Labor Day Weekend Ranch Trip, 2009
Click on any picture to enlarge...
I think that we always go up to the ranch on Labor Day weekend. This is a good idea. Unfortunately, this ranch trip we took WAY too many pictures. One of the reasons (only one of many) that we have too many pictures is that we took several little mini-trips during our little vacation. Fortunately, these little mini-trips also break up the endless deluge of photographs, so I've provided the following links, to help you get around this way-to-big page a little more quickly:
Mountain Climbing Trip
Springerville, Az Trip
Salt Lake, NM Trip
Another problem. We stopped by Wilbur's to get groceries on the way up. Unfortunately, when we left, I thought Ne--ie had Mooms and Button, and Ne--ie thought that I had Mooms and Button. We did not realize until we had gotten all the way to the ranch. Another trip into town for me! One more thing... A few of the photos got "stretched". I still have to figure out how to get my scripts to "know" when they are dealing with a sideways photo...

I don't know why my family keeps taking pictures on the way up...







STRETCH PHOTO!



Um. Our cars. Neat.

Why do we have these photos?









Not sure why we need a picture of our "Flower Power Tower" either.

Much less two...

My wife still likes to take pictures of clouds. Lots of cloud pictures in here. This will be the last time I comment on them.











Also don't know why we have so many pictures of this poor, hapless, beatle.













































I love cooking hot-diggities.



Nettie made hats this trip.














Trip to North Carizzo Ranch
On our first full day at the ranch, the kids wanted to back to the mountains on the northwest corner of Carrizo Ranch, and climb. I was happy to take them there. It's a pretty area, and the climb is fun.

At the bottom.











Climbing up is fun (I already wrote that).

You get yourself into all sorts of cracks.



Finally, at the top.

Resting at the top.

We climbed down a different way. Mooms found this throne.

HI!!!!

A Mooms-seat.





Back to the cloud pics...



























We did plenty of shootin' this weekend. This one is a great photo. See the shell casing flying? Notice the beginnings of the kick (the gun is starting to move up)?

We decided to finally hike over and see the "Five Tree Fort". As the name suggests, a fort that the kids found, made of five trees. All of these shots are on our property.

Nettie's favorite dead tree (no kidding -- she really has a favorite dead tree).

This is "Heidmann Wash". We can name it, cuz, well, we own it.













We found this big ol' horny toad (really, they are lizards, not toads).

This is cruelty to animals.

A stick!

Another stick,



The "Five Tree Fort". The funny thing about this is that it is actually not on our property (by only a few yards).



Another fort (I guess).











You can tell this picture was originally sideways.







Mormon Tea!











I have no idea what these pictures are.









The kids stole the camera and took these while Nettie and I were on a walk. On that walk, we came across a prairie rattle snake. The stupid dogs both stuck their stupid snoots right into the thing and sniffed it, even as it was rattling and we were yelling.











More hats.




Trip to Spingerville
The next day, we decided to drive to Springerville to see the Casa Malpais ruins, visit Western Drug, and see the wetlands. Unfortunately, our trip to Casa Malpais was cancelled because of the rain, but we got to see the little museum.

For those of you who have not been to Western Drug (and who hasn't?), it is a really big drug store, with all sorts of guns, ammo, hunting gear, fishing rods and tackle, and all manner of stuff. I like the place. So does Nettie. She took lots of pictures (below).

Finally, we stopped at the wetlands and got, well, wet. It was raining, but not too hard. Pretty place. Photos below.

RAIN!

These pictures were taken between St. Johns and Springerville.









HI!!!

In Springerville.



Hmm - a parking lot.

Here begins the great collection of Western Drug photos.



























Here ends the great collection of Western Drug photos.



At the Casa Malpais museum.



Inside the Casa Malpais museum.









































At the wetlands.

The official sign.





The Little Colorado River. Yes a river. Can't you just sense what is coming?

HI!!!











































































The kids are getting close to the river. Can't you just feel what is coming?







Oh boy (literally). Here we go!

A narrow escape.

Here we go again.







Here it is! You all knew this was going to happen!







This would a marsh. The thing about marshes, is that they are wet. The thing about kids in marshes, is that they are wet.

















Roo, Button, and I went for yet another hike in search of the now infamous, lost mystery cabin. We didn't find it, but it was a good hike!

We found this road. I didn't know this road was here (I do now).

Meanwhile, Nettie was taking pictures of clouds.





And our burn barrell (but I can't tell why).

And our woodpile.





The BOY!

A Tree!



A very ugle dead tree. Actually, this is a "push tree", so named because it was pushed out of the way to make the road.





Our little slice of heaven!

Beetle.

Road.









Our railroad ties.

Tree.

HI!!!



Kids like dirt.

























No, it wasn't really this cold!


Trip to Salt Lake, New Mexico
On our last full day at the ranch, we decided to attempt to find Salt Lake, in New Mexico (and we did find it). This ended up being the best part of the whole trip, in my opinion. See below.

This is the road, while still in Arizona. An impressive dirt road, if you ask me...

At the state line.

New Mexico scenery.





The drive (one way, about 35 miles of dirt roads) turned out to be a lot muddier than planned. This was a bit concerning, because this was so far out there that there was no cell phone signal, and noone hardly ever comes this way. If we had gotten stuck (in our minivan), I'm not sure what else I could have done but sit there an hope against hope that someone would happen along.

Muddy road.







Mooms!

This is it! The great (NOT) Salt Lake of New Mexico. Believe it or not, this lake was once the subject of a protracted court fight. If you are curious, click here.

At Salt Lake...

See the mud? Poor minivan. What did I do to it?



























At the edge of Salt Lake.



Also at the edge of Salt Lake.

More Salt Lake.









One last Salt Lake pik.

On the way back from Salt Lake, we stopped to climb a mountain. Here's Nettie at the bottom.



Half way up...









At the top! Nettie made it!!!





While the rest of the family waited at the top. I hustled down to take this picture from the bottom.

Also at the bottom, my kids found these petroglyphs. A really cool find! I had to take two pictures (this and the next) to get them all.



Another find on the way back. We found a dam (about five miles into New Mexico), used to create this wetland. We checked it out.















At the dam.











The spillway.

Meanwhile, Ne--ie was taking pictures of clouds with the other camera.







This is a picture of the stream on the other side of the dam.

This really pretty (painted desert like) mountain was just opposite the wetland.









A New Mexico truck.



Take a close look. They just don't make bridges like this anymore.







Roo shooting General Sherman. She got two bulleyes, at 100 yards, by the way.







Building a tunnel.

Rainbows (those dots are raindrops on my lens).





















What happend to little boys when they mess with their dads.

No idea.