Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!
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During the Covid lockdowns John and I weren't really too bothered because everything we like to do is outdoors. Our son David and his wife Elizabeth were getting cabin fever, so we decided to take them on a little off-highway adventure one day in June 2020. They have a Four Runner and David and I both had our ham radio licenses by then, so we decided to head for the hills. Choosing A Destination My favorite way to choose a destination for John and me is to go immediately to Trailsoffroad.com... Full story
John and I and Mochi took a fun ride up in the cool pines the other day – it wasn't a ride packed with things to see, but it did take us past Marshall Lake, Upper and Lower Lake Mary, Mormon Lake, and Stoneman Lake – all of which are currently chock full of water! You will need a high-clearance vehicle for this drive, and I'm thinking it could get iffy after a big rain. I'm an Arizona native, but this is the first time I've ever seen water in Stoneman Lake, and the first time I remember see... Full story
Petrified Forest, AZ- Tired of staying indoors from the summer heat? Need to get away from work and the city noise? Hike the beautiful Painted Desert with a Ranger! Enjoy peaceful spectacular fall views of the park while you get some steps in! Hikes are free with entrance fee. Reservations required and limited to 10 participants per hike. Hikers should come prepared with adequate food, water, clothing, footwear, hat, and sunscreen. There is little to no shade on the hikes. No pets (exception... Full story
Got fish? Gone fishin'. Go fish. All apply to Arizona and the angling opportunities offered in this state. Bass Junkyz, high school and college programs, Arizona Game & Fish Department are among the outstanding promoters of this family friendly sport. Whether you fish in community waters or head to the high country lakes, you can enjoy the time near and on the water. Fly fishing, striper fishing, trout fishing, bass fishing, blue gill fishing, catfish fishing-- whatever your preference, all are... Full story
More than 67,000 rainbow trout varying in size from 3 to 18 inches stocked into Lower Lake Mary in this spring. By Matt Rinker, Senior Aquatic Wildlife Specialist, AZGFD Flagstaff Region If you have ever fished Lower Lake Mary, you know it is a lake of boom and bust. Some years the lake is full and fishing is great and other years the lake is low or just a meadow. Well, the story of Upper and Lower Lake Mary is directly tied to the history of Flagstaff and its early settlers. Upper and Lower... Full story
Arizona's bald eagles are back, and they will soon be preparing for the next generation of eagles at breeding sites statewide. To assist with the state's continued bald eagle population growth, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) encourages outdoor recreationists, aircraft pilots, drone operators and motorized paragliders to do their part by not disturbing the state's 93 eagle breeding areas. Hope For A Productive Breeding Season To protect breeding attempts, some portions of public... Full story
Outdoor recreationists, pilots, drone operators asked to avoid nesting areas. Arizona’s bald eagles are preparing for the next generation of eagles at breeding sites statewide. To assist with the state’s continued bald eagle population growth, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) encourages outdoor recreationists, aircraft pilots, drone operators and motorized paragliders to do their part by not disturbing the state’s 92 eagle breeding areas. To protect breeding attempts, some porti... Full story
Outdoor Recreationists, Pilots And Drone Operators Asked To Avoid Bald Eagle Nest Areas Arizona's bald eagles are back and they will soon be working on the next generation of eagles at breeding sites statewide. To assist with the state's continued bald eagle population growth, the Arizona Game and Fish Department encourages outdoor recreationists, aircraft pilots, drone operators and motorized paragliders to do their part by not disturbing the state's 89 eagle breeding areas. As such, some... Full story
Sun sweats, triple-digit fidgets, dog days -- they seem to make most outdoors lovers crave cool times in the high country. Some of the best family camping and fishing options include waters with stocked or self-sustaining fish, quality camping amenities, and striking scenery. Those factors were used by AZGFD fishing report editors and regional staff to determine this list. Be sure to check the latest fire restrictions. It's a good idea to reserve a campground in advance if possible, but if... Full story
Ever wonder what it would be like to see hundreds of elk in one place at one time? That certainly will be possible at Mormon Lake. During two sessions this opportunity is possible during the elk viewing workshop hosted by the Arizona Game and Fish Department with support from Mormon Lake Lodge. Workshop presentations are scheduled for the morning on Saturday, Aug. 17. The workshop includes a presentation and a field trip to watch elk on Mormon Lake. “This is always a popular event; people w... Full story
The Northern Arizona Shooting Range has announced all ranges have been opened to the public although winter hours will remain in effect until May. The rifle and pistol ranges, as well as stations for trap, skeet, sporting clays and five-stand, will operate from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday. All shooters must arrive by 2 p.m. The rifle and pistol ranges also are open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays. The 160-acre range, located about 20 miles east of Flagstaff, is owned by the Arizona Game an... Full story
Annual Bald Eagle Event Set For Feb. 23 In Flagstaff FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Did you know that Arizona is visited by more than 200 bald eagles during the winter? To learn more about these amazing birds, and to see live eagles, the public is invited to attend the annual Bald Eagle Celebration on Saturday, Feb. 23, at the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Flagstaff regional office at 3500 S Lake Mary Road. Several programs will be offered during this year’s event, which is hosted by the Arizona Game... Full story
Outdoor recreationists, pilots and drone operators asked to avoid bald eagle nest areas. Arizona's bald eagle breeding season is on the horizon and multiple public land and water areas will be closed to protect the majestic animals and ensure even more young eagles take to the skies this spring. Highly Successful Program Each year as part of its highly successful program to conserve and protect bald eagles in the state, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) asks outdoor recreationists, ai... Full story
Hopefully we will get some rain soon - and during the summer months - and the forests will re-open, but if not, there are still places you can go to enjoy the outdoors. Arizona's State Parks are super places to visit - John and the girls and I have been to many of them. Here are a few of our favorites, with cooling-off in mind. Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park This beautiful place is near Superior, Ariz., on highway 60. It does get warm there during the day, but they open at 6 a.m. from May ... Full story
A giant fish tail, dark and maybe two feet in length, curled beneath the surface of the water. Carson Pete, shore-fishing about 50 yards away, hiked to where he spotted the tail Sunday at Upper Lake Mary near Flagstaff. He happened to have brought a heavy spinning rod with 50-pound braided line, a 60-pound fluorocarbon leader, and a 7/0 Gamakatsu circle hook. Just before the sun crawled beneath a horizon of pine trees, Pete grabbed a few frozen anchovies he'd dipped in a homemade fish... Full story
Tip Of The Week Three years ago, the world record redear sunfish was taken out of Lake Havasu. Hector Brito caught a 5.80-pound redear sunfish on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2014. Redear sunfish have grown to trophy size in Lake Havasu. Many are in the 2-pound range and larger are regularly caught at this 19,300-acre impoundment on the Colorado River, formed by Parker Dam. Bluegill and redear can be caught around structure such as docks, vegetation, or artificial structure using mealworms, nightcrawlers,... Full story
I'll keep my introduction brief this issue as I want to stress two important things for our class: 1. Our 60th (!) class reunion is set for September 2017 in the afternoon at the museum just above Franklin Park. As next year progresses, you will receive more details. 2. Although I do enjoy putting out Pirate Press from time to time (and, of course, hearing from you), I think that social-media has me beat as to timing and convenience. I hope that all of you will consider becoming Facebook... Full story
As you know, things get real slow for the summer. We'll have our Wednesday night casual races at Lake Pleasant and the summer campout. Following is the campout info, and as for the Wednesday night races, let's try this: Just when sailors have cleared the "midweek hump" at work on hot summer Wednesdays, they can drive to Tempe Town Lake, launch a small boat, and head out for an hour or so of casual, run-what-ya-brung racing. George Sheller is the organizer of this loosely organized gathering. At... Full story
Tip Of The Week At Lake Havasu, a.k.a. Arizona's West Coast, anglers can have banner days on the bedding smallmouth bass. Crappie and largemouth bass will follow with their egg protecting endeavors. (Did I say, "crappie"? Yep, and it looks like Alamo Lake is ripe to be targeted for this great-tasting fish. Just get some good advice from an area tackle shop – if you need it -- and mean business.) The Reel Deal Most bass are in pre-spawn mode in most of the desert lakes. Before recent storms, some... Full story
The producers of Arizona Wildlife Views, the Arizona Game and Fish Department's television show, took home eight regional Emmy Awards in four different categories from the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) this fall. The award recipients and categories were as follow: Environment – Program/Special Arizona Wildlife Views 2015 – Show #1 (https://youtu.be/v9BIvPCAppc). Producers: Carol Lynde, David Majure, Ben Avechuco. Segments in this... Full story
Often hailed as Arizona's capital of autumn, Flagstaff is a leaf peeper's paradise. To experience the season at its most exhilarating visitors flock to the trails around 8,000 feet elevation; where large stands of aspen trees steal the show with their quaking leaves glowing like liquid sunshine. Fall In Flagstaff As the fall months begin to emerge, the warming autumn colors will descend from the San Francisco Peaks to the streets of Flagstaff. Considering the vague perception of when the... Full story
From Phoenix go north on I-17 100 miles to Cottonwood (Exit on 260), Dead Horse Ranch State Park is right in town, then north on 89A for 16 miles to Red Rock State Park. Staying on 89A, go through Sedona for 6 miles to Slide Rock State Park in Oak Creek Canyon and only 24 miles north to Flagstaff to visit Riordan Mansion State Historic Park. From Flagstaff, take the Lake Mary Road south 100 miles to Highway 87 (to Pine and Strawberry) and stop at Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. Follow 87 to... Full story
PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department has scheduled a series of six "open houses" for its constituents to review and ask questions about proposed hunt recommendations for webbed migratory birds, and spring hunts for turkey, javelina, buffalo and bear. The department annually makes recommendations to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission regarding the management of game species, which establish the seasons, dates, bag limits, open areas and permit-tag allocations based on the framework o... Full story
FLAGSTAFF - Ever wonder what it be like to see hundreds of elk in one place at one time? That opportunity is possible during the annul elk viewing workshop hosted by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and Mormon Lake Lodge. Workshop presentations are scheduled for the morning on Saturday, Aug. 15. The workshop includes a presentation and a field trip to watch elk in their natural habitat near Mormon Lake, which is one of only two natural lakes found in Arizona. During the early fall, hundreds... Full story
It doesn’t take much looking across the state this month to see huge aggregations of birds – this year’s production of many migrant species that are gathering now and will be moving south soon. Some of the most obvious are swallows, which readily collect on power and telephone lines along roads in open areas where they’re swooping after insects. Earlier this summer our Snohomish Basin area habitat biologist Jamie Bails especially noticed a particular nesting colony of cliff swallows, one of... Full story
