The Other Side of the Mountain

Our campground is surrounded by many mountain ranges, one of them being the Huachuca’s in Huachuca City, home of the Huachuca Army Base which is about 25 minutes from the campground. The military has a weather/technical balloon that can be seen for many, many miles, unless the weather warrants otherwise. So while you are wandering around on unfamiliar roads, it’s assuring to look up and see the balloon to help in your navigation.

Our destination on this day is to visit Parker Lake Canyon. After reviewing the directions we are pretty sure we know the general vicinity. It will take us out through wine country, through the hills and valleys on the backroads. Our kind of ride. After about 40-45 minutes we look up in the sky and can’t figure out what we are looking at. As we drive and get shielded from the sun we realize as we get closer to Parker Lake Canyon that the object in the sky is the weather balloon from Fort Huachuca. It seems we traveled this distance to find out it’s just on the other side of the mountain! We must have missed something when we were looking at the directions. Once we got to Parker Lake Canyon we realized we hadn’t gotten the wrong directions…this is how you get there. It appears there is another way to get there but it is a “limited access” road on base. Oh well, it was a gorgeous drive passing huge houses, or probably more like gentlemen ranches, vineyards, grazing cattle and many hills and valleys. And at last we are at Parker Lake Canyon.

 

I will say there was a little bit of a disappointment. The drought has not been kind to this lake as much of it has receded and looks like it has not seen a decent rain falls in many months. It is a nice park with a trail that goes around the lake, a small marina and many other offshoot trails. We walked for awhile and Baxter was more than willing to chase the ducks is given the chance.

 

Having stretched our legs and taken in the fresh air we decided to head back home, possibly finding a closer route going the other way. That proved to a useless endeavor and ended up on the same route home. I really didn’t mind. I wasn’t driving and I could look at all the gorgeous scenery. Our pilot got us home safe and sound as he always does.

 

I sure hope you are able to find some ways of getting out doors and finding a way to free your mind from all the stuff going on these days. We need to keep our minds, as well as our bodies, healthy and what better way to do it than to explore the great unknown. So get up, get out, and don’t forget to look up, it’s amazing up

there.