Crystals and Palms

February 12 (Monday)
We had planned on a trip south of Quartzite for over a week but other things came up. Today was the day.

We headed south down Hwy 95 to about mile marker 95 and turned left toward Crystal Hill. This is in the Kofa Wildlife Refuge and the rules are ......no picking stones......except for a designated area on Crystal Hill. The goal is to find a beautiful clear quartz crystal. The odds are very slim these days as the Hill has been explored and exploited for years. You also can't use any digging tools and only 'surface collect'.

There are giant Saguaro cactus in the Kofa Refuge.

Unusually cloudy day, but when the sun broke through it lit up the mountains. This is the road to Crystal Hill.

Crystal Hill

We parked across the wash from the Hill and off we went. The Hill is pretty steep and the stones are loose so I worked my way up the Hill and Cheryl looked for stones in the wash below.....and of course to catch me if I fell!

Plants grow everywhere and anywhere in the desert

Lots of loose stones on the side of the hill. Step carefully!

We spent a couple of hours there. Lots of very pretty white quartz stones, but not many clear ones and those were only pencil eraser size. Some folks there were hiking over the first hill and onto a second where rumour had it there were better chances of find the perfect clear crystal. They weren't back by the time we left so not sure how they made out.

Our haul. Some very pretty stones. The small ones at the bottom of the picture are pretty clear, but not 'crystal'.

You can see the clear quartz in this one, however we didn't collect it. My buddy Steve gave me this one.

It's a good road, in desert terms, and we had fun looking for stones. We'd definitely go back another time to search some more.

Me hugging a Cholla cactus goodbye.

We headed back to Hwy 95 and drove further south to about mile marker 85 and headed down Palm Canyon Road, also in the Kofa Wildlife Refuge. This was a very smooth gravel road and a good thing as there are a number of very nice camping spots down this road. The goal for us though was at the end of the road and a hike up to 'the palms'!

Very good gravel road. A beautiful sight ahead!

The palms grow here naturally and the only place in Arizona to do so. They are California Fan Palms, not date palms. The trail from the parking lot is about a half mile long, but very rough, lots of rocks and small stones. You really need to watch your footing. Stop often to enjoy the views. This is a very nice canyon. The signs of erosion are all over the walls. Holes and caves dot the sides.

Eventually you see the sign pointing you to the palm trees growing in a narrow slot on the rock wall. I was so fortunate that the sun illuminated the palms just as I arrived at the lookout.

Someone left a palm frond near the sign. For those of us not hiking all the way to the palms.

There they are! I was so fortunate for a break in the clouds and have the sun illuminate the palms.

I was amazed to see that there were palm-like plants growing on the opposite (East) wall of the canyon and actually a lot more on the West wall as well. These low growing plants are not palms but a grass known as Nolinas, or beargrass. I even found a solo palm tree growing in another slot in the wall. Very cool and the only place in Arizona you will find them.

Palm? or grass?

Even a lone Blue Agave growing here (center of picture)

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A lone Palm in this slot in the rock.

Very nice views on the way back to the parking lot. A nice hike, just watch your step!

From the Palms overlook back to the west. 

Parking lot and road.

Ironwood root

Ironwood tree

Branch from the Ironwood. A well named tree, the wood is very dense and hard. Popular with carvers that use a grinder.

Back to the truck and back to camp for us. Two more locations checked off on our Quartzite area 'to see' list.

The beautiful LaPosa Valley. The Chocolate Mountains are on the far distant horizon.

Lots of broken cloud cover today so picture lighting was a challenge. The sunset gave us some special effects.

The photogenic mountain behind to the East of our camping area.

......and that was Our View From Here!