Robles Pass and Empire Ranch

Tucson/Lazydays KOA
Tucson, AZ
March 4 & 5, 2017


Robles Pass is a 1,000 acre parcel purchased by Pima County located in the Tucson Mountains.  Even though the well marked trails are designated multi-use for hikers and cyclists, they are never crowded.  Joe and I did a 6.2 mile hike that included Ledge Surfer Trail, Camaro Loop Trail and one wrong turn on a trail that led to W Ajo Highway (we think!). It was a pleasant day with some sunny skies, some overcast skies, and a steady cool breeze as temps climbed to 82 degrees.

It was awesome to pull into an empty parking lot.  We had the trail all to ourselves until we were almost done and met a couple of bikers just getting started.



 

FYI : the cholla are full of buds...this means lots of beautiful flowers in a few weeks !

 The next day was Sunday.  It was rather breezy, chilly and mostly overcast so we headed to Empire Ranch about 40 miles south of Tucson.  Once off I 10, it was a nice drive on AZ-83.






  Al, thebayfieldbunch.com, first posted about Empire Ranch.  Then John and Pam, ohtheplacestheygo.wordpress.com, went.  Their pictures sparked our (ummm, my) interest...a nice way to spend Sunday.

Empire Ranch is located in the Las Cienegas Conservation Area.  The ranch is located on the eastern slope of the Santa Rita Mts and surrounded by meadows of salt grass.

It is a working cattle ranch that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.  Back in the 1870s, it was one of the largest ranches in Arizona with a range spanning over 180 miles.


Today, the Empire Ranch Foundation and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) work together to protect and restore the historical buildings and landscape as an outstanding western heritage and education center.  The ranch is open to the public everyday for a free self-guided walk/tour.  

There are lots of pictures with details and information about the buildings.  This one shows the changes made to the main house from 1871 to 1886.

Lots of western movies and tv series have been filmed here including  3:10 to Yuma (the 1957 film), Bonanza series (1959-73), and The Outlaw Josie Wales (1976).




There have been updates (during the 1950s) to the main house...an inside master bathroom... 

 a family kitchen...

and a front porch complete with daffodils...all of which bring back memories from my childhood.   



























Like Al, I took way too many pictures !  It was hard to sort through them all and pick just a few.

Our next stop for the day was Madera Canyon via E. Box Canyon Rd/NF-62.  It was a very pretty ride through the Coronado National Forest on an unpaved, twisty, narrow road.  

We weren't interested in a long hike...the 2.1 mile nature trail fit the bill.  I was mostly looking for birds as we meandered along Madera Creek under huge limbs of Arizona White Oaks and beside tiny patches of Mexican Poppies. 

Ahhhh...life is good !  Until next time, 

This old camaro gave the Camaro Loop Trail it's name.

HAPPY TRAILS !          

Saguaro National Park - East

Tucson/Lazydays KOA
Tucson, AZ
February 2017

It all started in 1920 when members of the Natural History Society of the University of Arizona first expressed an interest in preserving a stand of the West's most iconic plant species...the saguaro.  The saguaro had  become quite famous from silent western movies.  But it wasn't until March 1,1933 that Herbert Hoover signed a proclamation establishing Saguaro National Monument in the nearly empty desert 15 miles from Tucson. 












Finally in the 1950s the Visitor Center opened and important research brought a fuller understanding of the saguaro life cycle by 1970.  Most importantly, at the urging of the people

of Tucson and the Secretary of the Interior, President Kennedy added 25 square miles of splendid cactus forrest in the Tucson Mountains to the Monument.  Congress elevated Saguaro to a National Park status in 1994.  




Progress was slow in those early days.  Early rangers had to haul water from the center of town,  "cactus rustling" was rampart, and cattle continued to trample young cacti for decades.  Aging of the cactus forrest and lack of regeneration led to a widespread belief that the saguaro were a dying breed...just like the frontier life it symbolized.  Aren't we glad that the steady hard work of early rangers and locals resulted in what is now the Saguaro NP we love and enjoy today ?  We first arrived in Tucson in January of 2013 and shortly drove the loop road in SNP...our first ride through the Cactus Forrest was love at first sight !

We decided last week we would revisit SNP - East.  Its been several years since we did the loop drive and we have not done any exploring on foot.  Why ?  I don't know...maybe because the SNP - West is so much closer.  Anyhow, we fixed that.  We did two hikes...Freeman Homestead and Cactus Forrest to Lime Falls.  The other hike we wanted to do was Loma Verde Loop.  But when we got to the trailhead, the parking lot was full.  



Freeman Homestead Trail is a short walk that takes you to the sight of the old Freeman adobe house with several outbuildings. 



I was really looking for birds and much to my delight,  we saw a pair of Gila Woodpeckers having an intense conversation as they fluttered from branch to branch.
Daddy has the red crown patch and was a bit camera shy.

 But not mama...she was all over the place ! 






















The Cactus Forrest Trail to Lime Falls was an awesome hike.  The entire hike is just under 4 miles, but thanks to the varied terrain and solitude (YES!), it was a "feel good" workout.  

Even though it's still winter, we did see little signs that spring is on it's way.  Buds on the hedgehog...


...a bee "doing his job" on a Jojoba ( ho-ho-bah)... 

Lime Falls was dry, but still worth the trip.  The silvery colored limestone adds a bit of interest to the desert. The falls...  

and the wash we walked through to get to the trail.    

Joe spotted a roadrunner.  He is really good at that !  







Mostly we just enjoyed the day and the quiet ! 

So until next time...

HAPPY TRAILS! 

(Information of the history of Saguaro National Park was found an a webpage The Beginning of Saguaro National Park - nps.gov.)