Butterfly in the Desert

 Today at Thunderbird Conservation Park:

Vultures circling

So, I often see vultures making lazy circles around me, and joke with them about how I'm not dying yet, but on an October hike at Skyline Regional Park in Arizona, I was on a high ridge and they started circling RIGHT above me.  So close I could clearly see their eyes.  First four, then five, then seven.  At one point there were thirteen.  Circling, circling.  

Usually there's only three or four.  Usually they're not so close.  Usually they don't circle for 15-20 minutes.  I admit, it was a little creepy.  I even called out and looked around to see if there was anyone really in trouble.  

I think there were just good currents that day, and they were having fun.  

Thanks, vultures, for the awesome show.  

  

October full moon in the Grand Canyon

Delayed posting:  this was from October 16, 2024 at Mohave Point on the south rim of the Grand Canyon.  The (almost) full moon rose in the east just before the sun set in the west, so whichever direction you looked, it was gorgeous.

Full moon:

Sunset:

My story, "The Lighthouse Keeper," appeared today in Diabolical Plots

This is a rather dark, atmospheric story that I really enjoyed writing.  Read it for free here:

https://www.diabolicalplots.com/dp-fiction-117b-the-lighthouse-keeper-by-melinda-brasher/

My story, "The Trouble with Vegan Spiders" appears in On the Premises

 I won second place in On the Premises' "Expertise" theme.  You can read the story free here:

"The Trouble with Vegan Spiders," by Melinda Brasher

If you're interested in other stories set in the same tiny space settlement, check these out.

Free to read online:

"Stalked," also in On the Premises: https://onthepremises.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/On-The-Premises-Issue-22.pdf

"Foreign Bodies" in Intergalactic Medicine Show: http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.com/cgi-bin/mag.cgi?do=issue&vol=i39&article=_001

"Passcodes" in The Future Fire: https://futurefire.net/2014.30/fiction/passcodes.html

In anthologies:

"Stashed Away" in The Martian Wave: https://www.amazon.com/Martian-Wave-September-2020/dp/1087902622

"Radish Hunting" in Animal Uprising: https://www.amazon.com/Animal-Uprising-Michelle-Mellon/dp/173354822X

"Salvage Operations" in Leading Edge: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1791953603

"The Twenty Percent Club" in Double Feature Magazine: https://www.amazon.com/Double-Feature-Magazine-Science-Fiction/dp/1540684997

"Sand and Fire" in Spark: A Creative Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Spark-Creative-Anthology-Volume-IV/dp/0988807297

The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman, by Gennifer Choldenko

This was really well-written, with characters I loved and was totally rooting for.  The premise was powerful.  The plot and pacing were good. 

I found a few little things silly or repetitive, but it wasn't a big deal. 

The ending was satisfying.

Overall, a really great book about difficult issues. 

4.5 stars

I Survived True Stories: Five Epic Disaster, by Lauren Tarshis

I haven't read any of the I Survived novels by Lauren Tarshis, despite loving survival stories, and despite them being popular with kids at my library.  But I read this as part of a Summer Reading challenge…and now I want to read all her novels.

The subject matter was fascinating.  The writing was engaging.  The extra facts at the end of each chapter added great depth.  I've been a little fidgety lately with reading, not finding anything that will keep my attention for too long, but I read about 70 pages of this in a row, and finished the book in three sittings. 

Well done.   

5 Stars

My story, "Vodnik," in audio at Tales to Terrify

My short story about a Czech water goblin and a man determined to settle a decades-old score appears in this week's edition of Tales to Terrify.  It's an audio venue, so if you don't have time to read, just listen!

Look wherever you get your podcasts or click here: https://talestoterrify.com/episodes/661-melinda-brasher/

This story first appeared in Uncharted and then in Shadows on the Water.

My story, "Midnight Muster," in Dragon Gems

Today is the release of Dragon Gems Summer 2024 issue.  My story about a resourceful passenger facing off against polite space pirates appears in its pages.  Check it out here:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DJ4BL496

The Color of Rock, by Sandra Cavallo Miller

I enjoyed this for the Grand Canyon setting and the explorations of the type of medical problems that happen there.  

The writing, characters, and plot kept me engaged, but it suffered a little from a  mismatch between expectations and reality.  In my library, it's in the fiction section.  But this is clearly a romance.  I felt a bit disappointed by the emphasis on romance and sex, when there were many other more interesting themes and events to explore in such a great setting.  

So if you're looking for/don't mind a romance, I think you'll really enjoy this.

Grouse?!? in Arizona

On the way up Humphreys Peak, near Flagstaff, Arizona, I came upon about five of these lovely birds.  Grouse?!?   I've never seen grouse in Arizona!  

After I got home, I looked it up.  I'm assuming these are dusky grouse, which my Dad has apparently seen in the wild in Arizona.  But it was a treat for me.  As I was alone on the trail, I got to watch them for a good ten minutes.  Not a bad way to spend your time.  

  

The Eyes & the Impossible, by Dave Eggers

 Newbery Award Winner, 2024:  

This was a cute book.  I liked all the animal characters, the descriptions though the dog's eyes, and how they worked together to solve problems. 

With all books like this, it's sometimes hard to suspend my disbelief when, for example, a dog understands that stars are actually suns burning far, far away, but the same dog doesn't know what the mainland is.  The dog understands all sorts of complex English words and scientific and culture concepts but does not know what art is?  Yeah, it's a little hard to swallow.  But if you can go with it, it's just fun.  

And the pictures are beautiful. 

Chipmunk Thief

At the Flagstaff, Arizona Arboretum:  

Me:  Hey chipmunk, are you stealing from the poor little hummingbirds?

 

Hummingbird:  We're just sharing. It's all good.  

Humphreys Peak, Arizona--the second time

Well, for about fifteen minutes on Monday, I was the highest person in Arizona!  This is Humphreys Peak, near Flagstaff, Arizona.  At 12,633 feet, it's the highest point in Arizona, and the views are spectacular.  

The hike is also quite achievable compared to some other peaks of this height.  The most common (and shorter) trail starts at the ski resort of Snowbowl, already at about 9200 feet, so you've only got about 3400 feet of gain over a trail less than five miles long (one way).  

Humphreys Peak at sunrise, from the trailhead

The first part consists of long switchbacks up through the forest, with the type of trees changing as you get higher, and the views getting more frequent and more impressive.  

Views from the trail (taken on the way back down)

Then you reach the saddle and...wow.  What views.  

The last part, above the tree-line, is really something.  The trail's rocky and sometimes a bit tricky to follow, the birds fly below you, and the 360-views are amazing.  

Looking back toward Agassiz peak from the trail near Humphreys Peak

For most hikers, this part takes a while because of the uneven terrain and the thin air (a mere 11,000 feet higher than I'm used to).  Be warned:  there are several false summits.  You think, "I'm almost there!" But you're not.  Keep on trekking.  It's worth it to stand on the peak. 

It wasn't as cold and windy as it sometimes is (my knit hat was comfy but not entirely necessary), so I stayed up there almost an hour, looking out over creation, reading the log books, eating my sandwich.  I had it all to myself for about fifteen minutes, which I think only happens if you're there early AND you're lucky (I started at 6:00 AM).  Then a nice couple came up and shared the peak with me, but they were considerate and quiet.  Then they left and I had it to myself again for a few minutes.  Fantastic.

Weather Warning:  in monsoon season, afternoon thunderstorms are very common and dangerous if you're caught up above the tree line.  But it's not just monsoon season.  Thunderstorms can brew up quickly other times of year.  If there's any chance of rain at all in the forecast, begin your hike early and head down off the peak by 11:00 AM so you can be back below the tree line by noon.  If there's any danger of lightning in the morning, stay below the treeline.

Timing:  If you're extremely fit, a fast and experienced hiker (or trail runner), and don't spend any time taking pictures, resting, watching wildlife, etc., and if you don't spend your breath talking much to your hiking companions, then you can make it to the top in 3 hours.  If you're used to high elevations, you might even be able to do it in three hours while also having enough air to make conversation.  But for most people, count on four hours or more to make it to the top.  Going down takes longer than you might expect.  Most hikers should probably count on three hours for the descent.  Take plenty of water and snacks.  And take time to enjoy it.  

Elevation:  if you're used to low elevations, try to spend the night before in Flagstaff.  Consider taking aspirin the night before and the morning of.  It helps with altitude sickness.  Avoid alcohol.  If you start feeling weird, slow down and be sure to drink water.  If you start feeling really weird, descend.               

Havasupai Gardens--a lush oasis

 I recently read a novel that takes place in the Grand Canyon, where the main character describes Havasupai Gardens (it was called Indian Garden then) as inaccurately named because there was little to no vegetation.  Um...

So, I took this picture in late spring, and it wouldn't be as green at other times of years, but even if you're used to lush places, you can't say this has no vegetation.  Especially considering what most people expect of the Canyon and compared to many other parts of the Canyon.  I don't think the author did any research.    

Breaking the Thermometer

You know how people joke that it's so hot the thermometers are breaking?  Well.  That LITERALLY happened last week in Phoenix.

One day we noticed that our thermometer outside had shot up past the 120F mark.  It wasn't near that hot.  In fact, we'd been having a "cool" spell with highs around 108-109 most days.   Anyway, it shot up...and never went back down.  Keep in mind that this claims to be an indoor-outdoor thermometer.  It was mounted in the shade, as all thermometers should be.  But the heat broke it.

This is a picture after it's been inside our air-conditioned house for 45 minutes.  Yep.  The heat broke our thermometer.    

 

Bear on the Mogollon Rim

So, I was backpacking a couple of weeks ago off a forest road on the Mogollon Rim, northeast of Payson, Arizona.  I set up camp and then went on a "safari," walking slowly and quietly along the dirt road, hoping to see deer or elk.  I hadn't gone far when I saw an animal!  He was near the edge of the road, half hidden in the vegetation.  I was excited for a moment until I realized it was just someone's big black dog.  But there was no person there.  And when I got a better view...it was no dog!  And there's only one other big black thing it could be.  A bear!  A BEAR!  

Now, I realize that in some places bears are super common and sightings are hardly even exciting anymore.  But despite all my camping and hiking in Arizona, I have NEVER seen a bear in the wild here.  I was far enough away that I wasn't really scared, just excited and wary.  I stood and watched him fuss around near the edge of the road.  Then he walked into the road, stopped, looked at me, wandered a few more steps, stopped, looked at me, and then sauntered off.

I was amazed.  But also...I was not very far from my camp.  A third of a mile, in fact.  So, the ONE time I see a bear up here is also the ONE time I'm camping completely alone and the ONE time I'm camping without a bear box or a vehicle to put my food in. I had a ratsack with a heavy duty supposedly smell-proof plastic bag inside, and it was hanging from a tree, but not really high enough to be safe from bears.  My system was more concerned with rodents. 

So I double-checked that there was NOTHING smelly at all in my tent, and then I spent the rest of the evening and night perking up every time I heard a sound.  "Bear?  Bear?"  But no, it was all good.

And the peace and quiet was beautiful.

Because I was backpacking and wanted to lighten the load, the only camera I had with me was my terrible tablet camera, so...my only pictures look like sasquatch hoax photos.  But here they are:

  

     

      

It Happened at Grand Canyon, by Todd R. Berger

I loved this, especially because when I read it, I was preparing for my third Grand Canyon hike, my first backpacking trip there. 

I really like books like this, with short chapters on different related subjects—in this case interesting events (not broad cultural/historical/geological overviews, but specific EVENTS) that took place at Grand Canyon.

A few chapters didn't hold my interest super well, especially the ones that got a little long on the politics or engineering, but other readers will really like those.  MOST of the chapters, however, were fascinating.  I already knew some of these stories, but even the ones I knew were told interestingly enough to keep my attention well. 

The book was well written, with an easy flow and none of the pretentiousness of some similar books.

My only real complaint was that it wasn't long enough.  I wanted more, more, more.

I would certainly read more by Todd R. Berger. 

4.5 stars

White Mountains, Arizona

The White Mountains, Arizona.  It was definitely the break I needed from the heat and lack of green.   

Fountain Park at Fountain Hills, Arizona

Cool statues at Fountain Park in Fountain Hills, Arizona:

And the famous fountain:

Cesar on Holiday

This is Cesar, from the Phoenix Public Library, going on a road trip with me to the White Mountains:

Meeting a bear in Show Low, Arizona:

Enjoying aspen and wildflowers at the West Mt. Baldy trailhead:

Admiring a distant rainstorm from Blue Vista on the Coronado Trail:

Making friends with a chipmunk at Big Lake:

Being careful not to fall over the Mogollon Rim at Military Sinkhole viewpoint:

What a great trip we had with Cesar!

My story, "A Learned Man," on the Just Chills podcast

One of my creepier tales, "A Learned Man," appears on a cool podcast today:  Just Chills.

You can listen to "A Learned Man" here or find it on Spotify, Apple podcasts, etc.  

This story was first published in Electric Spec and then Pseudopod.  It's based loosely on an El Salvadorian folktale I found in a book in a small-town library in El Salvador.  When they kicked me out for siesta, I sat in the square writing, and finished almost the entire first draft in one sitting, which is rare for me.  

Enjoy! 

Summer Reading Craft

I am not very artistic, but I enjoy simple crafty things. 

Crafty Chica did a video on the Maricopa County Reading Game's website and I followed along (with variations).  Very fun.  And I'm kind of proud of the results.  Check out Crafty Chica's website above for other cool ideas.

If you haven't already joined Maricopa County Reads, you can do it here (for free!):  https://maricopacountyreads.org.  Watch cool videos (like this one), do challenges, make your avatar, or just simply read and record your time reading.  Then win prizes!  Open to all ages.  

Rim Trail at the Grand Canyon

If you don't have time or desire to hike down into the Grand Canyon, or if you're there in summer and it's too hot to responsibly do such a thing, here's a great alternative:  the Rim trail.

The views are spectacular.

I recommend taking the Hermit's Rest shuttle, getting off at one of the stops, and hiking to another.  That way you get away from the crowds in Grand Canyon Village.  I walked from Monument Creek Vista past the Abyss and to Mohave Point and saw only about six other people.

It was so quiet that I could hear the whistling of the wings of some little swallow-like birds whizzing around.   Beautiful.    

WARNING:  The trail is level and physically untaxing, and most places it's only about a mile between shuttle stops, but there are a few sections that might be very scary if you have a fear of heights or if you're with little kids or daredevils.  In fact, there were a couple of short sections that were scarier to me than anything on the South Kaibab or Bright Angel trails.  So be careful.  Especially if you're taking selfies.

Enjoy this wonder of the world.    

  

My story, "Bones and Blooms," in Sonoran Horror

Check out my weird little story, "Bones and Blooms," in this anthology of horror set in our beautiful part of the desert:  Sonoran Horror.

 Check it out on Amazon here.  

   

Beware the Ravens

At Mather campground at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, they warn you never to leave food unattended because of the dreaded ravens.  They're big.  They're bold.  And they're smart.

Well...maybe not quite smart enough.

They spend a LOT of effort while we were gone, doing this to our box wrapped in a garbage bag.

All to get at the delicious...firewood...inside. ?!?  Yeah.  There was nothing in there but firewood.  No food.  Nothing smelling much like food.

All we can figure is that they have learned to associate plastic with food.  

So...if ever you go to Mather Campground, don't store anything in plastic and leave it unattended.  

Arizona: Land of Differences

On April 21, at the forested South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the forecast predicted overnight lows near freezing.  We were camping, and I was worried it would be an unpleasant night.  It didn't feel anywhere near that cold, but yes, it was chilly.

Elk at Mather campground

I got up at 3:45 AM so I could catch sunrise on the South Kaibab trail on my way down into the canyon.  By 6:00 AM, at Cedar Ridge, I'd taken off my jacket.  

South Kaibab Trail at Sunrise, above Cedar Ridge

April 22, midday:  At Bright Angel Campground, at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, about 4500 vertical feet down from where I'd camped the night before, it was rather warm--95 degrees Fahrenheit.  Most of us sat around in the shade, periodically wetting our feet or our clothes in the creek.  Others spent the heat at the beach, dipping themselves quickly in the super-cold waters of the Colorado River.  That night my tent was too hot, so I took off the rainfly and lay in shorts and bare feet on my air mattress, nothing covering me.  

Thank goodness for Bright Angel Creek, steps from my tent

April 23:  I did the Devil's Corkscrew (a rather steep and exposed section of switchbacks on the Bright Angel Trail) between 10:30 and 11:00 AM, and I rather wished I'd been there a little earlier, as it was plenty warm.  That night, watching the moon rise from the Tonto Plateau near Havasupai Gardens with new friends, a breeze came up and I eventually pulled on my jacket.

Part of the Devil's Corkscrew

April 24:  I had two choices for a pleasant hike the rest of the way out of the canyon:  early morning or late afternoon when the cliffs shade the trail.  Because the heat, while not extreme, not even "hot" by Canyon standards, was still an issue.  Then, on the way out, I met a ranger who said it might SNOW the next day on the South Rim.  Say what?

The fading light as we approached the rim, still comfortable in short sleeves

April 25:  We decided to storm chase on the way home, so we went to Snowbowl near Flagstaff, and...

Yeah.  That happened.

So, I went from supposedly freezing temps at night to an unpleasantly warm 95 degrees in the bottom of the Grand Canyon during the day to SNOWING.  All within the space of four days.  The first temperature swing was in two locations probably less than 5 miles apart as the crow flies (though part of that flight would be a 4500-foot drop), and the second swing was only 75 miles away (though another 2500 feet of elevation difference).

Arizona IS a land of extremes.

P.S.  Timeanddate.com claims that it indeed got to 32 degrees in the early morning hours of April 22 at Grand Canyon Village (though I don't believe it) and NOAA's observations at Phantom Ranch/Bright Angel Campground say the high was 96 that same day (which I do believe).  So...a possible 64 degrees of difference.  :)  

But before I accidentally add to the myth that the desert is "boiling hot" in the day and "freezing cold" at night, at Phantom Ranch (Bright Angel Campground), where it was hot but not scorching during the day, it was a only a pleasantly cool 59 at night.  And at Grand Canyon Village, where it was coldish at night, it was very pleasant during the day.   

Day 3: Backpacking in the Grand Canyon

Day three (April  24, 2024) was my last in the Canyon, but I didn't want it to be.  I was having so much fun that I decided to spend the day and hike out in the late afternoon.

So I got up earlyish and went to talk to my across-the-way neighbors, a big group that had dragged in the night before, exhausted but happy, with a man in a one-wheeled rickshaw.  The guys I first talked to were from Luke 5 Adventures, and the man of the hour was an older man, an adventurer and philanthropist with cerebral palsy, whose wish was to go down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  All these people were working together to make it possible. They'd come down the South Kaibab to the Tip-off and across the Tonto yesterday.  Today they planned to go down to the river and back up.  The next day they'd climb back up to the rim.  They had a wilderness caterer with them, cooking up bacon with biscuits and gravy.  They had a photographer, documenting the journey.  What an amazing group of people and an amazing adventure.  Two years ago, when I made my first hike down to the river, I met a man in an wheelchair and another group of people supporting him in his dream.  Both experiences affirmed my faith in the human race.     

After wishing them good luck, I headed off on a little morning hike on the Tonto trail West.  At first, the path was marred by piles of giant pipes and various construction equipment for the new pipeline project.  Though it wasn't pretty, it was interesting.  Plateau Point is closed, so I headed off toward Horn Creek campground. 

It was a different view than the other trails I've been on here, striking out across that scrubby green plateau that drops riverward into side canyons and rises rimward into sheer red cliffs.  The walking was easy, so I kept going.    

I got all the way to Horn Creek Campground, empty at the moment, but pleasantly shaded:

Maybe I'll camp here someday.  Then I headed back, enjoying dramatic views down Horn Creek Canyon.  The walk was 5 miles roundtrip, and I saw not one single person!  A bit different from the South Kaibab and the Bright Angel.

Then I hung around in camp, reading a book I'd found in the library, playing cards with the family I'd met down at Bright Angel Campground, eating lunch, soaking my feet for the trip up, talking with people at the water spigot.  A very pleasant, relaxing interlude.

Here's me in my tent:

I started up the trail at about 3:10.  I thought that would be timing it right to get shade about the time I started the ascent to 3-Mile Resthouse, but I'd timed it wrong, and it was still sunny.  I should have left a little later (or walked a little slower).  But it wasn't too hot, and I'd wet myself down at Havasupai Gardens, so it was okay.

At 3-Mile Resthouse I made myself take a long rest to stave off the nausea I felt the last two years on the final ascent.  I hoped today would be different, since I wasn't doing the whole 16-mile trek in one day, but I didn't want to take any chances, so I sat and ate salty snacks and drank electrolytes and talked with other hikers and an enthusiastic and talkative ranger.  Two of the hikers were a couple from the Netherlands, who I'd met briefly a stone's throw down the trail.  And there began a trail friendship that lasted the entire rest of the hike.  We walked together, chatted, rested again at 1 1/2-Mile Resthouse, shared snacks, and exchanged info.  They were very cool people, on a much more ambitious backpacking trip than I was.  They'd gone all the way to the North Rim and back in three days, camping at Cottonwood Campground.  Their companionship made the last three miles (always the hardest for me on that trail) fly by.

The sun was setting, turning the canyon beautiful colors.  But before it got dark, we made it to the top:

It was an AWESOME Trip.  I'm already planning to do it again.

I loved my first two trips, going to the river and back in one day.  But I loved this even more.  Much more time to explore.  Time to take side hikes.  Time to make friends.  The beauty of being there at night.  I highly recommend it.

Handy tip for if this sounds fun to you:  There's a lottery for campground spots, but I didn't win.  I was sad.  But I didn't give up.  As the "I'm sorry" e-mail instructed me, I stalked the website every day (sometimes twice a day) starting about the middle of February.  One night, at like 1:00 AM, I found ONE slot open for ONE night at Bright Angel Campground.  I booked it immediately, even though I would have liked two nights.  About three weeks later, I found another slot open the next night at Havasupai Gardens.  I added it to my itinerary (easy to do).  And voila!  A great itinerary.   I've since been looking, out of curiosity, and it appears that if you're flexible with dates, it's not impossible to find something this way.    

May you one day have as great an experience as I did.