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Today, we thought we’d take a non-medical journey to Boulder to take in a few sites. Though not common in this active area, we found a few things to do with the 3 good hips between us. Bob is still waiting for the steroid to take effect, which will could be another week or so yet.

We started (and we weren’t alone) at Boulder Falls. While not the most spectacular, they are easily accessible, and they feed Boulder Creek which runs down the mountain and all the way through Boulder. We saw lots of people hiking along and tubing on the creek on our way to the falls.

We then drove back into Boulder only to head out past the massive Chautauqua Park and up Flagstaff Mountain to take in Boulder from above. We stopped at Panoramic Point, part of the way up, and then continued onto the top. We saw trail markers along the way, so this is likely something you could do by foot as well.

Finally, we drove into Boulder proper to brave the Pearl Street Mall, a pedestrian- only shopping and dining area.

Last night after dinner, we decided to chill on the upper terrace here while watching tv and taking in the view. While we have shared pics before, the view looks a little different during each time of day.

Today, was quiet, but I did get out for a walk into the Berkeley neighborhood to visit a Little Free Library to exchange a book. The closest one I found online was about 50 minutes from the house, but it was a beautiful day and I wanted to walk. I left Bob home to do his hip strengthening excercises.

I ended up finding a closer free library on the way which had a great selection of books. I exchanged “Methland,” a non-fiction book about the severe problem that meth use/addiction has caused in rural America with a focus on Oelwein, Iowa, for “Songs in Ordinary Time,” an Oprah’s Book Club pick. However, I continued on with the walk to see more of the area and see what the other library had to offer.

After my book stop, I popped into a Sprouts grocery to restock on a few items and then headed back to Sloan’s Lake to take some more photos of the lake. While walking around the lake, I found a board that told the story of the lake’s formation. Turns out that in 1861, Mr. Thomas Sloan, a farmer, dug a hole for a well on the north end of his farm. His digging hit an underground spring and by the time the water flowing from the spring slowed, a 200 acre lake had appeared. The locals initially called it “Sloan’s Leak,” but it became and remains a popular recreational area.

Bob and I have started venturing out a bit on his newly shot leg. Yesterday, we opted for the free 30-minute tour of the Hammond’s Candy factory that has been operating in Denver for over 100 years. It was an interesting tour where we saw a 15-minute film on the history of the company, run by the Hammond family until the early 2000s.

We then got to watch the factory workers as they poured out hot candy (over 300 degrees), added coloring and flavor, and then pulled and shaped it into canes. Along with candy canes and hard candy, they make chocolates, caramels, popcorn, trail mix, and other goodies. So, while the tour was free, we dropped some money on goodies for us and gifts.

Today we decided to do something more typically Denver and drove out to Red Rocks Visitors Center and then to Buffalo Bill’s grave on Lookout Mountain.

From Red Rocks we intended to go right to Lookout Mountain viewpoint near Buffalo Bill’s grave, but ended up stopping first at the Lookout Mountain Nature Preserve and Boettcher Mansion, which serves as an event space.

Bob’s vacation from his wife is over, as I flew into Denver on Tuesday night to join him for a house sit in the West Colfax area of Denver. It has a great dog, Coco, and home. Bob cared for both once before, for a friend from high school and her husband, when I was with my sister in Rockford.

Bob arrived a few days before I did. He takes Coco for her morning walks down near Sloan Lake and gets a great view of the Rockies. I ran on the 2.5 mile trail around the lake this morning, and it is very popular with runners, walkers (both with and without canine companions).

The other issue that has been occupying our minds is the state of Bob’s left hip. He has been having pain that’s gotten progressively worse. He had it checked in Kansas City and Austin but wasn’t sure either had provided a correct diagnosis. Luckily, his cousin in Colorado Springs connected him to a friend that works at the Sports Medicine and Performance Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder, and he had a very thorough assessment there this afternoon.

He has moderate to severe arthritis in his left hip that will need to be operated on late this year or early next year. In the meantime, he got a steroid shot that should help with the pain for a few months and get him back to walking and biking

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.