Aunt Sally and Uncle Skip - Tues., 2/25

We woke to the sound of braying burros. Quickly, we got up, dressed, ate a bowl of cereal, then headed out the door to hike Pipeline Canyon. On the way to the trailhead, we looked for the burros. And we found them not too far from our campsite; four total.

Lake Pleasant burros.

Pipeline Canyon Trail is four miles round trip (two miles out and back). Our start time was 8:00 a.m. Elevation change on this trail is 202', difficulty is medium. LOVED this hike! I took my hiking poles and wore hiking boots because I read there where a lot of rocks in the trail which is very true. The hike goes through Pipeline Canyon. Saguaro and other cacti populate the hillsides. Don't venture too far off the trail or you could be in an OUCH situation!

Saguaro with topknot

Pipeline Canyon scenery - Palo verde trees greening up now

Bob on the Pipeline Trail

Fishhook cactus

Cholla

Floating bridge

Teddy bear cholla - don't get near this one.

Ocotilla is not in bloom yet.

Saguaro skeleton

View of Lake Pleasant from Pipeline Trail

Hedgehog cacti

Desert scene

Wildflower in bloom

We did see a lone burro down at the bottom of the canyon. I would have missed it completely, but Bob heard it. We stopped and looked. Sure enough, there he was. I started to go down the embankment a little to try for a clear photo. I was met with a loud warning snort from Mr. Burro. I know a "Back Off!" when I hear one.

Here's a new bird for us, a black phoebe. Sorry, I had to zoom way in, so the quality isn't the greatest.

We finished our hike at 10:00 a.m., drove back to the 5er, showered and readied ourselves to spend the rest of the day with Bob's Aunt Sally and Uncle Skip. When we arrived at their home, we toured their beautiful yard.

Open space behind their home

Front of their house

Back yard

Petunias and pansies

It was noon and we were hungry. First we had a tour of downtown Carefree. Very cute town. For lunch, we headed to Cave Creek Smokehouse. Our lunches were yummy. I had Smoked Brisket Lasagne, Bob chose Chicken Chipotle Philly, Uncle Skip wanted a Reuben sandwich and Aunt Sally picked the Caesar Chicken Wrap.

While we were lunching, a cactus wren, Arizona's state bird, was busy outside the window. The cactus it was in had a couple of nests built in crooks in the branches.

Cactus wren, one of the largest wrens.

We shopped in Cave Creek and then took a driving tour to Cave Creek Regional Park, part of Maricopa County Parks in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. The County Parks are looking for camp hosts if anyone is interested. You can find a link here: volunteer in a Maricopa County Park.

Used to be Doc Severinsen's house

The "Wedding Cake House" below is for sale at upwards of $4 million dollars if you're interested.

The "Wedding Cake House."

Where we had lunch - Cave Creek Smokehouse

Uncle Skip and Aunt Sally

Uncle Skip and Bob

Checking out an opalized rock.

Blue morpho butterflies

Bob with Aunt Sally and Uncle Skip

Bob and I

After that big lunch, I fell asleep in the car, but woke up just in time to hear Aunt Sally say they had had lost me; I was sleeping. I piped up and said, "I heard that!"

For dinner, we headed to Skip and Sally's house. Lots of quail and other birds frequent their bird feeder. We came home to find a woodpecker posing beautifully for us.

Don't know the type of woodpecker.

Wildlife loves their neighborhood. They regularly have coyotes, bobcats, quail, great horned owls, and deer. Speaking of deer, one wandered past their gate into the open space beside their house. We had a little chat and this mule deer decided I was okay.

For dinner, Aunt Sally made butternut squash soup and we had crackers with cheese, celery stuffed with herbed cream cheese, and biscuits. For dessert she baked brownies. We were joined by Bob's cousin Charis and her husband, Mike. They brought along their fur-kid, Maui.

Bob, Skip, Sally, Charis, Mike

Charis with Maui

Uncle Skip with beer

Aunt Sally with Maui

Charis and Mike

As we neared our campsite, a group of four burros were walking along the road. They are adorable.

By 9:00 p.m., we were safely tucked in the 5er, thinking about what we'll do tomorrow. We see another early hike in our future and a trip to the Visitor Center here before we hit the road to Lake Mead, NV.

Burro at Lake Pleasant Regional Park.

Travel Bug out.