A QUIET & REFLECTIVE MORNING WALK

I RESCUED THIS CEMENT DALMATIAN FROM A LANDFILL SITE ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO & BROUGHT HIM HOME:))

Click any photo to enlarge it.

There wasn't a sound in the morning air.  No wind to rustle the autumn leaves, no rain to patter on the pond.  Only the sounds of Max & I shuffling along the quiet forest path.   No twittering songbirds in the trees & no scampering squirrels gathering food for the long winter ahead.  Looking about I remembered that old saying, "the lull before the storm."  A saddened sort of feeling came over me as we meandered along the trail.  Not quite the way we used to meander years ago when we were both younger.  Max is aging & finding it harder to keep up now despite my own slower pace.  I am saddened by inner thoughts & concerned for the quiet forest knowing it too has difficult winter storms ahead.

MY BOY MAX SCOUTS THE TRAIL AHEAD

The rain held off all day so that was good for loading more things into the motorhome.  I slipped up to Goderich this morning & picked up a few things at the grocery store we knew we wouldn't find in the States.  Filled the van with gas for it's long winter's stay in the carport.  All & all a moodily quiet day.  This is our lull before the long journey ahead soon...............

TIM HORTON'S COFFEE & SHREDDED WHEAT WITH BRAN ARE RARE COMMODITIES SOUTH OF THE BORDER

Kelly & I in our travels like to head out on day trips that take us to places where we can walk, hike, & do a bit of rock scrambling .  We're not really serious long distance hikers loaded with back packs nor are we into rock climbing as such.  We're generally comfortable for maybe a 4 mile round trip hike, & rock scrambling to us is climbing over rock strewn trails & maybe the odd jaunt up on top of a bolder to have a look around.  We generally like to go by ourselves because that way we can move at our own pace & enjoy our surroundings.  I try to get a feel for where I am & that requires quiet thinking.  I  try to imagine & remember those who have gone before us. 

The legendary Indian Chief Cochise, leader of the Chiricahua Apaches was one of those figures whose trails we walked upon in February of this year.  Too follow in the footsteps of history has always been a favorite thing of mine.  To walk the same trails & paths as historical figures I read about as a kid is very special to me.  And here on these very paths we walked,  the mighty Indian Chief Cochise & his band of mighty warriors had walked many moons before us.

A LAST LINGERING FLOWER STANDS ALONE IN OUR FLOWERBED

The old dusty rock strewn trail leading into the Dragoon Mountains was long & steep at times as we headed out in search of what is known as the Cochise Stronghold.  Our blog for that day is HERE & you can find our pictures for the Cochise trail in this WEB ALBUM.   Come with us for a hike in the Dragoon Mountains of Arizona.

AUTUMN'S COLOR IN A NEIGHBOR'S YARD TO-DAY

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you know that a raisin is just a grape with a sunburn & a secret is something you tell to just one person at a time.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

MARCH 11/09....THROUGH THE APACHE PASS TO HISTORIC FORT BOWIE, ARIZONA

REMAINS OF AN OLD BUCKBOARD AT FORT BOWIE..... HORSES WERE KEPT IN THIS AREA

As kids watching western movies we always saw the mounted cavalry riding in & out of their Forts. Big high wooden log pole walls with an assortment of buildings inside & an American flag flying proudly in the middle. It's a picture we carry in our minds every time the word Fort is mentioned. Just as in real ghost towns we can easily be disappointed when we finally reach an old town site or Fort. We're hoping to see a setting just as we remembered it from the movies. But time, the elements, & reality have taken their toll. Several buildings & a water tank still remain somewhat intact at Fort Rucker but historic Fort Bowie is only left with it's walls & foundations. I would recommend anyone going to Fort Bowie to eat an extra bowl of Cheerios in the morning, drive through the Apache Pass from the north or northwest as we did & begin your long historic hike into the Fort from a parking lot on the south side of Apache Pass road.

TROOPS WERE HOUSED WITHIN THESE BARRACK WALLS (Note: You will notice that the tops of the old walls are rounded & a different color. To prevent the elements from eroding the original walls any further a mixture of special cement had to be applied to the tops of them to prevent wind & rain from breaking the walls down any further.) ALL THAT'S LEFT OF THE ONCE ELOQUENT POST COMMANDER'S QUARTERS

As with walking the grounds of old ghost towns I find there is an overall feeling that comes over a person. If your with a group of people though you will probably not pick up that feeling. I suppose it's akin to wandering through an old cemetery. Very quiet, very peaceful, & your always aware of a presence & a time in history that you have been reading or hearing about since a child. Try as you may you cannot comprehend the magnitude of events which took place on the ground you are standing upon or the walls you are seeing or the scattered bits of weathered wood & broken foundation stones laying in the tall grass at your feet. To think that a mighty Fort once stood here, or a complete town or a huge battle took place on this very spot many years ago can be overwhelming. When I visited Custer's Little Bighorn battlefield in Montana back in 1993 I felt that. And on March 11 of 2009 I felt it once more as we headed through the Apache Pass to a parking lot & then off on a long winding path in search of old Fort Bowie. APACHE LEADER GERONIMO WAS HELD CAPTIVE WITHIN THIS BUILDING'S WALLS

Might be a mile into the Fort but the path leads you through a valley of history. The old Butterfield Stage line ran through here on it's way from the east to California. Wagon wheel ruts are still visibile in the ground. Running gun battles & confrontations between the Cavalry & the Chiricahua Apache Indians took place here in this scenic valley. A meeting with the Apache leader Cochise was arranged. A cemetery, the foundation ruins of an old stagecoach stop near where the meeting & battle took place between Indians & Cavalry. It is a path through history. Go alone or with one other quiet person & let the trail through the little valley whisper you it's tales. STONE WALL RUINS OF THE 'FIRST' FORT BOWIE

Wikipedia info on FORT BOWIE

My blog of our day can be found here...... FORT BOWIE BLOG
My photos of our day are here.........FORT BOWIE PHOTOS

FORT BOWIE CEMETERY AS SEEN FROM A HIGH RIDGE TO THE SOUTHEAST

INDIANS & SOLDIERS ALIKE BURIED HERE BUT MANY SOLDIERS HAVE BEEN MOVED

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.