Five Days in Madera Canyon

After our rattlesnake rattle, we decided we needed to hike elsewhere. But where?
It is getting too warm to hike locally unless we get up at (ugh) 4 a.m.  So we drove south for an hour to Madera Canyon. We chose a trail that begins at 5400 ft. and fifteen degrees cooler. We intended to hike to 6700 ft. I didn't make it. Not only is it a serious climb, but the air is thinner. My lungs and legs said "AAAYYYYY!" So I listened. Peggie has been training longer and is in better shape, so she went a little farther up the trail.
We decided that the thing to do was take our trailer and camp there, get acclimated, and hike. So we did. We found a good spot in the campground and set up. We hiked every day on a different trail. All of them go up...and up...and up some more. All of them were breath-taking both in difficulty and beauty. The good news about an up trail, the return is down.
We are training for the Grand Canyon which is down first, then up. Hmmmm.
Some turkeys went through an adjoining campsite, but that was it for wildlife.
As far as "adventures" go: can you hear "WHUUMP" ? That is the sound of propane igniting. That is an okay sound inside the grill where the burner is. It is not an okay sound outside the grill where the gas line from the tank is not supposed to leak. Well, I knew to shut off the gas at the valve. But without a replacement hose, that ended grilling for this trip.
Cooking inside is not as much fun, but doable. Our stove has an igniter switch that uses a spark instead of a pilot light. Fine, except when it comes apart and doesn't spark anymore. So we have to use a butane lighter to light the burners.
Our kitchen faucet has a broken handle that we have made do with for years. But now it leaks a lot, too. Time to fix that.
This was a fun trip. Glad it is over. But now repairs to be made. After spending money on parts and pieces.