Thr Loop is Tucson's own 54-mile multi,-use trail that travels around the city's diamond-shsped perimeter. It's official name is the Chuck Huckleberry Loop.
Weather was near ideal for another walk in Tucson. This time I just took Hansel, leaving Zeke at home to rest after yesterday's hike up Bruce Mtn. Skies were mostly sunny and it was in the low 60s. I picked up SteveT and his dog Trace for company, gassed up at Costco for $2.49 (up another 20 cents from last week) and then drove to the 1912 brewery where we parked to resume our walk from last Monday.
As expected, there were far fewer homeless encampments along this stretch as we were moving away from downtown, and far less trash in the wash. The interstate was also moving away from the path, making this stretch also quieter. We walked on the eastern path, but the western path continues to have greater bicycle traffic. We were walking behind the parking areas or storage areas of businesses as we were now in an industrialized zone.
The dogs behaved well together. Trace is more comfortable when it's just Hansel around. Zeke lately has been more grumpy around other male dogs taking me away from him. Hansel is still too much of a big puppy to care for such canine nonsense as jealousy and possessiveness, but I'm sure he will develop those senses as he gets older, as Zeke has done. When we got off the Loop and walked on the parallel dirt path, both dogs stayed close by and did not run off on the path. They were too busy sniffing the ground.
We turned around just north of Prince road, at 3.16 miles. The Silverbell Golf Course is on the western bank of the wash and we saw duffers near the western bank resting near a tee. There is no practical place except at the Prince Road spur trail for a measurable section hike and turn around point, so we simply turned around and walked back to Grant Road. We walked the last section not on the path, but on Forbes Road where the 1912 Brewery is. I had planned on having two beers here, as is customary in Germany, to drink beer after a long walk. We sat outside, the dogs rested in the shade and I had a hefeweizen and then a coffee-chocolate stout. We were the only ones outside at 4pm, but we both had to grab our sweatshirts as it was getting cooler.
I picked up drinking beer when stationed in Augsburg in the early 1990s. It's customary to drink beer after just about anything. I learned to drink hefeweizen and pilsners there, which are still my preferred beers overall, although a well-bodied stout or porter are also good.
We stopped briefly for another beer break at the 1055 brewery as we waited for a large cheese pizza at Empire from across the street. This is the pizza that Kevin requested I pick up. I only had one more Top Notch hefeweizen. By now it was after 5pm and again we sat outside, this time near gas heaters. The patio was doing good business. We stayed for 30 minutes, then picked up the pizza and left just before last call at 5:40pm. We left Tucson just after the sun set.
I don't know when I will be back in Tucson to continue walking the Loop. Weather is expected to warm up beginning this week. I have four more miles before reaching the Rillito River section going north.
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