Won't Get Fooled Again ???

Some fellow travel hounds in Sedona recommended a magnificent RV park they had recently visited on the east side of the Salton Sea (1 hour east of Palm Springs), called the Fountain of Youth Spa RV Resort. After verifying (through Google) that the resort indeed had natural artesian mineral water filling it's 6 pools, providing therapeutic healing effects, I decided to add it to my itinerary since I was headed to Palm Springs anyway, to meet up with my VCR sister and her husband Doug who were there on a home exchange which they do quite often on their world travels. While the hot pools felt wonderful, especially for my over-worked hiking legs, I don't feel any younger and am quite certain that my next mountain hike will remind me that I am in my mid-60's. Upon checking in at the resort, when questioned by the two ladies behind the reception desk as to how long I wanted a site for, I asked them how long I would need to stay in order to feel like I was 25 again. They looked at me and responded "more than a month". Then I asked how long until I felt like I was 50 again? They repeated "more than a month". Being wise enough to not ask how long until I felt like I was 63 again (2 weeks ago), I decided to only spend one day in the mineral springs. My world-wide search for the 'real' Fountain of Youth continues.

For those of you who have not yet had the experience of visiting the Salton Sea, don't add it to your 'must do' list. The Sea has been dying since water from the Colorado River was diverted to satisfy other California aqua needs. It lies directly over the San Andreus fault, 235 feet below sea level, and the salinity has killed almost all of the fish that used to live there along with adding a sour smell to the air. It is really sad to drive through the former burgeoning seaside towns which are also dying with more than half the homes abandoned and decaying rapidly.

Prior to this recent experience, I spent 3 more days hiking in Sabino Canyon, a wonderful destination for hikers of all levels. While I did some of the more strenuous hikes, all between 10-15 km's.....Esperero Trail (last posting), Bear Canyon to Seven Falls (7 creek crossings, some up to knee level with the impressive falls at the end of the trail), Blackett's Ridge (steady uphill with steep drop-offs on either side near the summit) and the Phoneline Trail (along the upper side of Sabino Canyon)......there are both shorter trails available and a shuttle that goes well into Sabino Canyon, offering great views for those that are not able to hike and shortens trails for those who desire that option. My only impediment turned out to be a dead van battery in the parking lot on one of those days but a park ranger lent me his phone to call AAA and I was back on the road, with a new battery, 45 minutes later while enjoying an adult beverage in my camping chair beside the van while I waited.

Following 5 straight days of solid hikes, I departed Tucson and drove to the Rancho Mirage community in Palm Springs for a visit with my sister and her husband in their luxurious home exchange property which they also shared with some Vancouver friends of theirs, Donald and Ruth. We enjoyed the backyard pool and hot tub, and spent a day visiting the busy College of the Desert Market and then took in a polo match later which was more entertaining than I anticipated partially due to the various tail gate parties along the sidelines which are encouraged by the Empire Polo Club. Another day we did several short hikes into Indian Canyons which ended a bit sooner than expected when the park rangers asked everyone to get off of the trails. No reason was given but we suspected (since confirmed on the internet) that there was a fresh mountain lion sighting / kill (non human) along one nearby trail and there was concern that the lion was still in the vicinity. Everyone was happy to return to the comfort and safety of our backyard pool.

I have now arrived back in Phoenix where I will spend several days hiking in the Superstition Mountains (near my site in Apache Junction). Only 5 days until Pocahontas joins me following her successful and injury-free expanded ski season. Looking forward to our re-union.

Tucson's Sabino Canyon - 7th Bear Creek crossing on my way to Seven Falls. This one was only calf-deep.

Seven Falls at the end of Bear Canyon. The pool at the bottom would have been wonderful to swim in if the water temperature had been quite a bit warmer.

Blacketts Ridge view into Sabino Canyon. The Phoneline Trail (next day hike, longer) is visible along the right side.

Our Rancho Mirage backyard resort - with my sister leading the way.

Empire Polo Club match near our sideline. VIP seats on the other side.

Non VIP attendees are encouraged to create their own tailgate parties....next time we will be better prepared.

Indian Canyons - Andreas Canyon walk with massive palms and lovely rock formations along the creek.

Roadside view of Glamis Dunes along highway 78 on my way back to Arizona - heaven for ATV and motorbike enthusiasts.

Hiking up a Storm

Still filling my days with hikes as I move around Arizona finding both suitable hikes and supporting weather. While in Sedona I hiked Bear Mountain, only 8 km's but pretty much straight up and down with a 2,000 foot elevation change (summit at 6,500 feet) over difficult terrain, with wonderful 360 degree views at the peak. The next couple of days I upped the stakes with two hikes a day including Soldier's Pass (10 km's including a few other trail extensions). Cathedral Rock (moderate, scramble), Broken Arrow to Chicken Point (6 km) and the Bell Rock Courthouse Butte Loop (8 km).

Although there were plenty more challenging hikes to do in the Sedona area I decided it was time to move on after spending a week there and headed west to Prescott via Cottonwood (short stop at the Native American Tuzigoot ruins, mostly reconstructed), settling at the Point of Rocks RV park with the gorgeous Granite Dells right behind my site. Beyond strolling thru the smooth, round rock Dells, I hiked the Thumb Butte Trail plus portions of 4 other trails to create a 12 km loop route, finding some snow and icy path spots which told me it was time to head further south.

My next stop was in Eloy, about an hour south of Phoenix, where good friends of ours (Lorne & Sue) are enjoying their recent winter home purchase. They were wonderful hosts and Lorne even let me win our golf game which was on the Robson Ranch property. We will get together again when Pocahontas arrives later this month.

From there I continued further south to northern Tucson but not before stopping at Picacho Peak for a strenuous but enjoyable hike to the summit. Taking the shorter but more difficult Hunter Trail (3 km straight up) I encountered approx. 10 chains anchored into the rock to assist hikers in the steep uphill climb (not suitable for anyone afraid of heights). It took 2 hours to get to the peak but it was a good challenge and I enjoyed it. I am now somewhat settled in that I have changed RV parks twice in two days and will be searching for a new spot tomorrow due to the spotty internet service (actually terrible) that seems to be pervasive in the Tucson area for some reason. Meanwhile I am hiking in the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area which offers a multitude of moderate to difficult hikes. Today I hiked 11 km's of the Esperero Trail, turning around at Cardiac Ridge (aptly named). There is a shuttle that carries visitors well up into Sabino Canyon but that would be sacrilege to a serious hiker so I will consider it an emergency escape if anything goes wrong on one of my upcoming adventures.

Rain is forecast for the w/e so I will keep my eye on the weather and be prepared to venture on to another 'dry' location if necessary. Adios (since I am close to Mexico).

Sedona - Javelina spotted along Soldier's Pass trail

Bear Mountain - or what I thought. This turned out to be the half way point with the final summit still hidden.

The Devil's Kitchen sinkhole, a former cavern along the Soldier's Pass trail.

Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona, built in 1956.

Part of the view along the Broken Point trail in Sedona.

Prescott - the Granite Dells and Watson Lake which were both a short stroll from just behind my campsite.

Picacho Peak south of Eloy - not for the faint hearted.

One of the many cable assisted portions of the Picacho Peak trail.

I never fail, I succeed in finding what doesn't work

Following a shortened camper van trip (minor health issues) to the lovely Paso Robles wine region in the fall, I was keen to start a new adventure in the new year. At the end of January I drove to Kamloops to visit with my 95 year old father who is hanging in there despite some health issues of his own. We had a good visit and hopefully there will be many more. I then headed south towards southern Utah where the plan was to get in as much hiking as possible. Pocahontas meanwhile remained home to get in some more skiing with her girlfriends and to paint a few rooms in the house (a couple of January outings on my snowboard was enough to scratch my itch). She will join up with me in a few weeks, hoping that I will have had my fill of strenuous hiking by then.

I had a few glitches on the drive south, taking a few incorrect routes, a combination of trying to get out of sub-zero temperatures as quickly as possible, the fact that my regular navigator was AWOL (meaning I looked at the map once in the morning and was sure I would remember all the turns I had to make), and being fully engrossed in many interesting Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcasts. When I arrived at Zion National Park (a southern Utah favourite of ours) after 2 full days of driving, there was snow on the ground (not ideal for a warm weather hiker) and the only campground in town was closed for the winter........so I continued on to Kanab near the Arizona border for the night. The next morning I entered the lottery for one of the 10 hiking permits that would be granted for next day hikes to The Wave in Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness Area. If you have not heard of The Wave then you should google it to see the amazing sandstone rock formations to understand why it is a highly desired destination where they limit the daily traffic to better preserve the landscape. I was not one of the lucky winners (30 applicants even though it was a very cold time of the year) and while I had planned to hang around for a few more days to roll the dice again, I changed my mind after attempting to do a couple of nearby hikes during the day (I eventually found the Toadstool hike which was excellent, due to being in a warmer canyon). If the trails were not covered with snow they were muddy from melting snow during the daytime also making some dirt roads to trailheads difficult to access. We were also advised that the 8 mile road into The Wave trailhead was also only passable with a 4X4 at this time of year which would have meant walking an extra 16 miles just to get to the 6 mile trail, or trying to make an arrangement with another lucky winner. I plan to return again, perhaps at the end of this trip on the way home when it is warmer and my hiking partner is with me.

My next stop was the Grand Canyon South Rim. Once again however I encountered a lot of snow at the rim (one foot). While the rim path had been cleared I was concerned that the start of the paths down into the canyon would be icy (since they get enough traffic) and after learning that Phantom Ranch was booked solid I decided to move on rather than entering the dorm lottery the next morning for last minute cancellations, or attempting a one day down and back up hike which I would still like to do some day after having time to spare when I did my trip down to Phantom Ranch 4 years ago.

So at this point I am thinking quite a few things have not gone according to plan on this trip so far (or rather I have been successful in finding what doesn't work). Checking the weather forecast I noticed that Sedona was experiencing mid-teen temperatures during the day (ideal for hiking) and nighttime lows of 7-9C, so no need to worry about freezing pipes. I am now in Sedona, de-winterized the van (now fully functional) and plan to remain here for the next week. Yesterday I hiked the Huckaby Trail (12 km return from my camper van site), an up and down trail with gorgeous red rock views and the roaring Oak Creek. Today I repeated that hike after realizing that I had forgotten to re-pack my camera case in the backpack at the far end of the trail after sitting on a rock to have a snack and enjoy the raging creek. It was still there when I arrived this morning. A pattern seems to be developing here that I am not particularly proud of :-)
As a self-imposed penalty I continued my journey for several more km's with a walk into town to scout out a couple of sports bars to watch the Superbowl tomorrow, and found one that should be a blast (along with being in walking distance).

Adios for now.

My 95 year old father relaxing in a place he loves.

Kanab - old Gunsmoke TV show set

Toadstool hike - only one I discovered without snow

Another toadstool and a good view of the up and down terrain

The Watchtower at the Desert View rim of the Grand Canyon

View from the top of the tower with the Colorado River in the background

Mather Point viewing area - supporting my decision not to take the nearby Bright Angel Trail down into the canyon

Sedona - half way point on the Huckaby Trail which finished at the base of the bridge in the background beside Oak Creek

Time to Pull In for a Pit Stop

Another wonderful adventure is coming to an end. On Sunday Rachel left us to return to her home in Switzerland. Later today we start our journey home with a trolley ride to the Valparaiso bus terminal, followed by a 2 hour bus ride to Santiago, and then two flights later we will arrive home for a 6 month pit stop.

Valparaiso was a nice finishing touch for us. Since it is built on 45 different hills facing the Pacific Ocean you can get as much exercise as your heart desires just by walking around the city, and we did plenty of that. This old but lovely city has lots of history (major port city before the Panama Canal was built, home to regular earthquake activity) and not only colourful hillside houses but extremely artistic wall murals, graffiti and street art throughout the city. We also took rides on a couple of their 14 active ascensores (used to be 33 of these hillside funiculars) rather than climbing a few hundred steps on days when we wanted to save our energy to spend more time walking downhill. On another day we took a city bus to Vina del Mar (a newer beach resort town that seemed a lot older than we were there 6 years ago) and then walked back to Valpo along the coastline (15 km). When we weren't having meals at our Airbnb apartment we enjoyed some nice meals (seafood almost every day) at outdoor restaurants. And of course we had plenty of Chilean wine, known more for their Vino Blancos and Carmeneres (red).

While we had a fabulous 2.5 months in Argentina (mostly Patagonia), the entire trip highlight was Antarctica. We have some memorable stories, photos and videos of our time there and will be happy to share them with our family and friends when we get back home. Our next foreign destination is a mystery at this time (all 7 continents now explored since retirement) but you can be sure we will cook something up over the summer........we are embedded with the wanderlust gene (DRD4-7R, check it out) and travelling is always more fun without a plan anyways.

Carpe Diem.

Vina del Mar coastline, looking back towards Valparaiso.

One of Valpo's 45 hills.

An example of the street art found in Valpo. The artists get written permission from the home owner before starting and then proceed with their work.

Every street seemed to have art likes this so it was pleasurable to walk around the city.

Even the garbage trucks looked pretty. When I was about to take this picture, one of the 'sanitary engineers' ran in front to have his picture taken in front of the masterpiece.

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Colourful steps on the way to one of the many small plazas in the city, along with one of the many stray dogs. You had to be careful not to have any direct eye contact with the dogs otherwise they would follow you hoping for either a snack or to be taken home with you. All were friendly.

One of the ascensores that we took to avoid a long steep stairwell. The cost was always .20 cents and there would be two cars, one going up and another down, both at the same time.

The battle of the cervezas between Rachel and I. Mine was on the left and hers on the right.

We took a harbour cruise one day and came across a couple of harbour seals relaxing.......an looking the wrong way towards the lovely Valpo hillsides.

The Valpo mercado. We always like to visit the local markets for fresh fruit and vegetables, and occasionally some small fish (anchovies, sardines) which I enjoy.

Many More Mendoza Memories

As we prepare to leave Mendoza following our month long stay, we wish the time hadn't passed so quickly but we are departing with more good memories of this beautiful city and region. Since our daughter Rachel arrived 11 days ago, we have been busy taking her to our favourite places and seeking out more new experiences.

Beyond repeating our favourite city walks (the expansive San Martin Park, the multitude of city plazas, and the pedestrian-friendly streets), we have also made multiple trips to the Central Market and street-side dining restaurants. Another day we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art where the 3 of us could not agree on our favourite pieces of art or sculptures, but that is what art is all about. We also managed to find plenty of time to do more wine tasting, with four different day trips to Chacras de Coria (Alta Vista was great), Coquimbito (Mr. Hugo bikes to Vina El Cerno, Tempus Alba, Trapiche and finally to Entre Olivos for olive and liqueur tastings), Lujan de Cuyo (fabulous 5 course lunch with paired tastings at Lagarde), and then back to Coquimbito (Bodega La Rural wine museum, La Botella tasting room). A good time was had by all on those excursions, although we may have been over-served at some of the bodegas :-) Another time we took a bus to Cacheuta where we spent the day at the public hot springs, checking out the many pools with  their varying temperatures (hot to cold). To satisfy our hiking needs we climbed to the summit of Cerro Arco (1500 metres) which was great exercise but that was the only reward......the 'sunny with cloudy periods' forecast never developed and our view from the top was lost in the surrounding clouds and light mist. The hiking clubhouse at the base however served ice cold cervezas, and with pictures covering the walls with summit views and a model of mighty Aconcagua (western hemisphere's highest summit at 6960 metres), we could sit and enjoy our beverages imagining we had just returned from the two week treacherous climb to the summit.

The Easter holiday in Mendoza started on Thursday, with Good Friday being the most special day (almost all shops and restaurants were closed). I'm also not sure the Easter Bunny comes this far south because I couldn't find any chocolate treats on Sunday morning :-(

Tomorrow morning we check out of our lovely apartment and the three of us will head to the bus terminal where we will board the bus headed to Santiago, Chile. The 7 hour bus ride through the Andes mountains was a highlight from our first trip to South America in 2010 and we are looking forward to doing it again travelling in the opposite direction this time. From Santiago we will continue on to the beautiful coastal city of Valparaiso where we will complete our adventure.

Just another mid-day stop to replenish our energy with one litre cervezas.

Alta Vista vineyard with the Andes Mountains in the background.

Merlot grapes ready to be harvested

Old cellar at Vina el Cerno.

Preferred parking for our bicycles. I presume they consider us all handicapped drivers.

At Trapiche winery......this is the room we should have booked our month-long stay in.

The 'do not disturb' area at Lagarde winery. 'Henry' was their top of the line wine.

The grand finale at our 5 course meal with paired wines at Lagarde. The 'pig' was a napkin holder.

A peaceful protest downtown on Easter weekend.

Taken at the Wine Museum which was part of the Rutini winery. There were all sorts of cooperage tools hanging on the wall to the left of the barrels.

Reporting In

An update from Mendoza to let everyone know that all is well.

Once the Vendimia Festival ended we thought we might be able to get to bed a little earlier.....with nightly activities starting after 10 pm it led to some late nights. But it didn't quite work that way. Good friends from Calgary (Dave and Susan) rolled through the city for 4 days on their own South America trip. We got together every day (sometimes only in the evening due to daytime tours they had pre-booked), so with dinners at our place or out on the town, it was close to midnight when we shut things down after consuming lovely meals, local wines and good conversations. I'm sure it was harder on them though since they had to get up early a few mornings for their tours. We had a good time together and we hope the rest of their journey (Salta region, Iguazu Falls and Buenos Aires) goes as well as our previous visits to those places.

We played one game of golf at Golf Club Andina (established 1926). I had a great start to the 2016 season (par, birdie), but a soft finish. Rhonda had her usual early season rust (her description!). We decided to limit our golf to only one round as we weren't enamoured with the rental clubs -  and playing in the 32C temperatures.

Yesterday we finally completed our first trip to the Mendoza wineries, a much later visit than we had originally envisioned (2 weeks beyond our Mendoza arrival). We took local transportation (commuter train and bus) to Maipu, the site of the original wineries and had two excellent visits. The first was a short bus ride to Carinae (small and personal, owned by a French couple who came to Mendoza for a visit and stayed). Then we walked a further 3 km's along the road to get to Casa El Enemigo, our primary destination, and it was well worth the extra steps. Arriving without a reservation (recommended for the higher end wineries down here), we were treated very well and they created a table space for us in their crowded outdoor dining room to enjoy a delicious 5 course lunch with a wine tasting at our table that included 6 different wines. To top it off, their renowned winemaker (Alejandro Vigil, formerly from Catena Zapata) dropped by to welcome us and spend a few minutes answering any questions we had. His wines were wonderful, and I seem to have recovered my love for red wines during this trip, so I was able to join Pocahontas in enjoying the fruit of their vines. We are already looking forward to the 3 or 4 additional day-long wine trips that we will make during the next 10 days.

Tonight we will receive another treat......our oldest daughter Rachel, now living in Switzerland, is arriving for a 2 week visit to help us finish off our South America - Antarctica adventure.

Escalada de San Martin - the proper way to build a sidewalk.

A former bank building still in use. It was beautifully designed to be inset from the street corner allowing for a courtyard in front.

Plaza Espana, a lovely park near the city centre. There is colourful tile work through out the plaza commemorating the Spanish influence (including the Columbus discovery of the Americas).

After dinner one night with our good friends Dave and Susan......with the writing on the wall indicating all will be good when we eventually age.

The monument at the top of Cerro de la Gloria in the 900 acre San Martin Park which we walked all the way around one day with Dave and Susan.

During the walk up to the monument (above picture) we had a good view of the 22,000 seat amphitheatre where the main event was held during the Grape Harvest Festival (Vendimia) the previous week.

Our first course (cheese and prosciuto) during a delicious lunch at Casa El Enemigo in Maipu. The meal started with a chardonnay, followed by malbecs and malbec blends

Some leftovers from a group that were moving on to another winery. It seemed a shame that such great tasting wine would be wasted but apparently they were Canadian wine distributors and needed to retain their senses for their next visit......if only they had invited us to join their table before leaving :-(