10/15/2000

KP Cienega-Blue Ridge Primitive Area

"Strawberries, cherries, and an angel's kiss in spring. My summer wine is made from all these things." Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood-Summer wine 1967


Que pasa amigos,My son Jacobo and I just returned from our campground at 9000' where weescaped the valley's intense heat and found our summer wine.K. P. Cienega is five miles south of Hannegan Meadows on US route 191 andthen 1.5 miles east of FR 155. There are only five loosely spaced units ofthis campground that lie on a loop road on the fringes of the conifer andaspen forest. Below the campsites, lovely meadows grace the area where anabundance of wildlife can be viewed. Every time that Jake and I have beenhere we have had the campground to ourselves.The last time we were here weheard some of the Mexican Grey Woves. There are forty lobos roaming thearea.Close to where we camped are a number of small but perennial streams linedby magnificent forests of hardwoods. There is excellent fishing in the Blueand Black Rivers, home to brook, brown, and rainbow trout as well as a fewof the endangered Apache trout. We may have seen a couple of these on ourhike in the Bear Wallow Wilderness. This is a hiker's paradise, withexcellent conditions for wildflowers.And, the best part is that very few of our species come here, due to thisremote location. I know that I am gushing, but with good reason.Highlights of this trip include:-Wildlife sightings of 2 black bears, flocks of wild turkeys, deer and elk.-Wildflowers galore! and where there are wildflowers there arebutterflies-- everywhere.-Magnificent hiking: Bear Wallow Trail-16 miles Upper Fish Creek Trail-5 miles West Fork of the Black River-6 miles-Over cervezas, viewing the brilliant display of stars in the Arizona sky.-Dinner at the Hannegan Meadows LodgeMen Behaving badly-Jacobo, for refusing to study or even take interest in the display ofanimal skat in the Ranger's office. Jake doesen't know SKAT!!!-Jacobo & El Lobo, real men, enjoying butterflies and wildflowers?

No comments: