The Savage Traveler: Out West Adventure: Part 1--Tucson (Thu.-Sat..)

(Thursday) Breakfast was simply cereal today but we took our coffee out in the sun and spent a long time reading the Lansing State Journal on our tablets because the Hotspot was working well. While I finished up, Marv packed a lunch for us and then we drove across the valley to Sabino Canyon. We arrived just in time to buy tickets and get onto the Tram, which, since 1978, is the only kind of transportation that is allowed to go up the road into the canyon. It was a stunning day with an incredibly blue sky and the temperature was just perfect for hiking. The informative driver told us about the canyon as we rose up to the circle drive of Stop 9 at the end of the road. Marv and I got off there and began our hike. The start of the trail had 5 switchbacks in half a mile to get us higher up the canyon wall. At the highest point we stopped and ate our delicious avocado and turkey wraps and enjoyed the amazing view. From there the trail leveled out a bit and we hiked another half a mile. The trail was narrow and rock covered but was easy to follow. We saw a handful of other hikers, a few coming towards us, and were even passed by two separate people who were running the trail. OOPH!! Then the trail descended for .7 miles and we rejoined the road at Stop 7. Within the area we walked we could see three distinct biomes, evident even to untrained eyes like ours. We saw some birds and butterflies but otherwise little wildlife. We could have gotten a ride back down on the tram at any point but we opted to walk the whole way down, taking many stops to get photos of the spectacular scenery. The creek nearly always has water running above ground. During rainy periods it rushes down and the bridges are made to funnel extra water over the top without damage. During very dry periods water is sometimes not seen above ground but it is always running beneath the surface. It was really the perfect way to spend this perfect day. On the way home we stopped to get some hardware and at a McDonald’s to update the blog. Spanish Rice tasted great for dinner and we slowly recovered from our 4.6 mile hike in Sabino Canyon.

Marv way up there on the rocks with a great view

Marv on a different, not so high perch

Tram Ride

The trail we hiked

Sabino Canyon

Sabino Creek

(Friday) This was supposed to be our day to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. Before we left Marv had contacted them to find out how we could help out and was told to call when we got to town and they’d tell us where we were needed. When we did so, we were told they had all the volunteers they needed and couldn’t use our help. L That left an open day in Tucson so we decided to go right after breakfast to The Desert Museum, just a few miles north of us. We have visited it every time we’ve come to Tucson, but it is always enjoyable to see. It was a sunny, breezy, cool (high 60s) day and the crowds were not what we have sometimes encountered. We were just in time for the Raptor Show, which we enjoyed even though the Ferruginous Falcon didn’t cooperate and perform as hoped. Afterwards we wandered up to a presentation on desert animals one can see in one’s own Arizona backyard. It was amazing to see a hooded skunk, ringtail, porcupine, parrot, quail and others calmly walk the winding “runway” at the front of the auditorium. It was more enjoyable than expected. From there we were enthralled by the hummingbird enclosure where we saw three sitting on nests along with many others whirring around in the trees. Walking the desert path we saw a coatimundi, a coyote, and 5 or 6 javelinas and were introduced to the Dr. Seuss-like Ho Ho Boojum. We also explored the cave and geologic history area and pretty much every display they have, more than we remember seeing on other trips. It’s all so well done and you really feel like you are just out walking in the Sonoran Desert. Fences and netting are subtle and nearly invisible. At the end we walked through their brand new aquarium (opened Jan. 8) which focuses on the marine life of the Sea of Cortez, which is surprisingly included in the area of the Sonoran Desert. We were pretty tired and ate a 2:00 lunch back at the camper, where we relaxed and did some reading for a while, until it got too cool even sitting in the sun. At 5:00 we went for an evening/sunset hike from the campground to part of the Brown Mountain Trail to the Coyote Trail and back. It took an hour and a half and the sun was down by the time we returned but we had been treated to many lovely angles of the sunset for Marv to get cactus silhouette shots. We finished up the grilled salmon with avocado salad and a rice mixture for dinner and then watched a DVD of “Joyous Noise” before going to bed.

Sunset Sky

Horned Owl

Red Tail Hawk

Hooded Skunk

Ho Ho Boojum

Coyote

Saguaros at sunset

Sunset on Brown Mountain Trail

(Saturday) The forecasted rain came through in the early morning and the temperature dropped so we woke to see snow on the mountains around us. We made oatmeal and then did all the dishes that had accumulated. We won’t be making many dishes for the rest of our time here. It was still only about 47° when we left the campground and drove to San Xavier Mission. The next tour was in 20 minutes so we looked around on our own before a really knowledgeable volunteer docent led us on a 45 minute trip beginning in the 1500s through the history of the Jesuit and then Franciscan missionaries from Spain to what was first New Spain, then Mexico, then the USA, and nearly always exploiting the native people. The mission church was built in the late 1700s and was severely damaged by the earthquake in 1883, which left its impact all over the area. Although abandoned for 33 years when the Jesuits were expelled from Mexico, it is again an active parish and they are slowly renovating the building and returning it to its Baroque glory as the White Dove of the Desert. The tour ended after 1:00 so we bought Indian Fry Bread with beans, meat and cheese at a stand in the church yard which made a hearty lunch. Calling Ken to talk about their cruise this week made the drive shorter back to town as we made our way to the University of Arizona campus. We drove around a little bit then parked by the Science Museum. We opted against exploring it though and instead walked a few blocks down and around The Old Main, an original 1891 campus building that is closed for renovation, then to the Arizona State Museum, housed in the old Library building. The Museum has a wonderful display called The Trail of Life, which teaches about the 11 aboriginal tribes of the Sonoran Desert region. It compares creation stories, village life long ago and today, language bases, religious ceremonies, masks, pottery, baskets, and more. It is a very comprehensive exhibit and actually proved to be a little overwhelming after a while. When we felt like we had absorbed all we could, we quickly looked through their extensive and world-renowned basket and pottery collections before returning to the truck. We made a quick stop for berries, wine, and whipped cream and then drove on to Judy Sawyer’s house. Don left this morning for a meeting in Phoenix but we had a nice visit and a great dinner of roasted broccoli, pork loin, and salad (with our berries for dessert). It was so good to see Judy again and it was around 9:00 before we made our way back over the mountains to the chilly camper. Along the way we found out that MSU had beaten Purdue in Lafayette in basketball, putting themselves alone in first place in the Big Ten, a half game ahead! The temperature dipped into the thirties as we worked on pictures, writing, and doing some clean-up to be ready to leave Tucson Sunday morning.