ONE FINAL HIKE…SABINO CANYON…WOW!

Monday, March 12 – We went to Sabino Canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains today for a hike. We've heard many good comments about this area and we agree....This place is AWESOME!!!

We rode the trolley about 4 miles to the top of the canyon where we found the trail head to Phoneline Trail.

Crossing the stream on the tram.

There is even a sandy beach area in the Canyon.

This is a six mile hike of moderate difficulty. The first mile may be a little tougher than the “moderate” rating. You have a pretty steep climb on a very narrow trail.

At times we had to place a hand on the mountain wall to feel safe.

Looking way down.

Once that first stretch of trail was out of the way, the trail leveled out and became very enjoyable.

One word…Beauty!

We were on a high trail about half way up the face of the mountain and continued along the height for about 4.5 miles.

Can you see Marsha on the other side of the valley?

What about now?

Now?

Our trail is somewhere over there.

Of course, the last half mile was mostly down hill.

We were pretty tired once we reach the Canyon floor. It was going to be good to get back to the car. But we had another mile to walk from the end of the trail back to the car.....JEESH! Sure wish that trail ended at the parking lot....kind of a mental let down.

Most of the last mile was UPHILL!

Our only wildlife.

We really enjoyed this hike and look forward to returning some day to explore several of the other trails in Sabino Canyon.

 

Several bloggers from yesterday's post had the same question. Here is one from Jeff and Barbie, Boldts RV Castle, OK, you've enlightened us that Barrel Cactus always lean to the south. Now the million $ question.... WHY? Inquiring minds want to know :-)

ANSWER: The Barrel Cactus leans toward the South, casting shade on its side to prevent sunburn. Inquiring minds now know!

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

 

ENJOYING THE ACTIVITIES IN TUCSON

Sunday, March 11 – We went to the Tucson Farmer's Market at St. Philip's Plaza today.

They say there are over 70 booths at this wonderful market. Fresh vegetables, fruits, and delightful baked goods.....yeah, we purchased some cookies and a muffin.

There is goat cheese and goat milk....we purchased the cheese! Delicious!

Fresh peppers and roasted peppers....we liked the roasted peppers! So you see, we enjoyed the Farmer's Market and contributed to the local small businessmen of Tucson.

We hurried home to take advantage of the amazing weather for a hike in the mountains. Our destination was Gates Pass, the same place we enjoyed last night's sunset. There are many nice trails leading up into the mountains and out into the desert. Having hiked the desert several times we choose the mountains for today's hike.

Pretty steep climbs.

We sent several hours hiking from the desert valley up the mountain and actually looked down on Gates Pass the passage between Saguaro National Park and downtown Tucson.

Today we learned that Barrel Cactus always lean to the south.

There were quite a few people out hiking and enjoying the wonderful weather. Fortunately, this is a huge area and we saw very few people on the trails. As the saying goes, after the first half mile of trail, you lose over 50% of other hikers. After the first mile, 75% are gone.

That looked like the case today. Although, on the highest point of our hike on a particular narrow path, we had to scoot over and let a dad and his three kids (I would guess all under 10 years old) pass on their way up the mountain. Guess they start them out young enjoying the outdoors in the Tucson area.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

SUNSET OVER TUCSON

Saturday, March 10 – We ventured to downtown Tucson today. Our first stop was the Tucson Farmers' Market at Maynards located at the old Railroad Station. Before we went around back to see all the local products, we had to stop in the old Southern Pacific Railroad Station that now houses Maynards.

The old RR waiting room…just lovely.

Maynards Market & Kitchen have established the first downtown market, and paired it with a restaurant and bar. Maynards Market is proud to stock locally-sourced products, and boasts downtown Tucson’s best wine store. We couldn't pass up the Blueberry Muffin for Paul and Lemon Bar for Marsha. They were DEEEE LIOUS!

With that out of the way, we went to the plaza area and enjoyed the Farmer's Market. The Market  boasts all local and fresh produce, cottage goods and ready-made foods from Maynard’s Market.

Paul enjoying a cup of Cowboy Joe coffee.

Big Skye Bakers has some delicious-looking pastries. Marsha bought one of the items in front of the lady. It was a pastry with grilled onions, peppers and ANCHOVIES. She said it was awesome.

We made several other purchases which helped contribute to the local economy.

Across the street from the Market is Hotel Congress. It became famous in 1934 when members of John Dillinger's gang rented rooms.

The interior is beautiful.

One of three bars.

Since we were downtown, we decided to do a modified version of their historical walking tour of downtown Tucson AKA The Presidio Trail.

Pima County Courthouse was built in 1929 in the Spanish colonial Revival style.

We walked quiet a bit of the downtown area. With a blue line drawn on the walkway and numbers corresponding to the map, they do a great job of leading visitors to each stop.

We then took a ride around the old historic Adobe style homes and buildings. A pretty nice historic district but signs of further improvement on the way.

We enjoyed the beautiful sunshine for the remainder of the afternoon.  Marsha enjoyed her free time by working on yet another pine needle basket. Paul enjoyed a well-deserved nap.  We relaxed away the afternoon anticipating a trip to the mountains as evening approached to view the sunset from the famous Tucson overlook, Gates Pass. It's only a short 30 minute drive up the backside of Tucson Mountain to the pass and overlook. The parking lot was getting full when we arrived.

We have been told not to miss the sunsets at Gates Pass. We found this on the Internet…Gates Pass is one of the most dangerous areas to drive around Tucson. The road is narrow and winds around the edge of a large mountain with just a few feet space between the edge of the road and a deep drop off to the valley below. Because of this driving danger, Gates Pass is not open to commercial and large vehicles over 40-50 feet long.

Anyone who consider driving a 30 foot vehicle along this road is NUTS! There are warning signs all along the road warning NOT to drive RVs or trucks on the road.

We arrived around 6:30, and found a nice spot to enjoy the sunset and watch a WEDDING taking place here in the mountains. A young couple and their small wedding party were exchanging vows here in the mountains. Pretty neat!

As the minister or justice of the peace finished her ceremony and the bride and groom sealed it with a kiss, the many people waiting here on the mountain pass let out a cheer and applause....cute! The young couple gave an appreciative wave to the crowd and headed over to a nearby shelter for a champagne toast.

The sunset was amazingly beautiful.

A look from afar.

Up close and personal.

Another wonderful day in Tucson.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!