Winter sunset

-- Posted from my iPhone

Double Circle Ranch in eastern AZ a great destination

Looking for a unique overland getaway in a remote part of Arizona, with all the romance of the old West, and all the forward-thinking of the new West? Check out Double Circle Ranch, a classic dude ranch with a twist: ride roundups, enjoy classes on ecosystem restoration or painting or photography, or just hang out in one of the great outfitter tents that give this solar- and wind-powered ranch a real-old-west feel. You can explore the Eagle Creek roads all the way to the bottom of the Mogollon Rim, where some fantastic hiking trails begin. The owners also support important efforts such as restoration of the Mexican gray wolf to its former range in the area ~ how cool is that? www.DoubleCircleRanch.com

New iLCP website

The International League of Conservation Photographers has launched a beautiful new website that's well worth a look.

Their RAVE projects are impressive. RAVE stands for Rapid Assessment Visual Expedition, the aim of which is to "achieve a full visual and media assessment of a threatened ecosystem in a short period of time, by means of a multi-disciplinary team including iLCP photographers working in a variety of specialties (landscape, wildlife, macro, camera trapping, portraiture, documentary, etc.), writers, and videographers. Their job is to bring back a comprehensive portrait of a conservation issue or threat and to hopefully train the lens of the international media on that issue." Click on the photo or link above to learn more about this great organization.

Urban snorkel

Who would have thought my ARB Safari snorkel would have come in handy in LA? Over the last week 18" of rain has fallen, average rate of .5 to 1" per hour!



Heading home now, just found a new favorite food stop, in the Palm Desert north Palm Springs, a mile north of I10. The Windmill Market has great tacos and sandwiches, a great selection of micro-brew sodas, and date shakes. And super friendly owner to boot. A nice stop.


-- Posted from my iPhone


-- Posted from my iPhone

Rain

Passing through Phoenix:


Haven't seen water in the sky here in southern Arizona since September. On our way to LA and forecast is for lots of this stuff. Bring it on!

-- Posted from my iPhone

Perfect Sunday

Gorgeous weather in southern Arizona lured Roseann and friend Bruce out for a 100-mile adventure ride - through the grassland hills of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge to Gadsden Coffee Co in Arivaca.
It was so warm we passed a rattlenake sunning on the road.



Just arrived home to this:


-- Posted from my iPhone

What we have to be thankful for

We are especially thankful this year for the wonderful people we count as true friends. We spent part of the weekend in west-central Arizona, just south of the Bill Williams River Wilderness. We see most of these people once a year or every few years yet are blessed by the time we do spend, meeting up in remote beautiful locations.

A little backroads exploring with good food, good drink, good people. Isn't this what it is all about?

Heading toward the Bill Williams River, a beautiful desert oasis.

Look for Al's 'bar flag' and that's where you'll find the action . . . and the tequila selection.

No campfire is complete without marshmallows.
Chris and Sharon made everyone pancakes with all the fixing.

If you are on Facebook, you can see a full photo album here.

- Posted from my iPhone