Picacho Peak State Park, LEGOs and Lunch

Corona de Tucson

April 5, 2023 

It's hard not to notice this bit of scenery anytime you are on I-10 between Tucson and Casa Grande.  This peak has been used as a landmark by travelers since prehistoric times.  Picacho Peak is etymologically (the study of the origins of words...) redundant as picacho is translated "peak" in Spanish.  

It was our first time to visit the park.

Picacho Peak officially opened as an Arizona State Park on May 30, 1970 and was our destination for Sunday's adventure.  There is lots of history within 3,000+ acres surrounding the peak that make up the park, but history was not the draw for this visit.   This time of year when spring follows a good winter rain, the park is celebrated for its colorful wildflowers.  We missed the poppy explosion that happened a few weeks earlier as there was a two hour wait to enter the park.  No worries,  we had the park mostly to ourselves Sunday and the lupine explosion was amazing.  

  No matter how hard I tried, I was never satisfied with the lupine photos. 

And as pretty as the lupines are, they were not my favorite for the day.  The pinkish/purplish globe mallow was a new wildflower for me and absolutely gorgeous.

But both of those combined did not outdo the Brittlebush and the flourishing golden mounds in every direction.  Did you know that it is a member of the sunflower family?  And did you know that the seeds from the Brittlebush are a major source of food for quails?

For the past several years, we have had dry winters.  Consequently, the seeds lie dormant waiting for the rains to return as they have this year.  

We did get out and venture up, and I do mean up, the Sunset Vista Trail.  We went straight up for half a mile before turning around. Joe and I both agree that going up is way better than going down.    

Lots of steps...

Some smooth trail...

And lots of rocks/boulders to maneuver. 

The views were spectacular.  

The slim line of white are the cars in the parking lot... barely visible in the center of the photo.

The other trail I chose to do was the Calloway Trail.  It's a .7 mile trek straight up to a lookout.  Lots of steps, boulders, and switchbacks make up this moderate rated trail as well.  

Steps and (really) tall boulders...

A place to pause, breath and take in the scenery...

Sharp switchbacks

The view at the top...farmland and the Catalina Mountains in the distance.

And heading back...the slim line of white in the center of the photo are cars in the parking lot.  Wahoo for us!

All together, we hiked 2.4 miles and my phone data said we climbed 25 floors...the best workout our legs have had in a while ! 

A quick stop by the Visitor Center and we were on our way home.

Monday morning had us up bright and early.  Joe had an appointment to get his teeth cleaned.  And I had plans for us afterwards.

Tucson Botanical Gardens is on the way home and finally the weather is perfect to make a stop and enjoy three new exhibits, the butterflies and orchids and lunch.  

Exhibits:  Nature POP!

Artist Sean Kenney chose Tucson for his debut exhibit...Nature POP !  His exhibit features over 40 sculptures made from more than 800,000 LEGO pieces and explore the beauty of nature through highly stylized, colorful displays that stand in striking contrast with their surroundings.  Nature POP ! blends art, science, and innovation in the display of the New York based artist's newest, never-before-seen sculptures.   

Nature POP ! invites visitors to consider how just like LEGO bricks are interconnected, so is everything in nature.  

There are a total of 32,650 bricks in the Woodpecker sculpture and it took 124 hours to build.  The artist states, "The swirls of red, yellow and orange contrast with the monochromatic cyan woodpecker and transform the tree bark into a lava lamp. "

Gardeners was perhaps my favorite sculpture.  

With a total of 46,823 bricks this sculpture took 192 hours to complete.  The artist states, "Rendering these figures in a single color causes their posture and actions to become the focus. The blue plant symbolizes the importance of clean water to the future of the planet."

Polar Bear was a close second.  A total of 112,450 bricks and 389 hours to complete.  The artist states, "The blue striping of the polar bear evokes the strata of a core of ice, as if the polar bear were forged from a glacier."   There was no overall size mentioned on the sculptures.  I am just under 5' and the polar bear was every bit my height.  

  

And one more...Dog.  How could I not include him?  A total of 39,800 bricks and 155 hours to complete.  Think like a scientist states, "Humans have three kinds of light-sensing cells in their retinas.  Dogs have only two.  A dog would actually see this sculpture as grey."  Each sculpture shared the artist's thoughts, scientific facts, fun facts, and total of bricks and hours to complete.  

The exhibit allows visitors to appreciate both nature and the sculpture as something beautiful, and as something fun and playful.  It's a fun morning for youngsters...of ALL ages !

I could go on and on...a Snow Leopard, Dragonfly, Zebra, Tortoise, Fox, and Lion were among the 40 large scale sculptures.  There were lots of little surprises as we meandered the paths.

All the sculpture...large and small...were perfectly placed in the Gardens.  A great fit for both the sculptures and nature.  A truly colorful and fun morning.

Exhibit:Cultivating Colors

Cultivating Colors is an exhibit featuring the beautiful florals and amazing plant life of Arizona.  Colored pencils have been around since the 19th century, but it wasn't until the 20th century that the production of colored pencils for art purposes began.  All artists in this exhibit are members of The Colored Pensil Society of America...Phoenix Chapter 212.

  Exhibit: Flower Mounds

The last of the three new exhibits was staged in one of the rooms in an original adobe structure (from the 1920s) at the Gardens.  The artist, Lex Gjurasic, expresses her exuberance for life thru her works which allude to the folkloric floral motifs of her Slavic heritage.  The pieces are colorful and fun.

The COX Butterfly and Orchid Pavilion is always a favorite.  It is open from Oct. 1 thru May 31 every year.  

Lunch: Edna's Eatery

Tucson Botanical Gardens always had a place for folks to enjoy a quiet patio setting for brunch/lunch amongst the beautiful gardens.  Cafe Botanica closed at the beginning of the pandemic, and the cafe space was empty for months.

Thanks to a partnership between the Tucson Botanical Gardens and Westward Look, the cafe is back !  It is now called Edna's Eatery.  It is named after Edna, the gardner and housekeeper who lived on the property and tended the gardens until her death in 1973.  She worked for the original residents, the Porter family, and planted herb gardens, flower gardens and  fruit trees.   

In true patio fashion, you grab a menu and find a shaded table under one of the ramadas and someone comes out to take your order.  The patios are spacious and quiet with tables that are nicely separated and cozy. The kitchen is managed by Westward Look Executive Chef Todd Sicolo who crafts a simple menu of breakfast and lunch items.  All the produce is from the garden and other local partners. I had a yummy Cobb salad wrap and tossed salad with a delicious in-house basil buttermilk ranch dressing and a fresh pressed Arizona orange juice.  The eatery is open 7 days a week from 8:30-3:00.  Admission to the Gardens is a separate and required cost for all Edna's Eatery guests.      

 The springtime flowers had no problems showing off their gorgeous colors.  I'll close with a few.

Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS !