Tucson!

We are in Tucson, having arrived late yesterday afternoon. This is one of my favorite towns. My uncle and grandfather are buried here, having lived much of their lives here in the sun. We have been here several times and try to see something different each time.

Today we went to Sabino Canyon. This is a canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains. In the 1930’s, a road was built through the canyon to allow visitors to access a variety of trails in the canyon. That road closed to traffic in 1978 and now they offer a 45-minute 3.8 mile tram tour into the foothills of the mountains through the canyon. There are nine stops and you can get off and hike the various trails and get back on whenever you wish. The main road ascends from 2,800 to 3,300 feet and crosses Sabino Creek over nine stone bridges.

In addition to the beautiful scenery, we were treated to a rare occurrence. A ring-tailed Coatie was rooting in the mud in a creekbed. Our tram driver stopped so we could see and he was still there on our return trip, only this time he had two roadrunners hanging around. It was quite awesome.

A lot of people were hiking the trails. There are, of course, the normal dangers of hiking in the desert, i.e., snakes and mountain lions; and the guide gave a few instructions to those who were going to get off and hike.

When I was about six years old, my parents drove me and my two sisters out here to visit my aunt and uncle and grandfather. We went off to a canyon and picnicked. I remember a stone dam where we walked. A bit of water was running over it. Tonight while I was telling my Mom about our day she said, “I wonder if that’s the same canyon we picnicked in when we were out there years ago. I described several things to her and we think it is probably the place. Talk about a blast from the past!

It was a most enjoyable ride through the canyon and I would highly recommend it. You may even want to hike some of the trails.

Till next time. . .

Dale