Category Archives: Hiking and Nature

The Road to Diamond, Day 120: Williamson Valley

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Posted by on in collaborating, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

March 28,2025- We came upon a small set of petroglyphs, whilst looking for the trail to an even larger display, in Williamson Valley, a horse-breeding and ranching area, northwest of Prescott. The area between the ranches and the looming presence of Granite Mountain was once a prime hunting and farming area for the Sinagua people, who predated the Yavapai-Apache.

Petroglyphs along trail in Williamson Valley

The area experienced glacial activity around 20,000 years ago, and as the glaciers retreated, granite and limestone boulders were left behind, creating astonishing landscapes like the Granite and Willow Dells. Here, at the foot of Granite Mountain’s east face, the scenery is every bit as breathtaking.

Lichen-covered granite boulder, Williamson Valley
Boulder field, with juniper trees, Williamson Valley
Granite boulder field, Williamson Valley

We ended up not finding the larger collection of petroglyphs. That trail has been determined, though, and will be the focus of investigation, in the not too distant future. Williamson Valley’s trail system rivals that of the Granite Dells.

The Road to Diamond, Day 113: Playfulness

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

Tom Petty, Harry Chapin and Rivers Cuomo shared the stage tonight, at The Raven Cafe, or so it seemed. The three musicians who were on stage evoked those men, in style-and somewhat in voice and appearance. They played and sang under the watchful poster eyes of Carlos Santana, The Who and Twenty One Pilots. It was a satisfying evening, of both playfulness and angst. The Rivers look-alike offered light-hearted tunes about an elfin girlfriend and living out of his car, juxtaposed with a darker tune about the latter situation. “Tom” sang of being occasionally bereft of spirit and of drinking on St. Patrick’s Day. “Harry” was mainly focused on his courtship and love for his wife.

It was a fine cap to a playful day. The morning brought me back to Bear and Dragon, this time for a French omelet, that was everything such fare should be-light and fluffy, complemented by a couple of English bangers and a pair of potato galettes. My seat was at the counter, shared with the cafe’s owner, who bantered a bit, in between his business calls. Bernie, the barista, tended well to my coffee and water needs.

Next up, in the afternoon, was a revisit to Arcosanti, the experimental community that lies an hour east of Prescott. I went there to get a couple of photos to send Kathy, in advance of our friends’ visit to Arizona, the second week of April. I also wanted to walk a bit on the Visitors Trail, that leads to the base of a small mesa, on the south side of the property. Before that, I took a short break in the laid-back cafe, enjoying a matcha latte. One of the attendants had a confession to make: His matcha lattes had used 2. 5 ounces of the powder. Fortunately, his co-worker fixed mine, with a more suitable 2 teasspoons of matcha. I read somewhere that there is a shortage of matcha in Japan. Maybe overzealous baristas in the U.S. are part of the reason for that.

Such was a light-hearted day, the first of Spring.

The Road to Diamond, Day 87: Home Stretch

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Family, Hiking and Nature, impediments, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Slow Food Prescott, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

February 23, 2025- “Are you having fun yet?”, asked the random man standing at a corner, as if on guard. “All night long!”, I replied, “Have a nice night”, and kept walking, as someone striking up a conversation in the dark usually wants one of two things-neither of which is good. “Good answer”, he called from behind me. Hearing no footfalls afterward, I continued on to Home Base I, at an unhurried pace.

Days and nights, in general, around here offer a consistency. One accomplishes as much as one wants, with as much, or as little, help from others as is welcomed. That is the measure of a proper Home Base. It is a village that raises children. It is a safe place for those whose only wish is to grow old in peace. It is a forum for Right and Left alike. It is the recipient of my attention, for much of the next six months, as we anticipate a particularly challenging fire season, followed by a monsoon period, the strength of which has yet to be determined.

I will have journeys during this time: Southern California (March 10-13); Nevada (March 25-30), part of which will most likely be spent with Filipino friends who plan on visiting; eastward (May 5-23), to visit with family and friends, in the Midwest, Northeast and South. The rest of the time will be spent with my teammates in Red Cross, Farmers Market, Slow Food-Prescott and my faith community. I will get in more hikes and, given the cutbacks in National Forest personnel, be more given to taking drives to monitor abandoned campsites- shovel and jerry can on hand, to put out any lingering smolders. I will be at Coffee Klatsch most Monday mornings and Soup Kitchen most Monday evenings.

Our national government is, by default, summoning more of us to focus on the well-being of our local communities, and it may be quite surprised at just how many people care deeply-and how much they care. The last time I was this focused on Home Base was in 2020, during the midst of COVID, and I had a lot of company, between here in Prescott and in Alexandria, Louisiana, (the latter due to hurricanes that didn’t care there was a pandemic afoot.)

September will bring the seal to this Home Stretch: Farm-to-Table Dinner is returning on September 6. I will be there as a volunteer, before (world conditions permitting) heading to Europe, and possibly East Africa, for the rest of September and most of October. In the meantime, my focus is as described above.

The Road to Diamond, Day 65: Lipa

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Entertainment, Hiking and Nature, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

February 1, 2025, Manila- I have been hoping for a diversion from the turmoil back in the U.S. My friend here, who has her own priorities, gave me just such a diversion today: Six adults and a child piled into a van, and were chauffeured down to the mid-sized coffee-producing city of Lipa, which has Batangas Province’s main cathedral and is its largest city, by population.


Our first stop in town was in a gated community called Miracle Heights. There, we met our local host for the day, Marilyn, who also goes by the sobriquet Geen-Geen. After a light lunch and a visit to her son’s tattoo studio, Geen accompanied us to Casa de Segunda and to San Sabastian Cathedral. As it happened, there was a wedding just starting, but we were allowed to enter through the vast courtyard and and observed the proceedings on the sidelines. It was greatly comforting to see two people who love one another confirming that sentiment and starting their life together.

Here are scenes from Geen’s garden, from Casa de Segunda and from the Cathedral.

Dragonfruit tree, in Geen’s garden, Lipa, Batangas.

Casa de Segunda is the preserved home of the Luz-Katigbak family, having been built in the 1860’s. Segunda Solis-Katigbak was, in her youth, the first love of Dr. Jose Rizal. He went on to give his life for the cause of Philippine nationhood. She went on to marry Manuel Mitra de San Miguel-Luz, becoming with him, the parent of nine children and a patron of the arts.

The entrance to Casa de Segunda. The gate is of heavy oak.
Here is a view of the main dining room.
Here is the exterior, from the courtyard.
A local resident came along and greeted us.

At the cathedral, we noted the following views.

Porta Santa, Cathedral of San Sebastian, Lipa.
Chancery of cathedral, from courtyard
Exterior of main cathedral.

The wedding saw the cathedral at its finest.

The interior of San Sebastian’s dome.

Here is a long view of the wedding aisle.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

From the cathedral, we went to Cintai Coritos Garden, in nearby Balete. There, we enjoyed a sumptuous dinner of low mein, followed by a dessert of sticky rice dipped in chocolate. A relaxing walk in Coritos’ grounds, at dusk, finished the day.

Friends view the green lagoon at Coritos.
Here is a small pavilion shrine, which reminded some of the friends of Bali.
Here are more Bali-esque images.

The day was typically well-packed, and had the desired effect of getting me to lighten up.

The Road to Diamond, Day 63: Plan by the Numbers

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Hiking and Nature, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

January 30, 2025, Manila- Undersea salvage expert Nico Vincent long ago gave up on “Plan A”, “Plan B”, etc., explaining that such a scheme limited one to “only 26 possibilities”. Even if one used the Greek alphabet afterwards, there would be “only 50”. So, he goes with plans that are numbered. Given his line of work, the allowance for multiple plans makes particular sense. It took several people a fair number of tries, over a century or so, before Dr. Vincent and his team were successful, in finding the ice-sundered ship, Endurance, which Sir Ernest Shackleton, the legendary polar explorer, and his crew were forced to abandon in 1916. Team Vincent probably needed to get to Plan 5, before their electronic devices helped them locate the wreck.

My need for a series of numbered plans is far less consequential, but here we are. There is an offer on the table for a responsible, if voluntary, position with my Red Cross department back at Home Base I and there is everything that is here in the Philippines. I have bought time on the former, yet the clock ticks. Plan 1 is to be present for the person who most has my heart. Plan 2 would be taking no for an answer and moving on, in which case the Red Cross offer would be a good balm. There would be other plans, as always, including a blend of the first two.

We are in uncharted territory, all over the place, in this “year of completion”. All that people have been working on, since 2017, is due to be wrapped up, according to astrology and cosmology. A new cycle, it’s said is to start in 2026. I look back at the 9-year cycles in which I’ve been involved, and can see some sense in that line of thought. The present cycle saw my recovery from the residue, both physical and emotional, of seeing Penny decline and pass on. The period will conclude with my having embarked on a worthwhile endeavour, regardless of how things work out.

We simply are in an age when flexibility is especially mandatory for preserving one’s mental and emotional well-being. Besides the political chaos that is prevalent in several parts of the world, there are too many factors in the lives of those dearest to me, for me to be stuck on a given course of action and only that course of action. Then, there is Mother Nature. Case in point: A group of us were considering going to Palawan, early next week. The sea in the beach areas under consideration is roiling. God willing, our plan will be realized at another time, but it’s best to not hold on too tightly to such things.

Plans unfold, by the numbers.

The Road to Diamond, Day 47: Picketpost

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Posted by on in animal and plant life, Assistance, collaborating, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

January 14, 2025, Benson, AZ- The old centipede moved haltingly across the floor of my motel room. Whether it was its age, or the cold of the floor that stymied the creature, it was clear that the animal was not robust. I was able to get it into a trash basket, using a sheet of paper as a push vessel. From there, the centipede was placed outside, on some rocks that would warm up shortly thereafter.

I also got myself moving, a short time later, and after a light breakfast next door, at Gypsy Sisters Coffee and Tea House, it was time to head to Picketpost Trailhead, which intersects with the Arizona Trail, some five miles west of Superior. I have long wanted to climb the actual mountain by that name, but have found that the common trail at the south end of the peak is closed, due to a rock slide.

That left the magnificent Arnett Canyon, between the mountain that forms a western boundary for Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park and Picketpost Mountain’s 9-mile north to south expanse. Arnett is a mecca for wildflower enthusiasts, each Spring. Today, a good 2.5 months before any blooms appear, it was the rock formations, and small gems and minerals that commanded attention.

When I pulled into the parking lot for Picketpost Trailhead, I was pleased to see that three small groups were also preparing to take in the area. I did not want to be strictly alone for the duration of the hike. As it happened, a group of five women were on a search for Apache tears, the obsidian glass-like gems that dot the middle reaches of Arnett Canyon, near some copper mine tailings left by the predecessor of Resolution Copper, which now operates a limited enterprise east and south of Superior. They invited me to join them for a time, and I was thus able to gather nineteen of the droplets, with initial help from one of the women, who is a gemologist.

Some are, of course, shiny whilst others are rough. I may gently buff some of the less attractive stones, and leave others in a rough state.

Here are some scenes of Arnett Canyon and of its two mountain borders.

The Sun’s energy bathed Picketpost Mountain, in mid-morning.
The majestic boundary of Boyce Thompson Arboretum is crowned by sahuaros.

An exploratory cross-section shows the solidity of the sandstone that rises above Arnett Canyon.
Towering sandstone figures leave much to the imagination.
Even in this dry season, water finds a way to make its presence known.
The Telegraph Fire (2021) caused a lot of damage in Arnett and nearby Alamo Canyon. This barrel cactus has stayed alive, while bearing the scars of the blaze.
Wind can whip a fire, and it can also carry the seeds of plants over mountains. These date palms are from wind-blown seeds that came over the barrier mountain, from Boyce Thompson.
Here is a makeshift arch that someone fashioned out of cholla cactus spines.
As I came up a set of stairs, fashioned from stone, more sandstone guardians made themselves known.

Superior stands as yet another hub of wonders that dot the Southwest.

The Road to Diamond, Day 34: Year of The Open Gate

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Posted by on in children, collaborating, Community, Education, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

January 1, 2025- The format of the opening gives its message loud and clear: This is a place where YOU decide to go forward, or not. The half-gate, in Coconino National Forest, behind Sedona Red Rock Junior/Senior High School, offers entry to trails leading up Scheuerman Mountain and along the Scorpion-Pyramid route. Hiking Buddy and I chose to do the Scheuerman.

The gate that isn’t a gate.

So began the Year of the Open Gate. What I do this year is totally open-ended. I have plans and goals for the the first four weeks of the year: Spend next week working, in Prescott schools; visit friends in San Diego and Orange County, the following week; focus on Racial Healing and Justice, during Martin Luther King Day and its preceding/following days.

It is the end of January and the first half of February though, that will set the tone and the agenda, for the rest of the year and beyond. I will be in the Philippines, from January 28-February 18. That could well be the precursor to a major change in my life. The central message of a show I just finished watching, (“The Outpost”), is that each of us is responsible for making wise and independent choices, but I knew that. We will see what choices are made at that time.

Regardless, this year will see me constantly on the move-no surprise there-and ever in the company of family and friends. Plan A involves one set of moves and downsizing. Plan B involves other travel, and still some downsizing. Details will come as we go along, for reasons of prudence. This is not a year for announcing grand plans ahead of time.

In closing, here are some scenes from Scheuerman Mountain and Vista.

The icons of Sedona: Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, Courthouse Butte, Chicken Point and Airport Mesa are all visible from Scheuerman Vista.

The Road to Diamond, Day 2: Fort Worth

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Posted by on in animal and plant life, collaborating, Community, Family, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

November 30, 2024, Grapevine- Donnie Wahlberg took our order, at Tokyo Cafe, carefully serving the Miso Soup, Yakisoba, Tokyokonomiyaki (savory, creamy pancake) and eel roll. Of course, it was one of Donnie’s look-alikes. He did a fine job, bringing us our late lunch.

Yesterday was spent on the northern edge of Dallas, so today was Fort Worth’s turn. Our center was Cowtown’s Botanic Garden, a sprawling gem, whose own centerpiece is the Japanese Garden. We were set on wandering mode, starting with Tropical Garden, an indoor setting, given this area’s late Fall temperatures-soon to be followed by a wintry mix. There are both tropical and subtropical flora, including a Philippine banana tree.

Banana tree, found in the Philippines and Malaysian Borneo.

Our meanderings took us past a children’s garden, so we stopped and posed as cookies.

The Gingerbread Trio

Next, was a Kokedama Forest.

Two rows of Kokedama (above and below)

Kokedama is a Japanese botanic art, involving growing plants in a moss-covered ball of soil, contained by a web of string or monofilament fishing line.

Fort Worth has a sister city in Japan: Nagaoka. A symbol of resilience was sent to the Garden, by citizens of Nagaoka. Here is a Mikoshi, topped by the figure of a phoenix.

Most poignant is the Seven Pillars Monument, a tribute to soldiers who served in Viet Nam, in 1967. A lone soldier wrote to the people of Fort Worth, asking that someone acknowledge the sacrifices being waged by his comrades. The community responded with an outpouring of food and personal hygiene supplies. Seven of the soldiers made it home. Five did not. Thus, there are seven standing pillars and five “broken” ones.
The Call for Help, answered by Fort Worth.

This park promises to be a favourite of Aram and Yunhee. I will also want to stop by, when I am out this way next Spring.

Large koi pond, Japanese Garden

The Road to Diamond-Day 1: Cedar Ridge

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Posted by on in animal and plant life, Assistance, collaborating, Community, Family, Hiking and Nature, Personal goals, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

November 29, 2024, Grapevine- The three of us stood, overlooking Cattail Pond, as if it were the Pacific Ocean. In Dallas, any body of water will fill that bill. We took this 4-mile loop, after finishing off most of yesterday’s left overs, at today’s lunch.

Cattail Pond (Above and below)

Each trip around the Sun brings a theme, of sorts. Today begins a two-year stretch, centered on the notion of Diamond Jubilee-the road to that date (11/28/25), and the journey on the hard rock plateau, that follows the Jubilee. I’ve been asked, by at least one friend, how my travel plans are shaping up for 2025. The only things that are certain are that I will spend three weeks with my special someone and our circle of friends,in Home Base III, for three weeks: Late January to mid-February. From then on, I will again be in constant travel mode, save for a few key dates in the Spring that will tie things up at Home Base I. The scope and direction of my journeys will depend on what happens in February, but there will be much work to get done, regardless.

For the next few days, though, I am soaking up family love, at HB II. Partly because of my birthday having been celebrated and because of a general celebration of Thanksgiving, I have been in constant touch with friends in Prescott and the Philippines, and by extension, across the globe. It is salubrious and I thank everyone, near and far, who has taken the time to honour my life. It takes three seconds to type a “Thank you”, so that’s what I’ve done. (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, by contrast, wrote out hundreds of Thank You notes, in pen and ink, after each event to which she was invited, or which was held in her honour. She always was, and is, the gold standard).

Cedar Ridge is a remnant of glacial fingers extending down into the north Texas prairie, and leaving this pleasing network of hillocks and ravines, as a contrast to the sweeping riparian Plains. We had our share of short, but steep, climbs and descents. Thanks to the Audubon Society, I can’t think of a better way to “recover” from Thanksgiving Feast, part I and part II.

The sweep of Cedar Ridge Preserve, Dallas

Shining Through The Ages

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

November 6, 2024- The road winds around, taking vehicle and walker alike down the hill, from the center of Jerome to Douglas Mansion, the home of Jerome State Park. In a center room on the first floor, the world of magnificent colour greets the viewer, from the safety of a locked case.

These glorious minerals, the product of high volcanic heat, come to us from a time when even the dinosaurs were still ages from appearing on Earth. The Cambrian, Ordovician and Silurian Eras were times of giant ferns, dragonflies the size of sparrows and scorpions the size of cats. These were collectively known as the Carboniferous Period, when heat and compression began to fuse minerals into gems, and transform plant and animal matter into petroleum.

I never get tired of any display of bright colours, and minerals are especially appealing, because of their longevity. That same longevity puts our perceived woes and concerns of this day and age into a very bright perspective.

In yesterday’s presidential election, a majority of voters freely chose to put the brakes on what they perceived as frenetic social change. They appeared to be opting for a “wagons in the circle” approach, the majority within this majority trying to at least buy some time, so that the changes that are buffeting the planet now may at least become manageable, comprehensible.

Real change, however, happens in stages, is often imperceptible and is definitely not easily counteracted. From the evolution of rocks and minerals into gems to the arc of human history, no impediment to change is very effective in the fullness of time.

I went to Jerome today, for the very reason of focusing on this feature of change, from the perspective of natural history. Minerals never disappoint. They shine outwardly to us, through the ages.