Rillito River Park

The Rillito River Park is a 12-mile multi-use trail in central-north Tucson. It is a lovely urban desert trail when done at the right time under ideal weather conditions. There are paths on both sides of the river, but the northern side is the more popular one. It is also more paved than the southern path. I decided to take Sadie on a walk along a part of the southern route, after dropping by the Tucson Camera Repair shop on Oracle Drive to pick up my two Canon cameras, my 5DMII that needed a new focusing sensor, and my 7D that badly needed cleaning after dropping it lens first into deep sand several times while on hikes. This cost me for $409, but both look like new! I will now take better care of both cameras and not take them with me on rugged hikes.

I had last been along this route back in 2005, when Kevin still enjoyed hiking. We took Sara along along the northern section and walked to the mall and back from our start on Country Club Road. That was quite a distance, and the river that winter was rushing after heavy winter rains. Kayakers were in the water! The river hasn't run but once since then, during last fall's hurricane rains. There were only traces of wet sand in the wash, but no running water.

It was just after 10am when I got to the Tucson Mall after the repair shop. I parked the van in the open, along the river, but it just happens to be the one section along the southern part that does not connect with the rest of the trail. The path actually ends for an entire block (the length of the Tucson Mall property) and cyclists have to ride through via the mall parking lot. I wanted to take Sadie off-leash down in the wash, and the closest entry was under the Oracle Drive bridge.

Walking her in the wash was not a good idea. I could tell that Sadie was not happy. While the sand was warm and not hot, she wanted shade, and the sand was so deep I felt like I was walking on a waterless beach. The closest exit, however, was .8 to the east at the next bridge. Blooming palo verde trees don't provide substantial shade, and neither do towering saguaros. At least the paved path didn't smell of urine.

The wash is heavily overgrown with desert broom, a common desert shrub in Arizona that can take over yards within a year with its deep taproots. Broken glass, a few abandoned shopping carts and homeless encampments were visible under the bridges, in the dry wash and in some culverts, although the city has gated off a few culverts to keep the homeless out. Urine was strong under the bridges. Going under the bridges is the only way the path prevents users from having to stop or cross busy streets. I wonder if this section gets busy with transients at night, when the restaurants and mall close?

The southern section where I started at the mall was not very busy when we started. The path got more scenic the further away I got from the mall. Palo verde and other desert trees were in bloom, the birds were in love, and we spotted rabbits and chipmunks as well. We could see the Catalina mountains to the north. Parts of the trail are also crushed granite, which Sadie preferred over asphalt, but I was getting concerned about the lack of real shade. On a very hot day this path would be brutal. What I appreciated were the many directional signs noting the distance to the next major cross street. There were a few picnic tables and partial shade along the route, but no water fountains, no doggie bars. (I had water for Sadie in my backpack)

We made it to Campbell Avenue, 2.14 miles from the van. I had passed quirky trailer parks, upscale apartments and a few colorful condo-plexes, before I opted to cross the bridge north and look for a place to sit down for lunch. I didn't see any eatery right on the path. A lot of the restaurants on the adjoining streets weren't open until 4pm or were closed entirely for the day. I didn't want to veer too far off the river trail as the streets here are all busy and traffic makes Sadie nervous. We ended up going back the way we came, walking west now on the southern section until we got back to the van. Sadie was happy to be back in the van and in the shade.

There were more people on the trail on the return walk. People walking their dogs, cyclists, joggers. Sadie did well on-leash although she did lunge at one small dog that we passed. I'd have enjoyed this walk more had it been cooler and overcast. At least Sadie didn't pull much on the leash.

We were a street crossing away from the mall on the return hike when a man yelled over to me "What happened to Indiana?" and I momentarily had no idea what he was talking about. He was referring to my red IU cap, an old cap I was wearing to block on the sun. The Indiana Hoosiers, my alma mater, did not do too well this year in men's NCAA basketball. They last did well when Bob Knight was coach and I was still living in Bloomington in the mid 1980s. (He even coached the Olympic team there that summer). He and I started a conversation about basketball--he's from Rialto, CA and went to high school with a former NFL player, dogs, and living in Tucson. He praised Sadie for her calm behavior.

Much to my surprise the van's thermometer only read 71F when we drove off. It felt much warmer than that.

It was 12:30pm when we got back to the van. The In-N-Out burger joint was just down the street. We went there for lunch. Sadie sat in the shade as I dined outside, and I gave her chicken jerky treats when we then went back into the van for the ride home. The 4-mile walk did tire me out, but hopefully that was from the sun and not the exercise.

I stopped at the Park Avenue recycling center and opted in the last minute to check out the Barrio Brewing company on 16th Street and Euclid. It's in an old Tucson warehouse in an old industrial part of town. Parking is spacious but the neighborhood smels of creosote used for train tracks. The place was crowded when I got there. A group of cyclists were leaving and we got ourselves a small table outside on the patio, a line of bar tables along the railing with a view of the parking lot and industrial yard across the street. Inside a UA game was going on. Beer and burger were good, but service was lacking.