Tuesday, February 24 was our last ride with Bonnie, Clyde and Maggie as they will be heading home in a week.  It has been a fun time sharing our desert travels with them.  Jeanne's wrist had been giving her notice that it wasn't happy with all this riding, so we loaded her quad on the pickup and she, Bonnie & Clyde drove 13 miles to a meeting spot, so that saved her 26 miles of riding.  It was a beautiful day, hot +78F and sunny.  We only traveled about 10 miles after meeting up with Jeanne because we stopped so many times.  

The first picture is of more desert flowers.  The first thing we did down the trail was meet up with a couple from Texas riding mules.  We stopped and visited with them for about five minutes then on our way again.  We came across this stone wall which is thought to be the remains of the stagecoach station.  The desert is home to many stone cabins and stone walls.  Building materials were really close at hand.  Yuki got a nose full of cactus and yelped a bit when the fellows removed them.  That is the first time he has gotten in to them.  It took it's tole on him, that and the heat.

The second row of pictures were taken while we were stopped for lunch at an old mine.  There was a cement pad, in one corner was a shower stall then at the end was the septic tank.  Looking out to the north was miles of flat land.  To the west was this rock formation with a hole in it, as we could see daylight - that tiny spec of white in the middle photo.  Maggie and Yuki walked up to it and there is a cave deep inside.  She said there were signs that humans had lived there, as well as sheep.  To the west was this steep hill.  Gordon had driven off for a few minutes and while he was gone Glen drove to the top, only he went around the south side of the hill and when Gordon returned and saw Glen and Chuck up there he took off up the steep side. After three tries he had to be winched to the top.  Kathy and April didn't want to look as they were afraid he would flip over.

Pictures on the third row are of another mine we visited, Yuki having a bit of down time, and the last picture is the entrance to an abandoned turquoise mine.  Glen and Chuck both had pick hammers and they were in there chiseling away for bits of turquoise.

The first picture on the last row is just more scenery from our travels on Tuesday.  The final pictures is of the baby hummingbirds.  If you look closely you can see two babies, facing opposite directions in the nest.

We stopped a couple of times looking for a cactus boot for Jeanne.  The birds, woodpeckers or desert wrens, will pick a hole in the Saguaro cactus and then build their nests.  The cactus heals itself by building around the nest.  That is called a boot.  April found one that definitely looks like a boot.  We found three little ones but are still looking.  First we have to find a dead Saguaro which has fallen over.  The reeds make great walking sticks because they are so strong and light.

All in all it was a great day.  We returned to the trailer about 4:40 pm, rushed home, made a quick supper and went to an evening with David and Gary Tyson.  David is a singer and Gary is a Comic Magician.  It was a good night's entertainment for $6.00.