56:13 Tonto Basin, Arizona: Heaven on Earth; it's that simple. The irony: Via cemetery hike.

'Little House on the Prairie'.
Lakeview?
  

 I believe it's understandable that we appear to be consumed by the wonderful challenges we face on the mountains, the magnificent natural scenes in the wilderness and the blessing of relative freedom. Furthermore, that I appear to exaggerate the beauty, I do accept...maybe. However, I have two counters to that contention. After all, I just remembered a concept that is pertinent. 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder'. Who knows what it means but it sure works for one of us. The other partner sees the beauty too; however, she is a little more reserved about it. The second contention is that "You had to be there."   

  

 Frankly, none of that really matters. That I walk around in a daze most of the day on the trails, cross-country and on mountain slopes means that I am in complete awe of what we see, experience, witness and absorb. Please! Don't take it away from us. 

Sometimes, we just stare and stare, but try not to be rude.
Somewhere on our return.
What's that protruding, Jen? We had climbed through at least three canyons, up-and-down, so we achieved gain but lost it soon thereafter. At the beginning of the hike, we passed a closed cemetery—the best kind.
I do believe that's where Teddy stretches his bones over the lake.

I wanted to say, 'We bumped into a brick wall but that might be inaccurate.'
There are lakes and then there are lakes.
A body coming through the rye? Moving sprightly, no thorns today.
Love it. How do we leave this place? (Expecting some wise replies. Problem when you have such smart friends.)
On our previous visit, I was a little too intimate with one of these 'ladies'. I paid a sharp price.
Probably a good place to close.
Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey