April 25, 2018

This is a 4 wheel drive trip report in the Castle and Buckhorn Creek drainages.  However do not look for any water photos in the creeks, as we have had only a 0.5 inches of rain since last September.  The first stop is Castle Hot Springs Resort which is being restored to its former glory.  We still could not get in, but it promises to be open in October.  It has a wonderful history (1896-1976) and was a playground for the rich and famous  including presidents.  There is still a rough 12-15 mile gravel road over which stage coachs once travelled.  If interested please click on the link above and also find more links on the official site.

We continued to find that there are a few homesteaders living off the gird.  Not too far away we saw this old barn.

This is also the time of the year for the Saguaros to bloom.  Even in town they are producing many more blooms than normal.

Please click more to follow the rest of the day.

We found quite a few ocotillo also in bloom. They usually look like dried up sticks with nasty thorns.   If there is enough water they produce small leaves, some still green, others already turning yellow.

Next we found some deserted ranch buildings, one with a fallen giant in front.

Finally, we encountered other notable landscapes, a hedgehog cactus in bloom barely hanging onto a steep embankment, and ended the day with sunset at Lake Pleasant on the way home.