Around the year 1085 CE, the Sunset Crater Volcano erupted. The ground split open along a great fissure nearly 6 miles long, and lava erupted out of it to heights of 850 feet or more. (The Statue of Liberty...
Porter Mountain Trails, White Mountains
Before the weeklong thunderstorm hit, we checked out the Porter Mountain Trails in Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ. These trails are part of the White Mountain Trail Network and while they weren’t as fun as the Secret Trails, they were still a...
Secret Trails Show Low
After finally leaving the Gila National Forest, we moved for a few weeks to the White Mountains of Arizona. Our boondocking spot is nestled in tall pines at around 7500′. There is a rare week-long thunderstorm expected to happen...
Saddle Mountain Gravel Ride
Blue Range Wilderness along the New Mexico/Arizona border is a gem. It’s high altitude with giant ponderosa pines. While I hiked out along Pueblo Creek, Derek rode up to the lookout on Saddle Mountain. My whole day can be...
Gold Dust Hike
New Mexico is underrated. This last 5 weeks in the Gila National Forest underscored that for me. We took a couple hours to hike the Gold Dust Trail that goes further up Whitewater Canyon from the Catwalk Trail we...
Catwalk Trail and Historic Mogollon
The Catwalk Trail The Catwalk Trail starts in Whitewater Canyon, which played a pivotal role in the mining saga of the late 1800s and early 1990s. The town of Graham was located at the mouth of the canyon where...
Mineral Creek Trail Hike
First off, I cannot say enough good things about this hike. It is off the beaten path and not on the radar of most people I’m sure, but should be. Start to finish this hike along/through/across Mineral Creek is...
Buckhorn Saloon & Opera House
historic Buckhorn Saloon and Opera House in Piños Altos, New Mexico was an awesome find. When we were in Silver City a couple years ago, it was closed because of the pandemic so we couldn’t visit. This time we...
Misc Gila National Forest
We’re nearing the end of our time around Silver City and I realized I missed a couple days of pics. None of these look terribly different then all the other photos. We’ve been above 6000′ for over a month...
Gila National Forest Hikes
Early season Gila River levels (high and fast), thwarted some of our plans but there are plenty of hiking options in the area. I don’t have much to say about them individually so I’ll lump them together. The forest...