Saint Patrick's Day Hike

The 5 Coke Ovens

Taking a break along the trail

Horseback riders along the hiking trail

Hikers enjoying some shade before heading back out

Cactus begining to bloom on the hiking trail

Today we went on what probably was the last hike of the season here. The temperatures are getting up there, and with that comes the snakes. We did approximately 5 -6 miles today, but didn't venture off the Jeep road. No more walking through the narrow trails and climbing over the rocks. We finished the hike today at noon, and the temperatures were approaching the mid 80's. It's been in the 90 degree range the last few days.

Yesterday I got to go with the off road group again as one of the invitees had to cancel at the last minute. We went back into a canyon to an area known as the Coke Ovens. There are 5 kilns that were built in 1882 to produce charcoal from the mesquite trees that are abundant in that area. The charcoal was used in the nearby smelters to process the ore. It amazes me how they built the structures without any type of power equipment. The stone blocks are approximately 18 inches square, and the structure are about 30 feet tall.

Our friends Ron and Jan headed back to the rain of the Seattle area on Wednesday. We had a pretty busy schedule the week that they were here, and after today's hike we just pretty much kicked back for the day. We may take a little road trip tomorrow as the temperature are supposed to be cooling off by about 10 degrees for the next few days. Our next baseball game isn't until next Tuesday, and hopefully the temperatures will be comfortable.

Ernie.........................