Our Backyard Hike

Up this morning and sat on the patio outside our trailer for morning coffee.  A little cool but the sun is so warm.  We are finding that the temp is a bit misleading.  75F in the shade is very comfortable.  75F in the sun is hot.  The sun is really intense which means hats, sunscreen, water and activities early in the day.  We sat around too long this morning and by the time we decided to go for a walk at 10:50 it was pretty warm even though the forecast for today is only for a high of 72F.  We were out for an hour and will make sure we go earlier tomorrow. 

We are in the back corner of the park and they have the park sectioned off in Pet and Non-Pet sections.  You can't walk your pet through the Non-Pet section which is a bit ridiculous but pet owners who don't pick up after their pets are to blame for this rule. The pet exercise area is on the other side of the park which means we have to put Charli in the truck and take the 2 minute drive to let her run in the small fenced in dog run.  Fortunately, immediately behind us, through a locked gate, is a Dry Wash.

A key was available for us at the office and this is what we found just out our back door. 

Tucson is basically in a large broad valley surrounded by mountain ranges.  The skyline is quite striking with mountains in the distance in every direction.

Even Arizona has a rainy season and the rains can create quite the runoff problem.  There are Dry Washs everywhere which can accommodate the torrents of rain that come down out of the mountains.
With paths lining the sides you have miles of hiking and biking trails running all through Tucson.

These signs line the Wash but you can also find them along a lot of the city streets in low lying areas.  It appears the streets also double as drainage ditches during the monsoons. 

 Ok we saw our first Roadrunner.  Wilie the Coyote is still MIA however we are told they are around.
Another creature we don't want to run in to is the Javelina.  These are basically small wild boars which apparently run wild.  Saw a news report today where a woman was attacked and her pet dog was killed.
Then there are the scorpions, rattlers and who knows what else, but no mosquitoes.

 The landscape is made up of every shade of brown.  Even the houses are almost all a variation of sandy taupe.  110 degrees in the summer can take their toll on the colour palate however the desert is not without colour.  A barrel cactus in bloom.

 Not sure what this is (we have to pick up a book on plants in Az). The foliage is kind of fern like but when it goes to seed it turns all white and fluffy.  Kind of like a poplar tree back home when it goes to seed.  These bushes are everywhere.  Also saw some trees which, based on the leaves, look like they are part of the caragana family.  There are also some trees which have lime green bark on the trunk and branches.  Very cool.

 Then there are the cactus which are everywhere.  This hill is just across the highway and its covered in large Saguaro cactus.  Saguaro National Park is close by and we will have to get there for some hikes

 As we were walking across a field this little fellow jumped out in front of us.  He was down in a crevice which we almost tripped over.  He's a Burrowing Owl and he sat there for awhile posing for some pictures before flying off.

 An Opuntia Ficus or Indian Fig.  At least thats what my Google search came up with although there are numerous varieties all starting with Opuntia ............

In the middle of this outcropping of cactus was a family of Quail.  There are lots of these little fellas running among the ground cover.  This one was up on top of a cactus sunning himself which was fortunate for me. Framed against the yellow house siding it makes for quite the striking picture.

After our hike in the hot desert sun we had lunch and I puttered around outside the trailer for a bit.  By that time I was up for a nap.  Lori, on the other hand, couldn't handle the chaos in the trailer any longer and got busy organizing the cupboards.  Always amazes me how happy she is getting things organized.  I’m happy just to watch and offer advise but only when asked.  Later I am going to dust off the bikes and perhaps visit the exercise room.  We are going to a Mexican Restaurant with Faye and Garry this evening.

Later.