Tom or Steve August 1997 Fat Man's Pass Pima Canyon.jpg
WRONG PLACE!
Tom or Steve August 1997 Fat Man's Pass Pima Canyon back of photo.jpg

superstitions cougar.jpg


Santa Saguaros Superstitions.jpg


Tom or Steve August 1997 Fat Man's Pass Pima Canyon back of photo.jpg

When I was 7 an Indian guy told us a flood myth in Arizona. The tribe went to the top of the Superstition Mountains to avoid the rising water.

"They all feared that the waters would soon reach the crest and drown them," he continued. "Therefore, they they decided to send down a dog to see if the water was still rising. The dog headed down a trail and disappeared. Hours passed by. Hours! Finally, they could hear the footsteps of the dog slowly approaching. When the dog arrived, it sat down in front of them.
"'The water is going down,' it said.
"Everyone was so surprised to hear a dog speak that they turned into stone, and even today if you look up, you can see people made of stone standing on the crest of the Superstition Mountains."
https://www.tomhascallcole.com/
CHAPTER 23 FROM MY BOOK CLICK!

PARECE QUE FUERA AYER
IT SEEMS LIKE ONLY YESTERDAY

Índice/Table of Contents

Agradecimientos    4
Acknowledgments    5
Introducción    6
Introduction    7
1. Pájaros de misterio    1
1. Birds of Mystery    2
2. ¿Fue un desaire?    9
2. Was it a Snub?    10
3. Cannery Row    13
3. Cannery Row    14
4. Solo una casualidad interesante    25
4. Just an Interesting Happenstance    26
5. El feliz vagabundo    31
5. The Happy Wanderer    32
6. "Lloriquear" e "influenza"    35
6. "Whine" and "Influenza"    36
7. La Charca Faro    39
7. Headlight Pond    40
8. El botulismo aviar    49
8. Avian Botulism    50
9. Carta a la hija del artista    55
9. Letter to the Artist's Daughter    56
10. Ordenando datos    63
10. Sorting Data    64
11. Mi tatara-tatara tatarabuelo    77
11. My Great-Great-Great Grandfather    78
12. Un aventón    81
12. A Ride    82
13. Relámpago Blanco    85
13. White Lightning    86
14. Pichones fantasmales    89
14. Ghostly Pigeons    90
15. Eddie Basha y el truco vaquero    97
15. Eddie Basha and Cowboy Shtick    98
16. La cara en Marte    105
16. The Face on Mars    106
17. Mi hombro cíborg    111
17. My Cyborg Shoulder    112
18. La carta de la actriz    149
18. The Letter to the Actress    150
19. Pumas    159
19. Mountain Lions    160
20. Dios mío, ¿es eso un cuervo?    167
20. My Goodness! Is that a Crow?    168
21. Las Montañas Estrellas    171
21. The Estrella Mountains    172
22. Ojo de awa    177
22. Water Well    178
23. Guías Indios    185
23. Indian Guides    186
24. Ocho sucesos raros    195
24. Eight Strange Incidents    196
25. La cazadora furtiva    209
25. The Poacher    210
26. La edición pirateada    213
26. The Highjacked Edition    214
27. Tres historias de fantasmas    217
27. Three Ghost Stories    218
28. El taller de guitarras de Juan Roberto    223
28. Juan Roberto's Guitar Works    224
29. ¿Quién es un buen perro?    227
29. There's a Good Dog!    228
30. La naranja vieja    229
30. The Old Orange    230
31. El planeta de basura    233
31. Garbage World    234
32. Lassie vuelve a casa    237
32. Lassie Come Home    238
Del mismo autor/By the Same Author    241

ON THE APACHE TRAIL NOVEMBER 2009           
   

1.

2. superstition.jpg 3. superstitions cougar.jpg 4. 5. tom steve dits White Tennis Shoes Superstitions April 30, 2005.jpg 6. saguaros superstitions.jpg 7. tom superstitions red flannel shirt January 2006.JPG.jpg 8. Superstitions saguaro flower May 3, 2019.jpg 9. 11. Stone Indians Superstitions May 3, 2019.jpg 1. Pinacate beetle oct 20 2012 superstition mountains 2. superstition.jpg 3. superstitions cougar.jpg 4. Superstitions Saguaros Feb 25, 2013.jpg 5. tom steve dits White Tennis Shoes Superstitions April 30, 2005.jpg 6. saguaros superstitions.jpg 7. tom superstitions red flannel shirt January 2006.JPG.jpg 8. Superstitions saguaro flower May 3, 2019.jpg 9. Stone Indians Superstitions May 3, 2019.jpg 10. Superstitions Saguaros Feb 25, 2013.JPG.jpg 11. Superstitions Hog Canyon Hike 2009.jpg 12. ruins clif dwelling adobe superstitions sept 2003.jpg 13.

12. Superstitions Saguaros Feb 25, 2013.JPG.jpg Superstitions Saguaros Feb 25, 2013.jpg 13. Superstitions Hog Canyon Hike 2009.jpg 14. ruins clif dwelling adobe superstitions sept 2003.jpg 15. Superstitions Saguaros Feb 25, 2013 again.jpg 16. Superstitions Saguaros Feb 25, 2013.JPG (1).jpg 17. 18. Stone Indians Superstitions May 3, 2019b.jpg 19. Superstitions December 28, 2005 Ditsworth.jpg 20. Dits steve 2003 superstition death march.JPG.jpg 21. Pinacate beetle oct 20 2012 superstition mountains -poster.jpg 22. 23. Ghostly Indians Superstitions.jpg 24. Superstitions Saguaros Feb 25, 2013.JPG (1).jpg 16. Stone Indians Superstitions May 3, 2019b.jpg 17. Superstitions Saguaros Feb 25, 2013 againBIG.jpg 18. Superstitions December 28, 2005 Ditsworth.jpg 19. Dits steve 2003 superstition death march.JPG.jpg 20. Pinacate beetle oct 20 2012 superstition mountains -poster.jpg 21. Ghostly Indians Superstitions.jpg 22. 23. Superstition Mountains Hike GPS Info March 12-13 2005.jpg 24. Superstitions cholla May 3, 2019smaller.jpg 25. Superstitions Saguaros Feb 25, 2013big.jpg 26.

26. Superstition Mountains Hike GPS Info March 12-13 2005.jpg 27. Superstitions cholla May 3, 2019smaller.jpg 28. SUPERSTITIONS GOOSE WATER RANCH FEB 2013..jpg 29. White Tennis Shoes Superstitions Steve Tom May 1, 2005.jpg 30. Triops superstitions.jpg 32. Only trash found May 3 hike superstitions tom and dits.jpg 33. CARDINAL AT THE SUPERSTITIONS2.jpg 34. White Tennis Shoes Superstitions Ditsworth, Tom Cole April 30, 2005.jpg SUPERSTITIONS GOOSE WATER RANCH FEB 2013..jpg 27. White Tennis Shoes Superstitions Steve Tom May 1, 2005.jpg 28. Triops superstitions.jpg 29. Only trash found May 3 hike superstitions tom and dits.jpg 30. CARDINAL AT THE SUPERSTITIONS2.jpg 32. White Tennis Shoes Superstitions Ditsworth, Tom Cole April 30, 2005.jpg SUPERSTITION JOURNAL FILTERED FOR SALLY AND SUPERSTITIONS    11_11_11_11 Clock.jpg                                                             OpticalYuccaSmaller.jpg     Superstitions    11/11/2007    Sally and Steve and I went. Jeff didn't make it. We hiked to Garden Valley and then to Hackberry Springs. Very invigorating and I am tough as a nail. I wore the white tennis shoes I bought in September of 2003. They hurt a bit and first and I think this is their last outing. We saw a velvet ant and a TARATULA, which tried to kill me. Superstitions    03/15/2008    Darn it. I didn't write them down and I can't remember. Was there a good sighting? Sally and Steve and I went. We went clean to the stock tank at Indian gardens and out the Hackberry springs exit and over the hill to the parking lot where I parked my car. This parking lot was the overflow one. 2125 North Villas Lane    4/1/2010    Sally was here because she and steve and dits are going on an overnighter in the superstitions and I don't get good friday off. Elliot and Cooper Roads    4/4/2010    Steve and Sally and Dits were in the Superstitions because they got Good Friday off. I whipped out here after a day of writing my screenplay. Superstitions    5/8/2010    OVERNIGHTER    Sally and Steve and I went clean to SECOND WATER SPRINGS. Long hike. 2 1/2 hours. HOT. Rather birdy. Frogs croaking in the water but quit later at night. Steve didn't bring his good slappin' bug so he was cold. I had my pillow and my chair. I read First Grade in 1956. It was very pretty. Superstitions    10/23/2010    Sally and Steve and I went. We went up an arroyo to camp. We found a three-Eyed Triops Tadpole Shrimp Lepidurus triops. I had always wanted to see one. Lots of tarantula hawks. No mosquitos, so we didn't have to "BUG UP." A nice tarantula visited us. The T. hawks didn't get him. I had Chef Boyardee spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. I had one tomato beer (Bud Chelada) and Cuba libres. No coyotes. There was a full moon that was so bright we hated it. Sally froze. She had a lousy bolsa de dormir. sleeping bag. In the morning, there was a LOT of wet dew over everything. A mountain lion (puma, cougar) came to visit us while we slept. It left tracks all over. My camera wasn't working half the time. I slept and had all kinds of dreams. Oh, it was nice! We went to a Mexican restaurant place. They guy there had been here thirty years and his English stank. Superstitions    3/14/2011    Sally and Steve and I went to Boulder Canyon and camped by amoeba Creek and Giardia Lakes. A skunk visted sally at night. It was not too cold but we were still chilly in the morning. The sun was not too hot, but we drank lots of water because of Mr. Yellowface. A couple walked through our camp and some old guys passed by above. Aside from that, there was no one there. We heard poor wills and an owl which I'm calling a Great-horned owl. I ate Tamales. I brought vodka, but I didn't drink much. I didn't like it very much. I had my lawn chair. Heavy pack. I FORGOT MY BINOCULARS AND MY CHEEZ-ITS! We slept from 8:30 to 6:30 or so. Nice sleeping. I snored little. Sally brought some white wine. No snakes. No coyotes. We took Steve's car. There were lots of retired people hiking and few young people. After the trip on the 15th, I taught a guitar class and then went to Bunna Coffee and played "Tree in the Meadow," "Without a Song," and "Everyone Says I Love You." The guy in the wheel chair brought a Mexican strat. Adolpho played it at the end. Superstitions    4/2/2011    Sally came. Sonny had trouble with his powerpoint presentation. We heard the poorwill. We camped in the same place as last time. It was NOT COLD AT NIGHT. Some wind was noisy. I read "The Heathen" by Jack London. We stopped at that antique place and bought a clipper ship painting for Dits. I wanted it myself.  BATS BATS BATS AT NIGHT. Elliot and Cooper Roads    11/10/2011    Sally came with me. Sally just came back from Flag, where she met with Wendy and they closed up the house. Hope the water heater doesn't break. She flaked on the trip to the Superstitions fearing rain. Superstitions    10/19/2012    I found Jim Greentree, an 81-year-old man under a bush in the Superstition wilderness, lost and dying of dehydration miles from his truck. He was from BC and had never hiked in the desert before. It was hot. He couldn't even swallow his raisins because his throat was dried up. We gave him ice water and candy. He barfed it up but drank some more. We were the only ones who walked down that trail that day. He hadn't seen a soul out there all day and had been walking in circles. He'd made it down into a canyon and done the tough hike back out but couldn't go any farther. Bill and Dits walked back with him to the car which took a couple of hours. The old fellow rallied and they told him to set the pace and then they couldn't keep up with him. He will likely be able to attend our funerals-- that is if he stays out of the desert. This was the time I put my pack next to a black-tailed rattlesnake. Sally and Steve and Bill and Dits and I went. We saw a wildcat track. We walked to the Indian paint mine and afterwards I fell asleep while everyone was gabbing, but I kept sleeping. I dreamed the first night that a snake was coming at me and I screamed and woke everyone up. It was a tough hike out to Hackberry Springs. Hot. Rough. I hate snakes. Elliot and Cooper Roads    4/5/2013    I decided not to walk. Didn't feel like it. I read El Naufragio del Stefano. Some guy was there taking pictures. He was a computer programmer guy with a card. Knew nothing about birds. He went to the Water Ranch afterwards. I played last night at the Downunder, and Brandon came with some girl who was young but knew all the old songs and was into swing dancing. Sally is here today because we're going hiking in the Superstitions tomorrow. She's at the library. Nice, sunny weather. Beer night tonight. I finished the first draft of the transformation of the screenplay The Reluctant Cowboy to a short story. It's 69 pages long. Not that short. Superstitions    4/6/2013    Steve and Sally and Dits and I went. I drove everyone in my truck. We went to Boulder Canyon. NO SNAKES SEEN. Ten preppies from Chicago were being chaparoned by two teachers. They camped near us. I had to take off my flannel shirt at night because I was too hot. Woke up with Acid Reflux. Dits drank SCOTCH! Dits had EVERYTHING. My air mattress went flat. Must fix. Long hike. Went to the Mexican place afterwards, but it was out of business so we went to another that didn't have air conditioning. Ate too much. Western Canal    4/14/2013    I met Jan at Dobson and Western Canal and we road our bikes all the way to E&C Roads and then to Gilbert. Later I road my bike to Whole foods and came back at night. Jan gave me a bike!!  Sally's expression at the superstitions: a dog's dinner. You made a dog's dinner out of this!

Generic No Bird,09/30/1989,Superstitions,Got this from my journal.

Superstitions    09/30/1989    We got up early and went to the mining camp restaurant, where Larry and Dole and crowd were waiting for us.  We walked up in the desert for the fourth or fifth annual Vino y Bolillos hike.  Larry is fifty-one years old.  We sat up there and drank wine.  A blond principal from Deer Valley Junior High was there.  Everyone felt that they were duty bound to be on the best of behavior. This made things temporarily unpleasant up in the mountain. We went over to Peggy's brother's and played the guitars.  We played Roll over Beethoven and other songs in preparation for theHalloween party in Payson this year.  It is called the annual Chihuahua Drop. 

Generic No Bird,02/24/1990,Superstitions,Got this from my journal.

Superstitions    02/24/1990    We took the guitars and Noodles to the Superstitions area and attended a party for John Dole's fortieth birthday.  I went and got some gneiss and schist and stuff.  There were good rocks in the arroyos.  It was pretty desert.  Noodles got stuck in some cholla.  A big ball of cholla got stuck in Noodle's tail.  It was practically invisible in the hair as big as it was.  Steve combed it out with one stroke and one loud squeak.  We later found out that Dole had recommended that dogs be left at home because of the cholla problem.  Noodles was the only K-9 there. 

Generic No Bird,04/25/1990,Superstitions,From the journal.

Superstitions    04/25/1990    Just a quick update.  Last week, Bill Williams came to Tempe from Australia.  I lost my keys but had already planned to meet Dad and Bill Williams, so I got a ride with them from Bill William’s talk.  I went to the Superstition Mountains on Saturday to play guitar at Larry’s wedding.  They videotaped me.  Steve didn’t play.  It was a very short little ceremony with some Baptist minister near the parking lot and after I played there was no move for new music.  Larry invited us to have breakfast at Village Inn and Steve and I overshot the place and turned around.  Larry tried to get us, but we had already turned back.  He was back in a few minutes.  Then, I left early taking the van and went to ASU to see the presentations in honor of Dad.       Kubly, Minckley, and several others gave presentations on limnology.  They had IBM screen dump-type slides.  Minck showed pictures of Cuatrocienegas twenty years ago and today.  Bill Williams gave the final comments, saying “I’ve known this bastar... I mean this gentleman for ....”  He confessed that in his own country and for his own classes Dad’s texbook had replaced his.  It was a funny talk.  They all gave Dad a standing ovation.  It was something else.

Generic No Bird,12/27/1996,Superstitions,From the journal

Superstitions    12/27/1996    December 29, 1996 Sunday     I went to the superstition mountains with Steve on Friday I guess it was.  It was spectacular.  There was only one nut with a gun and a bow and arrow.  Federal Building blower upper type. The trail was immaculate and the scenery out of this world. We saw a turtle in a desert stream way out there.  There are springs and stuff.  Horses travel out there, but it was really isolated for the most part.  The amazing thing is that there is so much more out there; we only explored just one little old trail and just a part of it.  Big big wilderness area.  There is nothing like it.

Ash-throated Flycatcher,4/3/1998,Superstitions
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher,4/3/1998,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,4/3/1998,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,4/3/1998,Superstitions
Northern Cardinal,4/3/1998,Superstitions
Northern Mockingbird,4/3/1998,Superstitions
Phainopepla,4/3/1998,Superstitions,Only zillions of them.
Turkey Vulture,4/3/1998,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,4/3/1998,Superstitions

Elliot and Cooper Roads    4/3/1998    With Larry and Nancy and Steve and Sonny Showed up too. New Swift Audubon binoculars. We went to the Verde River too, Larry and Nancy and I.
Baseline and Power    4/3/1998    With Larry and Nancyand Noodles. I drove everyone.
Verde River    4/3/1998    With Larry and Nancy and Noodles. I drove everyone.
Superstitions    4/3/1998    Hiking trip with Sonny and Steve. An overnighter. Shoot, my records show that I went to the verde river too on this day. is my date wrong? No, my journal says I rushed home to go to the superstitions.    

Ash-throated Flycatcher,4/5/1998,Superstitions
Black Phoebe,4/5/1998,Superstitions
Brown-headed Cowbird,4/5/1998,Superstitions
Canyon Wren,4/5/1998,Superstitions,Heard only
Curve-billed Thrasher,4/5/1998,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,4/5/1998,Superstitions
Great Blue Heron,4/5/1998,Superstitions, Flapping overhead.
Green-tailed Towhee,4/5/1998,Superstitions
House Finch,4/5/1998,Superstitions,In pairs.
Lucy's Warbler,4/5/1998,Superstitions
Northern Flicker,4/5/1998,Superstitions
Red-tailed Hawk,4/5/1998,Superstitions
Rough-legged Hawk,4/5/1998,Superstitions,dark phase
Verdin,4/5/1998,Superstitions
Western Tanager,4/5/1998,Superstitions

Superstitions    4/5/1998    Hiking trip with Sonny and Steve. An overnighter.

Abert's Towhee,12/28/1998,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,12/28/1998,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,12/28/1998,Superstitions
Phainopepla,12/28/1998,Superstitions
Prairie Falcon,12/28/1998,Superstitions,This bird was light in color and sat on top of a saguaro skeleton most of the time when it wasn't flying.
White-crowned Sparrow,12/28/1998,Superstitions

Elliot and Cooper Roads    12/28/1998    No Notes Entered
Baseline and Power    12/28/1998    Jeff and I and Noodles
Superstitions    12/28/1998    Jeff and Sonny and Steve and I camped out at Skull Camp. Jeff froze. He complained about my snoring. Sonny and Steve and I slept in the tent. Sonny was in the middle and as warm as toast. It was cold.

Generic No Bird,02/18/2001,Superstitions

Superstitions    02/18/2001    This is the time Erica and her kids and Ivan and I went to the superstitions hiking. We went to the goldfield tourist trap and I drank a beer. We went there because Christian wanted a snow cone. There were snow cones there!

Abert's Towhee,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Black Phoebe,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Canyon Wren,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Common Raven,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Ladder-backed Woodpecker,03/09/2003,Superstitions,Steve spotted this bird.
Lesser Goldfinch,03/09/2003,Superstitions,Flew over first and I recognized them. Two. One was kind of ratty. Saw them later too.
Northern Cardinal,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Phainopepla,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Red-tailed Hawk,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Rock Wren,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Spotted Towhee,03/09/2003,Superstitions
Verdin,03/09/2003,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,03/09/2003,Superstitions

2125 North Villas Lane    03/09/2003    Noodles and I went for a walk before I went to the superstitions.  We saw the coopers hawk on a street light.
Superstitions    03/09/2003    Went with Tom Ditsworth and Steve and Dana, a friend of steve's. We walked a heck of a ways. It was very beautiful. Found box turtles in the water. They were covered with moss and stank. Also monkey flowers. They look like monkeys. Weather: nice, sunny, bordering on hot. You know the day before yesterday I played guitar with Stephen Bennett!

American Kestrel,09/14/2003,Superstitions
Ash-throated Flycatcher,09/14/2003,Superstitions
Common Raven,09/14/2003,Superstitions
Cooper's Hawk,09/14/2003,Superstitions,seen twice. Excellent view from car on the way out. He perched on a boulder.
Curve-billed Thrasher,09/14/2003,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,09/14/2003,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,09/14/2003,Superstitions
Great Horned Owl,09/14/2003,Superstitions,Saw this one on the dirt road there. Big owl.
Green-tailed Towhee,09/14/2003,Superstitions,sighted twice at least
Lark Sparrow,09/14/2003,Superstitions,Excellent views of these. White outer tail-feathers and the face pattern and even the spot on the breast. This was by the wind mill where the water flowed into a tough.
Mourning Dove,09/14/2003,Superstitions
Phainopepla,09/14/2003,Superstitions,male and female and several sightings
Rock Wren,09/14/2003,Superstitions
Turkey Vulture,09/14/2003,Superstitions
Western Scrub-Jay,09/14/2003,Superstitions,There were quite of few of these.

Superstitions    09/14/2003    This was the time we hiked ten hours thinking it would be a shorter hike. We didn't bring enough water. Went to the cliff dwellings. Steve, Ditsworth, and I went. We climbed 3000 feet. We got a half gallon of water out of a tiny puddle. It kept refilling. There was a wonderful wind mill with shiny silver blades. It dribbled its water into a trough, behind which was a stand of green lily-like reeds. There were wasps in the trough of clear water. It was a long drive down dirt roads to the trailhead. On the way out we saw a truck kind of in our way on the dirt road. We were looking at a big Cooper's Hawk and we asked what the guys in the truck were looking at. They said there was a deer over there. Then I noticed one of them had a bow. I hope the deer got away. I had an O'doul's Near Beer on the drive back. It was delicious. Ditsworth and then the rest of us now refer to this as the DEATH MARCH. death march

Acorn Woodpecker,10/10/2003,Superstitions,surprised to see this flying along in the desert.
American Kestrel,10/10/2003,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,10/10/2003,Superstitions
Canyon Wren,10/10/2003,Superstitions,heard only
Common Raven,10/10/2003,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,10/10/2003,Superstitions
House Finch,10/10/2003,Superstitions
Mourning Dove,10/10/2003,Superstitions
Northern Flicker,10/10/2003,Superstitions,yeah it was a red-shafted one.
Phainopepla,10/10/2003,Superstitions
Red-tailed Hawk,10/10/2003,Superstitions
Rock Wren,10/10/2003,Superstitions
Say's Phoebe,10/10/2003,Superstitions
Turkey Vulture,10/10/2003,Superstitions
Verdin,10/10/2003,Superstitions
Western Scrub-Jay,10/10/2003,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,10/10/2003,Superstitions,First of the season!
White-throated Swift,10/10/2003,Superstitions

Generic Place in Chandler    10/10/2003    Saw these at Steve's house as we got ready to go to the Superstitions.
Superstitions    10/10/2003    First Water trailhead. Camped two nights: Friday night and Saturday night. Jeff, Steve, Sonny, Tom Ditsworth, Jim Ditsworth, and Tom Cole (me) went. We saw bats. We saw rough-looking prospectors. Camped just beyond the stock tank and then the next night down boulder canyon.

Abert's Towhee,11/20/2004,Superstitions,Heard only
Black-throated Sparrow,11/20/2004,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,11/20/2004,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,11/20/2004,Superstitions
House Finch,11/20/2004,Superstitions
Rock Wren,11/20/2004,Superstitions

Canyon Lake    11/20/2004    This was the hike from first water clean to canyon lake. See the Superstitions records for more details.
Superstitions    11/20/2004    Walked from the First Water Trailhead clean to Canyon lake. Took about four hours. The following guests are recorded:     Tom Ditsworth     Steve Cole     Tom Cole     Sydney graham     Jan Barnett     Bill Parker     Tom Hyland     Dave Kofuhock     Janet DeSimone - Great Time     Winson Graham (Keystone Cop)

Verdin,03/12/2005,Superstition
Anna's Hummingbird,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Ash-throated Flycatcher,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Canyon Wren,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Common Poorwill,03/12/2005,Superstitions,LIFE LISTER! HEARD ONLY? WELL IN THE MORNING I THOUGHT I SAW HIM. I heard "poor will!" "poor will" and I realized that it was a commo poorwill. We -- Steve and Dits -- listened. Every 1 1/2 second you'd hear it and even in the morning perhaps after sunrise we could hear him still.
Common Raven,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Gilded Flicker,03/12/2005,Superstitions
House Finch,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Lesser Goldfinch,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Northern Cardinal,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Phainopepla,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Rock Wren,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Turkey Vulture,03/12/2005,Superstitions
Western Scrub-Jay,03/12/2005,Superstitions

Superstitions    03/12/2005    What a hike. Overnighter 3/12 to 3/13. Kind of tough! Took 2 and 1/2 hours to get there IN THE CAR. Took steve's old Nissan. Rennaisance festival and also freeway closesure messed us up. Started hiking at 12:30. Packs were too heavy -- like 50 pounds, so it was a very tough climb. Made three miles in four hours. I dumped my water. I couldn't carry it all. I was exhausted. I had my white tennis shoes that I bought in september of 2003. Spectacular scenery. Spectacular scenery. Spectacular scenery. Spectacular scenery . Spectacular scenery. Balancing rocks, saguaros, poppies, etc. We camped and cooked. It was cold at night with dew in the morning but I slept well and enjoyed myself. Everyone snored. We slept under a tree partly. Ring of stones. I enjoyed my Italian Salame. Steve and Dits had some too. Very nice. No bears. No mountain lions. But lots of coyotes. I got up and had a Mr. Goodbar and the last beer at 12:30. I had some rum and beer before. We slept ten hours.  Ditsworth brought Candian Club Whiskey. No satellites, but tons of stars. Coyotes called at night. POORWILLS called -- several of them. I had chili without beans for dinner. Dits had Austex Tamales. Steve some noodles and junk. Lots of water on the trail. The next morning, we went to Bluff Springs. Guy there who thought that spitting in the river was how it got polluted.  I almost got bitten by a RATTLESNAKE! A DIAMONDBACK. He was right on the side of the trail or half in it and ready to bite me. He rattled just before I stepped on him and so I stepped back. I ran into ANOTHER on the trail an hour or so later. We went back and looked at all of our pictures and drank Boston Lager and Red Hook IPA.

Abert's Towhee,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Black Phoebe,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Brewer's Sparrow,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Cassin's Vireo,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,12/28/2005,Superstitions
House Finch,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Lesser Goldfinch,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Northern Cardinal,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Phainopepla,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Rock Wren,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Sage Thrasher,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Say's Phoebe,12/28/2005,Superstitions
Verdin,12/28/2005,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,12/28/2005,Superstitions

Superstitions    12/28/2005    Went with Dits and Steve and Dit's sons. Started at 8:00 and went in Dit's truck. Went to the springs.... We walked the wrong way and then went up an amazing long waterfall-like arroyo and clean to the top where there was a scary cliff. We went back down and found the spring finally. It had plenty of water. There was a lady there with a dog and a Nature Conservancy pack. It was a long hike. Afterwards, we toasted our adventure over several varieties of beer. I bought casserole ingredients at the store while we were at it. Dits's boy had some huge golden retrievers.

Cactus Wren,01/05/2006,Superstitions
Canyon Towhee,01/05/2006,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,01/05/2006,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,01/05/2006,Superstitions
Gilded Flicker,01/05/2006,Superstitions
Phainopepla,01/05/2006,Superstitions
Rock Wren,01/05/2006,Superstitions
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,01/05/2006,Superstitions
Say's Phoebe,01/05/2006,Superstitions

Superstitions    01/05/2006    Steve and I drove over at about 3:45 and got there and hiked up to the Indian Mound but didn't walk the extra distance to the stock tank and Skull Camp. Instead, we went down the Hackberry Trail for a few hundred feet and found plenty of places to camp. Many cholla spines made us move from one of these sites. I think most of the area used to be jumping cholla of the chain fruit variety and all of the spines are still on the ground but decomposed and brittle and harmless. We saw some good falling stars. One was particularly good and Steve said he could smell the smoke. Har har. Jets went by, but we saw no satellites. Orion, Cassiopeia, the Pleiades, the Big Dipper, Polaris and Little Dipper, etc. Gusty wind. I drank Belgium black ale and Milwakee's best light beer. I had tamales for dinner. I dreamed many dreams. In one, I caught a lesser goldfinch and found that it was actually a female red crossbill.     It was not cold at night in my slappin' bug. I had a pillow and I found that I was just as warm without my coat on and much more comfortalbe without my claustrophobic arms trapped in the coat. We slept around the clock 8 to 8. Hiked back. Easy hike back. Old folks like us were getting ready to come in. They asked questions and we did our best to answer them candidly, directly, and forthrightly.

Black-throated Sparrow,01/27/2006,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,01/27/2006,Superstitions
Common Raven,01/27/2006,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,01/27/2006,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,01/27/2006,Superstitions
Greater Roadrunner,01/27/2006,Superstitions
House Finch,01/27/2006,Superstitions
Loggerhead Shrike,01/27/2006,Superstitions
Northern Cardinal,01/27/2006,Superstitions
Northern Mockingbird,01/27/2006,Superstitions
Phainopepla,01/27/2006,Superstitions
Rock Wren,01/27/2006,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,01/27/2006,Superstitions,Before they bed down for the night they like to make a lot of noise. They pal around with the black-throated sparrows.

Superstitions    01/27/2006    Oh, we had a Big Time. This was the 27th and 28th actually. DITS and I went after work on Friday to camp overnight. Oh, gosh it was cold. I brought my plaid lawn chair and oh was it comfortable except that it was cold. We walked up and it got dark. Some boy scouts went ahead of us to Garden Valley, so we walked well past them. Dits had his table and chair. I brought plenty of black ale. Dits brought Canadian whiskey. We cooked canned tamales and they were mighty good and stuck to our ribs. We slept fitfully on the ground. We both thought the other had slept soundly, but apparently one of us would wake and listen to the other snore for a long time and then fall asleep upon which the other would wake and hear snoring. I woke up at 2:00 and had a black ale. It was so good I had another. Gosh it was cold. I couldn't zip my slapping bug either, and I couldn't get comfortable because I was wearing my dumb coat that strangled my little arms. Orion swung west and the Big Dipper and Little Dipper came up. I heard an owl.     In the morning we drank coffee but it was so cold that we waited for the sun to clear the hills before we got active. Dits's water bottle froze near his head. It was 25 degrees. WORE MY WHITE TENNIS SHOES. THEY ARE ABOUT DEAD.

Cactus Wren,11/11/2006,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,11/11/2006,Superstitions
House Finch,11/11/2006,Superstitions
Northern Cardinal,11/11/2006,Superstitions
Phainopepla,11/11/2006,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,11/11/2006,Superstitions

Superstitions    11/11/2006    Steve and I went up to the gardens there. the lights of two million people were below, but no one was there. Somewhat cloudy with the moon and stars then seeming to drift by. COYOTES! Oh, the coyotes! How they howled and barked. We found that they had been eating a mule deer. We found its foot -- hoof and leg a little ways from our sleeping sacks. No wonder that they had sounded so loud! They quit and later one was howling right next to us. Oh they howled even after the sun came up. Very close and loud. In the morning the sky cleared and I could see the big Dipper and the north star. Cool with a slight breeze. Not at all cold. I had chili and I brought my lawn chair and drank four Black Butte Porters. Slept about 11 hours. People were hiking in early in the morning, but we were already back on the trail by then. Easy hike even with my heavy, beer ladened pack. Steve read two of the articles in Analog and thought they were very good indeed. I used my old white tennis shoes. There was a great pink sunset. The hills had saguaros sticking up on them -- on their ridges. On the way back we went to Rosita's and ate too much. I ordered a beef enchilada and they gave me a cheese one so they made me another.

Ash-throated Flycatcher,11/18/2006,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,11/18/2006,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,11/18/2006,Superstitions
House Finch,11/18/2006,Superstitions
Northern Mockingbird,11/18/2006,Superstitions
Phainopepla,11/18/2006,Superstitions
Verdin,11/18/2006,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,11/18/2006,Superstitions

Superstitions    11/18/2006    Stayed overnight to Sunday the 19th. Went with Dits and Sonny and Steve. Oh, what a BIG TIME we had. Only I heard the lone coyote this time. He howled very well. We sat in our chairs and we camped in a place just like last time in Garden Valley. No one there at all. It got a little cold after sunset but grew warmer near the morning. No clouds. Milky way. Steve saw a lot of shooting stars. Dits drank Canadian Club and sprite and I had four Black Butte Porters. Sonny and I looked at the musician's friend catalog, which was a real hit with everyone. I read THE REPAIRMAN by Harry Harrison to everyone ALOUD. We laughed. What a trip. We had breakfast at JB's afterwards. I had the steak and egg breakfast!

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher,01/05/2007,Superstitions,heard him first
Black-throated Sparrow,01/05/2007,Superstitions,Not at all uncommon
Cactus Wren,01/05/2007,Superstitions,rather a lot of them
Ladder-backed Woodpecker,01/05/2007,Superstitions,Up on top of a saguaro. A male.
Northern Cardinal,01/05/2007,Superstitions,OH SO BIG AND RED
Northern Mockingbird,01/05/2007,Superstitions,big uns
Phainopepla,01/05/2007,Superstitions,Lots on the highway up and plenty on the trail. One came into camp saying: dereeep! dereeep! Tame.
Western Scrub-Jay,01/05/2007,Superstitions,While we were walking up the trail.
White-crowned Sparrow,01/05/2007,Superstitions,Only saw one. It was an adult. Maybe they're going to migrate.

Superstitions    01/05/2007    Ditsword bailed. I wore my white tennis shoes that I got on September 21, 2003. 11 young Minnesotans were hiking up. Mostly girls. Rich? We went up knowing it would likely rain. It did and the rain went in my sleeping bag and then hail too. The INSIDE of my slapping bug was wet, so I had to just pull it over me. Lousy night's sleep but we slept from 8:00 to 7:00.  We camped right next to the trail any only the Minnesotans and two other pairs of hikers passed by. Well, at night two guys walked by, but they didn't see us. It was dark. There was ice all over my sleeping bag. What helped was the blue tarp that is plastic, so no air goes through. It trapped heat and blocked the wind. I don't know why it failed when it first started to rain.

Black-throated Sparrow,11/11/2007,Superstitions
Common Raven,11/11/2007,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,11/11/2007,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,11/11/2007,Superstitions
Gilded Flicker,11/11/2007,Superstitions
Hutton's Vireo,11/11/2007,Superstitions
Loggerhead Shrike,11/11/2007,Superstitions,This is the first local shrike I have seen in AGES. I think they're becoming extinct.
Northern Mockingbird,11/11/2007,Superstitions
Phainopepla,11/11/2007,Superstitions
Rock Wren,11/11/2007,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,11/11/2007,Superstitions

Superstitions    11/11/2007    Sally and Steve and I went. Jeff didn't make it. We hiked to Garden Valley and then to Hackberry Springs. Very invigorating and I am tough as a nail. I wore the white tennis shoes I bought in September of 2003. They hurt a bit and first and I think this is their last outing. We saw a velvet ant and a TARATULA, which tried to kill me.

Canyon Towhee,12/16/2007,Superstitions,phain
Common Raven,12/16/2007,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,12/16/2007,Superstitions,heard only
Gilded Flicker,12/16/2007,Superstitions
Northern Cardinal,12/16/2007,Superstitions
Northern Mockingbird,12/16/2007,Superstitions
Phainopepla,12/16/2007,Superstitions

Superstitions    12/16/2007    ditsworth and steve TONS OF WATER...RIVERS AND POOLS EVERYWHERE. SPECTACULAR!!!!!!!

Cactus Wren,03/08/2008,Superstitions,Heard only.
Canyon Towhee,03/08/2008,Superstitions,On the way in and out. Sitting high and singing like a cardinal. Had a spot on its breast.
House Finch,03/08/2008,Superstitions,Top of a saguaro. Male and female.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker,03/08/2008,Superstitions,Saw him twice. Once he was pecking on a tree making that characteristic sound.
Northern Cardinal,03/08/2008,Superstitions,One of the brightest red heads I have seen.
Phainopepla,03/08/2008,Superstitions,Nice male.
Rock Wren,03/08/2008,Superstitions,I heard it. Then on top of a rock it was.

Superstitions    03/08/2008    Went with Steve, Dits, and a friend of Steve's named Mike. I wore a hooded sweatshirt-type deal and it was cool and none of us took off such garments.

Ash-throated Flycatcher,03/15/2008,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,03/15/2008,Superstitions
Phainopepla,03/15/2008,Superstitions

Superstitions    03/15/2008    Darn it. I didn't write them down and I can't remember. Was there a good sighting? Sally and Steve and I went. We went clean to the stock tank at Indian gardens and out the Hackberry springs exit and over the hill to the parking lot where I parked my car. This parking lot was the overflow one.

Canyon Wren,11/22/2008,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,11/22/2008,Superstitions
Green-tailed Towhee,11/22/2008,Superstitions
Northern Cardinal,11/22/2008,Superstitions,Right up at the spring. At Hackberry Springs.
White-crowned Sparrow,11/22/2008,Superstitions

Superstitions    11/22/2008    Steve and Dits and I went and we stayed overnight at the springs. We had a BIG time. We went to hackberry springs and started setting up camp at around 5:00. It gets dark at 6:00. A couple of guys came by and camped nearby. One had a .45 on his leg. They were friendly enough.

American Kestrel,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Anna's Hummingbird,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Black Phoebe,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Canyon Wren,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Generic Flycatcher,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,01/24/2009,Superstitions
House Finch,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Mourning Dove,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Northern Cardinal,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Red-tailed Hawk,01/24/2009,Superstitions
Rock Wren,01/24/2009,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,01/24/2009,Superstitions

Superstitions    01/24/2009    Dits, Steve, and I. 7-mile Morning hike that lasted to 3:30. We went to HOG CANYON to look at the petroglyphs. Miles up the arroyo and climbed 140 feet. No trail. Up over rocks, boulders. There were bulls there but they weren't even curious about us and we walked by them. Black Grotto with a waterfall and pool of water. We cooked lunch. My noodle dish was awful. Afterwards we toasted our adventure over two beers at Dits. Spectacular scenery. No trash. No people. No trail.

Phainopepla,10/16/2009,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,10/16/2009,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,10/16/2009,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,10/16/2009,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,10/16/2009,Superstitions
Common Poorwill,10/16/2009,Superstitions,Actually this was on the morning of the 17th.
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,10/16/2009,Superstitions,In a tree. I think that's what he was.
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher,10/16/2009,Superstitions
Verdin,10/16/2009,Superstitions
Red-tailed Hawk,10/16/2009,Superstitions,Actually on the way back on the seventeenth.

Superstitions    10/16/2009    Steve and I went kin do flate and got there at four or so and it was hot. We had heavy packs. We just walked about a quarter mile in and found a nice place off the other trail. We stayed there. I cooked chili. Steve had noodles. I drank three beers. I had a Sam Adams Boston Lager, and two cans of yummy Budweiser Tomato Beer. I read from a story but it was too long so I had to shorten it and give the ending. Bugs at night. Mosquitoes. I had a lousy mattress but a good pillow. I also brought my big, nice lawn chair. Lots of stars. No satellites seen. It was not at all cold. But I spend a buggy night sleeping fitfully. We heard some faint voices at night. Someone was camping not so far away. What are the chances? No one camps this close in. In the morning we saw them. They had tents in the arroyo. Lousy place to camp. In the morning we saw Orion and the Big and Little Dipper, which were tilted crazily low in the sky. Got up and were home by 8:00. We went to bed so early that we had had better than eight hours by five AM. We joked about the kid that was supposedly carried away by that flying saucer and in response to why he didn't call out from the attic when he heard people calling he said these words to his crazy mom and dad, "Because you guys said we did this for the show." OH, YOU ARE SO BUSTED!   

Gambel's Quail,11/07/2009,Superstitions,While we were driving in.
Phainopepla,11/07/2009,Superstitions,on the road in. and out! Male and female. Several of them.
Curve-billed Thrasher,11/07/2009,Superstitions
Rock Wren,11/07/2009,Superstitions,hiking out on the eighth. I heard him and then saw him.
Cactus Wren,11/07/2009,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,11/07/2009,Superstitions,Oh. Lots of them.
Gila Woodpecker,11/07/2009,Superstitions,Saw him several times.

Superstitions    11/07/2009    Steve and I went with my new SELF-INFLATING sleep pad that cost 75 bucks. It was comfy. I brought black logger, Boston lager and chelada tomato beer. One of the beers turned out to be a mix of boston lager and black lager. The black lager is 11 ounces a bottle. I used plastic bottles, but you know they are 20-ouncers so two of them are bigger than three 12-ouncers.  We went to bed at 7:30 or so or even earlier and slept eleven hours. We camped at HOGAN camp, where there was rock to sleep on. The pad worked great. No bugs. BUT THERE WERE BATS! We saw Andromeda and the Square of Pegasus. I had canned TAMALES. I had my chair and a musician's friend catalog and a Smithsonian. I only looked at the catalog.

Black Phoebe,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Phainopepla,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Harris's Hawk,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Turkey Vulture,5/8/2010,Superstitions
House Finch,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Generic Flycatcher,5/8/2010,Superstitions,EPIDONAX
Gambel's Quail,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Northern Mockingbird,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Hooded Oriole,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Ash-throated Flycatcher,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Lesser Goldfinch,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Wilson's Warbler,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Common Raven,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Brown-headed Cowbird,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Lark Sparrow,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Verdin,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Western Kingbird,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Northern Cardinal,5/8/2010,Superstitions
Western Tanager,5/8/2010,Superstitions,It was a male and we saw it on the way out in the car on the ninth. He was in a tree.

Superstitions    5/8/2010    OVERNIGHTER    Sally and Steve and I went clean to SECOND WATER SPRINGS. Long hike. 2 1/2 hours. HOT. Rather birdy. Frogs croaking in the water but quit later at night. Steve didn't bring his good slappin' bug so he was cold. I had my pillow and my chair. I read First Grade in 1956. It was very pretty.

Gila Woodpecker,9/19/2010,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,9/19/2010,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,9/19/2010,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,9/19/2010,Superstitions
Mourning Dove,9/19/2010,Superstitions
Harris's Hawk,9/19/2010,Superstitions,TWO OF THEM FLYING OVER THE CLIFFS.
Northern Cardinal,9/19/2010,Superstitions
Abert's Towhee,9/19/2010,Superstitions
Red-tailed Hawk,9/19/2010,Superstitions,two at least flying and one DEAD at the springs
Rock Wren,9/19/2010,Superstitions,Saw several of these flying around together.
Gilded Flicker,9/19/2010,Superstitions,flying along with golden wings.
Turkey Vulture,9/19/2010,Superstitions,WHEN WE DROVE IN WE SAW THESE BIRDS SOARING.

Superstitions    9/19/2010    Steve and Dits and I went.  I BAKED BREAD TODAY BEFORE STEVE CAME.  IT WAS YUMMY. At first, Steve and I drove down to use Sonny's car because it needed mileage on it to reset something or other. When we got into Tempe, we found that the car had an engine light that meant we were wasting our time diddling with it. I drove to Dits's house in my truck. We went to Hackberry Springs. We went down beautiful arroyos with lichen-covered canyon walls. Nice. We heard loud voices way in the desert and came across two guys at the springs on Horseback. They greeted us with the most overdone, affected cowpoke accents. One had what looked like a single-action western pistol half hanging out of his holster. The other guy, a bearded fellow, who was bearded and trying to look like Sam Elliot wore a black automatic on his side. They said the horses warned them we were coming. They said you came to eat the horses. You don't eat horses do you? We told them we didn't. One guy's horse had a confederate states button on one part of the bridle and a US Calvary one on another part. The guy said his horse just couldn't decide which side he was on. We showed them a dead red-tailed hawk on the ground. They said disapprovingly that someone shot it. He called it a red-tailed Harris' hawk. We pet the horses and then split up the trail. They were going the other way. It got REALLY hot, so we decided to take an easier way back, but it was still a tough hike. Later, we had a beer at Dits's house and visited his MAN ROOM. Shirley gave Steve and me some cake she baked.

White-crowned Sparrow,10/23/2010,Superstitions,Heard Only
Cactus Wren,10/23/2010,Superstitions,Heard Only
Rock Wren,10/23/2010,Superstitions,Rather a lot of these. Good views.
Say's Phoebe,10/23/2010,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,10/23/2010,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,10/23/2010,Superstitions
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher,10/23/2010,Superstitions
Violet-green Swallow,10/23/2010,Superstitions,Flew overhead. Seemed to be VG's
House Finch,10/23/2010,Superstitions
Common Raven,10/23/2010,Superstitions
Great Horned Owl,10/23/2010,Superstitions,WELL we only heard it. I'm GUESSING it was a great horned.

Superstitions    10/23/2010    Sally and Steve and I went. We went up an arroyo to camp. We found a three-Eyed Triops Tadpole Shrimp Lepidurus triops. I had always wanted to see one. Lots of tarantula hawks. No mosquitos, so we didn't have to "BUG UP." A nice tarantula visited us. The T. hawks didn't get him. I had Chef Boyardee spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. I had one tomato beer (Bud Chelada) and Cuba libres. No coyotes. There was a full moon that was so bright we hated it. Sally froze. She had a lousy bolsa de dormir. sleeping bag. In the morning, there was a LOT of wet dew over everything. A mountain lion (puma, cougar) came to visit us while we slept. It left tracks all over. My camera wasn't working half the time. I slept and had all kinds of dreams. Oh, it was nice! We went to a Mexican restaurant place. They guy there had been here thirty years and his English stank.

Cactus Wren,3/14/2011,Superstitions
Phainopepla,3/14/2011,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,3/14/2011,Superstitions
Verdin,3/14/2011,Superstitions,MATING CALL
Turkey Vulture,3/14/2011,Superstitions,There was a huge flock spiraling in a great cone by Battleship Mountain.
Gila Woodpecker,3/14/2011,Superstitions
Northern Mockingbird,3/14/2011,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,3/14/2011,Superstitions
Red-tailed Hawk,3/14/2011,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,3/14/2011,Superstitions
Mourning Dove,3/14/2011,Superstitions
American Crow,3/14/2011,Superstitions,No wedge-shaped tails. Caw caw. I don't think they were ravens surprisingly.
Common Poorwill,3/14/2011,Superstitions,Heard them quite a lot. There was another similar call which we tried to memorize but quickly forgot. It had four syllables.
Great Horned Owl,3/14/2011,Superstitions,WELL we only heard it. I'm GUESSING it was a great horned. This is the same note I put in last year.
Canyon Wren,3/14/2011,Superstitions
Northern Cardinal,3/14/2011,Superstitions
Abert's Towhee,3/14/2011,Superstitions

Superstitions    3/14/2011    Sally and Steve and I went to Boulder Canyon and camped by amoeba Creek and Giardia Lakes. A skunk visted sally at night. It was not too cold but we were still chilly in the morning. The sun was not too hot, but we drank lots of water because of Mr. Yellowface. A couple walked through our camp and some old guys passed by above. Aside from that, there was no one there. We heard poor wills and an owl which I'm calling a Great-horned owl. I ate Tamales. I brought vodka, but I didn't drink much. I didn't like it very much. I had my lawn chair. Heavy pack. I FORGOT MY BINOCULARS AND MY CHEEZ-ITS! We slept from 8:30 to 6:30 or so. Nice sleeping. I snored little. Sally brought some white wine. No snakes. No coyotes. We took Steve's car. There were lots of retired people hiking and few young people. After the trip on the 15th, I taught a guitar class and then went to Bunna Coffee and played "Tree in the Meadow," "Without a Song," and "Everyone Says I Love You." The guy in the wheel chair brought a Mexican strat. Adolpho played it at the end.

Phainopepla,3/26/2011,Superstitions
Turkey Vulture,3/26/2011,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,3/26/2011,Superstitions
Canyon Wren,3/26/2011,Superstitions
Costa's Hummingbird,3/26/2011,Superstitions,Dits and I saw this bird. Dits took a picture. I guess this was the one that went after the rattlesnake that rattled at me when I passed him on the trail.The hummer hovered in front of the snake attracted apparently by the rattling. He could have been bitten.
Black Phoebe,3/26/2011,Superstitions
Poorwill,3/26/2011,Superstitions,Only I heard this bird this time. I woke up and he was saying his name with the "will" part being higher than the "poor part." I later fell asleep and woke up to its call. My head rustled against the pillow so I couldn't hear him well so I lay still to hear better but he never called again. What a gyp!
Cactus Wren,3/26/2011,Superstitions,Saw and heard
Yellow-rumped Warbler,3/26/2011,Superstitions,Saw them more than once.
Curve-billed Thrasher,3/26/2011,Superstitions,heard and even saw
Common Raven,3/26/2011,Superstitions,Well the tail wasn't so wedge-shaped but they were so doggoned big!

Superstitions    3/26/2011    Steve and Dits and I went. We went past Hackberry Springs. We found a kind of beach by a pool. No one there. Stars. Not windy thank goodness. I brought Sam Adams Boston Lager. Dits brought some scotch that we sampled early on. I ate beanie weenie and then in the morning a can of spaghetti and meatballs. I read "Return of a Legend" by Poul Anderson from the book PLANET STORIES NO. 1 EDITED BY LEIGH BRACKETT. I read it aloud and had to skip a lot because it was so long. Next time, I'll bring an essay. A big rattlesnake rattled at me and then slithered away. He kept on rattling. (See Costa's hummingbird.) No mosquitos. Slept fitfully but long. I was too tired to reach for my beer until about three in the morning and I finished the plastic bottle. 'Twas very nice. Heavy pack was considerably lighter on the way back. My zipper kept falling down on my shorts. I had sweatpants too so I could be warm at night and in the morning. I snored. Ditsworth's shoes started falling apart. We parked the car (mine) in the horse loading place where there were a bunch of boyscouts camping. Also a bunch of cowpokes packing pistols. No one touched my car while we were in the desert. I don't remember any satellites. We saw Orion's Belt (O'Ryan's Belt).

Phainopepla,4/2/2011,Superstitions
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,4/2/2011,Superstitions,I saw him. There was another bird making a very loud call that I never could ID.
Red-tailed Hawk,4/2/2011,Superstitions
Mourning Dove,4/2/2011,Superstitions
Turkey Vulture,4/2/2011,Superstitions
Black Phoebe,4/2/2011,Superstitions
Costa's Hummingbird,4/2/2011,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,4/2/2011,Superstitions
Poorwill,4/2/2011,Superstitions,HEARD ONLY OF COURSE. LOTS OF TIMES.
Verdin,4/2/2011,Superstitions,MATING CALL
Canyon Wren,4/2/2011,Superstitions
House Finch,4/2/2011,Superstitions
Lesser Goldfinch,4/2/2011,Superstitions,as we were driving out

Superstitions    4/2/2011    Sally came. Sonny had trouble with his powerpoint presentation. We heard the poorwill. We camped in the same place as last time. It was NOT COLD AT NIGHT. Some wind was noisy. I read "The Heathen" by Jack London. We stopped at that antique place and bought a clipper ship painting for Dits. I wanted it myself.  BATS BATS BATS AT NIGHT.

Cactus Wren,11/11/2011,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,11/11/2011,Superstitions
Western Scrub-Jay,11/11/2011,Superstitions,I think. Saw jays a few times at a distance.
Abert's Towhee,11/11/2011,Superstitions
Rock Wren,11/11/2011,Superstitions,Lots of them. Calling. You look for them on the rocks when they call.
House Finch,11/11/2011,Superstitions
Common Raven,11/11/2011,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,11/11/2011,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,11/11/2011,Superstitions
Ruby-crowned Kinglet,11/11/2011,Superstitions,What a RUBY CROWN. Bright red. He was lifting it up.
Phainopepla,11/11/2011,Superstitions,Saw them several times. ALL MALES.
Black Phoebe,11/11/2011,Superstitions,OVER AT THAT SPRING. The BIG one. Got a little sick of them.
Northern Cardinal,11/11/2011,Superstitions,By that BIG spring. MALE. Also on the way out.

Superstitions    11/11/2011    WENT WITH DITS AND STEVE. Oh, what scenery. Balancing rocks. Saguaro forests.  I had my bad bpack and it was hard. Friday 11/11/11, we ran into some damned idiot with a gun and a terrifying dog. He was lost and we sent him in the wrong direction so he didn't go where we were going. Something wrong with him, his gun, his dog, and his idiot of a girlfriend. Got to Bluff Springs but there was no water as the rangers had reported and Dits didn't believe. It said on their sign that there would be an occasional drip from the pipe, but we didn't even see that. Went clean to Labarge springs and camped there. A family and some boy scouts were there. We chatted with them and camped in a good place far from them and from DOG AND GUN BOY. It wasn't very cold. We cooked and slept nine hours at least and then went to that BIG SPRING with the beautiful pool. Then we went to Needle Trail and found a place that had a puddle of water on a rock that we could use to drink. We filtered this tea-water and it was still yellow, but tasted good. Slept and then in the morning it rained. I was dry for a while but then it rained harder and I got kind of wet. My tarp leaked! By slapping bug was wet and weighed more. We got up and started hiking BEFORE LIGHT in the rain. We used our headlights. SCENERY BEYOND COMPARE. Endless balancing rocks. We took 7 1/2 hours to get to my truck. We met some guys who were biologists and knew Ron Rutowski. He's playing at PRANKSTERS TOO, in Scottsdale every friday night. I think it's scottsdale. We stopped at EL TACO and ate. It's on Apace Trail.

Black-throated Sparrow,4/7/2012,Superstitions
Phainopepla,4/7/2012,Superstitions
Mourning Dove,4/7/2012,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,4/7/2012,Superstitions
Lesser Goldfinch,4/7/2012,Superstitions
Black Phoebe,4/7/2012,Superstitions
Western Flycatcher,4/7/2012,Superstitions
House Finch,4/7/2012,Superstitions
Verdin,4/7/2012,Superstitions,Mating Call
Cactus Wren,4/7/2012,Superstitions
Rock Wren,4/7/2012,Superstitions,Two of them on a rock. I heard them first.
Turkey Vulture,4/7/2012,Superstitions
Common Raven,4/7/2012,Superstitions,Saw several squawking and flying up there.
Curve-billed Thrasher,4/7/2012,Superstitions,Heard only at first and then seen.
Northern Mockingbird,4/7/2012,Superstitions

Superstitions    4/7/2012    Went with Steve and Dits. Dits took us in his truck. We walked up the left-hand trail, which is much easier with far less climbing. Easy. We went to the Indian camp where there were lots of corn grinding holes.

Northern Mockingbird,10/19/2012,Superstitions
Phainopepla,10/19/2012,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,10/19/2012,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,10/19/2012,Superstitions
Curve-billed Thrasher,10/19/2012,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,10/19/2012,Superstitions
Common Raven,10/19/2012,Superstitions
Canyon Wren,10/19/2012,Superstitions
Generic Hummingbird,10/19/2012,Superstitions
Rock Wren,10/19/2012,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,10/19/2012,Superstitions
Black Phoebe,10/19/2012,Superstitions

Superstitions    10/19/2012    I found Jim Greentree, an 81-year-old man under a bush in the Superstition wilderness, lost and dying of dehydration miles from his truck. He was from BC and had never hiked in the desert before. It was hot. He couldn't even swallow his raisins because his throat was dried up. We gave him ice water and candy. He barfed it up but drank some more. We were the only ones who walked down that trail that day. He hadn't seen a soul out there all day and had been walking in circles. He'd made it down into a canyon and done the tough hike back out but couldn't go any farther. Bill and Dits walked back with him to the car which took a couple of hours. The old fellow rallied and they told him to set the pace and then they couldn't keep up with him. He will likely be able to attend our funerals-- that is if he stays out of the desert. This was the time I put my pack next to a black-tailed rattlesnake. Sally and Steve and Bill and Dits and I went. We saw a wildcat track. We walked to the Indian paint mine and afterwards I fell asleep while everyone was gabbing, but I kept sleeping. I dreamed the first night that a snake was coming at me and I screamed and woke everyone up. It was a tough hike out to Hackberry Springs. Hot. Rough. I hate snakes.

Peregrine Falcon,2/25/2013,Superstitions,Phainopepla CQ standing for: Coronado Quail or Canyon Queen or Cactus Quacker.
Curve-billed Thrasher,2/25/2013,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,2/25/2013,Superstitions
Mourning Dove,2/25/2013,Superstitions
Common Raven,2/25/2013,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,2/25/2013,Superstitions
Black-throated Sparrow,2/25/2013,Superstitions
Verdin,2/25/2013,Superstitions,mating call mc twee twee twee
Canyon Wren,2/25/2013,Superstitions,Saw one flying off a cliff.

Superstitions    2/25/2013    John Dole, Steve Cole, Tom Cole, Larry Simkins, Nancy Gallagher, Tom Ditsworth, Phillip. Dutchman Trail. Saw a very large rock squirrel. Walked off trail. Horses with cowboys with their six shooters. One girl all alone. More horses. More horses. Nice and crisp and cool. Dole and Phillip stayed overnight. Walked from 10 to about four.

Curve-billed Thrasher,3/6/2013,Superstitions
Phainopepla,3/6/2013,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,3/6/2013,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,3/6/2013,Superstitions
Mourning Dove,3/6/2013,Superstitions
Northern Mockingbird,3/6/2013,Superstitions
Canyon Wren,3/6/2013,Superstitions
Rock Wren,3/6/2013,Superstitions
Yellow-rumped Warbler,3/6/2013,Superstitions
House Finch,3/6/2013,Superstitions
Canyon Towhee,3/6/2013,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,3/6/2013,Superstitions
Verdin,3/6/2013,Superstitions,mating call

Superstitions    3/6/2013    I went with the atheists. Three dogs went. One hurt his foot and his master had to carry him out. This was at the First Water exit, one of the first trailheads on the right to the MASSACRE GROUNDS.

White-crowned Sparrow,4/6/2013,Superstitions,Rather a lot of them. Mostly heard onlys.
Phainopepla,4/6/2013,Superstitions,Zillions of them. They make an almost human whistle. Sounds like someone's calling you.
Curve-billed Thrasher,4/6/2013,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,4/6/2013,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,4/6/2013,Superstitions,heard only. A lot.
Ash-throated Flycatcher,4/6/2013,Superstitions,Steve wanted to know what the bird with the red tail was.
Northern Cardinal,4/6/2013,Superstitions,Heard everywhere. We saw a male.
House Finch,4/6/2013,Superstitions
Verdin,4/6/2013,Superstitions,mating call
Northern Mockingbird,4/6/2013,Superstitions
Gambel's Quail,4/6/2013,Superstitions
Turkey Vulture,4/6/2013,Superstitions
Mourning Dove,4/6/2013,Superstitions
Canyon Wren,4/6/2013,Superstitions
Rock Wren,4/6/2013,Superstitions
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher,4/6/2013,Superstitions
Poorwill,4/6/2013,Superstitions,Steve and I heard this bird at night. It called ONCE.
Western Flycatcher,4/6/2013,Superstitions,Quite yellow.
Generic Hummingbird,4/6/2013,Superstitions,abert's t
Abert's Towhee,4/6/2013,Superstitions

Superstitions    4/6/2013    Steve and Sally and Dits and I went. I drove everyone in my truck. We went to Boulder Canyon. NO SNAKES SEEN. Ten preppies from Chicago were being chaparoned by two teachers. They camped near us. I had to take off my flannel shirt at night because I was too hot. Woke up with Acid Reflux. Dits drank SCOTCH! Dits had EVERYTHING. My air mattress went flat. Must fix. Long hike. Went to the Mexican place afterwards, but it was out of business so we went to another that didn't have air conditioning. Ate too much.

Curve-billed Thrasher,1/13/2014,Superstitions
Rock Wren,1/13/2014,Superstitions
White-crowned Sparrow,1/13/2014,Superstitions,They looked HUGE.
Common Raven,1/13/2014,Superstitions
Gila Woodpecker,1/13/2014,Superstitions
Canyon Wren,1/13/2014,Superstitions,Squawking like a BT gnatcatcher in a bush.
American Kestrel,1/13/2014,Superstitions
Anna's Hummingbird,1/13/2014,Superstitions
Northern Cardinal,1/13/2014,Superstitions,Steve saw it.
Black-throated Sparrow,1/13/2014,Superstitions
Cactus Wren,1/13/2014,Superstitions
Phainopepla,1/13/2014,Superstitions,Ditsworth saw a lot of these out of the window of the car. I never got a good look as I was in the back seat.

Superstitions    1/13/2014    Steve and Tom Ditsworth and I went. We hiked way up and looked for the giant saguaro which we couldn't find. Rather chilly at night. Ate at Elvira's Mexican food restaurant on the way back.

Black-throated Sparrow 2/25/2017 Superstitions in a tree singing

Northern Cardinal 2/25/2017 Superstitions red male

Rock Wren 2/25/2017 Superstitions

Phainopepla 2/25/2017 Superstitions on the road

Anna's Hummingbird 2/25/2017 Superstitions a couple of times

White-winged Dove    5/3/2019    Superstitions   
Gambel's Quail    5/3/2019    Superstitions    Quite a few seen and always heard.
Verdin    5/3/2019    Superstitions    mating call mc
Northern Mockingbird    5/3/2019    Superstitions    rather a lot of these
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher    5/3/2019    Superstitions    several of them not putting down the blue-gray because I'm not sure...
Phainopepla    5/3/2019    Superstitions    only saw two females
Ash-throated Flycatcher    5/3/2019    Superstitions    lots of these
Western Kingbird    5/3/2019    Superstitions    Big and yellow. I think only one.
Green-tailed Towhee    5/3/2019    Superstitions    Haven't seen one since May the tenth '13 at E&C roads. That's just shy of 6 years ....
Curve-billed Thrasher    5/3/2019    Superstitions    Lots. Saguaro tops.
Mourning Dove    5/3/2019    Superstitions   
Gilded Flicker    5/3/2019    Superstitions    on a saguaro
Western Tanager    5/3/2019    Superstitions    I called it the western Tanning Salon.
Northern Cardinal    5/3/2019    Superstitions    heard first, then see, red male
Black-throated Sparrow    5/3/2019    Superstitions   
Turkey Vulture    5/3/2019    Superstitions   
Red-tailed Hawk    5/3/2019    Superstitions    wn-headed
Brown-headed Cowbird    5/3/2019    Superstitions    a favorite
European Starling    5/3/2019    Superstitions
Canyon Wren    5/3/2019    Superstitions    Heard Only but a million times
Anna's Hummingbird    5/3/2019    Superstitions   
Black-chinned Hummingbird    5/3/2019    Superstitions    female white head I THINK
Lesser Goldfinch    5/3/2019    Superstitions   

Superstitions    5/3/2019    Tom Ditsworth and I. There was not one person but us on any trail next to an area with almost five million people. Maybe 6:30 to 10:30. Saw a PACK RAT.