My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG.....of course you do cause you're a traveler that travels. You know the value of an open mind.....I respect that in a man.....

Arjan.....it was about a post that I made prior to that one. Scroll back a few more posts and you'll then understand the post where I quote Mark Twain. Sure.....I'll keep posting. Like I said before, we've visited some pretty cool places.....places you won't see much of on the internet (I think).....

AlwaysRoaming.....first off.....in response to your post, I'll quote a wise young man (ITTOG).....

"Oh man, great post. I completely agree."

I really struggled regarding that post that I made. It just killed me to think that guys like Riversdad, halseyt, mekcanix, Arjan or any other international member would think that I could agree with what is going on in this country as it relates to foreign countries. I just found that I couldn't stay quite. But now I'm done and it's back to business.....travel.....



We actually just came down from a mountain summit an hour ago and oh my gosh did it ever suck ! But I've got tons more stuff to post before I get to posting about that summit (shown below).....

 

[thedavidzoo]

Jerry, totally agree with you, politically.

That beautiful shrub you saw with the bright red/orange bark is a manzanita.
The tree a few posts ago you called maybe a mesquite was an alligator juniper. The bark has rectangular plates that resemble alligator skin.

 

[ghostdancer]

Donate to Support the Crosses with Medical Expenses, organized by Hannah Schweitzer

For updates on how Andrew is doing, please visit the CaringBridge site her… Hannah Schweitzer needs your support for Support the Crosses with Medical Expenses

www.gofundme.com

I just made a donation to Desert Drifter’s Go Fund Me page. He’s having a tough time of it and judging y his wife’s health updates, he may never be the same. Every little bit helps, the medical bills will be crippling.

ou can find his updates here:
https://www.caringbridge.org/site/5...k_share_button&utm_campaign=private_home_page

sorry Jerry if this hijacks your great thread.

 

[ghostdancer]

Riversdad.....I agree with you whole heartedly.....

View attachment 869108

When I made that post, I knew that it would get negative reactions from some members but I felt it important at this time to share my thoughts with the international community. I suspect that some members now will stop liking my posts, or even stop following our travels which is fine by me. I've never been here to accumulate hits or likes. In reality, I probably don't even want people with such narrow minds and restricted views to follow our travels.....

One of the greatest aspects of travel is its' diversity. Mountains or canyons ? Forests or deserts ? Oceans or rivers ? Black people or white people ? Asian people or black people ? Native American people or Latino people ? It's all good.....

To be a real traveler one has to have an open mind. Sure you can go to a resort or board a cruise ship, stick to your kind, but in my mind, that is not travel. Travel is to immerse oneself into other people's lives.....their community.....their environment. And embrace it.....don't attempt to change it.....

Years ago when I was in the Peace Corps I saw missionaries come into the jungle where I worked to "save" the indigenous people that were happily living their lives, and in my opinion, didn't need saving. I despised the missionaries back then.....and honestly, my views haven't changed one bit.....

Mark Twain said it best (of course he would !).....

View attachment 869109

Jerry, my wife and I retuned to the states, after a journey of 19 months, only long enough for my wife to replace a worn out hip. We spent time in Spain, France, Belgium, England, Australia, and New Zealand. All western culture countries. the places that we tak about the most though is our time spent in Türkiye, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Indonesia. The more you travel the more good you see in people. Money spent improving the lives of people trapped by crime or poverty in their home countries is money well spent And will reduce immigration in the long run. Don’t obliterate USAID.

 

[Ace Brown]

I have watched and enjoyed this thread for many years. Politics is not what I come here for. Twice Jerry has requested “to get back to the Journey”. Please do.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

thedavidzoo.....I don't even know why I guess at the names of these plants or trees. I should simply say tree or cactus or nothing at all. It's so obvious that I don't have a clue. Sometimes they say it's best to keep your mouth shut so people don't know how dumb you really are.....sure applies here. Thanks for clarifying things.....

ghostdancer.....that's decent of you. He sure deserves it. Personally I'm pretty deep into the animal rescue thing / support. That's the love of my life. Regarding your trip.....INCREDIBLE ! Sounds like the trip of a lifetime. What about Nepal and Tibet ? Are you headed that way ? Did your wife get a hip replacement ?

Ace.....it's all good. I opened the door.....blame me.....



After climbing all those peaks, we were tired and dirty. A week had passed by and I needed a shower and the dogs needed some quiet time at the park.....just chilling out. So we returned to Tucson, Arizona for a few days of hot showers, more restaurant food (that too has become a thing on this trip), and overnighting at our secret spot in the city. Then we returned to that area southeast of Tucson, Arizona.....




But this time we went even further south.....darn near into Mexico.....



The plan was to climb some peaks in the Miller Peaks Wilderness Area.....but honestly, my plan was not well researched nor well planned out.....

We made our first stop at Parker Canyon Lake.....sometimes it's good to see water other than flowing from a faucet.....seems like it'd been awhile.....



And then we continued driving south.....



Portions of that road.....W. Montezuma Canyon Road.....got quite rough in some areas.....especially the first five or so miles (not shown in any of my pictures).....I was too busy driving.....






The next picture.....well, that seems to be something that you don't see much of in this part of Arizona.....a creek with water flowing in it.....I had to photograph that.....it's almost like a proof of a mountain summit photograph.....



And here's something that we saw plenty of as we neared the border wall.....Border Patrol.....nothing new there.....been like this forever.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Now I had plans for that afternoon to climb a small peak to see what we could see.....mostly to take in the broad views of northern Mexico as our planned summit was nearly on the U.S. / Mexico border.....




So we didn't lollygag too much along the way although I did have to stop to capture a picture of this 8 pointer.....he was incredibly graceful sailing over a barbed wire fence.....so beautiful he was.....



Now here begins the part that I wasn't prepared for.....we'd driven all these miles in a remote area and we finally get to this really high point in the road.....the trailhead actually.....and there's this sign.....



I was bewildered would be an understatement.....I was thinking remote but the parking area was paved, nice bathrooms, interpretive signs along the short trail.....it was everything that I wasn't expecting.....



So the dogs and I hiked it.....there were several small pavillions on the summit.....Coronado Peak (6,864').....



And there was even a summit register up there.....go figure.....



I do have to admit that the views were pretty darn good.....you could see way far into Mexico. It was when we got back to the truck that I noticed the
" No Dogs On Trail" sign.....

It was just one of those days I guess you could say.....I just had no idea that we were in the.....



And I also had no idea that the access to the next several summits that we planned to climb would be closed for the winter season.....had I known beforehand I sure would've used this trailhead that we passed along the way.....I really wanted to climb Miller Peak (9,470').....



Oh well.....that's travel for ya.....at least we were in the mountains.....that's really our happy place.....

 

[ghostdancer]

thedavidzoo.....I don't even know why I guess at the names of these plants or trees. I should simply say tree or cactus or nothing at all. It's so obvious that I don't have a clue. Sometimes they say it's best to keep your mouth shut so people don't know how dumb you really are.....sure applies here. Thanks for clarifying things.....

ghostdancer.....that's decent of you. He sure deserves it. Personally I'm pretty deep into the animal rescue thing / support. That's the love of my life. Regarding your trip.....INCREDIBLE ! Sounds like the trip of a lifetime. What about Nepal and Tibet ? Are you headed that way ? Did your wife get a hip replacement ?

Ace.....it's all good. I opened the door.....blame me.....



After climbing all those peaks, we were tired and dirty. A week had passed by and I needed a shower and the dogs needed some quiet time at the park.....just chilling out. So we returned to Tucson, Arizona for a few days of hot showers, more restaurant food (that too has become a thing on this trip), and overnighting at our secret spot in the city. Then we returned to that area southeast of Tucson, Arizona.....

View attachment 869303
View attachment 869302

But this time we went even further south.....darn near into Mexico.....

View attachment 869304

The plan was to climb some peaks in the Miller Peaks Wilderness Area.....but honestly, my plan was not well researched nor well planned out.....

We made our first stop at Parker Canyon Lake.....sometimes it's good to see water other than flowing from a faucet.....seems like it'd been awhile.....

View attachment 869306

And then we continued driving south.....

View attachment 869307

Portions of that road.....W. Montezuma Canyon Road.....got quite rough in some areas.....especially the first five or so miles (not shown in any of my pictures).....I was too busy driving.....


View attachment 869308
View attachment 869305
View attachment 869310

The next picture.....well, that seems to be something that you don't see much of in this part of Arizona.....a creek with water flowing in it.....I had to photograph that.....it's almost like a proof of a mountain summit photograph.....

View attachment 869311

And here's something that we saw plenty of as we neared the border wall.....Border Patrol.....nothing new there.....been like this forever.....

View attachment 869312

New hip yesterday! PT starts on Monday. northern India, Nepal, and Tibet is definitely on our list. We’re looking to start our next loop in Switzerland, and then work our way to more exotic lands. We both really want to explore Borneo.

 

[Foy]

I just came across a YT video from Solomon's Outdoor Adventures entitled "Geology of the Santa Rita Mountains & their rich copper deposits--Tuscon, Arizona". Incudes Mt Wrightson and a lot about how the many metallic mineral deposits were formed, with a focus on a controversial yet undeveloped copper mine. Sorry I can't figure out to post a hyperlink here, but it's easily found on a YouTube search.
I realize many are not fans of mining, but some purposes are served by all of us being reminded that if we want separation from fossil fuels and other green initiatives, we've got to come up with a huge amount of copper--more than has ever been mined in world history up to the present. Not one aspect of the green energy transition is possible without copper, lots and lots of copper. So whether I individually think the Rosemont mine is a good idea or not, those ardent for electrification should closely examine the underlying mining requirements needed to support it before going blindly down the road of "stop copper mining" in every instance.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ghostdancer.....it's incredible how life changing a hip replacement can be for someone with hip pain. Last year I logged just shy of 4,000 miles in the boots. I don't even think about it anymore unless I'm climbing boulders. Your travels sound so incredible.....I sure wish you posted trip reports here. We need more travelers posting here.....

Foy.....funny the timing of your post. Just today we drove into the backcountry with plans to explore an abandoned mine tomorrow. The country is absolutely amazing here.....I'm sure you'll have some good information to add when I make a post about it (I'm still weeks behind).....

Interesting.....I'd never heard of that before.....

Stopping the Rosemont Copper Mine

Stopping the Rosemont Copper Mine

www.biologicaldiversity.org

Next we headed west.....I'd found a new mountain to climb. But before did we that, we visited a couple of towns close to the southern border. It was a Sunday morning when we pulled into Tubac, Arizona which was a good thing, since this is a tourist town.....



Not so many people wandering the streets early on that day.....made the walking a bit more pleasurable for the dogs & I.....




We only stayed for a few hours.....once the streets began to get busy.....we drove a bit further south.....now so close to the border wall once again.....




We camped for a single night in the foothills along the western side of the Santa Rita Mountains.....way too much Cholla cactus for us to stay here much longer than that.....



Then we took the interstate south to Nogales, Arizona.....now at the U.S. / Mexico border. We parked in the main part of town to walk the older, historic section. The Sacred Heart Parish was a pretty cool building.....it almost seemed like we were in Mexico rather than Arizona.....



The front doors.....I swear were 6 inches thick.....the doors were unlocked so I went inside to have a look.....beautiful craftsmanship.....




Next, the dogs and I headed over to the border wall.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

I get odd feelings when I walk along this wall.....I can't help but remember that winter spent aiding the families that waited in Mexico along the same wall, waiting for their opportunity to enter the United States of America.....legally.....




I spent probably way too long talking to a Border Control agent that was posted along the wall. We talked about the current situation, the past, and the future. We talked about Montana too and his hope to go there one day. He was a great guy.....but honestly, I don't think I've ever once met an agent that wasn't.....



He said they're still jumping the wall.....daily.....this jacket in the concertina wire absolutely broke my heart.....



We continued to walk the streets.....we walked those streets the better part of the day.....and eventually my stomach told me to go get some real Mexican food.....



I found this little joint.....driving in the truck while I was lost. I drove down this alley thinking "Oh no ! This isn't going to end well" but then there's this Mexican restaurant at the end of the alley.....kind of hard to believe actually.....



But it was perfect for me.....I like casual.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We spent that night camped along the side of Ruby  Road, just a short distance off of Interstate 10. The plan for the following day was to get an early start and drive west into the Atascosa Mountains.....which is exactly what we did. Now I had no idea that Ruby Road was going to be as scenic as it turned out to be. For those that earmark certain places, that enjoy driving in remote places on rough roads, think about adding this one to your list.....



There were times here that I thought that my rig didn't belong here.....as a matter of fact, when we reached the trailhead, I thought about turning around and retracing our tracks (after our climb of course).....





The mountains along the way were strikingly beautiful.....and they were endless.....



We reached the trailhead to Atascosa Peak (6,438') around the mid morning.....hopefully in time to summit before the afternoon winds moved in.....




The trail here was good.....another one that was well planned, not too steep with plenty of switchbacks, well troddened, and had magnificent views the entire way up (and down too).....




An interesting thing about this climb is that you first have to climb a subpeak prior to climbing the named mountain. Now I found a brass monument on the subpeak which called it Atascosa 2.....but apparently it's not considered a peak (I could be wrong but that's what my research tells me).....

Once upon a time there was a fire lookout tower here (you can just barely see the pad in the picture below). A fire took it out in 2011 (see below).....

From the Arizona Daily Star:

"The Atascosa Lookout, built between 1930 and 1933, was a 14-by-14-foot structure that served as an active fire-sighting post until the late 1970s. In that time period, improved aerial detection of fires led the U.S. Forest Service to stop staffing many lookouts.

It served as a summer roost for a string of solitary fire spotters, including the late author Edward Abbey, whose books included "Desert Solitaire" and "The Monkey Wrench Gang."

The lookout - sited on a 6,249-foot summit northwest of Nogales - was destroyed during the Murphy Complex Fire in 2011, which burned nearly 70,000 acres."

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

It appeared that the Border Control had taken over this subpeak. There was quite a bit of unusual looking gadgets up there.....not typical of what I see on similar mountain tops. I guess it's not unexpected since we were just a few miles from the border (again). You can see a small bit of it in this next photograph.....



We probably spent less than five minutes up there.....the wind was picking up and we still had the difficult part of this climb ahead of us.....I took a few photographs from the summit of the subpeak (Atascosa 2 ?).....




.....and then we down climbed to a faint climbers trail.....and we continued on to our intended goal of the day (that's Atascosa Peak (6,438') in the background.....



Now it was no longer a well groomed, well troddened trail that we hiked on.....it was mostly bushwacking.....



.....and climbing across boulder fields.....lots of huge boulders.....




Tanner pretty much led the way on this part of our climb.....for the most part, Tanner is great at finding routes.....



After our summit, we down climbed to a rock band to shelter ourselves from the winds. This was such an awesome spot on the side of a remote peak.....I often like to say "and no one was here".....believe me.....no one was here.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

A large aircraft passed overhead.....but just barely. It flew so low that I could see the white in the eyes of the pilots.....it rattled my teeth. I assume that it was a drug surveillance aircraft.....but just an assumption on my part.....



We had accessed this peak by hiking along the ridgeline which was doable, but since we'd downclimbed to eat our late lunch, we attempted to return by hiking along the side of the ridge.....what a huge mistake that was as it was covered in nasty shrubs that sliced right through my skin.....more blood was lost here.....



Never was I so happy as when we finally reconnected with that well groomed, well troddened trail.....



I had decided during that hike that we'd continue along Ruby Road so we continued to drive west.....



The drive was sensational.....



For the most part, the only vehicles we saw here were Border Control pick up trucks.....they were pretty much everywhere.....



I admired the mountains along the way and this one in particular stood out.....it's called Montana Peak (5,376').....it can be climbed.....



Just below it is the historic ghost town (former mining town) of Ruby, Arizona. It was closed to the public in June of 2024. If ghost towns are your thing, I've posted a link so that you can read about it.....

Ruby, AZ 85621 | Arizona Highways

https://www.arizonahighways.com/article/ruby-az-85621

The drive.....fortunately was uneventful.....it was just driving.....what more can be said.....



Just like getting back on a well groomed, well troddened trail is, getting back on pavement felt pretty good too. We drove one hundred feet on the pavement.....saw a spot.....and called it a long day. We were tired.....and that is an understatement.....

 

[Arjan]

Great as usual.
Many thanks !