What a busy day! For my final day before heading home, I left Gilbert Ray Campground and drove over 130 miles down HWY 19 to Patagonia State Lake Park. Along the way, I visited…
Today’s adventure took me to Saguaro National Park. The ranger at the Visitors Center suggested a couple of trails, gave me a paper map, and directed me to my destination.
The road, Bajada Loop, is unpaved, so Addie went bumpity bump for several miles. My bike and bike rack held up fine, although they are both quite dirty. The first parking lot was full, so instead I parked at Signal Hill, saw petroglyphs, and hiked the opposite direction for my out-and-back.
My biggest bummer of the day: no ice cream! Haha! While hiking – in the desert heat – I kept thinking about ice cream. However, the nearest ice cream location is over a half hour drive each way… I decided it wasn’t worth it. 🙂
Last but certainly not least, some of the animals I saw.
Regarding the birds, the docents and fellow photographers helped a great deal. Their eyes are so much better than mine. They pointed out the mother hummingbird on her nest and the other hummingbird gathering nectar. Thanks to all for your good vision!
Flora! So many gorgeous flowers! I don’t know if it’s because I’m here in the Spring…or if the plants always bloom…but the desert flora enchants me!
I started with 200 photos! Culling them to something manageable challenged me.
So…I’m breaking up today’s post into three sections! This section has general photos…and the next two will have flora and fauna.
Leaving Catalina State Park relatively early – for me! – I drove some of the back roads to the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Luckily, their Lego display, set to stop on May 1, was still active. The detail and size of these sculptures surprised me! Also cool at the Gardens: a photography group, led by a talented woman, snapped photos alongside me. I enjoyed talking about photography with various members of the club.
After the Gardens, I had a delicious ice cream – and bought a scone for later – at Decibel Coffee, a shop where a good friend’s daughter works.
My next big stop was the oft-recommended Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. Before this trip, everyone I asked for trip suggestions mentioned the Desert Museum. And they were right! Vast, varied, intriguing. A simply amazing experience!
Here, then, are what I call my “general” photos…
After two long driving days, today was a big hiking day. I hiked over seven miles throughout Catalina State Park, seeing saguaros, dry river beds, mountains, a creek, birds, flowers…so much to see in this Sonoran desert!
Following my hike and lunch, I fixed a minor electrical issue with Addie and then took my bike for an ice cream treat at the park gift shop.
All in all, a terrific day!
Note: I love state parks! I’ve been to many in several states across the country. They are all gems! The people are friendly, the facilities are topnotch (including showers), and the scenery is terrific. National parks have an aura of magnificence – and the ones I’ve been to have met that standard – but as far as camping goes, I love staying at state parks.
Day 2…another LONG day of driving. It didn’t help that I had a tough time sleeping… I woke up early, made myself a cup of coffee, and started driving. Once I got to Blythe, I pulled over, got gas, and made breakfast.
On my way to Catalina State Park, I visited Biosphere 2. What an engineering wonder! Although the history of Biosphere 2 is a bit muddled, its current environmental lab the facility provides many opportunities for study and research.
Smelling the barn. A phrase I had never heard before my BIG TRIP, the cross country trip I took nearly two years ago. However, the closer I got to home, the more “ready” I was to be home – with my peeps, in my own home.
Don’t get me wrong. I love traveling in Addie. I relish exploring and traveling and adventuring.
AND by the time I got to Arizona, I was DONE. I wanted to be home. The smell of the barn acted as a magnetic pull.
So, I decided to take time this May to return to Tucson and its environs since I drove straight through this area two years ago.
I started by reaching out to friends who know the area. Wowza! So many fabulous recommendations!
Today, I drove from home, through LA (yech!), and into Joshua Tree National Park, where I camped at Cottonwood Campground. I also bought my Senior Lifetime National Park pass!
After setting up camp, I ventured out for a hike – the Mastodon Loop trail.
