Tag Archives: Beaver Creek

The Hana Chronicles: Month 9, Day 19

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Posted by on in children, Community, Education, Family, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Personal Values, Social, Striving, Travel

October 10, 2026- Hana’s walking effort got a boost today, in the form of a support harness. This will do two things. It’ll give her more arm and back support. It will also give her adult helper more back support. She walked about seventeen feet, with her father tending the harness. With my Red Cross Blood Donor Ambassador session today, her parents took her for a walk in the stroller. The three of them also went to H Mart, and to a car wash, which Hana thought was rather exciting.

Hana had plenty to say, at mealtime. She warmed up to the ground beef that her mother prepared for her, but didn’t take so much to the white cabbage, which is rather bland. All in all, though, my granddaughter is more inclined towards a vegetarian diet. We will see how that shakes out.

HANA’S NOTE- I was so glad to have both Mommy and Daddy on the walk this morning!

EXPANDING CIRCLES: Kansas-The Sunflower State is often the Poster Child for “flyover country”, which to me is an epithet. I have driven across much of Kansas about a dozen times. My first visit was in 1972, partly on a Greyhound bus and the rest of the way in a van that got me as far as Kansas City, MO. There were a few other van rides in the ’70s. We camped at Wa Keeney, in 1997. I explored parts of the state’s southern tier, on three different visits, finding much more variety and scenic beauty than is commonly recognized.

The Turf- Kansas is largely flat, but not as treeless as is commonly thought. The western Great Plains region is largely treeless, but has several small arroyos and canyons. The Flint Hills and Smoky Hills dominate the central part of the state, while eastern Kansas is home to many rugged hills, which are more forested. Kansas is drained by the Missouri, Kansas,Arkansas, Republican, Solomon, Neosho and Cimarron Rivers, along with their tributaries.

First Nations-Kansas is the ancestral home of the Kiowa, Comanche (Numunuu),Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kanza, Pawnee, Wichita, Otoe, Osage and Missouri peoples. Prior to Kansas’ statehood, clashes between Native peoples and the U.S. military took place at Solomon Fork (1857) and at Crooked Creek (1859). In 1867, Cheyenne and Sioux warriors attacked a unit of the U.S. Cavalry at Beaver Creek, killing 12 men. Numerous clashes continued until 1878, when the Cheyenne returned to their home in the Black hills of South Dakota. Today, the Kickapoo, Iowa, Potawatomi and Sac & Fox nations have reservations in Kansas.

Where I most feel at home- Dodge City, Hays, Sedan, Emporia, Wellington

Where I most feel at peace-The Hollow, at Sedan; Flint Hills

NEXT: We leave the Great Plains and look to the states that are drained by the mighty Mississippi-starting with Minnesota, where the Father of Waters begins.

Bell Trail

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Posted by on in Hiking and Nature, Spiritual

February 28, 2016, Rimrock, AZ- I spent yesterday, it seemed, with fork or spoon in my hand, from 2-6 P.M. There were three gatherings: The first, a lovely afternoon tea, was the big meal of the day, it turned out. Then, there was a small gathering at a local bakery (I had a cup of soup),followed by an appearance at a chili cook-off. The last one only had smatterings left, so the meal ended up being, thankfully, paltry- though, being chili, it was full-on tasty.

So, today, I headed off to visit some long-time friends near Montzeuma Well, a beautiful and refreshing extension of Montezuma Castle National Monument, on the northeast end of the town of Rimrock. Further northeast, still, lies Bell Trail, which sometimes parallels the Verde River tributary of Beaver Creek, and sometimes follows a path down to the creek.

So, after a light lunch, and visiting with the family as a group, while they put together a rabbit hutch, for Hako,

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Hako

I headed out, with one of the family members, to explore Bell Trail. The various stops,along the trail, gave much time for meditation, even as I listened to my friend’s stories of adventure, both home and in far off lands. I shared a few of my own, along the same lines.

Beaver Creek
Mogollon Rim, southeast of Bell Trail
Beaver Creek, off Bell Trail
Near Beaver Creek
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Sandstone formations, off Bell Trail
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Sandstone “fortress”, off Bell Trail.
Sandstone “castle”, Bell Trail
“Tree Arch”, framing cinder cone, Bell Trail
Beaver Creek, viewed from “The Crack”, Bell Trail
Small hideaway, Bell Trail

The trail ended at “The Crack”, an overlook and creek access point that is popular with students from Northern Arizona University, as well as local youth. The whitewater of a currently deep Beaver Creek is visible above, at lower left. While we we there, about a dozen youth were there, and several more were en route, as we took the return trail. It was tempting to get in the water, with temperatures in the upper 70’s, though when we stuck our hands in the creek, it felt like the water was about 55.   That didn’t stop some of the younger folks from jumping in, though!

The afternoon was another well-spent day on the trail. I also thoroughly enjoyed my hiking companion’s stories of time spent in China, Tibet, and the Navajo Nation. Many of the latter experiences I shared, having been among the Navajo and Hopi, for 11 years.