Superstition Mtns, Wave Cave, Apache Junction

Back on the road again!  About time right?!  Yay!!!!! 

We are in Apache Junction, AZ.  Have been here a week and leave this Friday.  The Superstition Mountain range, with its many trails, is one of my favorite areas to hike and is just 10 minutes from the Weavers Needle RV park where we are staying.  I have posted pics from trails here in the past so will just mention a couple of new trails we've done:

Below are the Superstitions as we see them from Apache Junction.  These pics were taken the day after we had record breaking rainfall here....and record breaking snowfall up there!  That would be the 22nd and 23rd.

This is the other side of the mountains where most of the trails are accessed.

The rest of the pics are from our hike to the Wave Cave Trail yesterday.  It is a short hike, 3 miles out and back with a 846ft elev. gain.  The last couple of hundred feet being rather challenging.  It's rated one of the most difficult in the Superstitions. 

the cave is in the middle of the pic

to the left of the cave you can see a couple of small waterfalls

at the entrance the rock formation does look like a wave

a large open cave with a very nice view!

close view of the small waterfalls

a long waterfall in the distance.....

Pinnacles National Park, Condors!!, Salinas, CA

While staying near Salinas, CA, on our last stop, we also spent a couple of days in Pinnacle National Park.  In addition to being another beautiful place, is has the added attraction of being a home of some California Condors!!  We were fortunate enough to see a couple of them!  So thrilling!:

Great hiking in the park!

 A cool cave on our trail!  We had to have flashlights....or pitch blackness for part of the trail!

first condor sighting!!!

 The Pinnacles Trail was pretty exciting and a bit strenuous!

second condor sighting!

this one flew right overhead!

great place, great hikes!

Monarch Butterflies!!, Salinas, CA

We had a wonderful week enjoying the area near where we parked just outside of Salinas, Prunedale, to be exact.  Our first hike there was at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (whew) on the coast where we saw lots of water birds and hawks, woodpeckers, etc:

cormorants, pelicans, gulls, ducks, wading birds.....

downey woodpecker

We came across this sea lion
hanging out alone on the
bank.  Probably sick
unfortunately, we reported him
to the ranger:(

acorn woodpecker

After our hike around the
slough, we drove into town
for a brew at the Elkhorn
Slough Brewery!











Our next adventure was a nice walk along the coast at Santa Cruz and a visit to Natural Bridges State Park.  It is a lovely area, of course, but the best part was a surprise for us.  We learned it is the winter home for thousands of monarch butterflies!

The butterflies hang out primarily up in the high canopies of the eucalyptus trees there.  You do need binoculars and cameras for the best views:

the butterfly area

Santa Cruz coastline

a Santa Cruz native:)

 Next: a visit to Pinnacles National Park!