Bisbee 1000 repeat

My day started with a quick one-mile walk with all four dogs down the maintenance road.  Since Minnie was walking today, I opted to make this a short but fun walk to the hidden stock pond.  That's just a mile round-trip.  I was saving my energy for later.  We never saw any color until right before sunrise.  It was all hues of grey for the rest of the day  This haze kept the temperatures in the mild range again, making it another great day for hiking.

  

As planned, a week after walking the Bisbee 1000 course in town, I let a group hike a week later.  ChuckF from Tucson came down to join me, as well as KimG from Bisbee.  We started promptly at 11am by the Screaming Banshee pizzeria and walked the course as marked.  The yellow arrows were still prominently on the streets guiding the runners and walkers around the town.

A folks-blues music festival all over Old Bisbee entertained up.  Musicians from all calibers were in store fronts, street corners, parking areas and even B&B houses playing their music.  I didn't photograph any of them, but some were quite good.  I've always enjoyed the blues, but as Chuck noted, most blues players are aging now.  Most young people seem to prefer hiphop.

We took our time taking photos.  Kim's hand was still broken from her accident in Peru earlier this summer, and has a hard time tying her shoes.  She was wearing open sandals, allowing her easy wear, but making the steps harder to climb.  She dropped out at the two-mile mark on the course, which ends near the Iron Man statue.  She joined us afterwards for lunch at Contessa's Cantina.

Chuck has been to Bisbee many times, but had never walked the entire course.  The northwestern part of the course was new to him.  This part of town is quiet and residential, but here is where one can find all kinds of neat art work.  The photos I took today should reflect a different viewpoint from last Saturday.   I could spend an entire weekend in town photographing the many streets and still not get it all.  There are many dead-end streets up the hillsides with many more hidden gems to photograph.

 Zeke was nervous today, and I think it was from all the loudspeakers we walked past.  He was always tense, even when we sat down on the dog-friendly patio of Contessa's and then later for a Holiday Ale at the brewery.  He didn't relax until we were back in the Honda and on our way home.

The US Border Patrol were in the act of catching some illegals near Hereford Road on my way home.  Several SUVs were on the ground, while a helicopter circled overhead watching the people they were rounding up.  I didn't stay long to watch the action.  I was more enthralled by the dramatic sky.  I could see rain falling by San Jose Peak, but nowhere else.

Colder temperatures will be back again this coming week.  How bad it gets by Thanksgiving will determine whether I'll drive to Wichita Falls, TX to see Eric there.  He texted me yesterday letting me know he's there for two weeks for an advanced HVAC course.  Driving there is 124 miles shorter than driving to the North Bay in California, so 248 miles round- trip, not counting the in-and-around mileage.  I hadn't planned on driving anywhere this year; I enjoy quiet time with Kevin, too.

I did like my stay in Wichita Falls back in 2015 when Eric was at the Sheppard Air Force Base learning the HVAC trade.  It was cool and rainy for the entire visit.  I took Minnie and Zeke on that trip.  We ate at a few local places, including the Backporch Taphouse where we snacked on nachos. There's now a new brewpub in downtown WF that looks pretty promising, the Wichita Falls Brewing Company.  What an excuse to drive 846 miles, ha! (No, seriously, it's all about family)
https://www.wichitafallsbrewing.com/