Today we rode a little further out on King Valley Road, the major road into the interior of Kofa, which eventually takes you to The King of Arizona Mine, the namesake of the refuge. We turned south on a dirt road toward the White Tanks.

Looking back at King Valley and the road that brought us to the tanks. The Kofa mountains are in the distance.

We had to climb above the first tank and follow the wash up to this beautiful spot!

Heading back down we had this view of the reflection in one of the upper pools.

Mavrik enjoyed clambering around on the rocks.

We left the hustle and bustle of Tucson behind and headed back to the peace and quiet of the desert at Kofa Wildlife Refuge! The Jeepster earned it’s keep in the next few days as we explored the area in the south section of the refuge. This area has a concentration of water sources, enhanced natural tinajas or tanks, that are highlights to visit. The closest to our campsite are the Horse and Grey Tanks. A short bumpy ride in the Jeepster got us to the site and we hiked to several of the tanks, the first of which was fairly full and relatively clear!

The reflections scared Mavrik, but he got a drink anyway!

This tank reflected the rock wall surrounding it.

I’m visiting my Mom in North Carolina and we took in a few exhibits at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. A very interesting exhibit “Lines of Control: Partition as a Productive Space“, focusing mainly on the border between India and Pakistan, was very thought provoking.

Mom. In the Antiquities Exhibit (I know that sounds terrible, but that’s where we were!).

From the Medieval Collection:

Patron Saint of Big Hands!

Patron Saint of Huge Feet!

Patron Saint of Emergency Bathroom Visits!

We took a New Year’s Eve day hike up into the mountains not far from where we’re staying. We were surprised to find snow and ice on the trail, even as we were hiking in shirt sleeves. Mavrik sure likes the snow, especially to eat!

White on white!

We started at the big red arrow and tried to make it to Maverick Spring but were turned back by snow right before the junction.

At the saddle between Green Mtn. and Guthrie Mtn. the trail descended on the north side and the snow was relatively undisturbed. We left it that way!

On our descent back to the trailhead we had great views of natural formations.

A huge boulder cracked by natural elements.

A gnarled tree framing a distant peak.

Ice formed in the stream bed, frozen drops under the icy crust.