Beaver Creek Hike

Along the Beaver Creek Trail

We've had some nice weekends with above normal temperatures in the past month, so I've been able to go on a few nice hikes south of Flagstaff kind of near the Sedona area.  The temperatures down there were in the upper 50's to 60's, so it was really nice.  The first part of the trail is along a road that is only used by the Forest Service or U.S. Geological Survey to reach a gauging station.  The road parallels the creek and there are many spots where you can reach the creek along the road.  The boys and I were so happy to be walking on warm dry dirt rather than cold icy snow.

Zephyr cools off in chilly water from snow melt.

After walking about 2.5 miles back there is a nice area with a big pool.  There was a lot of water in the creek from snow melt higher up and I thought the water would have been pretty cold.  So, I was a little surprised when Zephyr and Astro went right in the water.

Astro is still hesitant about going in deep water, he'll only go up to a few inches past his chest, and he hasn't swam yet.  That will be a goal for this coming summer.

After cooling off in the water they tend to get spunky and start zipping through the trees.  It seems like most of the time Zephyr chases Astro, and Astro does a great job of keeping Zephyr on his toes with fast turns.

This spot is a favorite because it also has a sandy beach.  The trail keeps going for many miles and it's a popular backpacking hike.  Further up the canyon gets narrower and there are lots of pools that you have to swim through to keep going.  We did this hike back in January, but there have been a few other nice weekends and we've been able to get out since then.  We are supposed to get more snow this weekend, so probably no hiking.  But, maybe the boys will get to play in some fresh snow?

Wordless Wednesday - Balance Beam - Updated

Annie needed a little help down.  As far as I know this was the first time she was up there.  Early in the morning I heard a crash and bang.  I just thought "Oh those cats must have knocked something over".  When she wasn't there for breakfast I called her and this is where she was.  I'm not sure if she was on the "beam" the whole time or if she jumped to the back window sill too.  She had to have made a big jump to get up there, I was impressed.

Many years ago, over 15, I woke in the middle of the night to my bed shaking, closet doors rattling, and a rumbling sound.  Again, I thought something like "Those cats are crazy, running around shaking the house".  Soon I realized it was an earthquake.  ;-)  I was a geology student after all.  It was my first earthquake, a little over a 5, and I was really excited.