It is magical, tranquil, and awe-inspiring. We should all have such a special place.

October 20, 2018October 20, 2018 by kritterspaw

SnowFall

Travel
arizona, autumn, az, color, fall, fall colors, leaves, maple, mogollon rim, northern arizona, rim, ritter, snow, snowfall
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Before Fall Colors have even popped yet, we got our first snowfall. Fall Colors dropped against the blanket of fresh snow made the maple leaves in their varying color stand out.

Maple Snow_IR.jpg

I love the contrast of color Fall brings, with the green Pines, yellowing Oaks, and emerging reds amidst the scattered Maples. It’s a potpourri of color and textures.

The snow just adds another dimension in this already gorgeous time in our myriad of seasons we get to enjoy.

For more of my fall color photos, check out my post here… https://kritterspix.com/2018/10/20/first-snow-2/

October 5, 2018October 5, 2018 by kritterspaw

Grand Canyon North Rim

It’s true that the South Rim is closer than the North Rim… by a bunch! But, give me the North Rim any day. The views are better, and the crowds less (that by itself is reason enough).

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We enjoyed the many overlooks and stunning views along the way.

The aspen leaves were turning and the fall colors were stunning. The roads and the hillsides were covered with their golden hue.

pt imp_IR.jpg

You can see more of my Grand Canyon photos here… https://kritterspix.com/2018/10/05/grand-canyon-north-rim-bright-angel-point/ and here … https://kritterspix.com/2018/10/05/grand-canyon-north-rim-point-sublime/

September 11, 2018 by kritterspaw

Las Vegas Wander

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I find it funny that whenever we mention to people we are going to Vegas… most will cringe and say, ‘why?!’ We don’t go to gamble so much, as we go just to wander.

… and we love the food. There are so many great food options available in a very small space, either on the strip or off.

There is art everywhere… whether it’s in Bellagio, or along the roads and between buildings.

People watching always makes for interesting conversation fodder in Vegas, as Vegas swims with a wide variety from around the world. It continues to fascinate me how much money goes through this relatively small town of only 600,000 full time residents, (more in outlaying suburbs around Las Vegas metropolitan area), with 75% of Nevada’s total population living in Las Vegas. Las Vegas reports revenue from gambling alone of an astounding $1 B per month.

Our trips are never long, but always delicious.

August 14, 2018 by kritterspaw

Blue Ridge Reservoid

We have not had much of a winter, or snow fall… or rain this summer. As a result Blue Ridge Reservoir, our local waterway, has been pretty devoid of water. Our recent fires haven’t helped much, with air support dipping into the reservoir for water needs to put out fires.

river turn_IR.jpg

Hiking into the river bed revealed the reality of the toll the reservoir has taken, when it was clear that the waterway was not only dry, but dry long enough to be covered with a fresh green grass.

While it was a beautiful hike, it heightened our need for rain… and a good snow fall this winter.

July 1, 2018July 1, 2018 by kritterspaw

Old Route 666

Travel
alpine, az, clifton, greer, new growth, northern arizona, rebirth, route 191, route 666, Rt 666, wallow fire, wildfire
2 Comments

treedrd turn vert_IR.jpg

Probably 2 decades ago, Route 666 from Clifton, AZ to Springerville, AZ was renamed for political reasons to Rt 191. The road hasn’t changed much, and is nearly as scenic as it has been… other than the devastating Wallow Fire which went through the area in 2011.

daisyfire hort_IR.jpg

It was awful to see that the damage which still scars the beautiful landscape some 7 years later. The Wallow Fire was started by an unattended campfire (an all too frequent story), and was Arizona’s largest fire in history, burning more than 500,000 acres.

streamrunrd hort_IR.jpg

While grass has grown back, and new growth aspens, the sticks and moonscape are still burned into the landscape telling it’s story of devastation and carelessness.

People still come to visit the area.. but it has never returned to it’s hey day, pre-fire. Many business had to close down due to lack of tourism, campers, and visitors to the area. Today it is but a ghost town of what it once was. All because of the carelessness of individuals who walked away from a campfire not properly extinguished.