Month: August 2022

As today was my last chance to get a good hike in, I perused my handy Eastern Pima County Trails brochure to see where I might go. There is such an abundance of options here, part of the reason I love this place, but I finally decided to head to the Tortolita Mountain Park, about a 30 minute drive northwest from where I’m staying. The park seemed to offer a number of trails, and it isn’t one that Bob and I have done before, so it would be new.

I got to the trailhead a little before 8 am, which is an early hike for me. The trailhead has a large parking area, and there were a fair amount of cars there when I got there. I saw a number of people early on but no one after I got more into the mountains. I combined a few trails, mostly the Wild Burro and Wild Mustang, but also the Upper Javelina as well, and ended up hiking for close to 3.5 hours.

The entire route was well signed except for the squiggly orange part between the orange route (Wild Mustang) and the red route (Upper Javelina), but the trail was obvious, so that didn’t create any issues. I caught myself briefly going off route twice when I began the Wild Mustang trail but managed to figure that out.

I saw two examples of “wildlife” while I was out, and despite the trail names, burros, mustangs, and javelinas were not among them. One was a small, skinny snake, which was a bit disconcerting, but apparently so was I, as he slithered away pretty quickly. No complaints from me. See below for the other one.

On to the scenery, first the man-made kind.

Now, the natural surroundings. As always, I loved the cacti, but the rock formations were pretty cool also.

So, it was probably in the mid-70s when I ran this morning about 5:15. It was likely in the low 80s when I got to the trail. It didn’t stay there, as I saw this on the trail on the way back. Definitely heading into a little bit cooler climes, when I join Bob in Denver on Tuesday.

I have a brochure of all the trails in Eastern Pima County. Today, I decided to head to the Richard McKee Finger Rock Trail. It is also in the Coronado Mountains, not far from yesterday’s hike, but it says that it’s a very popular hike on weekends. So I decided I better get there before the weekend.

It was a warm hike with two easy water crossings and a bit of an elevation gain. It was another out and back, and I was out there for a couple hours.

I had a very different hiking experience today from yesterday. I headed for the Ventana Canyon Trail, which is about a 30 minute drive from the house. The trailhead starts behind the Ventana Canyon Resort, which Bob and I enjoy visiting while in Tucson. However, he and I have never hiked this trail, so I wanted to give it a shot.

I started earlier today, about 7:50, as it was a non-running day. In looking at the trail map as I started, I noticed that you couldn’t make the different trails into a loop, as I did yesterday. I would need to come back the way I went out. I decided I’d try to go an hour out and then see if I wanted to continue or turn back. I’m sad to say, I only made it 50 minutes out before I turned back. I ended up losing the trail at that point at the 9th water crossing!

I guess the good news is that this hike clarified for me what I most enjoy about hiking — moving my body in beautiful scenery that I am able to enjoy. I was able to do some of that, but it was a slow slog with having to watch my footing on all of the water crossings. My water bottle fell out of my backpack at one point (recovered), and a prickly branch grabbed the hat off my head (also recovered), so it was definitely not my finest hour, but it was still nice to be out (though likely won’t be heading back to that trail soon).

More hikes to come, I hope.

I finally got myself out for a hike. I’ve been a little tentative, not wanting to get caught in a monsoon, but today I decided I was going to give it a go. I drove to the Painted Hill Trailhead, just a 10 minute drive from the house, and hiked for about 1.5 hours by combining the mosaic, monsoon, and slingshot trails. It was a well-marked trail with great views. I met one other woman coming off as I was starting, but that was it.

First off, Happy 59th Birthday to my better half, who is making his way out of Texas and heading to our next house sit in Colorado.

Today ended up being a bit of an education for me on criminal events in the Tucson area, but I’m going to start with a sign that was posted in one of the stores that I walked by on my way downtown.

A few days ago when I was in the Tucson Visitor’s Center, there was a sign posted about the Dillinger Courtroom upstairs. I didn’t check it out then but have been thinking about it since, so I decided I would go back and see what it entailed. It was an interesting exhibit, much more than just the Dillinger story.

I initially went into the courtroom that Dillinger and his gang were arraigned in following their capture. Dillinger and his gang had robbed banks and committed other crimes in the Midwest and were wanted in Indiana when they were captured.

The exhibit consisted of a mock 1930s news program about the capture and the court proceedings that began once you stepped into the courtroom. The gang was captured because they had been staying at the Hotel Congress in Tucson, and they were forced to evacuate due to a fire. Two of Dillinger’s gang offered a guy who had responded to the fire a $12 tip to get their bags out of their room. The guy did it because $12 was an incredible tip for that time but his interest in these individuals was further peaked after seeing all the guns in their room. He told the cops about what had happened, and the police were able to capture the gang.

As I left the courtroom, I noticed a wall which chronicled a number of significant local court cases/police activity over the years. See below. There are a few famous names, as well as some horrific cases.

The sun is back out here in Tucson. It’s been a lovely, interesting day. I started the morning with a run and returned to find that two cactus blossoms that I thought had been pummeled by the ran had bloomed. I photographed them and sent them to the home owner, so she could enjoy them as well. She had told me before she left that they only bloom once during the year.

I had passed a couple of murals on my run, so I walked Dottie by them later so I could get some photos.

I ran a couple of errands after breakfast. I drove to a Barnes and Noble to restock on a New York Times Crossword Puzzle book. I looked at the local bookstore near the house, but they didn’t have the big ones. I am on the last couple of puzzles in a book that my aunt got me for Christmas 2019. I have been tearing the pages off as I go, so it gets smaller. I found a Mega Book of SundayNew York Time crosswords!! I also got a magazine of just logic problems that I am not very good at. I thought that might be something that Bob and I can work on together to keep our brains active.

Honestly, a book to read, crosswords to do, running shoes to run, I’m good. Even better when my husband is around to cook (yes, I’m spoiled), but at least I have a funny dog to hang with.

The other errand was just a trip to Trader Joe’s to pick up a few groceries.

This afternoon I went to see “The Quest for Sleep” at the Loft Cinema, which is the local independent art house theater. I had looked up community events under the University of Arizona and saw this listed. I love the Loft Theater, and the movie was free, so I registered and went. It was about a 70 minute beautifully made movie all about sleep, from what happens in the body when we sleep, the importance of sleep, and what happens when we don’t get enough sleep, as well as some possible treatments. It was narrated by Octavia Spencer and chronicled the struggles of about five or six people who have had insomnia for years. It also had commentary by the Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the U of A. It was really well done, and there was a panel discussion afterwards. I have an increasing amount of respect for sleep as I age, although I still resist napping.

While we are traveling, I have gotten into the habit of running three days in a row and then taking a day off. It doesn’t always work out, but that’s the typical routine. I have run for the past three days, so today was a day off. Dottie must have sensed something, as she let me sleep in. We got up at 5:30 today instead of 5:00. We started our day on the porch where Dottie likes to see what’s going on in the neighborhood.

After porch sitting and a potty break and breakfast for Dottie, I decided to spend what would normally be my running time doing an errand instead. I love to read real, physical books, and I usually have a couple with me. As I finish one, I hunt up a small, free library wherever we’re staying to exchange the old book for a new one. I had just finished a book the other night, so I decided this morning would be a good time to pick up a new one. Google Maps showed a little library about 30 minutes from the house, so off I went.

The route took me mostly down 6th Street south of most of the university. The following photos are my sights along the way. Oh, and you never know if these libraries will have any books at all or any of interest, but I was in luck. I was able to exchange “The Interruption of Everything” by Terry McMillan for “Song of Solomon” by Toni Morrison.

Also, I have learned that today is Tucson’s 247th birthday!🌵🌶🎂. They had planned celebrations downtown near the old city hall. Not sure if the weather will cooperate or not.

Tucson is still in monsoon season, so we have been getting a lot of rain in the afternoon/evening hours. It is definitely nice for moderating the temps and greening up some plants, but it ups the mugginess and mosquito activity . A small thing to nitpick about, on we go.

After having been inspired by my morning run which took me into campus, I headed out about 10 to explore a little of the University of Arizona during move-in weekend and check out a local bookstore recommended by the home owner.

On the way to campus, I headed down University Avenue (one street north of the house) when I stumbled on (not literally) a sign for the Audubon Society’s Nature Shop. I decided to pop in and check it out, as I was curious and also it allowed me to get out of the rain that had just started. It was a great little shop that also had lots of brochures on the local birding areas. I picked up a couple that looked of interest.

I also popped into the Time Market, which is part specialty grocery and part coffee/sandwich shop. We used to walk there every morning for a paper the last time we were here. They have gourmet items like cuttlefish ink and anchovy juice. Missing my favorite chef!

The Arizona History Museum is quite attractive, and I looked into maybe stopping in as it apparently tells the stories of Arizona personalities such as Geronimo and Wyatt Earp. But I decided I wasn’t $12 interested, at least not today. I may change my mind if the rain keeps up.

Walking further into campus, I was excited to see the robotic food delivery machines like we had seen on the University of Wisconsin campus. I also was enjoying the energy level of the campus, as it is move-in weekend. I picked up the campus paper, “The Daily Wildcat,” to peruse later, walked through the Student Union, and shopped in the bookstore. I do love college campuses!

Walking back out of campus, I did a quick walk through the Graduate Hotel. These are fun hotels near universities that usually are decorated in line with that particular school. We have stayed in these hotels in Iowa City, Knoxville, and Columbia, South Carolina.

Finally, I walked down 4th Avenue, which is a street with lots of restaurants and retail in between the house and the U of A campus. I spent a happy half hour or so in Antigone Books, a local bookstore started and run by 3 women. I was happy because it was a great store but also I missed the worst of an intense cloudburst while I was in there.

It was still raining when I left the store. I had an umbrella, but the rain comes down so hard and so fast that the streets flood pretty quickly. On the short walk back to the house, it was quite a challenge to cross streets without stepping in ankle-deep puddles. I ended up taking my shoes off to get onto the sidewalk by the house, so I wouldn’t get my shoes soaked. Note to self to make a wiser selection of footwear next time.

For my first day on my own in Tucson (after establishing my and Dottie’s morning routine), I decided to walk to Mission Gardens, which the homeowner had mentioned to me.

The garden is Tucson’s Agricultural Heritage Museum and is located on the site of Tucson’s birthplace, where archaeologists have documented 4,100 years of continuous cultivation!! The garden is dedicated to growing the heritage plants that have historically been grown by the peoples of Tucson over the years and preserving traditional practices.

The garden was about a 40 minute walk from the house. It is located under the A mountain (mountain that the University of Arizona students have created an A on) and allowed me to walk through a bit of downtown as well as get on one of Tucson’s many hike/bike trails.

On my way back, I stopped at the Visitor’s Center to pick up some information for my stay. I’m hoping to find more new places to visit since we’ve house sat in the area a few times.

I have had a lovely 24 hours catching up with the homeowner in Tucson. Bob and I house sat for her back in 2017 and have kept in touch with her ever since. At that time, she had two dogs and was off to do a road trip with her daughter who had just graduated from high school and would be heading to college in the fall. We were supposed to house sit for her again in 2020 while she visited her daughter who was doing part of a semester in Europe, but, COVID.

Anyhow, her daughter has since graduated with honors and is now living and working in Phoenix. The extended family is gathering for a beach vacation in North Carolina, so I get to be back in the desert.

It was great to catch up. She now just has one dog, Dottie, one of the two that we cared for before. She has done some work on the house and yard, so it’s fun to see the changes, and she’s also a glass artist and is getting ready for a show in October.

Today, I mostly settled in after she left about midday. They’ve apparently been still having their monsoon weather that happens in the summer, so I may see some serious rain while I’m here. We’ll see.