Look Up!  Way UP!
Yesterday Don and I hiked on the Wind Cave Trail - a 800 foot ascent of Pass Mountain.  It was in Usery Park which backs onto the Tonto Forest.  The trail had lots of switch backs but was still a pretty good cardio workout.  It took us about 3 hours and that is with numerous stops to take pictures and just enjoy!

This is where we parked the car and began our hike.  Luckily it was the perfect temperature.  We had light jackets on to start and half way up it was time to get those off!  It was a lot cooler at the top where the cave was.

Up up up we climbed.

this is 2 different areas on the trail.  Some parts were fairly easy to navigate and others were blocked by rocks so you had to navigate.  Some parts didn't even look like a trail at all.

This is a barrel cactus that somehow broke off. Look at the small one growing at the base.

This is a gila woodpecker.  They make nests in the cactus.

 Look at these tiny little flowers.  They were so tiny and pretty.

I am not sure what this is but they sure added some pretty color.

I am not sure if these will be flowers on the top of this cactus or what?

There was a lot of volcanic black rock as well as rock that looked like this.  Almost like small rocks glued together with cement (I am guessing volcanic ash)

The golden yellow of these poppies was just amazing.  They were everywhere and in some spots the ground was just yellow!

This is new growth and buds on the jojoba.

Just in case you get really lost, this one points you to Phoenix.

 It was an amazing walk and the only hard part was trying to look at stuff and still stay on the trail.  You really have to concentrate on where you are walking on this trail.  The path is basically a single lane so if you meet someone you need to find a spot to pull over and let them pass. We were so glad that we got the walking sticks as they really help to keep your balance.

 Yay - we made it!

The cave is off to the right of me.

This isn't the best picture but these little lizards are way faster than I am.  We saw quite a few of them on the way up. 

 There were a lot of these little chipmunks running around all over the place at the top of the mountain by the cave.

Some kind of ground squirrel.

I don't have too many pictures on the way down as   1) Don made me promise to not stop every 10 feet and take a picture and 2) Its a really good idea to pay attention when walking downhill.  There are so many hiking trails in this area you could hike all winter without having to do the same trail.  Plus it is really nice to hike when the weather isn't too hot.
We were pretty pooped out after our walk, so we came back and had some lunch.  Our neighbor across the street brought us over 2 big huge bags full of grapefruits.  Should keep me going for a little while. Everyone is starting to pick their fruit as the trees are starting to blossom.

Spring Has Sprung!
And it is amazing!  I have not had allergies like this for a long time but it is worth it to see all the fruit trees starting to blossom.  The desert floor is alive with green and some of the cactus are starting to bloom (I did not see any yet).  The trees that drop their leaves naturally, as opposed to the ones that lost them due to freezing in the 2 cold spells, are starting to leaf out.
Yesterday I went out birdwatching with the group from our park and had the best time.  I did some practising with my camera.  Don stayed home and did laundry and cooked supper.  Win Win!

I think I see the man in the moon??
Today Don and I drove out to Queen Creek to visit the Schnepf Farm. This is the most amazing farm.  It is organic and very interactive.  They have many things to do and see and is a great place for a family outing.

We started with the Peach Blossom Walking trail.

 They say they have the earliest peaches in the country, which are ready in April.  Their most popular variety is ready in May.  I DO NOT want to go home until I eat one of these peaches.

 It takes 3 years from planting a small bare tree until they start producing fruit.

 These peach orchards were so beautiful.  Very fragrant and that was with a totally stuffed up head!  There were a lot of pretty pink petals on the ground and I was wishing we would have come a week earlier.

Irrigation water travels in these concrete ditches and the water is syphoned out to flood the fields.

Some people just do not appreciate the finer things in life!

Can you believe all this and a great back drop to boot?

There were also a herd of deer that they had fenced in an area.  Not sure why? But it was nice to look at anyway, they also had a train ride that you could take all around the farm.

They just make the farm so nice and have picnic areas and flowers and plants and trees everywhere. 

You can walk along the farm where they grow different vegetables in different seasons.  You just walk out and pick what you want and pay by the pound.  Aren't the artichoke bushes interesting?

I have no idea what kind of tree this is but it is amazing!

Inside, you can order lunch, or have one of these amazing treats or

get some of the best salsa you have ever tasted!  We then drove down the road to the Queen Creek Olive Mill.  We shopped with the camera only today.

 mmmm Gelato

 that is fresh mozza cheese. tomatoes and artichokes.  These little appetizers looked so amazing but . . .

 Wonder how many people took them up on this - hilarious.

I promised we would have lunch at Hooters after "we" enjoyed our trip to the farm.  Don has been wanting to go there for weeks.  Honestly, I would have preferred the appetizers but I did like those tot things with the cheese sauce and bacon!

 Karen and Syd - check out this link - now that's extreme running    https://runtodeath.com/

This is just a shot I got of the crazy roads/freeways around the area. It is however, very easy to get around, the off and on ramps are very well organized.  That being said, I am scared to death to drive here.  The speeds are 75 MPH on the freeways and highways.  Even the school zone is 35 MPH which is 56 km.   I was reading today that every passenger in the front seat must wear a seat belt and that children under 5 must be properly secured.  They also do not have "no texting or phoning" laws while driving.  Kinda scary!

This finch was having a good visit with the mockingbird. How the birds sit on all these prickly things I do not know.  This picture and the next few are just in our park from today as it seems like spring arrived today.

Look at these pretty Mexican gold poppies. I hear they will be popping up all over the desert shortly.

 Orange tree blossoms

 Lemon tree buds.

 This tree is only about 3 feet tall but has a lot of blooms and buds.

This grapefruit tree had a lot of new growth and a ton of buds. The scent is so wonderful.  Luckily the people that own the house this was in front of did not mind me taking pictures.  They said they did not get any fruit this year so have been watering and fertilizing.  I think they will be rewarded next year!  We stopped and talked to them and we were talking about taking pictures and what not.  He mentioned that he was taking pictures of the snow on  the Superstition Mountains as well.  Apparently a lot of people who live here have never seen snow on that mountain either.
We are in this park until March 4th so we are in the process of planning our next stop.