IN SEARCH OF CEREUS ‘TANK’ & TEN EWE CANYON

Had us a bit of wind this morning so it was a short brisk walk in much cooler air.  No cloud cover so knew today’s warming sun would soon be upon us. 

ANOTHER WARMING SUNRISE OVER THE KOFA PEAKS

We had the Jeep’s wheels rolling by 9:10 & retraced our steps up Kofa Queen road around in behind Palm Canyon.  Some may remember that is where Skull Rock is located.  Bill, Ann, & RV SUE drove up in there a couple days ago for a hike in Ten Ewe Canyon & said how beautiful it was.  So that & another water hole called ‘Cereus Tank’ were our destinations today & off we went bouncing our way first across the desert valley floor up into the mountains.

 

Entering Kofa Queen Canyon we couldn’t help but notice that nobody had come along & paved the roads in the last couple of days since we had been there.  Some of the rocks & gulley's we went over again scrambled our peanut butter sandwiches.  A couple days ago we were up in this canyon in early afternoon.  Now in early morning it’s an entirely different canyon.  Oh the mountains haven’t changed but the light & shadows on them have & when it comes to tall craggy mountains that is all part of what makes them so beautiful so many times in just one single day.

 

Our first stop was Skull Rock where I took a few more photos but this time without campers chairs sitting in the small cave. 

INSIDE SKULL ROCKS SMALL CAVE

  

 

We heard the water hole (tank) we were looking was located somewhere behind Skull Rock.  We spent nearly an hour & a half in that area looking for the ‘Tank’ but to no avail.  Pheebs & I even clambered precariously high up on 2 rocky ridges trying to get an overall perspective of where this body of water could be.  Only thing Pheebs I found were 2 small water puddles high up in a dry waterfall area.  Disappointing but hey I guess we can’t find absolutely everything we set out to find.

SEARCHING & SEARCHING FOR THE CEREUS WATER ‘TANK’

 

PHEEBS & I CLIMBED HIGH ATOP THAT ROCKY ROUND RIDGE IN THE CENTRE OF THE PHOTO TO SEE IF THERE WAS WATER THE OTHER SIDE…NOPE

 

COME ON DAD IT’S TIME TO CLIMB DOWN…I’LL LEAD THE WAY, YOU’LL BE ALRIGHT

THE BIG ROCK IN FRONT OF KELLY IS THE BACKSIDE OF SKULL ROCK

Headed south following a twisting wash for a ways until we finally came upon Ten Ewe Canyon.  We were right on the back side of Palm Canyon itself.  As with so many sites in the Kofa Refuge this was simply yet another awe inspiring scene with canyon walls & peaks reaching far into the blue Arizona sky.  We followed a boulder strewn wash & it was evident how powerful the force of water was coming down the ravines of those high mountain slopes.  We picked our way along clambering over sand, gravel, rocks, & boulders.   Found a few trail markers for a little easier going but not a whole lot.

TEN EWE CANYON

  

 

HIKED UP THIS ROCKY BOULDER STREWN WASH

  

LOOKING IN THE DIRECTION OF WHAT WE THINK MIGHT BE INDIAN CANYON & ALSO LOOKING FOR MOUNTAIN SHEEP

I figure it was the result of Saturday’s 4 Palm Canyon hike & today’s earlier leg burning rock scrambles that caused my legs to tire.  We think there was a second canyon called Indian Canyon further up into Ten Ewe but I my legs were needing a rest so we decided to head back down the trail to the Jeep.  Besides, all the time we were hiking I knew there were peanut butter & jam sandwiches in the Jeep.  And I’m almost certain I could hear them calling to me from down the canyon.  Missed finding the Jeep by a couple hundred yards but with the peanut butter sandwiches hollering so loudly we were easily able to retrace a few steps & find the Jeep.  Yummy:))

TIME TO HEAD BACK DOWN TEN EWE CANYON

 

THE GOING GOT A LITTLE ROUGH IN A FEW SPOTS SO IT WAS GOOD TO GET BACK TO THE JEEP

From that point we decided to follow the increasingly rock strewn river bottom wash further into the mountains.  As I have said many times before, this kind of wondrous scenery just keeps pulling you in farther & farther.  Made it maybe another mile at speeds of about 5 mph before we figured we had gone far enough.  Map told us the road dead ended anyway & we knew the roads end was close by.  At that point we were about 8 miles up Kofa Queen Canyon inside the Kofa Mountains.  We had even brought our Delorme P40 GPS unit with us today & darned if Kelly wasn’t actually even keeping track of our location.  There just might be some technical hope for us yet in figuring that thing out.

A DESERT MOUNTAIN MEADOW PERHAPS

 

Just soaked up & enjoyed all the wonders around us as we shook, rattled, & rolled, our way back down Kofa Queen Canyon.  Again, Jeepers handled all the rough terrain we drove over in fine Jeep fashion.  And I’m sure we added a few more miles of desert pin stripping to Jeepers exterior as well today.

 

THESE FOLKS AT THE HEAD OF KOFA QUEEN CANYON HAVE BEEN HERE ABOUT 4 DAYS

Once out of the big Canyon & out onto the Valley’s desert floor the road improves a wee bit but it’s still no smooth drive by a long shot.  A few post’s ago I said we are seeing more SUV type vehicles out on the desert roads now.  We pulled off twice on the way home to let 2 oncoming SUV’s by & one was a BMW.  Guess if one is going to travel on bumping dusty desert roads one may as well travel in stylish comfort.  We were back at the rig about 2:30.  And we were all tired.  I myself felt especially whupped & took a couple Tylenol to knock down the aching in my legs.  But for sure this kind of hiking & rock scrambling is just the exact right kind of exercise my bothersome legs need.  Just walking on flat surfaces every day is not enough.  

WE PULLED OVER TO LET THIS BEAMER BY

Winds picked up during the day so we did a bit of rocking & rolling in the rig.  Not like those big Borrego Springs winds though.  Now those winds can be downright nasty!!  And speaking of Borrego Springs I thought of Ivan.  He’s still there.  Ivan’s last post was DECEMBER 26TH but for some reason on our Blogroll it didn’t currently update & says it was 4 weeks ago.   Ivan’s still hanging out in Borrego Springs & took him & Bailey for a quick side trip over to Oceanside California a short while back.  

 

Cheryl from DEEP CANYON in a comment question wondered if it was the Kofa Mountains they see to the south when traveling to Phoenix from California.  Yes indeed Cheryl those ragged peaks you see are definitely the Kofa Mountains.  When looking at the mountains from I-10 the big hump on the extreme western edge is where Palm Canyon is.  It’s only a short 20 minute drive from I-10 at Quartzsite to Palm Canyon road.  A 7 or 8 minute drive up to the Palm Canyon parking lot.  A half mile easy hike will take you in to see the Palms.  Might make for a nice stop between Phoenix & California sometime:)) 

LOOKING SOUTH TOWARDS THE CASTLE DOME MOUNTAINS DOWN BY YUMA

For folks unable to take the rougher back roads through the mountains or not being able to do some of the hiking trails I would suggest at this time of year driving in on Palm Canyon Road late in the afternoon just as the sun is going down.  Drive as far as the kiosks at the Park entrance.  Pull over, set out a couple lawn chairs & just sit back & watch the shadows building in the canyons & spilling their long dark tentacles slowly across fiery mountain slopes.  A mighty nice way to wind down yet another fine day.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Resume bloopers……These are taken from real resumes and cover letters and were printed in Fortune Magazine:
1. I demand a salary commiserate with my extensive experience.
2. I have lurnt Word Perfect 6.0 computor and spreadsheet progroms.
3. Received a plague for Salesperson of the Year.
4. Reason for leaving last job: maturity leave.
5. Wholly responsible for two (2) failed financial institutions.
6. Its best for employers that I not work with people.
7. Lets meet, so you can ooh and aah over my experience.
8. You will want me to be Head Honcho in no time.
9. Am a perfectionist and rarely if if ever forget details.
10. I was working for my mom until she decided to move.
11. Failed bar exam with relatively high grades.
12. Marital status: single. Unmarried. Unengaged. Uninvolved. No Commitments.
13. I have an excellent track record, although I am not a horse.
14. I am loyal to my employer at all costs... Please feel free to respond to my resume on my office voice mail.
15. I have become completely paranoid, trusting completely no one and absolutely nothing.
16. My goal is to be a meteorologist. But since I possess no training in meterology, I suppose I should try stock brokerage.
17. I procrastinate, especially when the task is unpleasant.
18. As indicted, I have over five years of analyzing investments.
19. Personal interests: donating blood. Fourteen gallons so far.
20. Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store.
21. Note: Please don't miscontrue my 14 jobs as job-hopping. I have never quit a job.
22. Marital status: often. Children: various.
23. Reason for leaving last job: They insisted that all employees get to work by 8:45 a.m. every morning. Could not work under those conditions.
24. The company made me a scapegoat, just like my three previous employers.
25. Finished eighth in my class of ten.
26. References: None. I've left a path of destruction behind me.

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.