Perimeter Loop trail

Holly W texted me a few days to ask me if Zi could help her lead this hike. I last led this two years ago, before the pandemic hit. She posted it on MeetUp and listed me as a co-host. I led the vanguard while she stayed in the rear.

Start time was 9am. It was 32F and sunny. I was up shortly after 6 to walk the dogs. I had six of them in the RV and two cars. Fritz shared the bed last night and was very gentle. He got walked first. I also walked Hansel and then Sweetie, who seems happy just walking up and down the street to sniff and pee.

 But when I opened the CRV to get Gretel, Gretchen and Sahne leashed up, they instead pushed me out of the way to run down the street and fence fight with neighborhood dogs. The drama didn't last too long: they were back in the yard in 20 minutes, but. I was mentally anguished afterward. Lesson learned: I will never have those three dogs in the same car again.

I made it to the trailhead at 8:57am. Everyone was waiting for me. 

There were 15 people. Half of them were 

newbies to me, people who have been walking with the club on weekday mornings. Besides Holly, Ellen, Bonnie, Dave and SteveD with his dog Morgan, KarenB  was the only other non regular hiker I recognized. Cameron, a forest ranger from Douglas who hiked a moon hike with me last fall, also showed up.

We started promptly. I took the front with Dave, Karen, Cameron. I hadn't seen Dave in a while and we talked about his Russian and Ukrainian friends in Kiev and Moscow. We are now on Day 4 of a Russian invasion into Ukraine. The Ukrainians are giving the Russians resistance. I know Dave is worried about that news. Putin and Ukraine was our conversation for most of the hike. 

I stopped a few times to let the slower hikers catch up. Ellen stayed in the rear with Holly, Corinne, Bonnie and a new hiker, Craig.  There were plenty of other hikers all throughout this hike: at the Carr ruins, in the parking areas, and along the creek.

We waited 25 minutes in the end to wait for the slower group. It was in the mid 60s now. I got back home just as the 2pm news came on.

Walking Tucson's Loop trail from Swan Road to Fort Lowell Park

My morning chores are building up. I started with a mile loop with Sahne and Sweetie and then a shorter loop with Gretel (who twice had diarrhea) and Hansel. I took Minnie out of the truck where she slept for the night. She soiled the cushion I had in the back seat cab with both urine and feces.

 I started at 7am and walked an hour before I took a 20-minute coffee break with the thermos Lesley left me. What a sweet neighbor she is.

I still had a lot to do, though. I loaded up the truck bed with recyclables and had to leave quite a bit for the next run in a few weeks. I've had recyclables in the front yard for too long and it didn't even look like I put a dent in the stuff still there. 

The hardest part was getting Minnie her medication. She took the smaller pills well, but I had to shove the large Vetmedin ⁸ her throat. She fought me on that.

I didn't even leave the house till 10am as the hourly news came on. I got to Steve's place at 10:40, to the recycling drop-off at noon, and the Swan Road trailhead parking at 1:45pm because we stopped at BK Tacos off 1st Avenue for lunch. The food was tasty, but expensive.

There are so many good taquerias in Tucson, I wonder how long it would take to review them all, I mused to Steve.

It was warmer than forecasted. The cool, cloudy weather didn't quite turn out. I could tell by looking at Sahne that she was warm. We walked on the horse trail so that the black asphalt wouldn't be too warm for the paws. There was water for the dogs at the Craycroft parking lot, where Sahne got a bit testy with Trace but did calm down. 

Sahne needs more socialization. Another dog walker with a fat red heeler made a wide berth around Sahne, who barked and lunged at her dog. The woman gave me a dirty look. Sahne did get better during the walk so that she relaxed around Trace in the end 

This section on both sides of the wash went past a mix of neighborhoods, from low income to high income and even some apartments. I felt like we were on the edge of town walking a rural beat. We were in the shade of mesquite when we crossed the wash to walk on the west side of what now is the Pantano wash. It was 2.4 miles one way. It was too warm to go farther and I wanted to have a beer somewhere while still daylight.

We made the Fort Lowell park our turn-around. At one point this location was the site of a Hobokam village, but there's nothing left besides historical plaques to indicate that. It's now a city park with picnic areas, restrooms, canopies and a large parking area.  The old Fort Lowell is on the other side of the park and there are a few ruins still standing from the old hospital.  Fort Lowell will be where I'll continue this path the next time I'm in Tucson.

We walked back going on the southern bank of the Rillito River. Traffic today was busy with cyclists and joggers. Both dogs were tired, and they rested well in the cab as we enjoyed some beer at the Dillinger taproom off 4th Avenue. One of the customers was a man from Hammond, IN celebrating his 70th birthday. He looked very good for his age. His dog Iba, a 10 year old chocolate lab, less so.

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Minnie has a tumor in her anal sac glands

I was able to get this appointment yesterday. I'm glad I did, because I kept forgetting to call from my classroom. It was slated for 5pm, but it took until 5:40 for Dr Bone to have time to see me.

He looked at the swelling around Minnie's anus and said that yes, it's a tumor. He didn't need to touch it. It feels hard and is the size of a tangerine. It wasn't  there in October when I last had her seen. I had X-rays and a heartworm test authorized  Her heavy breathing and the xrays reveal an enlarged right side of her heart, with fluid in her lungs. She is not a good candidate for surgery.

She was always a panter, even before she gained weight, but nothing was ever discovered. 

She is now over 11 years old. She is also arthritic, so I'm wondering if I should just let this tumor run its course.

My fetching girl's life will most likely come to an end before Sadie's, but I will make sure she is comfortable. Dr Bone prescribed furomecide, Enalapril, Vetmedin and carprofen; the first three are to manage congestive heart failure in dogs and cause dogs to drink more and therefore pee more. 

I also read up on anal sac gland tumors. They are fast growing and almost always malignant. She defecates with ease for now, but she may start showing difficulty as the tumor progresses. It may be then that I may have to decide to let her humanely pass.

2-19

Rehoming Sahne

Ellen and I agreed to meet after work today to get Sahne used to her new home. I Ieft the high school at 3:48, after grading the last of the quiz grades for 6th period. Then I had to walk Gretchen and Sweetie around the block so that they could poop and pee after being locked up in the RV since 6am.

The hardest part was getting Sahne out from the back yard without letting the other dogs out as well. She is strong and fast, and her brothers Fritz and Wolfie are, too. So I had to quickly get Hansel and Gretel into the Honda so that they would be two less dogs in the struggle.

Sahne knew I wanted her out of the house and was cooperative. She squeezed through the front door before her brothers caught on to the skeem. She also jumped right into the truck and stayed there while I also got a load of bedding ready to be washed.

Ellen has never had a dog before. She has a lot of questions about handling an active dog like Sahne. It's always hard the first few days and weeks for a dog to adjust to a new home. I worry that Sahne would cry in her high-pitched whine because I'm not around. She has never spent a day away from me except for short day trips to Phoenix or Tucson. Would she poop and pee all over her house in panic, destroy expensive things out of boredom, or try to run away and find her way back home?

I saw her new home, a 1700- square foot home with a shaded back yard bordering a wash. The yard is smaller than mine, but what worries me is the low wall on her eastern side. It's only about three foot high. There is brick landscaping that could allow Sahne to step on top of the bricks and jump over to the neighbors who also have a dog. 

Ellen's neighborhood has small lots but big homes. If she started out the door thinking she could get to Chris and Lori's dog Prince, she will be in a rude awakening. Ellen lives within city limits and leash laws are strict.

We walked Sahne twice around the block. I let Ellen handle her. She pulled at first, wanting to get closer to me. Sahne walks nicely for me, so I wasn't expecting her to pull. She did better on the second loop. Ellen got up front when we approached her house, and I snuck behind a parked truck to get out of view, waited for Ellen to get into her room, then darted off to my own truck 

I waited in my truck for a few minutes after Ellen closed her door. Sahne whimpered softly as she waited by the door, but Ellen felt comfortable letting me drive off, and I did.

I walked Gretchen and Sahne and then Hansel and Gretel for a combined 1.5 miles, making my daily mileage close to 7 miles.

Papago Springs ramble

 I had wanted to make another recycling run in Tucson with Steve today, but he reminded me that it would be in the upper 70s there and sunny.  I opted to walk around the rolling hills south of Sonoita, the Papago Springs area.  Gretel was my dog companion.

I was a little late getting started.  Despite getting up to walk Gretchen and Sweetie, I also had to walk Hansel who insisted on napping in the Honda overnight.  I got all dogs walked by 8:30am and had logged in four miles even before leaving the house to pick up Steve.  It was after 11am before Steve and I even got started on our walk.

We parked on the east side of Papago Springs Road, entering via a horse entrance.  I like starting here, along a high meadow and an old ranch road.  This old road dips into a shallow canyon with an active horse trough, back up another hill and an old dam before the trail turns back north through interesting sedentary rock formations.

tbc 

Hike to Contention City ruins and mill

Ellen had been wanting to explore this area. She had never been here. So I decided to take her and her friend Dolores to this former mill town on the San Pedro River 

We got started just after 9am, arriving in two vehicles. It was 45F. My dog today was Sahne. She got out the front door ahead of Hansel, so I decided to give her a try. This would be her first big hike since she went up Carr Peak with me last October, and her first hike this year. She was spayed January 10th and was helped enough for this adventure. I feel bad enough leaving her behind most of the time because she is dog aggressive and very hyper 

She did very well today, much to my surprise. She sniffed both Ellen and Dolores and seemed to give both her approval. She also stayed close to me, never darting off into the desert  like Gretchen does. Her only challenge was standing off to a bull that sauntered across the path, protecting his herd that was farther away. I leashed her back up and pulled her along until we were safely away from the cattle. She showed no interest in a chase 

There was water in the river this time. That surprised me, but I was thankful for that as Sahne frolicked in it, rolled around and dipped her snout in it multiple times. That gallon of water I carried in my pack was overkill, but better safe than sorry.

We rested in the shade by the old mill. The flora is still beaten, but the river glistened in the afternoon sun. We had our lunch here. Sahne didn't eat her chicken jerky treats ( the same ones that Sadie gladly would have) but she seemed interested in Ellen's Tuna salad. She wouldn't touch her shank steak after the hike, either, so I hope she's ok and not over exerted. Two oranges and some cashews were my only energy source. 

We explored the upper mill, walked around the area on FR4040 but didn't see any mines nearby. The only thing we saw was one other couple we had met earlier. The woman was having difficulty in the desert sun (she was wearing no hat) and looked flushed and suffering from heat exhaustion when we passed them again on our hike out. She clearly wasn't in the condition to walk seven miles in an exposed area.

We found the last remaining ruins of the old mill town, now secured by new concertina wire. The last remaining adobe wall is barely recognizable as a wall .

We looped around the lower area before crossing the river again for the return hike, diverting first on an old railroad bed before turning off a wash for a mile. This wash cut off a half mile and was quit passable. Getting back up the bridge to the main trail was the only difficulty.

Sahne was now clearly tired and it was 71F. We all agreed adding another 1.5 miles to the old presidio ruins was too much for us all. I was feeling the heat, too. So when we arrived back at our cars at 1:45pm, we all drove home. I stopped at the El Camino Cafe for a tasty chicken asada burrito before getting home by 3pm. It was my one meal if the day 

I walked the other dogs around the block before inviting Sahne into the RV. She didn't want to come in. I made her get in, hoping she would want to rest on my bed after the hike. 

But as soon as I got her inside the RV, Gretchen was on her like angry flies on cow shit. She was clearly the aggressor this time, so I just put Sahne back in the back yard. That dog deserves love, attention, lots of exercise and a good home and I feel her current living situation is not ideal. She deserves better 

Ellen mentioned that she would like to get a dog now that she works mostly from home, and showed an interest in having Sahne over for a weekend to see how that would work out. Sahne seemed comfortable around her, confidently coming up to her to lick her face  Ellen would be the perfect pet parent for Sahne, as both need a lot of exercise, and if she did take Sahne full-time, we'd know she'd get along well with Hansel and Gretel 

Minnie's last walk; Melville petroglyph loop

The morning started early with a 2.5-mile jaunt with Hansel, Gretel, Gretchen, Sweetie and Minnie to the maintenance road.  Since Minnie was already in the truck overnight, I ended her stay with a trip to the hidden stock pond, for one last visit for her so she could enjoy some water.

Minnie didn't walk far, and I made sure she didn't need to.  We started the walk with a visit to the pond.  The pond is starting to grow algae, but it still has a few deep spots for her to walk more at ease.  Despite the pain her arthritis must give her, she still swiped at sticks floating in the water.  That girl will always want to fetch!  I watched her with sadness, knowing that this could be her last trip to a swimming hole.

She hopped back into the truck while the other dogs and I continued for two more miles, down to the end of the maintenance road, and then back north where new houses are going up.  I got 2.6 miles in this hour with the dogs before going back home.  I had a bigger hike later with Ellen that I needed to get ready for,  a 6.2-mile hike to the Melville petroglyphs near the San Pedro River.

This hike was Ellen's idea.  She had been asking me every weekend for the past month if I wanted to join her and Rob on a hike, and every time I've had to bow out for other errands.  Saturday is the only day I have time to get things done.  Meetup time was set for 1pm at the north side of the Charleston Bridge. I was finally ready to break away from a burned-out house

I grabbed Hansel as my dog companion.  He hadn't been on a long hike in a while and needed the exercise.  I got to the trail head a minute before 1pm. Rob was already waiting.  It was the first time we had hiked together since Kevin died.  A few minutes later Ellen drove up and we were on our way.

It was sunny and clear and now 60F.  This route can get hot on a summer day, but it was fine today.

I had done this hike a few times, twice with the Huachuca Hiking Club and Kevin was with me on the first hike, years ago.  I still remember the photos I took of him then.

Hansel and I were up front, with Ellen and Rob behind me.  I gave them their privacy.  Hansel stayed by my side, never wandering off far other than to sniff the flora along the trail.

We didn't stay long at the petroglyph site.  By now it was getting warm.  We took a wash west from the site, getting back to the old railroad bed, and walked south for the final mile as we got back to the cars.

https://www.strava.com/activities/6642954846

Snuggling with Kevin

 My goal today was to get Kevin's truck towed to the Honda dealer and have a new key made.  Anything else accomplished today would be extra credit.

I went to bed early Friday night.  It was the second of three bitter cold nights below 29F, residue of a massive cold front that started in New Mexico and moved northeast toward New England. Both Gretchen and Sweetie were cold once the sun set.  I snuggled under the weighted blanket and quilt to get warm, and must have just fallen asleep.

The night ritual is complete when Gretchen jumps on the bed with me to get close. Sweetie can't jump up on the bed anymore, so she seeks refuge on Kevin's old robe on the left side of the bed on the floor. This robe still has his urine smell on it.  That smelly robe is now her new bed and I've left it on Kevin's side of the bed since we moved into the RV.

Kevin appeared in my dream, looking handsome as he was when we first met, with his thick brown hair and stocky built.  He was laying perpendicular to me, reaching over me to snuggle with me, holding me tightly.  It was a lucid dream and I even told myself that this could not be real.

It wasn't a long dream at all.  The main focus was a young, healthy Kevin hugging me.  He then disappeared and I awoke fully from the dream and found Gretchen snuggling on top of me.

***

The rest of the day went well.  Gretchen, Gretel and Sweetie got a two-mile morning jaunt around the block.  By 10:30am a towtruck came by to hook up Kevin's truck on a flatbed, then drove into town to the Lawley dealership.  Getting a key made ($160!) took an hour.  I met up with Steve and he invited me to his place so he could change the oil on the truck.  It had been a year since the oil was changed and Kevin paid a few grand to get the truck checked over.

I brought Gretel along.  She gets along with Steve's dog.  I walked her around the RV park, logging in 1.3 miles along some rather nice and semi-permanent RV lots on the south side of the park.  It was clear out, 52F and nice for walking.  Steve had changed the oil and checked on the brakes in the time I walked the route.

Back at the house later in the afternoon, I got more trash bags filled with debris.  But tonight, out of character, Minnie followed me around the yard.  Despite her strained pace, she wobbled fast and even barked at me.  What was up with that?  Minnie is usually quiet and obedient, coming when called.  Did she have something to tell me, to show me?  She even pushed her way out the front door, which is very unusual.

I managed to keep the other dogs in the back of the house.  I would let her hang out in the front yard, but she still wobbled beyond the yard and out into the street.  This was very odd behavior for Minnie.  Perhaps she was just tired of hanging out with the younger dogs and wanted a break.  Instead of putting her back in the house after her sniff-around, I let her sleep in the truck.  She happily jumped into the cab and spent the night there.