RAFTING THE COLORADO

Pam at Digging invites us to share our National Park experiences. In 1995 David and I were in our 'pretending to be young' phase of life. ( In case your wondering this is one of Jane Fonda's 3 phases of life; Being young, pretending to be young and being old). We signed up for the week long rafting trip down the Colorado River, which passes through the Grand Canyon Park.

A friend had done this trip a few years before and I wasn't at all put off by the fact that she came back without a voice from all the screaming!

The trip was run by Western River Expeditions. We flew into Las Vegas and drove out to Lees ferry to board our J rig with about 12 other guests. We were told to bring only 15lb of luggage, wine and beer in non glass containers, waterproof suit and a roll of duct tape. I adhered strictly to the 15 lb limit but I could see immediately that others were bringing more. One girl brought a gas curling iron! We were each given a life jacket and an ammo can into which to put anything we wanted during the day; camera, lotion etc. Off we set.

I would have to say that day 1 was a complete shock to the system. The water was frigid and we went through so many rapids and got so soaking wet I was almost ready to call it quits as we landed on this gorgeous beach. Oh, the feel of the warm sand. But no, we couldn't spend the night here as this was a protected area. A quick stagger around and then back in the raft.

Further down the river our guides finally found us a beach area to spend the night, sleeping out under the stars, the walls of the canyon looming high above us. As the guys got busy with dinner preparations I could see that this was to be the gourmet rafting trip. Halibut on the first night out! This was the point at which it was discovered that the plates had not been loaded into the raft. So we made do for the whole trip by covering our ammo can lid with foil. It worked. 3 rectangular meals a day! (The British navy coined this phrase with their square plates.)

Although there are many rapids on the Colorado there are places where the water is calm and we drifted along listening to the stories told by our guides. Stories of early explorers and of the geology of the canyon.

There was plenty of opportunity to stop and hike. Here we hiked up to some Anasazi ruins.

The further we headed down the river the warmer the water became. That certainly made a difference as we went through the rapids. There were some pretty rough rides. There are two places to sit on the rig, the front pontoons and the area at the back called the chicken coup. Straddled over the pontoons you had to hold on to the ropes for dear life. Several times the force of the trip through the rapids ripped your hands off the ropes. One girl went over the front of the rig and we had to cut the engine. Now out of control we ended up crashing against the rocks and it took a while to gain control of the craft. Sound like fun. We got used to hearing the guide call out "suck rubber"

It was a really fun group.

Every day there was talk about these terrible rapids- Lava Falls. Finally the day came. We watched the other rig go first. The rapids really didn't look that bad! David and I were sitting on the pontoons at the front and I 'sucked rubber' and held on with all my strength. I felt David crash into my left side as the force tore his left hand off the ropes- and then we were through and into calmer water.

On the last night the guides served us champagne and shrimp cocktail before the meal. They did a wonderful job and everyone had the best time.

There is only one way out of that canyon and that is by helicopter. A short ride took us up to a ranch where we boarded a small plane to Las Vegas. It truly was the trip of a lifetime.

THE BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON

As a follow up tho the Ken Burns' series on the National Parks, Pam at Digging invited us to share our stories of visits we had made to the National Parks. I have chosen the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. We happened upon this park when spending the night in Montrose, Colorado four years ago. Now, each year on our way up to Idaho we stop in and spend a few days on the campsite.

Far below this steep sided rugged canyon flows the Gunnison River.

As the river runs through the canyon it drops at a rate of 95' per mile. This alone gives it the energy to cut through the rock faster than natural erosion can widen the canyon.

Because there is no accommodation in the park most visitors drive along the rim of the canyon and take short hikes to view points overlooking the canyon walls.

We are fortunate that we have a travel trailer and can spend as much as a week there. There is plenty to do. There is an excellent visitor center, every day there are ranger talks at various vantage points along the rim, hikes along the rim and into the sagebrush country. Each evening the rangers give talks on a wide range of topics relating to the canyon and its exploration in the early 1900s. This year we enjoyed a talk on astronomy; this is the place to see the milky way. During the presentation that evening we saw the space station pass overhead.

In June and early July the wildflowers are gorgeous.

Golden buckwheat, Eriogonum flavum.

and my favorite, the sego or mariposa lily,

Erigeron and yarrow.

The fishing is pretty good too. The Gunnison is a Gold Medal River for anyone who knows anything about fly fishing. However, the river is not easy to get to. The easiest hike is down the Gunnison Trail, where the hiker must negotiate a drop of 1800' over incredibly difficult terrain. David was very keen to do this hike to get to that fishing. Before heading out we had to spend time with the ranger looking at photographs of the unmarked trail. Prepare for self rescue. Was I crazy to be doing this!

Half the time I was on by bottom, slipping and sliding down the scree.

At one point there is an 80' chain to help the hiker. We only met 5 other people that day. All were from Europe!

Eventually we reached the river and while David fished I sat on the bank and enjoyed the scenery. Then it was time for the return trip. I can honestly say it was the hardest uphill I have ever done. At one point we were stopping every few feet to catch our breath and rest our weary legs.
See that pained look on my face. I felt as though I was climbing Everest. For the next 3 days if I crouched down I couldn't get up.

This year I told David I wasn't going down again but he was determined to go. The draw of the brown trout was just too much to pass up. I bid him farewell at 9am at the start of the trail and off he went. When he came back at 5pm he told me he was never going again- but that's another story!

THE WALLACE DESERT GARDENS, PHOENIX

A few weeks ago I made plans to go out to visit my son and family in Phoenix. A trip to the Desert Botanical Garden is usually on the cards but I wondered if there might be another garden somewhere not too far away that I could visit. I contacted Aiyana of Water when Dry and she suggested the Wallace Desert Garden.

This is a private garden located in north Scottsdale. A visit to the garden is by appointment only, as the garden is located in the gated community of Sincuidados. I contacted Lee Brownson, the executive director, and made arrangements to visit last Friday morning.

It was one of those perfect desert mornings as we wound our way through the twisting roads of this neighborhood to reach the garden. All the houses are of Santa Fe or territorial style architecture, barely visible throughout the native, desert sensitive landscape. It was a surprise to find that we were 2400' above sea level. We had climbed steadily from the desert floor of Phoenix at 1000'

Crested saguaro exhibiting monstrose condition.

Lee met us at the house and took us into his office where he showed us a map of the Wallace property. A total of 12 acres are under cultivation. This property is all about the cactus and desert plants from many parts of the world and I was barely aware at any point in time that there was a house on the property. In fact there are two houses; the Wallace home and a guest house.

The house and gardens, built in the 1980s, were once the home of H B and Jocelyn Wallace. In 1993 the gardens were placed under the protection of the The Wallace Desert Garden Foundation, a non profit organization funded by an endowment and donations to the garden. Mr Wallace died in 2005 but his wife still has a life interest in the property.

When H B Wallace and Jocelyn retired to the desert southwest it wasn't long before they fell in love with desert plants and so began the collection of over 2500 species of cactus and desert dwelling plants. The Wallaces also became interested in the Desert Legume Program, founded by the University of Arizona, and their garden has an important and valuable collection of desert legumes.

Although the area under cultivation is 12 acres, a small area of the garden, which contains his collection of more prized plants, is walled to protect the plants from javelina and rabbits.

Wallace designed a 6000 sq. ft desert pavilion. It was originally meant to protect many of the tender cactus he brought from other parts of the world. However, over time many of these plants have become adapted to the conditions of the area and survive on other parts of the property. The roof consists of louvered slats which can be opened according to the weather and the side walls can also be opened.
It was a bonus to find this Stenocereus stellatus blooming.

Just outside the walls of the pavilion is a particularly stunning collection of cacti.

I am always attracted to the clumping cactus

and especially those in flower.

Even the Stapelia hirsute was in flower. I was particularly excited to see this flower, as last year Annie gave me some cuttings of this plant. I got down on my knees to smell the flower which has an odor of rotting flesh which attracts flies.

This model of a dinosaur might seem a little out of place in a desert garden. It was a gift from Mrs W to her husband.

An eye catching Agave parryi 'truncata'

Outside the walled area there was a more open feel to the planting.

This interesting large shrub caught my eye and I would have guessed it was a holly of some kind. I was wrong it was an shrub live oak Quercus turbinella.

Wallace was very proud of his boojum, Fouquieria columnar, forest. A collection of fourteen trees that were grown from seed brought from the Baja peninsular. The plants were installed in the garden about 15 years ago and have taken well to their new home. Dormant during the summer these trees leaf out following winter rains. In their natural habitat water from fogs drips down the trunk and waters the ground around the plant.

It is inevitable that at some point a plant will die from old age or unfavorable conditions and this stump of the Ficus indica shows just how woody a cactus can become.

Santa rita opuntia with agave.

A small flowering tree the Texas Olive, Cordia boissieri. Sometimes known as the Wild Olive or Mexican Olive ( Anacahuita) has soft grey-green leaves and white flowers highly attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. It is not related to other olives but is named so for the yellow to purple fruits which are similar to olives. It is a member of the borage family.

We spent and enjoyable 2 hours touring the grounds and I am indebted to Lee for giving us this private and informative tour of a spectacular garden. Garden lovers, who happen to find themselves in the Scottsdale area should make a special point of visiting this garden.

PICTURE THIS PHOTO CONTEST "ABUNDANT HARVEST"

My entry for the October, Picture this Photo Contest "Abundant Harvest" at Gardening Gone Wild.

There was no question about the best harvest in my garden this year. The mild spring resulted in our most successful pomegranate harvest since the tree began bearing five years ago. We estimate at least 300 and possibly more of these luscious ruby red fruit. No wonder this fruit is so revered by the Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cultures.

AM I LOSING MY MIND

Of course I came back from Arizona, after my visit to the Wallace Desert Garden, besotted with agave and cactus. Which would have worn off somewhat if I had not dropped by a big box store yesterday and found their agaves and succulents on sale. 30% off and most of them were not even expensive to start with.

Could I resist? Well, no of course not. Here they are. Some may have to stay in pots because they are probably not hardy in my garden. They say hardy cactus but I see plants labelled as such in even the best nurseries. Probably most are hardy to 20 degrees but Austin, on occasion, will drop well below that.

I have been planning for some time to reduce the plantings in the garden and to have more in the way of structural plants. Yesterday I concentrated on one area above the sunken garden which was over run with mealy blue sage, ruellia, Savia gregii and all manner of other seedy plants. I amended the soil with pumice and gravel and planted the first of my finds Agave bracteosa. Also known as the octopus or squid agave, it is hardy to 18 degrees. It has soft leaves which are spineless. There seems to be confusion as to whether this plant dies after flowering. One reliable source says it does not. I planted this specimen this morning and plan to grow blackfoot daisies and skull caps around the base. These are two of the lower growing plants.

I can see already that this next spring is going to have a bumper crop of wildflowers. In the gravel covered front garden Wright's skull cap, Scutellaria wrighii has seeded in abundance.

Damianita has also made a surprise appearance as this has only happened once before. I recognize the narrow leaves and the characteristic smell of the foliage.

There are hundreds of blackfoot daisy seedlings. Of course the weeds are there too. I will have to remove most of these seedlings.

The cooler days have brought the yellow ice plant, Delosperma nubigenum, back into flower alongside the purple alyssum. .

Pink crystals ruby grass, Melinis nerviglumis, is flowering for the second time this year. I would not be without this annual grass which never grows above 2' The foliage kept its color throughout the heat of our terrible summer.

Stay tuned for my visit to the Wallace Desert Garden.

BRINGING PUPS HOME

I went to Arizona this past week to stay with my son and family and brought home some pups.

No, no no , not these ones, but the other kinds of pups that grow in the ground. I've had an experience with the former as they tore around my garden on the scent of some critter.

I was taking the dogs for their morning walk in the neighborhood and stopped to talk to the gardener who was trimming the trees on the boulevard. As the subject of agaves came up and I told him how I had bought an agave at the DBG last time I visited , he said "why don't you take some of these pups " He was only going to pull them out. So, they are now back in Texas and potted up. Have no idea what they are but they will stay in pots for the winter.

A SPLASH OF COLOR

Although the amaranth is back in my garden by accident this year I must admit to enjoying the splash of color that the feather like flower heads add to the whole picture. A had a vase of the dried flower heads on the table and inevitably seeds dropped onto the path and were washed by rains to the edge of the sunken garden.

I have been watching the hummingbirds through the window and to my surprise they seem to be like visiting the flower for nectar.

The leaves of this plant are also attractive as the cooler weather brings out their multicolored hues.

They also form a nice backdrop to the medley of narrow leaf zinnia and cosmos.