Category / Travel

by kritterspaw

Wagon Wheel Park

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We are always on the lookout for a nice place to relax and have lunch.  It makes for a great little outing in a tranquil, peaceful environment.  It keeps us sane and stress free from life’s stress inhibitors.  So when a Firefighter friend mentioned this cascading stream just outside of Payson, only an hour or so from the house.. we were all in.

Wagon Wheel park is unmarked, and uncrowded, yet right in the city.  The turn off is actually directly across the street from the Home Depot.  As you wind through a residential looking road you wind up with parking areas on either side allowing one the opportunity to walk the creek and settle in for a picnic.

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Even the dog had fun playing in the water as she chased a stick and wore herself out.

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It was great fun, relaxing, and a pleasant way to spend the afternoon.

by kritterspaw

Visiting Tucson

I was born in Phoenix.  Granted, I moved around a lot.. but when I came back to go to college… I went to ASU in Phoenix- Tempe to be exact (not U of A in Tucson).  As such, I’m pretty familiar with Phoenix and it’s surrounds… but somehow I just seldom ventured south to Tucson.  I have friends that are U of A’ers, lived and loved Tucson.  I simple just don’t know it well.   For me, it’s super congested (as if you couldn’t say that about Phx).  But Tucson has no freeways to get you around.  They wanted that old-town feel… and they got it.  But meanwhile, Tucson grew up, and now it’s just hard to get around.  Admittedly, I don’t know my way around.

I don’t want my friends thinking I am nay-saying their town… much the opposite.  I was AMAZED at how charming Tucson was… and how artful.  We went primarily to visit the Titan Missile Museum for John’s birthday.  We took the Top to Bottom, 5 hour tour, that took us through the silo, the control room, and the inner guts of the only Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) museum.  It was fascinating.  I strongly recommend it.

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During our visit we had the great opportunity to meet up with friends  (which we LOVED)… and wander around Tucson a bit, albeit briefly.  I was delighted to find how the downtown revival had brought great restaurants, art, and museums.  It was colorful and historic just walking around.

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Even driving the single highway, I-10, or I-19 toward Nogales, Mexico (and the Titan Missile Museum) is a display of artful mosaics and cement walls lined with interesting imbedded designs.

Downtown Tucson had murals galore (over 300 of them scattered around)shootem_Ssi.JPG.  I was fascinated by the Day of the Dead-esque artist Martin Moreno which adorned the walls outside the Tucson Museum of Art.. and our own hotel, the Downtown Clifton.

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The Downtown Clifton was a great place to stay.  It was affordable, convenient, clean, and friendly.

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Just down the street was a very pleasant art gallery, WomanKraft, which was full of talented, affordable, interesting art.  It made me wish I lived closer to get involved in this great consortium.   Around the corner was a wonderful cocktail bar, Penca, making thoughtful original cocktails and snacks, which really made me want to come back.

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All in all it was a fabulous visit.  The only thing  that I would change would be to stay longer.

We’ll just have to come back!

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by kritterspaw

Costa Mesa / Newport Beach

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We haven’t been to California in a bit.. life gets in the way, there are so many other places to go… and do… you know how it goes.  But it was time to visit our friends, Danube and Bobby, in Del Mar… and pick up some sushi grade fish to freeze for awesome ‘tuna trios’ at home.

Every time we go, we try to shake it up and do different things, so as not to tire from the same ol’ – same ol’.  We have done the downtown San Diego and Point Loma thing… and  the ever interesting Solano Beach and Cedros District.  Last time we were in the area we stumbled into the Culinary District in SoCo (South Coast), where there are foodie stores, cheese stores and other culinary temptations.  So we decided to make a food holiday of it after our wonderful visit with friends.  We hit Surfas and the Cheese Shop.  We ate well at restaurants in South Coast and Newport (see my reviews at  krittersmenu.com ), trying new places… and old.

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We checked out The Wedge at the end of Balboa Island, which was a great way to watch the waves at sunset.

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We had a mocha shake at Shake Shack – highly recommended, and walked the Crystal Cove beach – very picturesque.

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All in all, it was a terrific trip… a great visit with friends… walks on the beach at sunset … and amazing food and new experiences with beautiful scenery and good weather.  Check out more photos on  kritterspix.com

by kritterspaw

Limestone Ranch

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We like to frequent the Mogollon Rim as it is close to us, and bountiful with it’s awesome nature and scenery.  We always feel so fortunate to live so close to something so stunning, and are always finding something new and interesting.

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On a recent trip we ran across this old cabin.  There was no signage to get there, but this old cabin was well kept and maintained.  We wandered around it and were mesmerized by how well built it was.. and how lasting.  We estimated it was built in the 1930’s, and still standing.  We could imagine that some old rancher set up home here… cutting down local timbers, perhaps even mixing his own concrete to chink the lumber walls.  Corrals still stood from apparent horses, and old farm implements strewn about allowing the tenants to live off the land.

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All that’s left is the evidence of a past life, an era gone-by, and the new tenants that stand guard.

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by kritterspaw

Best view in Flagstaff

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When my husband told me he was taking me someplace special for lunch in Flagstaff, and we had never been there, I was baffled.

It seemed a contradiction in terms.  There are a lot of good places in Flagstaff for a good meal.  Probably the best of which are only open for dinner.  We’ve visited most of the best lunch places in Flagstaff, or at least I thought.  One we hadn’t been to??  I was intrigued.

Well he hit a home run when we surprised me with Snowbowl.  Not being a skier, we had never been.  Snowbowl is a ski resort, open during the summer strictly for the views.  You can purchase a ticket for the chair lift to the top… enjoy the view and / or a hike… and head back down.  The ride takes around 30 minutes each way… and must be the best view in Flagstaff.  It takes you from 9500 ft to 11,500 ft.  It was a chilly 53F at the top.

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It forced us to sit down and relax for a change… and literally take in the scenery.

The restaurant at the bottom of the hill was less than spectacular… but the view made up for it.  Next time (and there will be a next time), we’ll bring friends… and our own lunch.  This kind of experience should be shared!

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by kritterspaw

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

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We took the Verde Vally Train with some friends the other day.

It reminded me that it’s fun to do activities you have done before with someone who hasn’t.  It’s like Christmas, seeing it through a child’s new eyes… it brings joy seeing others expressions and delight in the new experience.

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We’ve done the Verde Valley train, and honestly for someone who lives in the outdoors and is constantly exploring, picnicking, and day camping throughout AZ, the train was less than spectacular.  But for our friends, who don’t have that same opportunity, it was a delight.

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We were thrilled they had a great time, and from their perspective got to see AZ from the inside out… through the mountains, hills and trees, as we whooshed through the outdoor wild of a gone by era.  We got to see the old train stop in Perkinsville; and heard stories of farmers delivering produce all the way to Jerome.  The train in it’s heyday moved tons of copper ore from the Jerome mines.

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by kritterspaw

Blue Ridge Reservoir

Blue Ridge Reservoir is in my opinion the most picturesque lake in Northern Arizona.  Many of the lakes in Northern AZ are small, and while fishable, not the most attractive.  Lake Mary is popular upon the ‘walk in’s’ who climb down the hill to cast their lines.

Knoll Lake, Bear Lake, Kinnickinick, Ashurst, Woods Canyon are all part of the Northern AZ lake options.  But my heart belongs to Blue Ridge.  It’s windy green waters traverse through thickly forested high canyon walls.  bluridgresv_ssilog reflectn_ssi

tree rfl vert_Ssi Tall dense trees reflect on the waterways like a mirror.  Wildlife abounds.  On this particular trip we saw bald eagle, a blue heron fishing for dinner (www.kritterspix.com), and wood ducks and their little ones.

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It’s a peaceful respite commonly enjoyed by an abundance of rude camp canoe organizations and kayakers.  The Forest Service is now syphoning off water to Payson, compromising our tax payer recreational resource.  The water continues to drop at a rapid pace.  Yet, with it’s many flaws, and frustrating politics, it is a beautiful lake that should be enjoyed and shared by all, as long as we are ‘allowed’ by the US Forest Service to do so.

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by kritterspaw

Milky Way over Mogollon Rim

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The Mogollon Rim in Northern Arizona is very near to our home, for which I feel very fortunate.  The views are stunning, and varied.  Every overlook uncovers another view, with great ledges, moss, rocks and trees… truly a photographers haven.

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June is one of the best months of the year to see the Milky Way.  It is low on the horizon and bright in the sky.  With a new moon, it’s the perfect time to get great Milky Way photographs.  So with such a great opportunity we took full advantage of it, and got out to see if we could photograph the Milky Way over the Mogollon Rim.

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The challenge is to get decent foreground, but far enough away to be able to see it against the starry sky background.  The rocks in the front just don’t show up.

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So I selected 2 trees… one on each side of the Milky Way and did a 7 photo panorama to show the whole galaxy.

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Cool!

Then, I did a star trails photo.  This shot is 75 individual shots, each taken for 30 sec, over an hour… then stitched together to show the movement of the stars over time.

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by kritterspaw

Sedona Workshop – Scott Stulberg

I just got back from an amazing workshop in Sedona with Scott Stulberg.  Have you seen Scott’s work?  Simply put, it’s stunning.  I was looking forward to the opportunity to learn from Scott and further my knowledge particularly in sunsets, night, and star scenes.  I was not disappointed.  While it rained during our 4 day workshop, Scott was very accommodating and worked hard to make sure we got good shots and had a great time.  The workshop was intense and informative.  In short, outstanding!

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Sedona made for an awesome setting and backdrop for magnificent clouds, sunsets, and magical lighting.  Check out my other Sedona pix at http://kritterspix.com/pix and http://kritterspix.com/photo musings.sunset skyPSi

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