Second Run

Tonto Hills from the Foothils
Tonto Hills from the Foothills

Second run of the season, again mostly a walk, took me five hundred feet and five miles up and down the foothills behind our house in Tonto Hills. Miners pulled gold out of these hills in the late nineteenth century.  Once the mines were spent, cattle ranchers moved in. Now much of the land is part of Tonto National Forest.

In 2005, the Cave Creek Complex Fire scorched most of these hills. On one particular day, if the wind had been blowing south, the fire would have taken out our neighborhood.  Instead it turned north burning 45 thousand acres on the east side of I-17. Lightening started the fire and Buffalo grass planted by the ranchers fueled its spread.

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Karl

Born in Harrisburg, PA. Undergrad at Drexel University. Learned to ride a bike when six years old, riding ever since. Started cooking when I was in college, stopped when I got married, started again in 2006 when my wife was out of town for a few months. Jobs: worked at post office while in college to earn money to buy a stereo. After grad school, worked at a small software company in Redmond, WA for twelve years. Afterwards, went back to school to get a certificate, then started teaching high school. Still doing that off and on, part time as the need arises.

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