So Happy !

Corona de Tucson

February 26, 2022

We are so happy !  Dr. Huang called yesterday with great news for Dover.   The  report from the canine cardiologist was all good...no enlarged heart, and the arrhythmia is considered to be an "abnormal normal".  Also Dover's blood work was stellar.  The only concern is that there are certain medications she will have to avoid in the future due to the arrhythmia.  Her appointment has been made for March 15 to have the skin tag removed from her eyelid and her teeth cleaned.   Thank you to everyone for your concern and well wishes.   

I am also happy to report that Ronnie and Carol picked up their MH from the shop in Phoenix yesterday after spending Thursday night with us.  It was a long three weeks for them with 1,662 miles of traveling home and back to Arizona.  

We had a couple of chilly nights...in fact we had sleet, hail and a little snow that delivered a nice thin layer of white on the ground.  I was not impressed with the cold or the white stuff, but I did take the opportunity to make lasagna...a favorite cold weather comfort dish.  And the only photo I took was a sliver of ice that had not melted after the glorious sun appeared later.  

 

This morning, Joe and I found ourselves at Saguaro National Park-East.  It is one of our favorite places to go and only 18 miles from our back door as we enjoy a view of the Rincons from the backyard.  

Today we drove the Cactus Forest Loop Drive to the trailhead for Cactus Forest Trail-North.  It was our first time to enjoy the trail from this side of the loop drive.   

 It is an easy walk with little to no elevation.

 Our first POI was a kiosk explaining the Cactus Shack.  

The shack was originally a storage shed for the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) during the development of the park and in 1936 it was converted to a ranger residence.  

All that remains today is the foundation.  It is worth noting that the residence did not have running water.  Water was hauled in 10 gallon jugs from town...11 miles away.

About a mile into the trail, we made a left turn onto the Lime Kiln Loop Trail.  

This POI explained how in 1880 when the railroad arrived in Tucson, the city needed to modernize. Adobe mud needed whitewash, dusty walls needed plaster, and new structures needed brick and mortar.  The demand for quicklime grew.

Each kiln required at least two wagon loads of (14-15 cords) of fresh wood for each batch of lime fired.   Once cooled, the lime was bagged and shipped by dusty roads to Tucson stores.  This was not without tensions...ranchers grazed cattle on this land.  Beans from the mesquite and palo verde trees were a major food source for the livestock.  When the trees were cut, that food was harder to find.  Around 1920, a judge agreed that the ranchers had rights to the trees and the kilns were closed. 

We also saw two crested saguaros.  The first one we noticed was a ways away...on a hillside as we were just getting started.  

The second one we missed going in, but saw on the way out.  It was right close to the trail and quite magnificent.

There was a side trail to the crested...way cool !

I think it might be a double crest if there is any such thing.
 

Some of the saguaros on this trail are very tall.  Joe guesstimated that this saguaro to between 32-35 feet tall making it about 150 years old.

We always enjoy our walks in the desert.  I'll close with a few more pics.

   

Until next time, give someone a hug...

and, 

HAPPY TRAILS !