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.

The trails at this park are marked for hiking, equestrians, mountain bikes, and dogs

I took many photos of saguaros – this is one of my favorites

A big grove of saguaros

So much flora to see…

I saw the swirling “S” shape in the trail dirt, looked to the right, and saw this critter slithering away

One of a gazillion lizards

A river (well, a creek) runs through it

Mosaic at the trailhead