Friday, May 6, 2022

Madera Canyon

Corona de Tucson

May 6, 2022 















This beautiful piece of southwest Arizona is Madera Canyon.  Madera is a Spanish word meaning lumber or wood and over a century ago, this canyon served as a major source of timber for the city of Tucson...thus its name.   Today it is a haven for diverse wildlife (especially birds), a home for a wide variety of plants and trees, and a relief from the scorching heat for many of us in the summer.  The canyon lies on the northwest face of the Santa Rita Mountains in the Coronado National Forest.  We have hiked here many times in our visits to Tucson...once to Josephine Saddle via the Old Baldy Trail and Super Trail  loop back in 2016. 













My toe is better.  And you know what that means.  Tuesday, we headed to Madera Canyon with Randy to do a "new to us" section of the Proctor Trail.  We parked at the Amphitheater parking area to begin the climb to Mt Wrightson Picnic and Trailheads area.  From the get go, it was mesmerizing...a shady welcome, scents of pine and dirt, birds singing, golden grasses, and mountains and views.     



































A few wildflowers added pops of color along the way.  



My dear mother-in-law always said every room needs a splash of red.  I agree !

This section of Proctor Trail meanders up and down with lots of twists and turns as the narrow trail hugs the mountain side.  

















































We made a wrong left turn so didn't actually make it all the way to the Mt Wrightson picnic area which is at the end of the scenic drive through Madera Canyon.  Next time, we will know to go right.  We walked Madera Canyon Road back to the Amphitheater parking lot.  We saw a group of turkeys (I counted at least nine) by Madera Creek.  




Did you know a group of turkeys is called a rafter?  That is because they like to roost in the rafters of barns and old structures.  




If there are no rafters, they choose to do their roosting in trees.

















I just happened to look up as we walked past a rock wall and something red caught my eye.  It was several claret cup cacti just growing out of the rock.  So amazing and pretty...a true rock garden ! 





























Back at the oasis, nothing much is going on.  The dahlias are popping up.












We had a new backyard visitor...a Brown-crested Flycatcher.










They are seen in the southwest during breeding season.  Old woodpecker holes...now I know they are called boots...in saguaro are critical for their nesting habitat.  












In addition to the hike, we have had a couple of early morning walks.  














And Thursday morning, we went to Lowes.  












We never come home empty handed.  







I have been practicing with the focus on my camera.  The globe mallow and hummingbird are on the other side of the wrought iron fence.










And the cone flowers are behind the chair.














So until next week, 
















































HAPPY TRAILS !

12 comments:

  1. Awesome pictures! I really like the way your focus experiments turned out. And the water dripping off the cardinal's bill is perfectly timed!
    Glad to see your boots are back on your feet and not sitting in a corner :)

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    1. Thank you Jeff! It’s nice to be walking/hiking…it’s a lot cheaper than seeing a therapist!

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  2. Glad to hear you're out and about again. No time to waste these days... We love exploring Madera Canyon, always something new to see. I love the water dripping from Mr.Cardinal's lips.....

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    1. Thank you Sue! Totally agree about Madera Canyon…it never disappoints. My rocker on the patio is my favorite place to sit these days.

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  3. I have CDs stuck to my Montana windows because of the lodge in Madera Canyon--it helps keep the birds from flying into the glass--not always but it does help. I love the parts of Arizona that are diverse--trees, water, wildlife--not just desert sand. Are those dahlias growing in pots or the ground? Your photography is beautiful--like the two before me I love the drinking cardinal! What kind of camera are you using Gay?

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    1. Thank you Janna. I love taking photos…it all started almost 29 years ago when our first grandchild was born. My camera of choice for the past several years is my Nikon D 5500 and for birding I use a Tamron lens 150-600. It has an awesome zoom, but a little tricky to focus sometimes. We are hoping to explore more areas like Madera…can you believe we have never driven to Mt Lemmon? The dahlias are in pots (3 of them) by the patio. We don’t have a drip/irrigation system so we have not planted anything in the yard.

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    2. I too have never been up Mt. Lemmon. Mike has on the motorcycle a couple times with friends.

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    3. When we stayed at Lazydays KOA, friends brought back some really good fudge from a shop there…that is all the motivation I need!

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  4. Good to see your boots back on the ground again!! Madera Canyon is always a fun stop especially when the valley floor heats up. Good you looked up when you did. The Claret Cup are beautiful. They do love the rocks. Your turkey photos are great. A rafter...thanks for the lesson! I do love the sap dripping from the pine and the water dripping form the cardinal. Super shots. You really do need to get up to Mt. Lemmon. There are lots of fun places to explore and it is so much cooler. Fun summer trips!

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    1. Thank you Pam…I’m going to ask at the nursery if you can buy claret cups cacti. I think they are so pretty. Mt Lemon is on the list…

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  5. Love the trail but boy does it look dry!! Interesting sap drip. Mr Flycatcher has a great hairdo :-)

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    1. Thank you Jodee. It is dry…hoping for lots of rain this monsoon season!

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