Leaving Tucson's wildflowers

We got up early to take the trailer to All's RV repair shop. Their mobile RV service would have come to us but mentioned it could get pretty expensive if we needed replacement parts and a return trip. The hub was overheating because the brake needed an adjustment. They made those adjustments, checked the other wheels and we were out by 1pm. The mechanic asked how Mike knew there was a problem since we had just had the brakes and bearings serviced in Mesa before leaving. He is always checking to make sure things are in working order. At times, he will be sitting and suddenly say "What is that  noise?" and march around looking for the change in a sound. I think he is kind of weird but appreciate that strangeness about him. Usually, people end up in the shop when their RV starts smoking from overheating and the expensive damage has been done.  We were thankful for $106 bill and how good they treated us.

An announcement must have been made that the wildflowers along the Sutherland Trail in Catalina State Park were at their peak . As we were returning from our early morning hike, s herd people were heading up to see them.

I like getting out early to beat the heat and people then are back in time for brunch in a shady spot. But I bet when it cools down, sleeping in will be good too.

We saw these strange small holes in the ground on the trail with bees going in and out in several places. It turns out that 70% of bees in the US live underground. A few times while hiking we would walk into a small swarm of bees and then see these holes.

Leaving Catalina a day early to avoid the drive back north after the repairs, we had to find a place to stay until our next stop. March is high season for RVs in Arizona and can be expensive for a night if you can find a place. We checked out the Passport America near Tucson called Justin's Diamond J RV Park.  It turned out to be quite nice at $20 a night. We could see ourselves returning in the future to check out the trails directly from the RV park into the Tucson Mountain Park.

Back on the Road!!!

I let my manager at the hospital know that it was time for us to leave and she put me into inactive status. I can return in 6 months and still have a job. What a great job to be able to work 4 shifts a month and have the bonus of plenty of time off. I guess I wasn't ready for total retirement yet.

During the two hour drive to Catalina State Park, Mike noticed one of the trailer hubs was hotter than the others. He made an appointment to have it looked at before we leave Tucson on Monday. It is nice to have someone that pays attention to such things. He treats the trailer similar to a helicopter pilot and his chopper with his walk arounds before and during our trips.

This noisy cardinal caught our attention on our early morning hike to Romero Pools.

He and his friends were warming themselves in the sun.

This hike turned out more difficult than in the past. It has plenty of elevation gain with lots of obstacles. But even with a  7 am start and temps of 47 degrees, it heated up to a record heat wave (92 deg)  20 degrees hotter than usual.

Much of the climb, we were in the shade as the sun was rising. But once we started down to the pools, it was just hot.

We used our hats to pour the water over our heads to cool down but were once again dry in a mile.

We have visited this park several times but were happy to get in on another stay due to cancellations. We didn't have much planned since we weren't sure when we would be leaving Mesa. 

The brittlebush was out in full bloom and bees busy at work.

Each morning, we were up early for a bike ride or hike up the Canyon Trail which runs along the creek. This was a new trail for us. I had my gloves on the first couple of miles due to a morning temp of 47 degrees. Once the sun was over the mountains, we started removing things for the walk back down.

At night it was interesting looking for scorpions with our black light. This makes me rethink the whole sitting outside in my flip flops reading in the evenings as the sun goes down...

Time with the family in Tucson

Catalina State Park in Oro Valley northeast of Tucson is a favorite place of ours along with the hike to Romero pools. It is 5.5 miles out and back with a treat of a stream and pools to cool down in. We skipped this hike until it cools down a bit more. Deb hates rattlesnakes.

 

In the eastern foothills of the Santa Catalina mountain range, Sabino Canyon is a world of natural beauty. Stunning vistas, the freshness of the morning air, the tranquility of running creek water, and the rugged backdrop of Thimble Peak make this place so unique. There is a tram that people can ride and see the scenery but we chose to walk the 6 miles.

 

There is a beautiful visitors center which was nice for a cool down after our hike. The sun gets toasty even though the temps were in the 70s with a nice breeze.

 

When I lived near here while working at the medical center, we would walk here often and see roadrunners and turtles many times.

The rains have been pretty heavy since we have been here so the stream from Mt Lemmon had a pretty good flow. Mike was pondering while watching the fish.

There are 9 nine stream crossings

Love those desert sunsets.

On the driveway to my sister's house, I stepped over a rattle snake and didn't realize it until Mike told me.

I appreciated the clouds. As they rolled in the crowds thinned out for a pleasant walk.

The reason for our visit to Tucson this time was a celebration of my niece's wedding

My sisters Sandy and Patty at the rehearsal dinner. Lyndsey behind the camera. It was fun to catch up with everyone. Sunday after the wedding there was a BBQ and three nice days of visiting and telling stories. Driving home after everything, Mike noticed I was quiet. I was just lost in my thoughts of how time passes so quickly. It was 28 years ago that we were attending Sandy and Ihor's wedding and our children were the flower girls and ring bearer.

Kim was a beautiful bride. At the reception, we stood outside and watched the lightening show all across the night sky.