Two weeks in Tucson, Arizona…
Why We Came…
To hike
in the desert with friends and soak up some warm sun.
The
Campground…
Rincon
Country East RV Resort is “nestled in a quiet neighborhood in the Rincon Valley on
Tucson's East side and has 460 spaces with mountain views.” The
huge resort is secured behind a gated entry.
Our site was between one RV and surrounded by “park models”. It was a challenge to back in at a 900
turn. There was just enough room for us
to park between the park model and a palm tree.
We were backed into a full hook-up site with
park models behind us. Their swamp
cooler fans were a little annoying but otherwise the 55+ park was very quiet at
night.
Rincon
Country has nearly every amenity imaginable: showers, propane delivery,
private mailboxes, laundry room, auditorium, exercise room, library,
woodworking shop, pottery room, lapidary room, card room, art, crafts, sewing
room, billiards room, lounge, heated pool and spa. For outdoors activities they have tennis,
pickleball, shuffleboard, and bocce ball.
We
enjoyed the fact that folks were very active - always walking or biking
around. Everyone was very friendly and
seemed to be having a good time. About
1/3 of the sites are RVs and about 2/3 were permanent park models that have
been landscaped with quaint desert plants and décor. We saw license plates from about every state.
They offer Cable TV but we were able to get a satellite signal without a
problem. They offer free Tengonet
Wi-Fi and speed was decent. In addition,
being in a large city, we were able to get a strong 4G
phone signal.
Nearby
towns
The RV Resort is in the city Tucson, home to
the University of Arizona. Tucson sits
at an elevation of 2,389 feet and covers 240 square miles. The city itself has a population just
over a half million while the metropolitan area boasts almost a million. In addition, during the winter the entire
area’s population swells as snow birds fill condos, RV parks and second homes.
“Tucson
is on an alluvial plain in the Sonoran desert, surrounded by five minor ranges
of mountains: the Santa Catalina Mountains and the Tortolita Mountains to the
north, the Santa Rita Mountains to the south, the Rincon Mountains to the east,
and the Tucson Mountains to the west. The high point of the Santa Catalina
Mountains is 9,157 ft Mount Lemmon, the southernmost ski destination in
the continental U.S.”
“The
Tucson Gem & Mineral Show is one of the largest gem and mineral shows in
the world and has been held for over 50 years. The official Show lasts two
weeks in February.”
Tucson
has just about any supplies and services anyone would need.
Adventures
Pima
Air and Space Museum
Since Shawn and I are retired Air Force
veterans, a visit to the Pima Air and Space Museum was a must. We have heard about its reputation for many
years.
Pima is “One of the largest non-government funded aviation & space museums in the world! Featuring over 350 historical aircraft, from a Wright Flyer to a 787 Dreamliner. Sitting on 80 acres the museum opened its doors to the public in May of 1976. Over the past forty years, the museum has grown immensely and today encompasses six indoor exhibit hangars (three dedicated to WWII).”
We
walked over two miles to check out all the displays. It was worth the $16.50 entrance fee.
Sabino
Canyon
“Sabino
Canyon is a significant drainage located in the Santa Catalina Mountains and the
Coronado National Forest north of Tucson. Soaring mountains, deep canyons, and
the unique plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert found here draw over a
million visitors a year to the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area.”
We
made plans to meet our friend Lance, who we were stationed with in
Alaska. Lance grew up in Tucson so we
asked him to take us on his favorite area hike.
We met mid-morning on a Sunday and the main parking area was already
full. So we drove to the overflow area
and Lance showed up there right behind us.
It was quickly filling up too. It
is a popular place!
First,
Lance briefed us that rattlesnakes were not a significant threat this time of
the year. During the warmer months they can be anywhere. During the winter, a
sluggish fellow might crawl out on a sunny day to warm himself, so we still
needed to keep our eyes open.
Sabino Canyon is literally right in Tucson. “With soaring mountains, deep canyons, and
the unique plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert found here draw over a
million visitors a year to the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area. The wonders of
the desert foothills and rocky gorges of the Santa Catalina Mountains are
marvelous and accessible.”
There is a maze of trails!
We laid a plan to take three different trails to get to our goal, the
Phoneline trail. We made our way across
the smooth Connector trail and the moderate roller coaster Esperero where we
could look up at Phoneline climbing the ridge.
Finally, we followed Rattlesnake along a wash to Phoneline Link. All the while we avoided the paved, easy
Sabino Walkway that was crowded with families and couples enjoying the pretty
day.
In order to get to the link trail, we had to cross the Sabino
Creek. Lance said it was a welcome
crossing during the hot summer months.
As he always has, he took his boots off for the crossing. Shawn and I found a few perfectly placed
rocks and hopscotched our way across managing to get our boots only slightly
wet.
Phoneline trail provided a great aerobic workout as it climbed 900
feet in about a mile and a half. It
intersected with the Blacketts Ridge hike which is highly rated for its vista
view. It would have to wait for another
time along with the Seven Falls hike which everyone we met recommended.
Along the hike, Lance shared with us his knowledge of the local
flora which we both appreciated. We
learned about the Palo Verde which is the Arizona state tree. “Parkinsonia
florida, the blue palo verde, is a species of palo verde native to the Sonoran
Deserts. Its name means "green pole or stick" in Spanish, referring
to the green trunk and branches that perform photosynthesis.”
After coming down the ridge, we crossed the creek over a bridge in
the dam area. The bridge sets so low,
the water runs over it. All the
Tucsonians were playing in the water. So
we removed our boots and joined them!
Saguaro
National Park
“Tucson,
Arizona is home to the nation's largest cacti. The giant saguaro is the
universal symbol of the American west. These majestic plants, found only in a
small portion of the United States, are protected by Saguaro National Park, to
the east and west of the modern city of Tucson. Here you have a chance to see
these enormous cacti, silhouetted by the beauty of a magnificent desert sunset.”
Saguaro
East Broadway
There are six trailheads for hiking on the
east side of Saguaro alone. One of those
trailheads is at the eastern end of Broadway.
On the first day we went to the Broadway
Trailhead, we were just able to squeeze into the last parking spot on a Saturday
afternoon.
Shawn’s back was stiff so we wanted a flat
stroll to help loosen it up for Sabino Canyon the next day. The trail maze that is available at the Broadway
Trailhead gave us a variety of choices!
We followed Mica View Trail around to Cactus Forest
Trail for a two mile loop. Along the
way, we captured images of the incredible Saguaros.
We went back the next Thursday and there were
a few more parking spots available.
This time we followed Pink Hill to Squeeze
Pen and back to Cholla Trail for a five mile loop with 500 feet of climbing up in
the Pink Hills.
Saguaro
West Gould Mine to King Canyon
We met
Tom and Ann at a lake on Boulder Mountain in Utah almost seven years ago. It was a special meeting of special
people. They have a winter home in
Tucson and invited us to dinner when they heard we were going to be in the
area.
They
live northwest of Tucson - you have to drive through Saguaro park to get
there. Well, we couldn’t drive through
the park without stopping!
First, we
stopped at the Visitor’s Center for me to get another stamp in my NP Passport. We also learned fun facts about the namesake
cactus. Baby saguaros hide in the shade
of palo verde and mesquite. They flower
after reaching about 8 feet tall. They
don’t grow “arms” till they are about 75 years old! A mature saguaro can reach 40 feet and weigh
as much as 7 tons. “Saguaros seldom live
more than 200 years.”
Next, we parked at the King Canyon Trailhead. We crossed a wash and followed the Gould Mine
Trail up the ridge. At the Esperanza
trail, we could see the remnants of the mine, a pit and some tailings. However, there wasn’t an interpretive sign
with any details of what happened here in the past. But we did see some interesting rocks in the
area with what appeared to be copper.
Next, we followed the King Canyon Trail. We could have walked back in the wash. This time of the year with recent dry
weather, it is safe to do that. However,
in monsoon season, there could be a lot of water moving down suddenly. Still, we took the upper trail to get a
better view of the area and complete the loop back to the truck.
The King Canyon Trail leads to the strenuous Wasson Peak hike. We didn’t have time to conquer that on this
day. Our friend, Lance, however had done
it a few days before hand.
It was so good to see Tom & Ann again. As soon as we pulled up, Twoey, their lab mix
ran out to greet us. She is the reason
we met Tom and Ann in the first place when Twoey and Shawn made friends at the
mountain lake.
We were impressed with their winter home. They have a few acres and pulled a modular
home onto it. It was nice and quiet.
Ann fixed up a large mess of Striped Bass that they had harvested
from Lake Powell this year. It was so good!
We’ve fished Lake Powell with them years ago. We’re excited that our future home will be
within driving distance to Lake Powell and we can join them again!
Saguaro East Tanque Verde Ridge
Our day started early. We met our friend Stephanie at Saguaro Corner
Restaurant, just outside the Saguaro East entrance for breakfast. We both have a
lot of respect for her and it has been fun to follow her career in Air Force
Weather. It was great to spend a few
hours catching up since the last time we saw her.
Unfortunately, she has had some physical
challenges and could not go hiking with us.
But she is an optimist and has dealt positively with the challenges. We were glad to hear she may have a way
forward. We’ll eagerly continue to
follow her career. We were all upset
that we forgot to get a picture of our reunion!
Next, we literally drove across the street to
meet Lance at the Javelina picnic area a few miles up the road from the
gate. Lance was our tour guide again
here as he has done all of the trails many times.
The Tanque Verde Ridge Trail was just the sort
of trail we love! It was a nice steady
up and rewarded us with changing views as we climbed. We stopped frequently to catch our breath and
pictures.
“The trail ascends for nine miles and nearly
4,000 vertical feet to rugged 7,049 foot Tanque Verde Peak”. We weren’t going
to make that this day!
We climbed almost two and a half miles and
1,500 feet. We reached an elevation
where the Saguaros were fewer. Lance
told us if we continued we’d see pinion and juniper and then finally to ponderosa pines near the top. Someday, maybe…
We had enjoyed the Saguaro Corner restaurant so
much for breakfast, we went back for dinner with Lance. They have great southwest fare. I had a grilled Turkey, swiss cheese,
spinach, tomato with a southwest aioli on sourdough sandwich while Shawn had a
Prime Rib dip sandwich that included green chili. So good!
We enjoyed a delicious meal and great conversation
with Lance. We look forward to him
joining us in San Juans for a few adventures there.
Next…
After
Tucson, we spent a few days in Tombstone, Arizona, then City of Rocks and Oliver
Lee State Parks in New Mexico. We are
now in Socorro, New Mexico for a few days.
We’ll spend another few days in Bernalillo, north of Albuquerque.
Finally,
we will end up in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Our nine year traveling odyssey
will end as we settle into a real house.
Parting shots
(255,400)
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