Last year the outdoor group at North Ranch made a run up Harquahala Mountain and we went along in the jeep as we had no way to trailer our ATVs at that time. There were probably 40 people making the trip last year, today there were eight of us—what a difference—a good difference!! Tom and Sandy were our leaders followed by Geri and Larry. A new to us couple came along too, Dell and Judy.
The trip to the summit is 10 miles with an elevation gain of 3800 feet!! The road is rough in spots and very good in other areas. With all our conferencing talks it took us two hours to reach the summit--
I’m glad I wasn’t riding a mule and although I love to hike an elevation gain of 3360 feet just might be a bit too much for this hiker!
The Harquahala Mountains were mined and ranched in years past—if these rock walls could talk I bet we could hear the old miners talking about all the silver they found!
The old tin building in the above photo is still standing at the summit. The cowboy just thought he had solar panels, look at all these HUGE panels! The next photo tells the story for the panels.
If you look closely at some of the photos you will see we lost the cowboy today—or at least his hat. It was COLD this morning and very, very windy. We all dressed in many layers and on the way to the top Michael had to give up and put his cowboy hat away—a first—the wind was just blowing too hard for a hat and he ended up wearing a knit cap I had brought along.
Who knew you could cook lunch on the muffler of an ATV??? By the time we reached the summit Geri’s sandwich was warm and toasted—
It was a fabulous day even if it was the coldest day we’ve ever been out on the ATVs. We had a great time and thanks so much Tom and Sandy!
The highway which takes you to Harquahala Mountain from Aguila, AZ is called Eagle Eye Road—here’s the eagle eye--
and every Tuesday in Aguila there is a flea market which also sells produce along with the other junk stuff. We found tomatoes for $1/basket, bell peppers, 2/$1, a huge bag of oranges for $6—good stuff!
A very good day in the Arizona desert!
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I remember those great views from atop Harquahala Mountain from when Kelly & I Jeeped up there a few years back. Our day was much warmer than your day though by the looks of it. I never would have recognized Mike with that sock hat on...............
ReplyDeleteNice ride!! How funny you should mention Aquila! One of the contestants on The Voice is from there! Her family grows cantaloupe. I've never heard of the little town until today!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you mention the toasted sandwich ala muffler. I found an old book called -Manifold Destiny- (subtitled "The one! The Only! Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine!), published in 1998. The two authors (roadie chefs?) were rally drivers who published this cookbook on how to use aluminium foil and the heat from the car engine to cook such delights as "Cutlass Cod Supreme," and "Cruise-Control Pork Tenderloin." For more plebeian tastes,there is even a recipe for Hot Dog Surprise. They had to drive a lot of miles to generate the heat needed. It's a fun little book.
ReplyDeleteMIke in a toque and a sandwich cooked on a muffler! Now that was quite the day!
ReplyDeleteBack in the day we got to be pretty good at cooking on a manifold, grilled cheese, beans, soups, etc. Not to many comments on my resort attire and I'll lay off the toque stuff. But I know a cowboy from Montana has had those on before anyway.
ReplyDeleteYour pics from the top of the trail are wonderful - I love the blue valley below :-) That peak has certainly seen its share of uses over the years. Like the mining camp, I bet it could tell great stories from over the decades!
ReplyDeleteThat ride looks too cold for me, but I enjoyed the view from the top.
ReplyDeleteYou know it is a rough ride if you have to abandon the cowboy hat!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great and informative ride. Many of our trails are much shorter because logging is done in sections. But a few do have extensive roads connecting between old and new cut blocks. Then you can get a longer ride to more viewpoints. - Margy
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