Lazarow World-Hike-About

We experience a little tension between us every now and again, often because of ducks. Ducks! You might exclaim, but it’s true. ‘How could that be?’ It’s a reasonable question. I’ll try to explain but fear it might be difficult. You should know upfront that Jenni has defined all forms of birdlife as ducks. Should you be able to grasp the concept then you’ve made a leap forward without getting into much of a flap. You should know that Jen probably gets a bit upset with me when I inform her in the sweetest manner that her assertions of birds are not based on any scientific parameters but rather that she wings it.  I think she believes all flying creatures belong to the same species and therefore a generic description will do. Ducks. Admittedly, my fascination with shooting the flying fellows, with a camera of course, may be the reason she acts as she does. Just the other day, I was trying to figure something out. I often think deeply of irrelevant issues and she wonders whether my ...

We reach a high-point of the hike and spot those at the low-point. Jen takes a break as she contemplates a very difficult section to negotiate. She usually has good sense for survival. They say  a house is a man’s castle or maybe, we should express it differently suggesting that a home is a woman’s palace. In the ideal sense, when a man and woman come together in harmony, it would seem the place in which they live may not be as important as the space they occupy together. What’s this all about? Don’t ask me, what I do I know? After all, we were talking with a family member a couple of years ago when he looked up at me and I could see he wanted to mention something important but was thinking carefully of how to express it. Although he’s not a man to avoid controversial topics, he seemed hesitant on this one. Finally, he smiled, blushed slightly and offered the following comment. (Continues at end...) Reflections along the river. At times, an intimidating canyon. Up ...

Tonto Basin and the immediate region surrounding it is not for people who enjoy the wilderness. Tough hikes amongst pristine beauty is of course, overrated. Definitely not for those who don't welcome people greeting and waving from their cars or while walking along the road. Stopping to ask how one is and striking up a conversation and whether they can assist one might impinge on privacy. The blue waters, the shapes, coves, and glass-like stillness of Roosevelt Lake can be awfully boring.  Apache Lake and the flowing Salt River might be fascinating but then again, it's just water and there's a lot of that about, surprisingly in the desert, too. The saguaros dot the landscape but when you've seen one tall one with multiple arms, you've seen them all. Yep! This is not a place to visit for in a way, it's stepping back into the Wild West without lawlessness. It allows a person to escape from the prison of the proverbial jungle which of course, makes this land far ...

Four Peaks Wilderness, takes the breath away...probably the climb actually. Each day, we face nature and invariably confront some of the most beautiful and amazing scenes. We've often mentioned that each differs from the previous, sometimes subtlety, but most times, bluntly. How is it possible that the world is covered in treasures and yet we've only discovered a tiny amount? Combine it with the physical efforts, often mental exercise too, and we believe we live in an incredible space and place. Yet, nature itself is neutral. It is neither good nor bad. It does what it's programmed to do.  What's missing from nature's formula? An attribute which we'll call kindness. In a recent blog, we dealt with our opinion of human behavior. We have often expressed the view that a potential attribute of man, perhaps the only reason we have survived until now, is that of the concept of kindness shown to a stranger. Is there anything more beautiful, more meaningful, than one...

Roosevelt Dam and lake...life is a many splendid thing. Surprisingly, there are advantages in not having much of a brain. Don't laugh, we speak from experience. Were we brighter, that is, had more power in the head, we'd not see and experience much of what we do. There are many places a person would not climb or hike should they be intelligent. And therein lies the advantage we referred to earlier. Admittedly, there is downside but when that occurs, we consider it experience. We win both ways.  Alas, there is a perturbing trend which has occurred of late. In fact, today when we were heading off trail to reach a mountaintop, I mentioned to Jen she should question me more as well as argue when she thinks I'm leading us astray. We were 'bush-wacking' up a mountain over and around cacti and more subtle 'pricklies' at the time.  Her singing reply: 'I will follow you...(there isn't a mountain too high...)." I did not know how to take that other ...

Jenni enters the exciting but short slot canyon...producing an interesting visual.   After climbing from the slot canyon and then up to Lizard peak, we observe a completely different environment. Scroll down for this week's posting.

The memory of these airmen remain and so it should. These days, the concept of hero has been denigrated, unfortunately. The memorials laid on the mountain represent heroes. For the record, to reach high up and past the crosses, we found tough and dangerous, but certainly not heroic. Taking a break on the tough climb as we turn to face Yuma. We observe from afar, sometimes not so far, and wonder why people disrespect the flag of their country, particularly that of a republic or democracy. They burn it, stand-down next to it, curse it and what it represents, and also, those that support it. It was not long ago when those that would not stand for the flag invited condemnation. Today, there’s a hardcore that condemn people who are proud of the flag. Hmm!  There are people we love, many whom we respect and a large number we avoid. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the latter stages of our life, we realize and accept reluctantly: the human race is a disappointment. Beginning with ...