Re: Farewell to Enchantment: The Final Chapter
Sunday: 8/5
Last day...last chance, so we left the dogs home alone a bit longer than we normally would, but they behaved themselves and waited patiently for our return. What good boys!
Scooter and I started off with our normal run up Karr Canyon, popping out on the Sunspot Highway. We rode up to the rocky, loose jeep trail previously mentioned in this ride report, but it wasn't nearly so loose this day, as the ground was still saturated from recent rains. We found a side road and decided to explore, but we didn't get too far.
So we tried the opposite direction...
Near as I can recall, we didn't get too far on this one either, it just looped us back around to the jeep trail. We sat for a bit, to regroup, rehydrate and we've been trying to spend a bit more time just being there. Just sitting in the perfect bird/bug infested silence of these mountains. I kept hearing some small animal in the low, young oak ground cover nearby. I was keeping an eye out, because I was sitting cross-legged on the ground and somewhat feared that the noise could be a snake. Well, it was a reptile alright, but not one I fear. A flyhunter...
He was quite colorful, not marked like the horned toads from Texas that I remember as a kid. Look at the lovely salmon color of his little nubby horns and on the sides of his face, along with the striking white accents on his back and side spikes.
We suited up again and headed off in search of further off road adventure. Along the way, Scooter mentioned that he remembered seeing a cemetary noted on the map, but that he wasn't seeing anything. Still behind him and uphill, I spotted a few headstones lurking in high grass. We pulled off to walk among the resting and read their names/DOBs/DODs.
As you can see, the cemetary is neglected, these long dead folk seemingly forgotten...may they rest in peace, content with only Mother Nature's decorations for their gravesites.
We soon headed up into higher meadows. The winter was fairly harsh this last season, with the weight of snow causing lots and lots of downed trees everywhere.
More mighty fine views...
Another remnant of days gone by...what's left of a narrow guage logging train trestle,
The trail began to fade on us again.
This is where we came out.
Shouldn't they have closed it at both ends?
So anyway, we headed off again, once more in search of further adventure. Those aspens ahead will make for gorgeous scenery this fall.
The weather's been pretty harsh on the fire roads and trails too.
We saw this lone, velveted buck.
Dodged this mean little tree that gave me a smack on the back of my helmet for my troubles.
Found impressive fields of thistle...
and unintentionally carried home a sweet little ride reminder.
That's all folks!
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Yesterday morning I was adding the final chapter to this report and had gotten through Saturday ride, was well into Sunday's ride when IE decided to go *poof*, taking my addition to the ride report with it. 
