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Red cliffs are good for the soul

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WhistlingBadger:
Today, I got to head out to Red Canyon, ostensibly to hunt rabbits, but mostly to wander around, launch arrows at twigs and dirt clods, look for petroglyphs, confuse the daylights out of some muley does (I've been working on my fawn bleat; it still needs work), and generally let the magic of beautiful country wash the crud of a stressful week out of my head.



It is hard for some people to believe that teaching elementary music can be stressful.  I won't go into the reasons here.  Those of you who work in the current education system need no explanation; the rest of you will have to take my word for it.  It isn't like being an EMT or an infantryman; there is no trauma or horror, but little things build up over time.  For me, nothing cleans out the old attic like an afternoon in the red cliff-juniper country.

My rabbit arrows, despite being the wrong spine for my bow, were flying well.  No suicidal rabbits presented themselves as candidates for my supper, so I poked around in the cliffs, looking for interesting things.  I didn't find anything overtly amazing--no shed antlers, animal skulls, historical artifacts, or rare animal sightings.  But there were fox tracks in the snow; goofy chickadees, dignified magpies, and nervous robins to keep me company; a townsend's solitaire uttering its jubilant, slightly manic song, completely out of keeping with its somber colors; and at every turn those mysterious, intricately shaped, promise-filled red cliffs.



I can drive less than half-an-hour from Badger Manor to places where I can spend a whole day exploring without seeing another person or retracing my tracks.  I am very, very blessed.

JW_Halverson:
Good for you, brother.

I am leaving at 5:00 a.m. on a 20 hour drive to Kingman, AZ to fly redtails and Harris hawks on desert jacks and cottontails. Then on to Sedona to fly prairie falcons and aplomado falcons on quail (possibly even a nightfall hunt for cottontails with Eurasian eagle owls), than on to Tucson for Harris hawks on more cottontails and jacks.

I will get to hang with three radically different falconers from three very different schools of practice.  I have oiled and re-oiled my falconry glove and backup glove until they are butter soft. I have polished the silver plating off my whistle until it is simply gleaming brass, and the soft plastic treat pouch for my belt has been scoured with hot soapy water, disinfected, and dried with care.

Come hail or high water, I need some time in the desert, too. I need to wash off my cares with sand, cactus, and the blue skies that only an arid climate can produce.

Be well, Badger.

WhistlingBadger:
Wow, JW, that sounds amazing.  I hope we'll get to see some pictures and hear some stories.  I've always had a soft spot for prairie falcons, especially.  Just seeing them on the hunt is exciting, and I can only imagine what it must feel like to actually work with one.  I hope you see more game than I did.  But I'm not complaining.  That's another blessing:  It is good to be prosperous enough that meat in the pot is a nice bonus to one's wanderings, not a requirement.

Enjoy and let us know how it goes!

Thomas

Hawkdancer:
A great excursion for you both!  I am familiar with the teaching scene, but only as a "hit" substitute many years ago.  I am a bit hindered getting out at present, but thoroughly enjoy time "in the woods" and fields and mountains?  We are between the plains and the high country, with a wide variety of critters to observe, and pursue in season.  It is therapeutic!  Hope to see a lot of pictures, JW!
Hawkdancer

Azmdted:
I understand completely. I lived in Arizona for 25 years before moving to Maryland for what turned out to be an unfulfilled promise.  Oh well.  Last week I had a business meeting in Arizona starting Monday, so I flew the Friday before. Headed to Flagstaff and spent time wandering around the various habitats there, enjoying awesome sunny, warm, dry air.  Went over towards Twin Arrows and wandered the flats in that area, sad to see the new casino there though.  Then down Oak Creek Canyon to Sedona. 

While in Flagstaff I found that they were holding a 3D archery shoot.  I linked up with a great group of folks and walked the course with them.  3 miles and 22 targets, beautiful. I took a 28 year hiatus from bow hunting and am just getting back into it now.  Back then I was shooting a PSE Magnaflite compound with Easton aluminum arrows, carbon was just coming out.  Wow, what a difference now.  Those machines called bows now are something. Built in laser range finders, automatically projecting a range compensated dot, 100 yard shots, carbon toothpicks for arrows.  Crazy. I respect the folks who do that, but at this point in life shooting a stave that I carved is an awesome feeling.

Nothing like a little solitude, western air and landscape to clear the head. 

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