Category: Sonoran Desert

Sabino Canyon Hike With the Parents

It’s sadly been a few years since I tied on my trusty Danner boots and went for a long hike with some elevation gain. A few bouts of hip bursitis in the past few years had me very demoralized when it came to hiking. But, belly dance seems to have really helped my hip and back pain; so with all this fantastic weather we’ve been having and a weekday off from work, it was time to hit the trail, and I got my hiking-legs back with a simple 9 mile loop at Sabino Canyon.

Here’s my mom, with a Perry Penstemon in the foreground. My dad sprinted ahead and we didn’t see him for 4 miles; but then he’s a former marathon runner who moves at quite a clip so little surprise there.

For those of you who don’t live in the desert, you may think it odd to be excited over the sight of a few wildflowers. For us Sonoran desert dwelling outdoorsy types, though, it’s really exciting; usually the landscape is very stark and austere, and when after a heavy rainy season a few flowers manage to sprout up out of…..nothing….it’s quite remarkable.

Here are some Desert poppies, a Star Flower,  something that might be verbena and the leafy beginnings of some lupine growing along the trail:

This is the view looking back towards Tucson; the trail we’re on is behind us, on the left, and below you can see the canyon bottom, full of running water from snowmelt and the direction in which we were headed:

Across the canyon there are very alarming scars along the steep sides of the mountains: this is the terrible damage done by floods and rock slides  that destroyed much of Sabino Canyon after the catastrophic Aspen Fire of 2003.

Here’s my folks; my dad looks like he’s puckering, but, it’s the only photo I have of them from today, which I took when we stopped for lunch:

Isn’t that green cottonwood amazing? It really is that green with the first new leafy growth of spring. And the sky is really that blue.

Here’s all the water along the canyon bottom:

With all the snow in the mountains, there will probably be water around when it’s warm enough to swim; but those days will be few, and when it’s really hot enough to hop in the water, it will be long gone, leaving behind just rock and sand.

Photography by Norma Jean Gargasz

When Bearbear and I discovered the wildcat dog park in my neighborhood late last year, I met Norma Jean Gargasz and her demure but sporty dog Jazz. Norma Jean is a very talented photographer and her work is visible–and for sale–here. Norma Jean remembered me from my parent’s bakery in Tucson in the late 70s and early 80s, Monika’s Bakery.

I just bought an 8×10 print of Norma Jean’s, and she said I could post the image; it’s the Mustang Mountains, as seen from the Arizona Trail in the western foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains:

This reduced-pixel version doesn’t do justice to the full-size image; this is what Sonoita, Arizona, looks like. I just love the wide open space.

Thanks Norma Jean for such beautiful work.

OMG It Finally Rained!!!!

I’ve had no real measurable rainfall at my house since last July; 2009 saw Tucson get about 6 inches of rain. It was a disaster; even the saguaro in my yard looked parched.

But all that changed this week: in the past 5 days I got 2.5 inches of rain at my home. And when it rains that much here in the winter, there’s snow in the mountains.

I’ve posted photos on this blog of the (usually dry) bike/pedestrian path where Bearbear and I go for walks. Here’s a shot near sunset today of the semi-urban path, with water:

The condos kind of ruin things. Oh well. Bearbear was very good and sat–per my instruction–as I took my photo:

Once the sun goes down, the Catalina Mountains usually turn pink in the fall, winter, and spring when the angle of the sun is just right. The pointy bit, which you can barely see,  is Finger Rock. Again, too bad about the condos.

I remember going on a forced march up that trail to Finger Rock when I was in 6th grade. I don’t think I’ve been back since; that trail is like going up stairs, and I think it’s about a mile of elevation gain per mile of trail.

Writing this, I’m reminded of  a story in the Arizona Star about 15 years ago, when I think Forest Service employees found a fort someone had illegally built up near the base of Finger Rock; someone had hauled up concrete (!) and water up the murderous trail and actually mixed and poured concrete and built a small, barely perceptible fort; there was evidence that people had spent some time living in it, too.  Insane. I mean, that is really nuts.  I admire whoever had the nerve to do that; though  he or she may very well be eligible for admission into a psychiatric hospital.

I just searched for a link to the story, but, I can’t find one. Too bad. It’s a unique bit of local history. Here’s a final shot of it getting dark as Bearbear and I headed home, to the unusual sound of running water:

More soon on updated quilt art, fiddle tune transcriptions, and the closing of the Grasslands.

Catalina State Park

BearBear (a corgi mix) and I went to Catalina State Park Sunday afternoon; the weather was stunning and hardly anyone was there.  It’s exactly 30 minutes from my house to the trailhead during non-peak traffic. I remember going up to Catalina State Park when it first opened, when I was in high school; then it felt like it was in the middle of nowhere, and it was such an adventure to get to that part of town: there was nothing there! Now when you leave the state park, the first thing you see is a giant walmart.

Oh well.

These are some views from the nearly 3 mile Canyon Loop Trail:

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Below is a lovely view of the Pusch Ridge Wilderness:

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Then when the trail turns a bit east there’s this great view deep into the Catalina Mountains:

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BearBear looks a bit pooped at this point:

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It’s at this point I realize I’ve left my car keys 1/2 a mile back; but after a run back up the trail, they were exactly where I’d left them, on an observation bench. Shows you how many folks are out on a Sunday afternoon! I was very thankful to find them.

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OK. So then we went back down the trail again, which takes a little dive into a small wash….great when there’s water after rain/snow in the mountains….

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…where some of the last very hardy fall flowers are blooming….

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Getting outdoors, even if for a small hike, is just so restorative!