We decided that today would be a good day to go for a hike - neither of us wanted any steep climbs or seriously rocky terrain, as we are out of practice. We drove north on Meridian Rd toward the Goldfield Mountains and parked the car in a lot at the end of the road. Our hike started out on the Pass Mountain Trail and we hiked west until we intersected with the Cat Peaks Trail in Usery Mountain Park, then headed south to the juncture with the Meridian Trail and back east to Meridian Road. We then had a quarter mile jaunt on the roadside back to where the truck was parked. It ended up being a 3.3 mile hike - a little more than intended with a bit of climbing and a few rocky areas, but we both did just fine.
This giant Saguaro marked the beginning of our hike.
Of course I had to take pictures of the desert flora along the way. There is not a lot in bloom but there was evidence of new growth from the recent rains and it seemed like there was a lot of green out there. The day was partly cloudy and when the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, the Cholla just sparkled. We stopped and chatted with a man from South Dakota for a while - he told us of the trouble he had in finding a place to park his rig this winter.
Lovely Desert Flowers
