Corona de Tucson
April 5, 2024
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| Saturday morning... |
The trailhead for Ledge Surfer Trail is on the opposite side of the road from where we hike. The 4 lane highway divided by a median is always busy...sooo, the safest way to cross the road is walk thru a culvert under the road. It's kind of spooky...dark and damp and I can barely stand up in a few spots. Some of us had to stoop more than others.
Ledge Surfer Trail was lined with lots of little blooms...
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| Desert Stars |
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| Phlox |
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| Desert Onion |
nice views, and lots of ocotillo and cacti.
We took the short Stone House Spur Trail. I have done more than one search for information on the stone house in the Tucson Mountains, but have not had any luck. I love the rocks and think it must have had a gorgeous view of the mountains back in its day. It's a nice place to stop for water and a snack.
Camaro Loop is my favorite part of this hike.
It twists and curves thru a nice saguaro forest.
The prickly pear and cholla cacti were full of buds.
But the saguaro are not showing any signs that its spring.
The birds however, are keeping busy.
An old, rusted out camaro gives the trail its name.
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| That is me...March 4, 2017 |
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| That is me...March 30, 2024 (I was a little more concerned about snakes on this hike!) |
It was such a fun morning. We love it that Jamie and Andra love to hike too. And it is so awesome to share some of our favorites with them.
Ozzie makes himself at home. He has jobs... and keeps a watchful eye.
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| A stare down between these two.... |
But his favorite job is sharing the sofa with Grandaddy.
Joe cooked toad in the holes on Easter Sunday.
And before we knew it, it was time for them to get ready for the upcoming work week.
Our second hike this week was a hike about five miles from home. The Sahuarita Trail is a small section of the much longer Arizona Trail. The AZ Trail traverses from our state's southern border to our northern border about 800 miles long. This AZ Scenic National Trail links desert, mountains, canyons, forests, history communities, and diverse peoples. And it is celebrating its 30th year.
Sahuarita Trail is an easy hike. We have a turning around point at a crossroad about 1 1/2 miles in making a nice 3.2 mile walk.
There is a nice variety of desert plants, but no saguaro here. Mesquite trees, Palo Verde trees, ocotillo, yucca, grasses, wildflowers and prickly pear and cholla cacti fill the desert...all very showy without obstructing the view of the mountains and our beautiful deep blue sky.
Back at the oasis, we flipped the calendar...it's April already !
And Edith loved her stickers, but only put the yellow bunnies on her shirt. Yellow is her favorite color...mine too !
Our weather this week started just like last week with a couple of rainy days.
Afterwards, we took the long way home...
It never gets old...
The tulips Jamie and Andra brought me for Easter bloomed mid-week.
Our Desert Willows have a few leaves.
And the usual backyard visitors stopped by for a morsel or two.
We are in the midst of a home invasion. The mosquito hawks have taken over. Thank goodness they just aggravate us and do not bite. They line up on the screen at the patio door and just wait till we open the door to fly inside. Lamp shades, ceilings, windows seem to their favorite spots to stay.
Sally had her third injection of Librela this week. It is for pain control for osteoarthritis. The results have changed Sally's life. She is more active and actually hops around the house, her appetite is better, and she can stretch her back legs to clean her feet which she hasn't done in a really long time.
So until next time,
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| New leaves on the Mesquite trees... |
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| Orange/red blooms on the Ocotillo... |
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| Yucca |
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| Desert grasses... |
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| Fairy Duster...the most prolific wildflower of the day... |
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| Prickly Pear Cactus... |
Back at the oasis, we flipped the calendar...it's April already !
And Edith loved her stickers, but only put the yellow bunnies on her shirt. Yellow is her favorite color...mine too !
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| Steady rain showers on Sunday... |
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| Off and on again showers on Monday... |
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| I snapped this photo on the way to an appointment Tuesday morning...snow capped peaks in the Rincon Mountains with low hanging clouds.... |
Afterwards, we took the long way home...
It never gets old...
The tulips Jamie and Andra brought me for Easter bloomed mid-week.
Our Desert Willows have a few leaves.
And the usual backyard visitors stopped by for a morsel or two.
We are in the midst of a home invasion. The mosquito hawks have taken over. Thank goodness they just aggravate us and do not bite. They line up on the screen at the patio door and just wait till we open the door to fly inside. Lamp shades, ceilings, windows seem to their favorite spots to stay.
And I loved the clouds at sunrise this morning when Sally and I went out.
So until next time,
HAPPY TRAILS!
Lovely blog!! Your bloom is so far ahead of ours--our cottonwoods have leaves but nothing else does--not the mesquite nor our pecan trees. But we do have poppies everywhere! Those hikes also sound good for my Arkansas gang that are coming to visit. Fun to have Jamie, Andra and Ozzie visit over Easter weekend. Sweet Sally--she is just the cutest dog!
ReplyDeleteThank you Janna! The trees here are leafing, but the poppies and other blooms are fading fast. It was a really nice week! I will also recommend the Cactus Forest Trail at Saguaro NP-East. It’s a very nice trail and a little closer for you to drive. There is a nice picnic area close to the trail too. Sally says thank you! 😃
DeleteThe skies there are incredible. Whether it be cloudy or clear, the scenery and the skies are just captivating. Sally is adorable as usual!
ReplyDeleteHi Jim…Sally says thank you! Our brother in law who lives just outside of Baltimore says the same thing about our AZ skies. We love the sky and that’s one reason we live here! It’s the bluest sky we have ever seen. Photos were not edited!
DeleteRobles Pass is one of our favorite areas to hike. We were almost always alone. The trail you did was the one we did together on our first hike. I always enjoyed the stone house. Nice to see you having a great Easter with family. So good to hear Sally is doing much better. She looks so different with her spring trim:)
ReplyDeleteGood morning Pam! We think of you and John often, but especially at Robles Pass. My how time flies as it seems like yesterday we were all hanging out at Lazydays. It’s nice having the kiddos close enough to visit. Sally is a real trooper and we are so happy she seems content and feels good at her age…17 years old.
DeleteI love your "long way" home....always fun! So glad that sweet Sally is getting some relief....I'll have to do some research on that drug, I've not heard of it. Happy April.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue! Our vet said the injection was a fairly new drug. So far so good! And yes…happy April! I love April! Although the year is flying by…
ReplyDeleteGorgeous Gay, such a beautiful time in the desert. 4 lanes is a long way to walk bent over - and then he had to do it again to go back! Those Desert Stars are so delicate and pretty. I don't think I've seen them before. Sally always looks like a puppy and it's great you found something that helps her to feel like one again :-))
ReplyDeleteThank you. Jodee! We all had to help unfold Joe when he came out of the culvert! I'm happy you noticed the tiny
DeleteDesert Stars. They are not more that an inch and half tall and we saw pale purple ones too. Sally says thank you...