Feb 14th .....

Happy Valentine's Day!

Usery Park

Usery Park is named after a cattleman around 1870-1880s; someone who held up a stagecoach and stole horses ... spent some time in prison. Usery Park has been opened since 1967 with over 3,600 acres of park, west of the Goldfield Mts and adjacent to Tonto National Forest. The cactus are varied and abundant everywhere throughout the entire route, circumnavigating Pass Mt (which is primarily volcanic rock/granite). Saguaro, compass barrel, pincushion, hedgehog and a few types of cholla.

A view of the Goldfield Mt range

The saguaro cactus: (pronounced "suh-wah-ro") can get as old as 200 years old and over 50 feet tall. (They get even larger in parts of Mexico and S. America). The average grows to approximately 30 feet tall and has five arms. They have only a 3 foot tap root and the majority of the other roots are approximately one foot, or about the circumference of the height of the plant, and attach themselves to rocks.
A view from the Pass Mt Trail (8 mile loop) and looking at Mesa in the distance. Along the entire trail, we were careful because of the Cholla cactus and others that 'reached' out, trying to catch you. It is very known that the Cholla 'prongs' will jump out and attach somehow. Locals will tell you to take pliers to PRY the barbs out. Rattlesnakes are out in this warmth (76 F - about 25C) but we were fortunate to not see anything other than a small chipmunk. I know scorpions frequent the area we are in and we were told to not leave our shoes outside the motorhome OR check them each time we go to put them on.

Usery Pass was known for moving sheep by Mexican and Basque shepherds with their dogs from the high country to the Salt River Valley.

There have been major problems with the dogs in this RV park getting sick - one reported the have spent over $300 at the vet and another whose dog is very ill & he is meeting with management today has spent over $1200. Kylie & Tazz both had diarrhea for several days but are better now. From talking with neighbours we have heard about a dozen dogs that have had varying degrees of illness (vomitting/diarrhea/bladder infection/kidney problems) and the guy with the huge vet bill was told by the vet that this is a type of guardia and is caused by excrement sitting too long in one area, and unsanity conditions. Not surprising as they have a barrier underneath crushed rock ... no drainage and no rain. The dog area just down from us has been closed for a week .. ..(they have sprayed the small fenced area with diluted bleach! Needless to say, we are going out of our way to avoid this park.