Prescott, AZ or is it "Preskitt" as the locals say

We had wanted to visit Prescott for quite some time. Last fall, we had cancelled our reservations for Point of the Rocks Campground and decided to give it another try. A hiking path connected Watson Lake hiking trails and the campground. The Granite Dells around Watson Lake and Willow Lake are enchanting whether we were hiking biking or kayaking.

Prescott Peavine and Iron King trails were rails to trails that get plenty of use by the locals. We rode out from the campground to these trails without a problem other that the huge sticker patch we ended up in on our first ride. Fortunately, the no tubes in our tires did their job pretty well.

The 5.2-mile Peavine Trail begins just south of Watson Lake at the gravel parking lot by the lush Watson Woods Riparian Preserve.

All along this route, water leaches from cracks in the rock walls and hearty flowers—red and yellow—pop from the crevasses.

There was plenty of water fowl and turtles as we rounded the preserve.

The trail follows the former Santa Fe, Prescott & Phoenix Railway corridor that fed into Prescott, once the territorial capital of Arizona and famous for its copper mining. Wooden decking and railroad ties lie scattered along the trail. At Mile 3 and the "Point of Rocks," is the railroad's ghost . Here the trail passes through a cut made for trains in a tall, sheer rock cluster. A trailside historical marker shows the identical view, some 100 years prior. In the photo a hulking engine chugs through the same pass. It's a humbling reminder of how, in some places, time does stand still.

A visit to the historical old town section was up next. After walking around the town, we stopped in The Palace Saloon which is basically a museum. While waiting for our snack, we took some time to check out the place. Not much had changed from the old pictures on the walls.

This looks just like Watson Lake but is Willow Lake across the road from us. 

Prescott Pow Wow and Gourd Dance were happening in the park. We passed on the Fry Bread this time.

Flagstaff, AZ and Red Mountain

We had been hit quite a bit of rain and we like hiking in the cloud. Red Mountain hike sounded like a good place to check out 30 miles north of Flagstaff which was new for us. The leaves on the mountains we passed were changing since fall is in the air.

 Red Mountain is a volcanic cinder cone that rises 1,000 feet above the surrounding landscape. It is unusual in having the shape of a "U," and in lacking the symmetrical shape of most cinder cones. A large natural amphitheater cuts into the cone's northeast flank. Erosional pillars called "hoodoos" in the amphitheater, and many dark mineral crystals erode out of its walls made for an interesting hike that wasn't long but interesting.

This hike took us to one of the most interesting reminders of the Flagstaff area's volcanic past.

We started off in a pinion/juniper forest. The first 2/3's of the hike followed an old primitive road, the last part of the hike follows a wash lined with volcanic cinder sand. Just before entering the cinder cone the forest type changes form juniper/pinion to ponderosa pine forest. We kept getting peeks of what was next to come.

Near the end of the trail we climbed a 6 foot ladder between two  volcanic formations and found ourselves within a landscape of rock spires and sheer cliff walls.

The hike was easy and flowers in bloom after all of the recent rain. The rocks almost looked medieval.

It was fun checking out the nooks and crannies. 

Mike noticed this tarantula walking along the road. We waited until he passed so we wouldn't smash him and his bluish legs.

The drive back to Flagstaff was quite pleasant with the changing leaves. Fall is definitely in the air.