Return to Dog Town Lake

When our trusty Williams guidebook took us on our first hike around Dog Town Lake a couple of years ago the water lapped close to the edge of the forest.  

On this trip the water level was probably 100ft lower, that’s an awful lot less water!

 2010

2012

Back then when we reached Dog Town Wash, we had to backtrack into the forest for about ¼ mile as the only way to cross would’ve been to swim.  This time the only way we realised we’d arrived at the wash was a pool of water and a barely visible trickle of water leading down into the lake.

Dog Town Wash 2010

Dog Town Wash 2012

As for the head of the lake, well back then, we met  a couple who had their boat on the shore just below the tree line and were fishing, then when we got to the head of the lake we had to find a way across very boggy ground.   This time the head of the lake was well below Dog Town Wash.

Don't think you'd catch many fish there now.

Back then our hike was about 2½ - 3 miles, this time it was closer to the 1.8 miles mentioned in the guide book.   On our first hike although it was monsoon season we never saw a cloud, this time we just made it back to the truck as the thunder rolled and the lightening split the sky.

 

What a difference a couple of years makes.

Have fun, we are!

It's out there somewhere?

We walked part of the Beale Wagon Road on another trip to Williams when we went to Laws Spring.   This trip we decided to hike the section on Government Prairie.

 

Following the reasonably good dirt road from Old Route 66, through the small settlement and across grassland covered in wildflowers

 

we arrived at the parking area which is marked by a stone marker.   The marker tells how Lt. Edward Beale was charged with developing a wagon road from Fort Defiance (now in Arizona) along the 35th parallel to the Colorado River.   Beale used camels to determine their suitability for use in the deserts of the American South West, Beale loved the camels the cowboys hated them.  However, with the advent of the Civil war the experiment was dropped.

Following our trusty trail guide we headed off along the trail passing the remains of an old building

before arriving at the wooden trail marker.   At this point the trail we were following left the wagon road heading out across the open prairie to the forest where after just over a mile the trail came back onto the wagon road on the prairie.

Checking our compass we headed off in what, according to our guide, appeared to be the right direction, no sign of any trail or trail markers anywhere, we retraced our steps

And set off at a different angle, still no trail markers, so back we went to our original spot.

We thought third time's the charm so we'd try what we thought was totally the wrong direction and guess what it was!  So once more back we went to our original spot beside the marker.

Hmm……. so now what?   We could see the afternoon monsoon clouds starting to build and one thing we have learned in all our years of hiking in the US is that forests here are huge so we feel much safer if we have a proper trail to follow.  

The trail is there, somewhere, but unusually for us we just couldn’t see it, I bet if we come back another time we’ll find it straight away, this time however we decided to give it a miss.   Good job we weren’t in charge of a wagon train!

Have fun, we are!

Bearizona, Williams, Arizona

On our last few trips to Williams I’ve wanted to visit Bearizona www.bearizona.com but DB has always been worried about taking his truck through in case it got scratched by any of the animals.   He’s thinking of the safari parks at home when years ago the monkeys used to sit on your bonnet (hood) and dismantle the windscreen wipers!

 

Having been reassured that we wouldn’t suddenly find a bear sitting on the bonnet (hood) doing the same thing, we paid our entrance fees and off we went.   The best time to visit Bearizona is in the morning or the evening when the animals are more active.

 

Our first stop was the 3.00 p.m. raptor show, I wasn’t at all sure what was meant by a ‘free flight’ show, but I soon found out.  It means that the birds fly inches above your head, if you’re like me and don’t particularly like birds, you’d be better off sitting outside that area.   I was ready to move but DB assured me I’d be fine, I was I closed my eyes and ducked!

 

George the owl

 

They have some cheeky crows who snatch a $1 bill from you

 

 and drop it into a collecting box. 

I tried to take photograph of DB handing the crow a $1 bill, but boy do they move fast!

After the raptor show we went to see the bear cubs, they are so cute you really just want to hug them, although it probably wouldn’t be such a good idea.

Obviously on the drive through section doors and windows have to be locked and if the animals start to move towards you, you’re advised to move on.

Some of the animals we saw were:

White Bison

and a very sleepy rather large adult bear, I wouldn't have wanted to disturb his beauty sleep!

 

There’s lots more to see and we had a great visit, although as we drove out DB did give a huge sigh of relief that we’d made it through without a scratch on his beloved truck.

 

Have fun, we are!

What a genius!

Who was a genius?  Why whoever invented air conditioning, I really don't know how people survived the summer desert heat without it.   When we left home it was chilly, cool, with grey skies and decidedly wet, when we arrived in Tucson, it was sunshine, blue skies, decidedly hot and we just loved to hear the gentle hum of the air conditioner keeping us cool!

 

We picked up BT and the Cougar and headed for Lazy Days to check into the campground and have the Cougars annual brake safety check.   The brake safety check takes about 4 hours, so it was late afternoon and about 100F when we were setting up.   It didn’t take long to set up but setting up in that sort of heat isn’t much fun and we were absolutely exhausted by the time we’d finished.

                                        

The plan, we always have some sort of plan, was that we’d leave Tucson on Sunday and head to the blessedly cooler climes of Prescott.   Sadly, a package we were expecting before 5.00 p.m. Friday didn’t arrive.   What no-one thought to tell us was that because we placed the order after 3.00 p.m. Eastern time, next day actually meant Monday, not Friday! 

 

We love Tucson, but in August it is waaaay too hot for us, thankfully our package arrived mid-morning Monday, so we finally escaped the heat on Tuesday.    

 

Our timing was good and we got through Phoenix around 10ish after the rush hour although even then the temperature was hitting 100F!   When we arrived at The Fairgrounds RV Park in Prescott Valley, it was a nice cool 89F, we never thought we’d think 89F was cool!

 

Have fun, we are!

Two Men and a Dog, Again

Parking in the village of Arley,

 

DB, a friend and Meg the Dog stopped for coffee at a nice tea room in a pretty spot on the edge of the River Severn

Meg was in and out of the river and parts of the riverbank were very muddy in places.

The quayside in Bewdley

They stopped at a nice spot along the river for a pint, before following the footpath back to Arley on the other side of the river. 

The remains of an old railway bridge.

A quiet stretch of the river.

Victoria Bridge takes the Severn Valley Railway over the river.

The round trip walk was about 10 miles, part of the path was slippy, muddy and overgrown and other parts of the path were in good condition and very well walked.

Have fun, we are!

Lazy Sunny Afternoons

Even though they’ve been few and far between this summer we’ve had some gloriously sunny days, on a few of those days we’ve been exploring towpaths far and wide. 

 

Of course, this entailed driving down some narrow winding country lanes.

 

Looking back up one of the sets of steps we used to reach the towpath.

This heron danced around just a few feet in front of us for ages, we were amazed at how close we got to it before it flew away.

The bridge supports on either side of the canal are all that remain of one of the many local railway lines that were closed during the 1960’s.

Long term moorings conveniently located close to a pub, which sadly, was closed when we were there.

 

Old lock keepers cottages, although I assume they're private houses now.

 

Everywhere we went there were masses of wildflowers.

and best of all it was quiet, very quiet and mostly we had the towpaths to ourselves.

Have fun, we are!

Two Men and a Dog

One sunny afternoon, DB, a friend and Meg the dog headed off to the pretty little village of Overton-on-Dee (Owrtyn in Welsh).   Overton-on-Dee is a small town not far from Wrexham in North Wales. 

 

Overton was granted a Royal Charter in 1292 by Edward I. The churchyard of St Mary the Virgin is renowned for its ancient yew trees which are thought to be between 1,500 and 2,000 years old.  They are one of the Seven Wonders of Wales which are celebrated in an anonymous rhyme.

 

Pistyll Rhaeadr and Wrexham steeple,

Snowdon's mountain without its people,

Overton yew trees, St Winefride wells,

Llangollen bridge, and Gresford bells.

 

In 1992 Overton celebrated its 700th anniversay with a royal visit from the Queen who planted a new yew tree.

 

Meg gathered an admiring crowd as they followed the footpath

down to the River Dee where Meg enjoyed herself splashing about in the shallows.

 Their walk took them past the old mill and weir at Erbistock

and continued along the river,

before heading back to the pub in Overton for what they tell me was an excellent pint of Joules before heading home.   The walk was about 6 miles from start to finish.

As for me, where was I while they were off enjoying their walk?  I was busy working!

Have fun, we are!