Sabino Canyon

I haven't been online for a few days as we have been either on the go or resting from being on the go.  Today, Saturday, its raining, 2nd day in the past month, so time to update my blog.
On Wednesday we decided to go to Sabino Canyon which we were told was a must see.  It certainly was all we were promised and if we were here longer I would certainly be going back to try out a few of the other trails.  They charge $5. to park for the day, $20. for the season, which is pretty reasonable given the selection of trails.   The trailhead is on the outskirts of Tucson and it looks like its well used by the native Tucsonians' as well as visitors like us.  The Canyon is in the Catalina Mountains and extends as far as Mount Lemmon which is the highest peak in the region and for a limited time each year provides some downhill skiing.  A tram ride provides a nice scenic ride up the canyon floor with some very picturesque views along the way.  The elevation change from the base to the end of the tram ride is 600 feet and stops well short of getting you to Mount Lemmon.  We got off the tram and followed a trail switchbacking up the side of the canyon for about 1/2 mile and, I'm sure, another couple hundred feet in elevation.  It was certainly an exhilarating view from the top and we would be treated to more of the same for the whole trek back.
The hike back was supposed to be 3.9 miles and take about 2 hours.  By the end it felt like 10 miles and took us 4 hours however a lot of that was my fault for stopping and taking over 200 pictures.  This blog's content will be picture heavy but don't worry I have pared back significantly for your viewing pleasure.
Once we got to the top of the trail, which was no where close to the top of the canyon, we walked along a rocky ledge with lots of ups and downs.  As we came out of the canyon we had a pretty steep trek down to the desert floor.
We met some great people along the trail and one fella near the end just wouldn't stop talking.  Well we had been drinking a lot of water along the way and really needed to get down to bottom, if you catch my drift.  I excused ourselves and left him still talking as we made a hasty trek down the trail.
Here are just a few shots of our experience.

The gift shop in a very tranquil setting.

Pictures from the Tram as we rode along the canyon floor.  The walls towering above us.  The striations in the rocks providing splashes of rust to contrast the normal desert colours.

As we began the climb up the trail everything was fine.  Notice the smile and relaxed composure.

Well that didn't last long.  Soon the trail became a narrow ledge which at times didn't provide much room for error.

Every switchback provided a surprise.  Exposure to the intense heat of the desert sun, a breathtaking view or some shade and a refreshing pool of water.

Some rocks were just the right size to sit and relax.

Others were were large enough to use as table top and so smooth it looked it had been polished. 

 

 Do these Saguaro make me look fat.

 On the left a Saguaro cactus.  On the right a Saguaro cactus.  The difference?  The one on the right is dead and the fleshy skin has long since weathered away leaving the skeletal woody remains.

 I love these little furry guys.  Actually not so furry but sure look good when the sun shines on them.  Almost look luminous.

 This shows the canyon, or at least part of it.  Way down at the end, where the walls slowly descend to the desert floor, is where we have to get to.

 Lori, trust me.  That rock has been there for a few hundred years.  Why would it fall now.

See the 2 guys, below left.  We heard them calling down to us long before we spotted them.  The second shot will give you a better idea where they were.  One is just above the cactus.  The second one is in the crevasse above and to the right of the cactus.  They were climbing the rock face in the picture above, just to the right of that large boulder but out of the picture.  They were close to the bottom and still had a ways to go.

Lori's efforts at mountain climbing.  I could hear her mumbling.  "Please God.  I am too young to die"

 Finally the end is in sight.  We start our downward trek.  There is a bathroom down there someplace as well as a vending machine with cold water.

When we left Winnipeg we agreed that this trip would be taking us out of our of comfort zone which would be a good thing.  I can usually tell when Lori is a out of her comfort zone cause I hear about it.  Well this trail took her so far out of our comfortable little box that there was no complaining, just 100% focus on the next footstep and trying to avoid a tumble down the side of the Canyon.  Once we got going there was really no choice but to keep going and hope the next switchback would provide a wider and smoother trail.  Alas that was not to be the case but the views were fantastic.
After 4 hours we made it back to the truck and we were so happy to have survived.  We had plans for another hike on Thursday but decided that some R&R would be in order to replenish our fluid levels and rest our aching muscles.
Later.

Back in the Box

After our strenuous hike on Wednesday we decided to take it easy on Thursday and get back in our comfortable little box.  So after a leisurely morning walk with Charli we headed out for a hike of a different nature.  No elevation changes today.  Another visit to Total Wine, Nordstroms Rack where Lori found nothing but I found a couple of stylish chapeaus (Lori hates it when I find something and she doesn't).  A visit to Home Depot did yield some Christmas decorations so the day wasn't a total shopping loss for Lori.  A drive over to the Outlet mall where Lori found a Coach store and the Barnes & Noble.  I hit Starbucks.  A little grocery shopping (good thing we got the double fridge) and filled up the truck at $3.14 per gallon.  When we first got to Tucson, Faye and Garry filled us in on Fry's Grocery Store.  A VIP membership, which costs nothing, gets you discounts on groceries (a dozen AA large eggs @ $.99; 3 racks of pork ribs @ 3lbs each for $23.00, total) and you accumulate points towards gas/diesel at their gas stations.  We had accumulated enough points to save .20 cents a gallon with enough left over for our next fill.  Some quick math brings that to .78 cents per litre.  Last I heard, Diesel is still well over $1.00 p/l at home.  Helps offset that shrinking Canadian $.  

Friday morning saw us off for another desert hike, this one a little shorter and and a little closer to ground level.  Starr Pass Trail doubles as a hiking, biking and horseback trail.  We saw one other hiker, no horses and twenty or so mountain bickers.
Richard, we found your next mountain bike challenge.  Lots of different trails with loose rocks with boulders to jump off of.
From the map we got at the Visitors Centre this would be a 3.5 mile hike with little elevation change. A breeze by comparison to what we did on Wednesday.  Unfortunately the signage on this trail is severely lacking and there are numerous trails branching off with no way of knowing if your going in the right direction.  We found out at the end of our journey that we took the wrong branch very early on and weren't on the main trail until we finally found a sign and started to head back.  Thank goodness for the compass on Lori's walking stick and my IPhone.  That plus the sun and a few key landmarks kept us with at least some sense of where we had parked the truck.  We basically did a big loop along the desert floor so no vertigo problems but it was quite hot with little breeze.  We quickly realize that we hadn't completely recovered from our Wednesday hike as we were tiring much more quickly than on the Sabino hike.  And that hike was much more strenuous than this one.
This trail had loose rocks on the hills, from gravel to stones up to 6" in diameter, making descents particularly treacherous.  One faulty step could result in your foot sliding on the gravel and the rest of the trip down would be on your derrière.  Overall it wasn't too bad.  The uncertainty of not knowing for sure where we were going did tend to make the experience a little more stressful than was necessary.
Once back at the truck we unpacked our lunch and relaxed a bit before we headed back to camp.

Left is a view from the parking lot before we headed out on our hike.  The bottom of the picture shows part of Tucson and beyond, somewhere over there, is Sabino Canyon.

Lori: "Now you promise this will be an easier hike and we will definitely be back in 2 hours.  None of this 4 hour stuff.  Right?"

Loving Trust Worthy Husband (insert name here)_________:    "Of course dear.  Have I ever lied to you before".

Lori:  "Bruce what's this loose gravel s _ _ t!"

 Lori: "Bruce, what's this?  Its another hill covered in loose rocks and gravel.  This is not funny."

I can tell Lori is only slightly outside of her comfort zone as she is complaining about little inconveniences, like sliding down loose gravel and gashing her leg on a rock.  Really, look around at the gorgeous scenery, take a deep breath and take in the fresh air.  And look, no snakes.  Isn't this grand.

Coming up behind us, lost in the bushes, are a couple of bikers.
Found out there was some sort of race going on cause as they walked their bikes past us they were mumbling "at least were not going to be last".

We were down there, by the big bald spot in the middle (photo on right).  I think we were supposed to go through that V on the horizon and then to the right around the mountain and then back.  But, as I said, the signage was so bad we basically did a big loop on the desert floor.

That was probably a good thing cause we were pretty tuckered out.

This is about as high up as we got.  Lori kept telling me we were going in the wrong direction. And she was right, but we had to walk around the side of this little hill to go in the right direction and back to the truck.
Lori though there was an easier, more direct route, along the base of the hill, and she might have been right, but where's the challenge in that, I ask.

 The picture on the right is from the top of "A" Mountain showing the city below and mountains in the distance.  The picture is pretty much the same to the left or right.  The city seems to just keep going and going along the valley floor with mountain ranges in the distance.
I had thought that Tucson was smaller than Winnipeg but Googl'd it and it has over 600,000 people, similar to the Peg.  Feels much smaller cause it is so stretched out along the valley.  Like many American cities it has a nice freeway system which makes getting around much easier than home.  The city streets however make one feel right at home.  Cracks and potholes everywhere.  

I just hate to drive up the side of a mountain.  My palms get all sweaty and I start holding my breath for some reason.  Lori was fine.  I was much better on the ground walking along the side of a canyon for some reason.

Left is a picnic site on the back side of "A" Mountain.




Saturday we had planned to stay in the RV Park and start our packing for our departure on Monday however it rained most of the day so we vegged inside eating freshly baked cookies and watching golf on the 40" LCD TV in HD.  Roughing it, ya betcha.
Sunday will be packing up with departure early on Monday.  I have scheduled a stop at an RV dealer in Tucson for them to take a look at our hitch/pinbox setup.  I think some adjustment is required.  Hopefully it doesn't take long and then we will hit the highway for Gold Canyon (just east of Phoenix).  This is our next stop till Feb 15.  This will probably be my last report till we get settled there so.......
Later.   

Tucson Historical Walking Tour

On Tuesday we took the Tucson Historical Walking Tour.  Its a 2 1/2 mile hike through the downtown with a self-guiding map and a turquoise line painted on the sidewalk to follow.  Despite that we still managed to take a wrong turn or two and spent some time trying to find where the turquoise line went.
The Tour is somewhat underwhelming but that is in comparison to some of the wonders of nature that we have been witnessing.  Perhaps not a fair comparison.
The Tour did yield some good pictures though so I will take you through at least some of the tour via my pics.

This building was originally the PIMA County Courthouse.  It was built in 1929 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style with a beautiful mosaic-tiled dome and an elegant courtyard.   

 

This was the Mormon Battalion Sculpture which commemorated the day in 1846 when Mormon soldiers entered Tucson on their way to California to fight the Mexican War.
I must admit I know very little about the history of this area.  In school, which was a long long time ago, we learned mostly about the conflict between the French and English.  Not much about the Spanish/American conflicts.
Another statue which I don't have a picture of depicted a Spanish soldier dressed for battle.  He had leather armour made of 7 layers of deerskin, a rawhide shield and a 9 foot-long lance.  In the Arizona heat, I'm thinking, if the arrows didn't kill him he would have died of heat stoke.

 This bridge commemorates Father Francisco Garces which is all fine and good but I took the picture for the pretty colours.

This block in downtown Tucson is a series of buildings housing offices and shops. The area was part of a 1970 neighbourhood urban renewal project with shaded courtyards and restaurants.  Very well done.

This house was built in the 1850s and used as a residence by members of the family of General John C Fremont who was appointed Territorial Governor in 1878.

 This is "A" mountain.  Originally used as a lookout by Spanish and Native American sentinels.  The "A" was added in 1915 by students of the University of Arizona after a football victory.  Still a source of pride for the University of Arizona Wildcats who, finishing 2nd in the Big 12 Conference, will play in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec 31/14

 This is typical of many shrines found in and around Tucson, the Southwest and Mexico.  People come to burn candles and pray.

This elementary school was built in the 1930s and still operates as a school.  It was built in the Mission Revival style and has a red tile roof so typical of both old and new construction.

 This adobe home was built in the 1860s and the original owners were instrumental in building the first synagogue in Arizona.

Charlie just wanted to jump in and wade in the fountain but had to settle for Lori splashing some water on her face.

This is the Temple of Music & Art was built in 1927 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style.  

Not part of the official historical tour however interesting none the less.  The truck had dice hanging from the mirror and a wreath on the front bumper.  I don't get the wreath thing but perhaps it was to lead a funeral procession, who knows.

The skyline of Tucson.  Not many tall buildings in Tucson and very few street lights.  All part of the lobbying being done by the Kitts Peak Observatory who try to keep lighting of the night sky to a minimum.
We noticed that many residential subdivisions have no street lights.

This is the Hotel Congress, built in 1919.  A very prominent hotel in its day and still very popular.  It was made famous in 1934 when John Dillinger's gang rented rooms.  While they were there, the building caught fire and the gang paid firemen to carry their bags outside.  The firemen didn't open the bags but wondered why they were so heavy.  The bags contained submachine guns and bulletproof vests.  The gang was recognized and soon arrested.

The Fox Theatre, built many years ago and after being closed for 30 years it was recently restored to its original Art Deco design.  Originally designed for vaudeville and silent movies this became Tucsons preeminent movie theatre and site of the world premier in 1940 of the film "Arizona" staring William Holden and Jean Arthur.  It now hosts both screen and stage events.













So there you have it.  Not all of the sights we saw, but a good sampling.  The downtown is actually a nice area to walk around in.  Complete with interlocking brick sidewalks and street cars which make up part of their light rail transit system.  The rails imbedded in the pavement bring me back to visits to Winnipeg as a child.
We got up Tuesday morning and had planned to take the Sabino Canyon hike.  We slept through the alarm and decided that since we had been on the go every day for the past couple of weeks that we would have a do nothing day.  We went for our morning hour walk and saw our first snake and some kind of lizard.  Both of which moved too fast for me to get my phone out of my pocket to take a picture.  We aren't sure what kind of snake it was.  It was small and looked slightly larger than a large garter snake at home.  Probably 2 feet in length.  It slithered under a small bush and wouldn't come out and since it very well might have been poisonous I wasn't about to coax it out with my foot.  Were going to say it was a rattle snake cause it makes a better story.
Tomorrow Sabino Canyon, if we get up when the alarm goes off.
Later