Bear Wallow, Etc.

 Julia has been bugging me to take her somewhere there is some fall color, so we headed up to Mount Lemmon yesterday.   It takes about 90 minutes to drive up towards the top of the mountain, where temperatures are usually about 15 degrees cooler at about 9000 feet elevation.  

It was a beautiful Arizona day.  Not a cloud in the sky.  

We parked next to a ticketed automobile at this vista on the way up for a bathroom break.  When I looked at the ticket taped to the outside window of the vehicle, the ticket indicated 72 hours abandoned.  Before we left, a three vehicle crew with a stretcher parked the other side of the vehicle and headed off up the mountain.  I hope it wasn't the driver of the car. Couldn't find anything about it in the newspaper.  

The Bear Wallow turnoff is at Mile Marker 22--a few miles from Summerhaven.  From Mile Marker 22, it's a short drive on a dirt road to where we accessed a trail in the Bear Wallow Unit.  We were probably a couple of weeks past peak season, but there were still some golden aspens and reddish maples.

Shortly after joining up with the trail, we encountered an unusual thing in the woods. I think it's some kind of toilet, but it was locked with a padlock.   Anyway, someone went to a lot of trouble to "plaque" the occasion.

When we got home, I looked up the phrase, and it's apparently some kind of weird slang or joke.

From here we followed a number of switchbacks up towards Mount Bigelow, a minor summit close to Mount Lemmon.  We found some nice campsites up there and a University of Arizona station. We did not find a trail that provided a loop so we ended up on a road walk, another short trail, and then traced our steps back to the beginning.

What we discovered is that the best fall color was a short distance down the mountain from where we originally parked, so we walked a short distance on the Sunset Trail.

We ended up meandering about five miles with no particular destination in mind.  This was after our 3 mile early morning walk with Callie.  So we felt like we deserved a burger and a beer, even though it wasn't quite noon yet.

Summerhaven is the resort town on top of the mountain.  We ordered an overpriced, but well-prepared burger with Slow Body IPA, a Tucson brewery that we hadn't tried yet.  It may have been the sunny deck location on a beautiful fall day after a lot of walking, but we both agreed that the food and the beer went down really well.

We weren't quite ready to drive down the mountain yet, so we drove a few miles to Marshall Gulch, which we discovered that the Arizona Trail goes through. The map of the trail from the Mexico border to the Utah border made me think of my A.T. thru-hiking days.  It seems unlikely that I'll be completing the Arizona trail, but I do intend to do some more research about some section hiking.  For sure, we will return to Marshall Gulch, which had a beautiful picnic area and trails to discover.

Bear Canyon to Seven Falls

Julia and I recently returned to Sabino Canyon to hike to Seven Falls.  In retrospect, we could have been started at the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area parking lot, which would have cut off 15 minutes of drive time.  But  my Alltrails map didn't suggest that as an option,  Instead, when I searched for Seven Falls, the first trail that came up was the Bear Canyon to Seven Falls option.

Bear Canyon could be a useful trailhead for anyone who doesn't have a National Parks pass and doesn't want to pay the $8 daily fee for parking at the Sabino Canyon parking lot.  The Bear Canyon trailhead is a Pima County trail and has limited but free parking.  On the weekday that we hiked, the parking lot only had a few cars parked.  On the weekend, the small parking lot fills early, and people walk nearly a mile just to get to the trailhead parking lot.  

This is an in and out trail and totals around 8 miles.

Ready to go

The trail starts in a rocky wash and gradually goes uphill.  After crossing into the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, the trail becomes more distinct.  When the water is running, and it was that day, the trail crosses the creek about a half dozen times.  We completed most of the hike in with full shade. It took a long time for the sun to peek over the right side of the canyon.

Most of these crossings are fairly easy (stepping from convenient rock to convenient rock).  Later the trail begins a number of switchbacks, eventually ending with a very nice view of Seven Falls (we only counted five falls, but there were probably a couple of more beyond our view).

From here, the trail drops until one arrives at what was a fairly large pool on the day of our hike.  In fact, we were surprised to see small fish darting around in the shallow area of the pool.  The water was quite cold.  If one continues past the pool, there is a water slide that we didn't try, but watched several teenagers doing so and enjoying themselves.  

A short climb gets you to the top  of one of the falls, and it's also possible to walk to its base.   The rocks are slippery, and one teenager took an awkward fall and ended up with some rock burn.  Their small group looked up at us to see if anyone had seen him fall.  We gave a friendly wave, and they all laughed.  

The way back was almost all downhill, although there was quite a bit more sun and a lot more people coming up the trail.  This was a good hike for the two of us--not too steep, not too long, and. not too short. 

Linda Vista Trail

The weather here has changed for the better.  Monsoon season and the extreme heat is pretty much done.  Overnight lows have been in the 50's generally with dew points as low as the upper 30's.  Daytime highs have ranged from the upper 70's to mid 80's.  Darned near perfect for me.  I can't help looking in my rear view mirror at Wisconsin weather and gloating inside a little bit.

The wildlife patterns have also changed.  I haven't seen javelinas lately, but I have had four coyote sightings at dawn on the nature preserve just this week.  We can also hear that the coyotes are active at night.  Of course, this is the first time since we arrived that we can consistently turn off the AC and keep the window screens open all night.  And we even need to pull on a blanket before morning!

Julia and I have been looking for a go-to hike that is close but still challenging.  We recently hiked a trail that leads behind an Oro Valley middle school and up to the base of the Catalina Mountains.

This is a short loop hike that totals 2.6 miles and 439 feet in elevation gain.  Bighorn sheep are in the area, and no dogs are permitted.  It was a great day for the hike.  

The trail goes all the way up to the base of the mountain, and there is an optional steep section that is an in/out.  It was getting late in the day, so we saved that section for another time.  The views at the midpoint extended across the Oro Valley with the Tortolitas on the horizon.

Sabino Canyon: a Taste

On the last day of Allie and Corey's visit, we drove to Sabino Canyon Recreation Area for a short hike.  I wasn't sure what to expect with the the federal government shutdown.  The private concessions were open.  The bathrooms were open.  The visitor's center was closed.  The Forest Service website for Sabino Canyon directly blames the "Radical Left Democrats."  A violation of the Hatch Act?   I think so.

We didn't let this political bias by certain federal officials affect our ability to enjoy a beautiful day for hiking.  Public lands are for all who reside and visit here.

Allie picked out the Sabino Walkway Loop as the trail for the day.  The trail was only 2.3 miles but still presented some rocky terrain with challenging ups and downs.

We got a bit of a late start so we were all pretty thirsty by the end of the trail. A trip to Pueblo Vida Brewery in Tucson cured that problem.

A National Park and a Museum

On Saturday, the four of us had a big breakfast prepared by yours truly and then drove to West Saguaro National Park.  Julia picked out a trail that was Allie/Corey friendly.  Neither are big hikers.  Allie is known to whine a little if the trail is too far or too steep.  This one was perfect.  I think they both had a good time and enjoyed walking in an environment very different from San Francisco, where they live.

The trail was called Scenic, Passey, Packrat Trail Loop-a little under two miles with 282 feet in elevation gain.  Fall hasn't quite arrived in Tucson yet, although high temperatures have fallen into the mid 80's.  

Saguaros don't have rings like trees, so there's no way to accurately date them.  However, park rangers  told us that a saguaro doesn't grow an arm until it's 80 years old. The one above has a few arms.

Julia has fully transitioned from tree hugger to cactus hugger.  This armless specimen is just a baby.

We survived the short hike for the final group photo.

Next we were off to the nearby Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.  This guy was there to greet us on the road before the turn-off.

Julia and I bought annual passes, which included two free passes to get Allie and Corey in.  The cost was a little cheaper than buying single day passes for all of us.    There are many exhibits outdoors and indoors.  Volunteers give presentations on areas of interest.  One was the importance of water in the desert. I particularly liked this poem, which resonated with my first monsoon season in Tucson.

Many of the animals and reptiles here can be found in the wild behind our house.  The javelinas behind the fence looked much more docile than the ones we see in the preserve.  There were way more types of rattlesnakes in Arizona and Sonora than I knew existed.  The most amazing thing to me was how well they blend into the desert environment, making them very difficult to see unless they warn you with a rattle.

After several hours at the museum,  it was mid-afternoon, and we hadn't eaten since breakfast.  We drove to BK Carne Asada and Hot Dogs so that the kids could sample each.  

Julia wanted to try the local raspados con crema, a Mexican treat with shaved ice, fruit and ice cream.  I tried the coconut, and it was quite good.

With that, it was back home for a card game and beverages.  I won the card game, which capped off a pretty good day.  I let Corey win on the next day (maybe).  Part 3 will be coming soon.

Meet the Parents

 This will be a three-part post.

Our daughter Allie brought her boyfriend Corey here for a long weekend visit.  Julia had met Corey before during a San Francisco visit, but it was my first chance to "assess" the young man.

Turns out he is very polite, nice, and even enjoys Guinness.  After arriving late on Thursday night, they had to both work remotely on Friday.  We celebrated the end of their work week by going out to dinner at Amelia's, a well-known local Mexican restaurant.  

Julia splurged at Amelia's by ordering the molcajete mixto, a shareable dish served in a heated volcanic rock mortar, filled with grilled meats, seafood, vegetables (nopalitos), and a bubbling, flavorful sauce.

There were a lot of leftovers.

A good deal of time over the next two days were spent on the trails working off this dinner.  More to come.

Kitty, Kitty

 The weather is finally starting to cool off at night so that we can open the window screens and turn off the AC.  With the modest change in the weather, we have noticed some wildlife changes in our area.  The migratory bats have mostly moved on.  They were dive bombing us at sunset at the community pool.

This week, we made a road trip to Wilcox. Julia and I had been there once before, and I was unimpressed.  She heard from friends that the farms and orchards in the area were worth the visit.  The apples were past season. There were still a few Granny Smiths, but that was pretty much it.  For twenty cents off full retail, you could pick your own vegetables in the fields.

Tirrito Farm

There may have been a milk stout involved in providing an incentive for the trip.

I can say that it was interesting how Wilcox farms can turn irrigated desert into vegetables, nut trees, and fruit trees.  There is no free lunch, however.  It will be interesting to see how agricultural interests compete with homeowners' desire to drink water and bathe, as ground water levels drop each year with more and more reports of dry wells.  

One of the locals was telling me that Arizona farms export a certain variety of pecans to China, while China imports a different variety of pecans back to the United States.  I asked what the difference was in the taste, and he said he couldn't tell the difference.  We humans do strange things for a buck.

We have seen bobcats in our community before.  Julia saw one on the sidewalk in our neighborhood.  However, we had a first today when a juvenile bobcat quietly walked through the back patio only a few steps from our sliding glass doors--before squeezing through the back fence to hunt packrats on the other side.  Good bobcat!

Adjust Your Elevation

 Bisbee, Arizona has an elevation of about 5500 feet.  Oro Valley has an elevation of about 2620 feet. That doesn't seem like a big difference, but on a 100 degree day in late September, it was the difference between 100 degrees and 82 degrees.  

Most hot days, we are up early here in Oro Valley, taking our morning walk at sunrise, playing pickleball, and then back home by 10 a.m. when it starts getting warmish.  Then we are back outside in the early evening to take advantage of the cooling temperatures, although sunrise is as cool as it gets.

This week, we took a road trip in search of cooler temps in the higher elevations.  The first stop was Tombstone, which is the western equivalent of Wisconsin Dells, mostly a place where the locals extract dollars from the tourists.  

There are all sorts of creative methods to do this:  gunfights in corrals, tours of buildings previously housing bordellos or saloons, stagecoach rides, etc.  

The most interesting one that I saw was to rent a gun (a rig, they called it) to walk around town, armed.  If I recall correctly, that was a $50 extraction.  

We walked up and down the streets for thirty minutes or so while keeping our wallets intact. Then it was on to Bisbee, the planned destination to leave a few dollars behind.

Thuy's Noodle Shop

We were last in Bisbee several years ago. Our favorite Vietnamese “pho” shop was still here and just as good. Then it was a short walk downhill to the brewery where we had spent several afternoons on the patio, looking up at the mountains all around us and enjoying the Bisbee vibe. 

Old Bisbee Brewery

I had a double hopped IPA, not to be confused with the much stronger double IPA. Double hopped simply means introducing a second load of hops after the initial boil (dry hopped). It was malty and well balanced.  My favorite stout here is now seasonal, so it was not available.  That's a good excuse to return in the winter.  

Then there was time for walking around town in the early afternoon when temps were quite pleasant even in the sun.

An interesting truck camper

Bisbee is another place that I could live if granted several lifetimes. A quirkiness is present here  that I enjoy and haven’t experienced in many towns. There’s tourism here but the vibe is real with a dose of wishful thinking and escapism that many of us could use during these "interesting times."