I had four things planned: drop off the aluminum and tin cans, stop at Bookman's to trade in some books, buy a Coronado National Forest Recreation Pass, and try out the Black Rock Brewery on the east side of town. I managed to do all four, but it took me all day.
Senator John McCain's memorial in DC was today at the Cathedral, and all the news stations on my XM radio broadcast it. He died of brain cancer last Saturday on his ranch outside of Sedona. He served as Senator from Arizona and was elected five times. (I did not reelect him in 2016 due to his repeated bouts of skin cancer; I deemed him too old to serve another full term.) His state capital memorial was on Thursday before flying in a private jet to DC on Friday. Presidents Bush and Obama gave touching eulogies. This memorial was broadcast all day long.
My first stop was the Scrap Metal recycling center on 4408 E Illinois street. There are several recycling centers in this part of town near the city center. I tried this one this time due to its high ratings, but I was bigtime disappointed. Not onl1y was it hard to get out of (cars have to drive in reverse out of there, blocking all other vehicles, but I was ripped off. Instead of getting $26.13 back, I got only $25 and I should have counted my money before leaving the business. They took my plastics but didn't weigh it (plastic is not profitable in small amounts). I was finger scanned and photographed for their data base.
My next stop was Bookman's off Speedway, a huge used book store in town with several stores. I had a box of hard backs I was hoping to get some money for, but after 45 minutes of waiting with Zeke inside the store, found out that only four books were accepted. I got a trade-in of only $11. My Spanish books were taken but none of the recent hardback history books. What a disappointment. The clerk told me they only take soft covers.
It was raining as I left Bookman's.
I was hungry by now and should have taken a break for lunch somewhere. There are so many good places to eat in Tucson, but instead I drove up the Catalina Highway to the Palisades Ranger station to buy an annual Coronado National Forest recreation pass, still only $20. There had been talks of raising the annual pass to $40. Day use is $5 and that includes parking in Madera Canyon to hike up Mount Wrightson. I could have stopped at Sabino Canyon to buy a pass there, but then I'd have to backtrack to come up the Catalina Highway. Dogs are not allowed in Sabino Canyon, so why bother go there?
The Palisades Ranger station is at milemarker 19 on the Highway, only six miles from the top by Mount Lemmon. Traffic was strong, and the higher I got on the highway, the more congested it got. I went in, bought my pass and then drove back down the road to hike the Bug Springs trail from the Lower Green Mountain trail. I had last done this trail on December 28th, 2012 with Minnie and Sadie from the lower trailhead. We only hiked three miles one way and turned around due to losing daylight. This time I started from the upper trailhead. This trail is a popular shuttle hike for mountain bikers as its trailheads both start/finish off the Catalina highway. It's not as congested as the more popular trail higher in the mountains off the highway, which is another reason why I like this trail. I can let my dogs off leash when no one else is around.
There were three cars in the small parking lot. Hikers could be on the Bug Springs trail, or hiking a section of the Arizona Trail here. The Bug Springs trail on its upper terminus is just under 6000' but immediately climbs up to the southern peak of Green Mountain, offering views of the Southwest. It then dips down to Bug Springs and levels out some before climbing again along some hoodoos before descending through high desert grassland to its southern terminus. Storm clouds were moving in from the east and I didn't want to be caught in the rain with two miles to go. I decided then to hike three miles out, making it six miles round trip. By then I'd hit the familiar section I hiked in '12 with Sadie and Minnie.
I came across three young people at the start, descending back to their cars. I only came across one other woman near my turn-around point south of the hoodoos. This was her first time hiking the trail. She started from the south and went to the springs, but told me she got lost and turned around. How can one get lost here? While the trail isn't blazed, the path is clear. I didn't question her navigation skills.
The clouds had a cooling effect on us once we were out of the forest and on the hoodoo section 1.8 miles into this hike. Water was running in Bugs Springs and I let Zeke take his fill. The clouds did look ominous off the Rincons, though, so I opted to hike just past the hoodoos and then turn around.
It took me two hours to hike two miles. I was feeling tired today, as if the hike from Wednesday up Carr Peak finally caught up with me. Two miles in one hour?! It took me 90 minutes to do three miles, turning around as the trail dips down for its rapid descent through the grassy section of agave, sotol and burned mesquite. From here one can see the Tucson skyline and the distant Huachuca mountains.
I hiked 5.86 miles in just under three hours. It was now 5pm and time to slowly head off the mountain and back into Tuscon, where I still had to drop off the rest of the recycables of cardboard and remaining #2 plastics. Traffic up and down the highway remained steady. The waning sun cast its shadow on the road. Even the saguaros, which appear in the lower elevations, were darkened.
I discovered that the recycling containers at the Morris K Udall Park off Tanque Verde Blvd were removed and now off Speedway and Fleming. I didn't have much left to drop off, but it was enough to squeeze Zeke of much-needed space to spread out. Once the back of the car was empty, he hopped in the back and napped, and napped the rest of the day.
I spotted two juvenile coyotes saunter nonchalantly down the street as I left the recycling center. They strutted down the street in confidence.
From the recycling center I continued down to the Black Rock Brewery off S Pantano. This is a newer brewery that opened 18 months ago to lots of raves. I simply had to try it out. Unfortunately, now I was really hungry and this place is a brewery, not a brewpub, so there is no food prepared here. The usual food trucks were not open over the Labor Day weekend. Chris, the bartender, made me fresh popcorn. Chris also told me to bring Zeke inside, where he lay by my side and continued napping as I sat at the bar and tasted a pint of the El Heffe green chili wheat, then ordered a flight of four beers: the AZ Pale Ale, Dreamcicle and two Porters. All were very good and on the sweet side. Zeke didn't even drink his water Chris poured for him.
The brewery wasn't very busy for a Saturday night. I counted eight people when I walked in and it never got any busier. My allergies were starting to act up when a young couple sat at the counter near me, Eric and Ashley, new transplants from Atlanta who have been in Tucson two months. This was their first visit to the brewery. He is a physical therapist, she is studying for her Masters in Library Science. They move around the country every few years and take their three dogs and six cats with them on every move. I have to laud them for that, as most people just get rid of their pets when they move because it's such an inconvenience. My pets are part of my family and always go with me. They tried some beer and then left. I stayed around a little longer and chatted with Chris, who's been working at the brewery since January.
I was now really hungry and didn't want to drink anymore on an empty stomach. I left at 8:30pm to head on home, stopping at the In N Out Burgers off Broadway for my one meal today. My allergies were now in full bloom. Driving home in the dark was no fun; I even pulled over at the Walmart parking lot in SierraVista to rest for ten minutes before continuing the drive home. I got in at 11:30pm to three very happy dogs, but told them all (yes, I talk to my dogs) that I was too tired to take them on their nighttime walk. I took an allergy pill and knocked myself out by midnight.
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