SPR Palominas

 I didn't do a darn thing yesterday.  I didn't even get up to walk Gretchen.  I kept the dogs in the front yard unsupervised. I only walked them around the block later in the afternoon.

I didn't want to repeat that today, but the humidity slowed me down.  Susan stayed home to watch Allie as she had a hard time breathing yesterday.  I wanted to take the dogs down near the Palominas trailhead to see how the river was there.

I also wanted to take a third dog. I opened the front door and Fritz was the first dog out.  Sahne wanted out, too, but I pushed her back. He was happy to be in the front yard, prancing with the other dogs who were cautiously sniffing him out.  Watching him and seeing his joy calmed me down, as not once for the rest of the day he was up in the front yard did he fight with Gretchen or Sweetie.  He also not once tried to break free from the front yard.  He was a gentle, quiet boy.

He also hopped into the truck with ease, eager to go somewhere, He sat in the passenger seat for the entire ride. What a handsome boy he is.

 I finally got to the trailhead by 1:20pm.  A US  Border Patrol horse trailer with three horses in the back was parked there, but no agent visible.  The ground was muddy, a good indicator that the walk to the river would be muddy, too.

It was 85F and overcast.  Grey Clouds hovered over the peaks.  I didn't have a hat and regretted not packing one as it's a half-mile to the river from the parking lot.

Fritz was having a blast running with his sister, and Gretchen seems to have enjoyed his presence, too.  He followed her through the tall grass, into the muddy water, up and down the wash. Se lead the way. She is a good 20 pounds lighter than he and gave him a good workout.  Fritz hadn't been on a hike since before summer break.

 It was either the humidity or Fritz' lack of daily workouts that caused him to pant quickly.  He didn't seem to mind as he was enjoying his freedom of running without fences holding him in. He was focused on his sister.  Sweetie stayed closer to me at her own pace.

The river here is a  well-known pick-up point for illegal immigrants.  I was cautious of my surroundings. I saw a boot here, a sun-faded backpack there, and discarded drink containers that looked fresh. I made sure I yelled out the dogs' names to let anyone nearby know I was not alone in the area.

The river bank was slick.  It looked like it was under water after yesterday's rain but had receded earlier today.  The log jams on the higher ground kept me closer to the bank and I wasn't feeling comfortable being so close to swiftly-moving water concealed by heavy brush. Fresh footsteps in the soft mud indicated recent immigrant movement here.  Was that why the USBP horse trailer was in the parking lot?  Where there illegal aliens nearby who heard me talking to the dogs and were trying to evade exposure?

I didn't feel comfortable at the river, but wasn't ready to go home just yet.  I wanted to give the dogs two miles of exercise.  I took them back to the wash and went in the opposite direction, walking in a mostly southeasterly direction until I came to the official San Pedro river trail.  I could be at the international border in four miles, but I turned around when I realized both Gretchen and Fritz were nowhere to be seen.

This was the perfect time to turn around and walk back to the truck.  Gretchen and Fritz were waiting patiently there for me.  I'm sure Fritz learned this tactic from Gretchenm as he panted heavily for the entire drive home.  I'm sure with daily runs he won't be panting for much longer.

I wanted to reward the dogs for their good behavior. I stopped at the Speedway gas station to get all three dogs a taquito and myself a Big Gulp.  It was 3pm when we got back to the RV.  I took him for a solo lap around the 'hood. Fritz settled in nicely for the rest of the day.  He and Gretchen were on the bed when it began to rain hard an hour later.  Gretchen snuggled with me when it thundered, but I remained calm to let her know she has nothing to be afraid of. Fritz didn't mind the noise.

Fritz opted to sleep under the RV for the night.  He seemed at home there with Sweetie.  Perhaps I can have him in the front yard more often and take him on more walks around the neighborhood.  I also want to do this with the other dogs, so that eventually all the dogs are comfortable in the front yard and get exposed to the outside world like Gretchen has this summer.  She has benefitted the most from spending the summer in the front yard with me.  

 

Tucson's 4th Avenue and Sweetwater Preserve

Today was a Tucson run that was long overdue.  My front yard is looking too much like a junk yard.  The back of the truck doesn't hold nearly as much stuff as I always hope it would.

It was hot and muggy in the morning and that slowed me down.  I didn't even get to Steve's until after 12:30pm.  This delay actually was to our benefit, though.

Our drives into Tucson usually include a stop at a brewpub and/or a walk or hike somewhere.  I hadn't planned anything concrete, but a walk somewhere is always welcome if the weather is mild.

I eventually suggested walking down 4th Avenue near the university.  That used to be the one place I enjoyed visiting when we first moved to Arizona, until I discovered other parts of town.  Steve had never been with me along 4th Avenue and this was a good opportunity to see what businesses are new here and which ones have closed.

It was 90F at 3pm and I was hungry.  We stopped at Magpie's where the daily feature, an 8-inch Four-Cheese pizza was a mere $6, and a cheap lunch.  Dogs are also allowed on the patio.  I just needed something to carry me over as I hadn't eaten yet.

Clouds started forming as we continued our walk south on 4th Avenue.  We walked past O'Malley's, The Hut, The Sky Bar, Brooklyn-style Pizza, The Shanty, Mr Heads, St Charles Taven and a few more smaller Greek and Mexican places I've yet to try.

We turned around right before "The Tunnel," a downtown underpass.  Ermano's Bar is here, across the street from the Dillinger brewpub.  I had always wanted to try Ermano's, but always thought dogs were not allowed.  It turns out that they are allowed on the back patio, which requires one to walk around the block to get to the back entrance.

We made Ermano's our beer stop.  Our server was friendly and very attentive.  There were a few beers that looked appetizing to me, but I opted for a local Hefeweizen by Puebla Vida and a wheatbeer by La Cumbra brewing.  We sat among the misters, which added a foggy ambiance until an employee turned them off for us just in time for a powerful downpour that quickly flooded the ground around us.

We moved over to the corner of the patio, the last of the dry spots.  The rain didn't last long and we stayed for a second round.  It was now cooler and more invigorating and I suggested trying a short trail at the Sweetwater Preserve, ten miles north off I-10.  I had never been there and the weather felt ideal for a late afternoon walk before heading home.  This would also allow the Friday rush hour to subside /

Steve agreed, but he didn't tell me he felt slightly buzzed at the start of the walk. He had had three beers and I had my usual two.

The Sweetwater Preserve is an 880-acre park on the eastern slopes of the Tucson mountains, bordering the Saguaro National Park West where dogs are not allowed.  Upscale homes abut this park.  Standard desert flora abound here: saguaros, cholla, Apache plumes, creosote and catclaw.  The park is open from dawn to dusk.  There is no fee to use the trails.

It was just before 6pm.  We could do a three-mile loop before dark.  We ended up doing a loop comprising several short trails:  the Saguaro Vista, Lost Arrow, Spine and Wildflower trails Loop which All Trails lists as an easy  2.5 miles with an elevation gain of only 209 feet. There were desert views in all directions.

I enjoyed this loop.  We had just enough remaining sunlight to see the Catalina mountains to the north light up in a golden hue. There was still lightning to our north and dark clouds over the peaks, but we were safe of any more rain.  A slight aroma of creosote filled the air.

It took us an hour to walk this loop.  People were still driving into the parking lot to start their route, but we were now ready to start our drive home.  The rush hour traffic had subsided and we had an easy drive.

Bonita Creek- Silver Spur Trail (Chiricahuas)

https://www.strava.com/activities/7545143811 

It was a busy day.  All the things I had planned on doing were accomplished with Steve:  we hiked the Silver Spur trail in the Chiricahua National Monument, tried a new brewery in Willcox, and had lunch at La Unica in Willcox.  Weather was near ideal. I say "near ideal" because there were storm clouds around us all day, but we were never in a downpour.

We had originally agreed to meet at 7am, but I overslept and didn't pick up Steve until 8:30am.  It was still raining steady in town, with dark clouds to the east where we were going.  

Traffic was steady as I drove off in a drizzle from my home. I came up to an accident at the traffic light at Ramsey Canyon Road and SR92. Multiple LEO vehicles had their lights flashing.  It turned out to be a load vehicle with passengers that had lost control and slid into the ditch.  A helicopter hovered overhead but I saw no ambulance. I never read anything else about this incident online.

It was noticeably cool today, in the upper 60s and cloudy.  

We got to the Chiricahua National Monument just before 11am to begin our 5-mile out-and-back walk along Bonita Creek and the Silver Spur Trail, the only trail where dogs are allowed in the park.  A ranger weeding along the path warned us of a bear north in the foothills, but we didn't see any bear.  We did see a lot of deer, which made Gretchen pull on her leash for the duration of this walk.

The Silver Spur trail is a flat walk that goes through the historic Faraway Ranch, a homestead founded by Swedish immigrants Neil and Emma Erickson back in the 1910s.  The ranch house is currently closed for preservation, but the surrounding buildings are still very much intact.  One can well imagine what the area looked like when the ranch was busy, nestled in a narrow valley protected by mountains to the north and south.

This is a pretty walk, but it would have been prettier had there been water in the creek. I was hoping there was water for the dogs, as we left our packs in the car.  The only water available was near the Visitor's Center, off the trail but in the creek.  We stopped there on the way back as well to let the dogs drink.

We were back at the truck two hours later.  It was hot and muggy now and dark clouds were moving in. I felt a little heat exhaustion overcome me (my fault), and was glad to be done with the walk.

We stopped briefly on our way to Willcox at the Dos Cabezas  Pioneer Cemetery, where the earliest settlers are buried.  There are a lot of unmarked iron crosses in this cemetery.  The main family was the Stump family,

We got to the Tirrito Farms Brewery by 2pm.  This is a new establishment that opened in April.  Dogs are allowed on the patio, where we sat and tried each two different beers (I had the witbier and Helles) and ordered some fried onion rings to hold us over.  The beers were excellent and true to their genre, but the food prices are far too high.  Who wants to pay $25 for a gourmet hamburger, or $19 for a hotdog platter? 

We finished off our Willcox visit with a late lunch at La Unica.  This place started out as a food truck, but has been a sit-down place for close to 20 years.  Our server, Gracie, is one of the family employees. It looks very much like how a Mexican restaurant would look, with its colorful murals, fake cacti, and iron wrought art.

It rained over the Chiricahuas as we drove back home, passing a bad accident off the interstate exchange 302.  This was a fatal two-car accident in which the front passenger of the load vehicle, a 67-year-old man, died.  Both vehicles had extensive front-end damage.  Law enforcement personnel were still at the scene two hours after the accident occurred.

I got home early in the evening.  I had a fulfilling day and a fulfilling belly.  I had eaten three big meals today, the most I've had in months, and felt stuffed until late at night.  

Brown Canyon with Gretchen

My last time in this canyon was last March when Erin came to visit.  Susan, SteveT and Holly joined us and we made it to the hidden falls and back. That was around four miles.  I took it easy on Erin because she lives at 830' and Brown Canyon is more at between 5400'- 5600'. 

This was my last big chance for a mid-week morning hike with Gretchen. Today I wanted to take her on the perimeter trail (about five miles) to see how the creek and drainages were running.  We started at 6:50am with just a few cars in the parking lot. I figured this would be just over five miles, when the side trail explorations are included.

The green everywhere was a feast for the eyes.

I first took the path to the Brown Ranch, then turned southeast to check out the duck pond.  The pond wasn't very high at all, and the trails all around were not muddy at all.

Gretchen stayed on leash for the entirety.  The only time I let the leash loose was when we were off the main trail and exploring faded side trails.  She took advantage of my liberties and chased things (birds, squirrels?) but would come back.  This was her first time in the canyon and was probably curious about all the smells.

There were few people on this trail despite the near-ideal weather. It was cloudy and cool and in the upper 60s.  I past an elderly couple near the ranch, then two young men who planned on making it to Carr Peak (a 16-mile loop via the Hamburg and Crest trails), a lone man and a mountain biker.

The lower drainages were damp, but lacking flowing water.  The trails weren't muddy, either. I didn't see any running water until I got past the old carcass, a rusty vehicle standing abandoned off the old road that once went through the canyon.

I let Gretchen drink from the trough, running nicely and looking clean.  She was off leash here and was not about to listen to me right away.  She wanted to explore!

I saw few wildflowers as well, much to my surprise.  What I did see was a lush, green desert forest coming to life.

I wanted to explore a little-known side trail that Rod from the hiking club had mentioned years ago.  This trail diverts from the old road near the homes close to the paved road, goes over two hills, and descends near the parking lot.  With more land off the road now going to private land owners, I want to see where that road is and start taking it from now on.

I found a faint trail off a fence line that looked like it went up hill to the high peaks behind the homes.  I had Gretchen up front who stayed close, sniffing out the trail. This trail may have been made more  by migrants passing through, as I did come across sun-baked backpacks and water-worn hats.  I wanted to see where this trail went.

But Gretchen had other plans. A deer peeked behind a tree as we neared the first saddle.  Oh no, I thought.  I saw the deer first, but Gretchen quickly caught on and took chase, with her leash dragging behind.  Great, I thought.  I stopped right there, under the shade of an oak tree facing the west and the homes below, but no signs of the dog.  I called several times to no avail.

I heard dogs barking below, but she didn't come up the hill after I called her.  Against my better judgment, I continued my hike uphill and down the side, heading toward the road, still calling her name.  Shr e was nowhere to be found.

I  didn't bring a backpack since there was enough water for her, but now I was getting thirsty stopping and calling her name and waiting for a response.  It was slowly getting warmer and the clouds above the peaks looking menacing.

I walked back to the parking lot feeling defeated.  Gretchen has taken off before, forcing me to stop my walk and wait on her.  She always came back.  But the dark clouds and my thirst forced me to go on.

She was not at the car.  I drove back to the old Brown Canyon road, but it's a private road for residents only.  I called her name a few more times, then turned around to get ready to drive home.

And there she was, right off the paved road along the side of the road.  From a distance she looked like a dark deer, with her tall, skinny profile.  The car in front of me stopped for her, but she backed away.  She didn't recognize the sound of the Honda CR-V when I drove by, slowing down to call her name. That's when she noticed, and she happily jumped into the car, showing signs of exhaustion, thirst and hunger.

I stopped by Speedway gas ($4.39/gallon) for two hot dogs --one for her-- and iced coffee.  I went straight home feeling a bit tired from the sun, but managed to help Susan install a temporary fence in my driveway, to prepare my dogs  to stay outside while I'm back in school next week.

Even Susan said I looked tired when she came by around 12:30pm.  She has installed field fencing before and showed me how it's done.  It's not that difficult.  As tiny as she is, she can pound in those stakes!

The muddy San Pedro River

I didn't feel like walking far with Gretchen at sunrise, and I'm glad I only walked three miles because  Susan called me at 8:30am asking if I were interested in walking the dogs along  the river. I hadn't been along this part of the river in months and wanted to see how our recent rains have greened up the area.

And boy, what a green jungle it is!  My eyes were feasting on all the hues of green.  The grasses are lush.  The flora is dense and tall.  It was only once we got to the river that we could see the damage from recent flash floods.  While I didn't see any new downed trees, there were freshly-eroded banks, puddles along the trail, and very muddy sections that even the dogs had trouble with.  I needed a walking stick to maintain my balance as it was very slick walking.

We didn't walk far, though. We turned around at the 0.65-mile mark, sooner than we had in the past.  Susan didn't want to tax Allie much.  My dogs didn't mind, though, as it was getting warm now.  It took us 1:15 hours to walk this route.  We were home by 11am.

A slow-moving storm was moving toward us. The sky started getting dark again by 4pm.  I walked the dogs around the block, and walked them a second time at 8:20pm, just as it began to drizzle lightly. The drizzle prompted me to walk faster and I'm glad I did, as it began to rain harder when I got back to the RV.  By 10:40pm the rain became a steady downpour that lasted until 2am.

More rain

 I was tired this morning, but I wanted to see if there was any flash flood damage in the area.  Gretchen is now used to this routine and waits for me to leash her up to go outside.  She willingly goes the route she had become familiar with.

It was cloudy and humid (81 percent).  I opted to walk the Y Lightning Ranch Road route to see how the dirt roads looked.  I didn't see anything bad other than fresh water marks and debris pushed down the roads by fast-flowing water.  There weren't many puddles in the road as I was expecting.  I did notice wildflowers finally popping up.  The mountains are greening, too.

Again it got hot fast.  Today's cooling drive was just in town for  fast-food breakfast and a stop at the Angry German, a German cafe that opened a year ago in town, but which has operating hours only during the week from 0730 to 1430, so a place I can't visit during the school week.

Rain today fell shortly after sunset, with another dramatic sunset.  The storm wasn't as violent as yesterday's

Maeveen Behan Desert Sanctuary, Marana AZ and one violent storm in the evening

It was another day of chores, this time requiring me to drive to Tucson.  I needed to drop off four big bags of aluminum cans and register for a free Yelp Event at a burger joint near Marana, the Blacktop Grill.  I RSVPed for that event several weeks ago, wanting to use that event as an excuse to head up to Tucson. But I had a hard time getting motivated after walking Gretchen for almost three miles at sunrise.  It heated up fast!

I enjoy my time in Tucson, but when it hits triple digits, it's much more unforgiving.  This is too hot for the dogs on burning pavement, so I knew this trip was mostly about the drive.  It's 95 miles one way to the Blacktop Grill.  With gasoline prices slowly dropping again (It was $4.29 at the Speedway off Valencia Road in Tucson), I can make a few trip to the city.  I saw today's drive as a chance to let the dogs cool off in the car for a few hours.  I kept their water bowl filled and had a bowl of Blue Buffalo for them.

I dropped off 37 pounds of aluminum cans on my way to the Grill.  Prices are going back up to  50  cents a pound, but the $18 I got back barely covered the gasoline I paid to drive to the north side of town.  Today, though, was more about staying cool. I got to the Blacktop Grill at 3pm,  then signed in for the  free Yelp Elite meal which I savored outside with the dogs on the patio.  Even the shade couldn't keep us cool.

I'm not a big fan of hot dogs (because I know what goes in them), but my Sonoran hotdog wasn't bad.  I had never had one before.  One hot dog with all the toppings (avacado cream, onions, tomatoes, queso cortija) filled me up for the day.  On a cooler day I would have stayed in the area and explored the neighborhood and walked the dogs for a few miles. 

I wanted to explore some more, but I knew I couldn't have the dogs on the hot ground for long.  The Arthur Pack Regional Park is  just a few miles north of the Black Top Grill and I wanted to check it out.  The Maeveen Behan Desert Sanctuary is part of the park.  (Behan was a local environmental lawyer who rallied to get this part of the desert safeguarded; she died in 2009 at age 48 of cancer).

I parked by the trail head.  Lots of tall saguaros stand here, but there is also ironwood, prickly pear, barrel cacti, creosote and desert grasses.  This would be a lovely place to walk around in the spring  when the flora is in bloom and not when it's 104F.  I turned around at the half-mile mark as I knew it was warm for the dogs.

Gretchen didn't seem to mind the heat. She's turned into quite the desert dog this summer, prancing in this heat without a care, and pulling on the leash whenever she sees jackrabbits.  A yellow zebra-striped lizard darted across the trail a few times, sparking her prey drive.  I don't see yellow zebra-tailed lizards in Hereford.  

Despite the high heat, there were plenty of birds around, surely because the nearby golf course had a water reservoir that was not part of the trail system.  This little Behan sanctuary packs a lot of wildlife!  This is a place I must make an effort to visit later this fall,  when it's cooler and I can enjoy the nature here better.

We only walked for 20 minutes.  This gave both dogs time to pee and exercise a bit before I made it back on the highway for the drive home.

I'm glad I didn't linger any longer in Tucson, even though I was tempted to stay in El Centro until dusk and have a beer somewhere.  Alas, the heat sent me home.  It was 89F in Tucson at 8pm! I arrived back home at 7:20 with eerily beautiful storm clouds moving in from the south.  It was a cool 94F and I wanted to walk the dogs one quick block around before the rain, but the storm beat me to it with just seconds to spare.  The clouds exploded with heavy rain. Both dogs spent the next two hours in the truck while the winds howled, the RV shook, and lightning and thunder blasted all around me.  It was an impressive light show in all directions. 

This was a powerful storm moving in! The rain was coming in sideways into the bedroom!  A flash flood warning came across my phone for the area, valid until 10pm, but the rain stopped shortly after 9pm and the night settled in peacefully.  I'm so glad I was not on any roads during this storm.

I took the dogs on one last loop around the 'hood.  Sweetie only did one block, but Gretchen did the whole square mile with me.  She knows the routine now and does well on leash as long as rabbits or lizards show up.  Sand and debris was across all the streets, but no major damage around my neighbors.  The doggie pool under the RV was overflowing from rain water.

It was a cool night for sleeping.  The wind picked up again at 11pm.

Humid walk along the San Pedro River

I have two weeks of vacation left.  I'm now energized to get all my summer chores done.

My first chore was ordering a new driveshaft for the Honda Ridgeline.  I did that online. I found one on RockAuto.com, but that came with a $200 shipping charge and a delivery for Thursday.  I checked at a few local auto parts and found the best price at O'Reilly Auto Parts.  It was a bit more than RockAuto because shipping was not part of the listed $374, but  at least this is guaranteed to fit and made well.  I should have it that afternoon.

I had the dogs with me on this errand, running the AC both at O'Reilly and then at the school district where I was for another half hour.  The fall schedule hasn't even been started yet so I don't even know what my work schedule will be. If I go back to part-time work, I will be happy as there is still so much work to do on the house and with  the dogs. Again the dogs were cool in the CR-V, but I knew I needed to run them along the river as a reward.

I stopped at the San Pedro House North (north of the highway) and ran them along the river.  We haven't had significant rain all week and the water level has dropped quite a bit.  There is also green algae growing, along this part of the river, and I don't want my dogs drinking water with algae in it.

It was a hot and humid walk for me. At 1:45pm it was 95F with 33% humidity.  Dark clouds loomed north of town, but not over me.  I was miserable, but the dogs seemed to enjoy the cool water.  My new Pixel 6 overheated and I only captured half of the walk.  Even England is experiencing 100F temperatures like we are, a record for the island.  Other parts of Europe like Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal are also enduring forest fires from the drought.

I was back home by 3:30pm  Two hours later it began storming over my 'hood and I had to quickly get the dogs to safety:  Sweetie went inside the truck and Gretchen went inside the RV with me.  Twenty minutes later the rain had stopped, leaving behind cooler temperatures and another opportunity to walk around the block one more time.  Lightining continued to blitz across the mountains, but nothing else came from the storms.