Lauren's Blog: Payson

I'm back from Hawaii, so I figured I'd better finish up some of my hiking blogs from earlier this year before I start on the Hawaii ones. So, here are some of the adventures we went on in January:

Payson

We spent a weekend at the cabin in mid-January. We planned to do a lot of hiking, but we didn't get much farther than the fish hatchery. We did see some eagles hanging out and watching the fish, however:

Devil's Chasm

The following week, we decided to hike Devil's Chasm in the Sierra Ancha Wilderness. Getting to the Sierra Ancha Wilderness itself wasn't particularly easy. It took a couple of hours to drive there. We had to go through Globe, by Roosevelt Lake, and then take a long dirt road to the trail head. I definitely needed my ginger gum for that one! The main attraction at Devil's Chasm is a set of ruins at the end of the trail, if you can get there.

The trail is very difficult. The ground is soft and breaks away almost instantly when you take a step. The rocks on the trail are also unstable and move if you try to use them to hold your body weight instead. There are some very steep sections of the trail that are nearly impossible to climb without two walking sticks or crawling on your hands and knees because of the soft soil conditions. There are also fallen trees, leaves, and debris everywhere that make the "trail" very hard to find. All in all, it's the perfect place to hide a dwelling if you don't want anyone to be able to reach it.

It is, however, beautiful:

The trail follows a canyon with sheer, beautiful cliff walls and picturesque creek (even picturesque when it's dry for the winter).

The view out of the canyon.

It was pretty easy to see where the large boulders at the bottom of the canyon came from...

Part of the trail. You can see the soft soil in this picture.

A little while down the trail, the canyon narrowed and we had to start walking up the creek. This is where the trail became really fun in my opinion. You'll see why in the next few pictures.

The view out of the canyon from the same spot.

My favorite picture of the trip. The view out of the canyon after we climbed out of that spot.

There are several spots along the trail that require climbing with ropes that have been left there by previous hiking groups. This spot wasn't particularly treacherous at this time of year because the water was barely flowing, but somehow the rope was still soaking wet (and freezing!). I wasn't too happy about that.

Devin and James at the same spot.

Gabby climbing up.

Since we were basically climbing up the creek at this point, the trail was basically a set of steps. Perfect for taking pictures.

The view up the sides of the canyon. It was beautiful and green right here. It's hard to tell because of the white sky.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to make it to the ruins on this trip. We decided to camp the next time so that we had more time to hike. Me at the turn around point:

Another spot with the ropes. We had to climb this on the way up too. It involved climbing through a small crevice behind a boulder after climbing up a rope, carrying a heavy pack. The crevice we had to crawl through was cramped enough that I even had a hard time getting through.

The rock that the rope was tied around.

Bill helping one of our other group members out of the hole.

Bill helping again.

The view as the sun started to set.

Devin and I climbing back up the trail.

Peppersauce Cave

I spent most of February dealing with the flu and the aftermath of the flu, but before that, we went on an adventure in Peppersauce Cave. This is a cave near Oracle that seems to be a popular spot to do some weekend exploring (I can't believe I never knew about it when I was in Tucson!). It's down a dirt road in the middle of a hilly area at the base of the Catalinas.

It was my first time caving and it seemed like a pretty good place to get started. Our friend Shyanne acted as our tour guide and showed us around. It's a well-travelled cave, and unfortunately isn't treated well by many explorers (trash, graffiti, broken stalactites), but there are some very cool things to see. In the main room, there is an underground lake that you can climb to on some ladders. If you venture farther into the cave, there are some very tight holes to climb through (take off your backpack, push it through, and dive in head first) and wet, rocking ladders to climb over (with nothing but smooth, wet hand and footholds to land on). We went all the way to the Book Room, which involved inching along in a thin, slanted crevice, uphill for about 60 feet. We had to use our arm and leg strength along this whole stretch to keep from getting stuck while carrying our packs since they couldn't fit on our back. I felt like I had taken a yoga class afterward! Overall, it was a cool cave and I hope to go back soon.

Taking a rest in the Book Room. You can see some of the graffiti on the wall.

So, in going through my pictures and blog posts from the last year, I realized that there were several things that I never posted. The next couple of blogs are going to include some of the things you may have missed.

Earlier this year, I relearned how to play the "Star Spangled Banner" Jimi Hendrix style on my electric cello:

In April, I made this painting. It's actually not finished yet. I'm working on a painted frame to go with it. I'm hoping to finish that part sometime soon :)

I wrote a short blog about the story behind it a while ago:

Last week I finished a new painting. It spans nine 4 inch by 4 inch canvases. I originally intended for the canvases to be spaced apart when displayed, but I decided that I liked them together better. It's based off of a dream I had a couple of weeks ago. In the dream, I was cutting out sections of my eyelids to make them less wrinkly and more aesthetically pleasing. I was so enthusiastic about this idea, that I influenced others around me to do the same. Maybe my subconscious was making some kind of commentary about the ridiculous superficiality of our society. Or maybe I've seen too many shows lately with women getting needless plastic surgery...

In March I took some sunset pictures that I never posted:

A wash.

This is my favorite. I love the dark clouds.

In mid-March, Bill, Devin, Michael, and I all went up to the cabin for the weekend.

Looking for a geocache.

Bill decided to take the tree. Bill won.

The view by the fish hatchery.

We went up to the Mogollon Rim, which still had frost and snow on the ground.

We had a lot of fun exploring the spontaneous lakes created by snow melt off.

I think Devin was cold lol.

So, we all went to bed around three in the morning, as we often do. At 7 a.m., Bill woke us all up to tell us that the snow was falling fast and we'd better pack up and head out. We didn't want to be stranded in the snow!

This is what the cabin neighborhood looked like on our way out. The day before there was no snow at all.

The road on the way home.

As we reached the outskirts of Phoenix, we actually experienced sleet! It was thick on the roadway and none of the cars knew what to do. We even saw some cars that had driven into the ditches on the side of the road.

The desert in sleet.

In early April, I decided to take some sunset pictures at the pedestrian entrance to Usery Mountain Regional Park:

In June, Angel, Gabby, and I took a crazy girl's trip to California to go to the International Makeup Artists' Trade Show (IMATS). IMATS has become open to the public in recent years and is a great opportunity to see the newest trends in make up and special effects make up. It's also a great place to get high quality make up at a discount :) .

On our drive we realized that we'd be passing close by the Salton Sea, so we decided to go check it out. Gabby and I have been wanting to go to the Salton Sea since we watched this documentary all about how the sea is drying up and the surrounding towns along with it. It's a very interesting issue. The Salton Sea was created by accident in 1905 after the Colorado River flooded and sent water flowing into the Salton Sink through man made irrigation canals. The Salton Sink was fertile and being used for farming at the time. I guess no one had anticipated that the Colorado River could flood enough to break into the valley. Geological records now show that this valley has been been a lake off and on for thousands of years. It's currently the largest lake in California.

Over time, the lake has begun to dry up and become more and more saline through evaporation and agricultural runoff. It has also begun to grow high levels of bacteria and algae. The fish in the lake have large die-offs periodically and most people have left the area due to the stink of decomposing fish. Many people want to save the lake due to the fact that it's a sanctuary for many species of birds who have lost their habitat due to the development of southern California. It also keeps down a huge amount of dust that would otherwise blow into the Los Angeles area. Facts about the Salton Sea.

"A" marks the Salton Sea.

The view from the completely abandoned road we took from I-10.

While we were driving along this empty highway that seemed like it hadn't been repaved since before I was born, we came across these really cool hills.

We decided to get out and take some pictures.

No one coming that way.

Or that way.

Gabby!

Many areas near the Salton Sea have become a ghost town. When we got out of the car, we could see why. It smelled like a garbage dump. It was a great combination with the hot, sticky air.

Gabby and Angel taking in the Salton Stink.

There are rotting tilapia carcasses all over the shoreline.

Empty also...

The blazing sun setting over the lake.

After getting back in the car, we couldn't seem to leave the stink behind. The flies couldn't even handle it and stowed away in our car.

In Pasedena, we stayed at the Saga Motor Hotel. This hotel has been around since the 50s and still maintains the same decor. It was pretty cool, actually.

We decided to pose in front of the mosaic before heading to IMATS.

We were there early and the line was already this long...

This is serious business.

Really serious.

Earth, Water, Wind, Fire...and MAKEUP!!

The convention center. Booths and booths and booths of high quality make up at a discount...

The three of us with bare faces before we got our make-up done.

After getting our makeovers done, we decided that airburshed make up is THE WORST. You may not be able to tell in this picture, but in person it looks very thick and cakey. I can see how it could be nice for photography and situations where you want the appearance of smooth skin at a distance, but for day to day life it's just too much.

Angel getting her makeup done.

Angel was definitely not into this look...

Ugh there's that make-up again. I look thrilled Lol.

Gabby getting her make-up done.

There were representatives from the various makeup companies wearing some crazy looks all over the convention center.

Angel. After this, the phrase of the weekend became "beefcake" lol.

Before leaving the convention, we watched the student makeup competition. This one was the winner this year.

Our next destination was Santa Monica Pier. We wandered around, ate some really badly prepared fish n' chips, threw that away and got corn dogs, and of course got some funnel cake. :)

Angel getting her fortune.

Santa Monica Pier

We stayed at the Santa Monica Hostel. Through some awesome luck, we were put in an upgraded private room. This was our balcony.

Our hallway/sink/bathroom area.

The first two beds.

The other bed.

After buying all that makeup, we had to put it on!

Angel rocking her Katy Perry lashes in the surprised model pose.

My new Sugarpill eyelashes!

Ready!!!

We wandered around the shops nearby for a while, and then we happened upon this awesome blues bar. The owner waived the $12 cover and let us in free. It was totally the eyelashes.

The band playing that night was Cafe R&B. Their lead singer was awesome.

The next morning, we headed to Venice Beach. First we stopped at the farmer's market.

Gabby at the petting zoo.

The canal on the way to the beach.

After we'd had enough sun, Angel's parents called and invited us to go eat dinner with them in San Diego. We decided, why not? So we drove down to San Diego.