Before we left on our trip, the long-range weather forecast was for above-normal temperatures for the Southwest and below-normal precipitation. Boy have the weather experts been wrong. January has been cool with record-breaking rain.

Sunday, Jan. 15

The forecast here at Usery Park for today was for rain all day. It luckily held off for us to get in a morning hike. We spent the rest of the day watching NFL games, while Carol and Lois complained about the ugly, gray skies. On a quick afternoon walk, we ran into a fellow Ohio couple from Kent. The heavy rains started in the evening and continued right up to bedtime. 

Monday, Jan. 16

The insane rain overnight didn’t allow us to get much sleep. We stayed in bed much later than normal until there was a short dry period to take the dogs out. Just as I got back in the door, the downpours started up again. Not wanting to do any outdoor activities, we drove into town to do a little shopping. 

Tuesday, Jan. 17

Sunshine is very helpful in warming up the RV on a cold morning. We started off on morning hikes with two layers, but quickly shed, despite the cool temperatures. Today was my big mountain climbing day.Windy Cave trail zig-zagged me up an 80-foot, mountain to a cave near the top. The climb was a good workout and the beauty of the mountain kept getting better. Expecting a deep cave into the mountain, I only found a large carving into the rock – a big overhang. Carol had hot tea sitting on the counter when I returned.

Click on this link for more pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/SK48fvLHRGu78HUAA

At 10:00, we took the dogs out before bedtime. Walking in the dark under a glowing sky, we heard a nearby hoot. We walked in the direction of the noise and found an owl sitting in a tree by our site. Both of us reached for our phones to take a picture and discovered we each had left them in the Ham. By the time Carol had retrieved hers from the Ham, the owl was gone – but not our memory.

Wednesday, Jan. 18

We found out this morning that the campground that we left on Friday, Catalina SP, had been flooded from Sunday night’s rain. The trickling wash that Christy and I played in was now a raging river. The wash had overflowed and now separated the campground from the entrance. 300 campers were stranded until the water receded.

We hadn’t been to the popular McDowell Mountain campground in two years, so we were excited to return again. Before going there, we were going to find some wild horses at Salt River in Tonto National Forest. The beauty there was everything that we had been told. We did lunch at Pebble Beach Recreation Area but didn’t find any horses. At Coon Bluff, we spotted a horse in the distance, walking away from us. Wanting a picture, I dropped Christy’s leash at Carol’s feet and took off running. The horse had stopped so I was gaining on it until it saw me making a fool of myself. I ended up getting a great picture of its butt.

Satisfied with our horse sighting, we decided to start our short drive to McDowell Mountain. As we weaved between one beautiful mountain after another we noticed a group of cars pulled off of the road. When we slowed down, we found a huge herd of wild horses. I got out of the Ham and joined all of the other crazy people that had never seen a horse before and started taking pictures.

Click on this link for more pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/vW1jwskZQXBGTj3w9

After getting set up in our new campground, we took the girls for a hike.The dogs always get thirsty in this dry air, so we take water and a collapsible bowl. While stopping to give the dogs a drink, another dog and his owner surprised us on the trail. Lucy went into one of her barking fits and wouldn’t stop. I was standing there with a bowl full of water and thought that throwing it in her face would surprise her and make her stop. It didn’t work. She jerked away and all of the water landed on Carol’s leg. I’ll guess I’ll be sleeping in the bunk by myself tonight.

Thursday, Jan. 19

Ever since last Friday, it’s been cold in the Southwest. Highs in the low 50’s and lows around 40. With the wind and some clouds, it’s just not enjoyable to sit outside. 

We did our morning hike dressed in winter gear. It felt good back in the sun-warmed Ham when we returned. This park has the best biking trails, but my legs were still tired from my mountain hike the other day, so it was another day of rest.

Friday, Jan. 20

My bike ride was shortened this afternoon because of the cool temperatures and a strong breeze. I wanted to go further, but it just was not fun.

This evening, we went to dinner with our hometown neighbors, Kathy and David, and Kathy’s son, Erich, and his wife, Gina, from Phoenix, at a restaurant in Fountain Hills. We sat outside on their patio, in front of the fireplace, with patio heaters around us. The Mexican food was great and the visit with our friends was even better.

Saturday, Jan. 21

We saw on the news this morning that campers at Catalina SP were finally able to leave the park.

Another beautiful, sunny morning, but another day of winter coats for our morning hike. We spent the rest of the day playing on our electronic devices and looking out the windows at the sunlit scenery.

Before supper, Christy and I took a walk around the campground. I started talking to a fellow camper working on his trailer. He invited Christy and me onto his site for a beer. Since I don’t like beer and Christy recently quit drinking, we stood there and talked. While exchanging information about ourselves, I discovered that he graduated from Wadsworth High School, just 5 miles from our home and his uncle owned the famous 1-star Berlin Motel on the Norton line. What were the chances? 

Sunday, Jan. 22

It might go down to the upper 20’s tonight and tomorrow, our last here, the high is only going to be in the 40s. If I’m going to take a bike ride to the mountain, today is my last chance. 

The 400-foot, 3-mile climb took me close to the mountain and took about one-and-a-half hours. At an intersection of a few trails, was a shelter for bikers to rest and share stories. The skeleton on the roof was supposedly a monument of an unfortunate, fellow biker that went off the trail. The turns, dips, and obstacles made the ride challenging, yet fun. After taking some pictures before returning to the Ham, I got to really enjoy the ride during the long 400-foot descent. The turns and the dips came faster and faster. It was exhilarating! I’ll let you guess what Carol had sitting on the counter when I returned.

Click on this link to view more pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/DuK9RUgpM9MrYZBr8