Babocomari River wash to the old bridge abutment (6.5 miles)

 This was a hike that members of the Huachuca Hiking Club did earlier this month.  Rod, the club secretary, sent every member a write-up of the hike.  It was enticing enough for me to want to hike this route on my own when I had time.  Today was that time.

Weather was near ideal.  The weather app forecasted a high of 80F with an 84%  chance of rain.  It did rain early in the afternoon, but it was short and intense.  I showered during the rain and then packed up the three dogs (Gretel, Gretchen, Sweetie) and drove into town to get my oil changed before heading out.

But I got the shock of my life.  I pulled into the Valvoline shop and was told synthetic oil rated 5/20 is now $68 to $103!!!  That is quite a mark up!  Guess I'm going to have to do oil changes on my own now.

The trailhead is hard to spot if you don't know what to look for.  It's an unmarked gate off SR82 just east past the Tombstone Territories RV Park on the south side of the highway.  This is State Trust Land which requires a permit, which I have.  I drove in and parked just inside the area and let the dogs out.

I got to the trail head for this hike at 2:30pm.  There were rain clouds far to the east and south, but I opted to take the risk and not carry a rain jacket.  I also left my water and pack behind to make this a fast hike.  I knew there was water in the wash at the 1.5 mile mark for the dogs. There was also a flooded trench a half mile into the hike which the dogs took advantage of.

The start is initially not that scenic, meandering through the high creosote, cat claw flora with expansive views in all directions. This is Apache Highland in older literature. The path to the wash for the first 1.6 mile is a double wide road, which intersects with the old railroad line  near the river that was built in the 1880s. The old railroad is a raised path of packed sand (no old tailings,) and easy to walk on.

The path becomes more scenic along the wash. Right now it is rushing with storm water and difficult to access with all the monsoonal growth. This wash seldom fills with water so far from the San Pedro river a mile north.

The dogs were getting hot from the warm ground and were eager to get to the water. I discouraged them to run through the brush to the river below because of the steep embankments. There is no safe access until one reaches the first abutment at the 3.1 mile mark. I took a faint side trail down to the river at the abutment and sat on some rocks while I let the dogs swim and splash around.

The water was strong enough to pull Sweetie and then Gretel about 20 feet around a rocky curve before it continues on more gentler but still strong currents.  Both dogs were swept by the current with the heads facing me.  Neither dog barked in panic, but I could tell Sweetie was traumatized afterward. The dogs pulled themselves back to shore and were more cautious now, staying near shore.  The cascades are a short section, but the river itself is rushing swiftly through the canyon.

It's pretty at these cascades. What a little hidden treasure! When was the last time water came rushing down this canyon?

I was getting thirsty now as well. With two wet and happy dogs, I turned around, hiking back to the truck, going the way I came. Gretel and Gretchen took off for a while again as I began the near 400' climb back up the BLM road.  It was here that I spotted my first Gila Monster in the wild.

Sweetie was ahead of me and totally oblivious to the potential dangers of this lizard. I kicked her out of the lizard's way. She didn't understand the violence, but I'd rather hurt her feelings and her hind area than see her get envenomated and die. The other two dogs were still running around chasing stuff and rejoined me later.

The entire hike took three hours. We had our dinner at McDs.  My allergies kicked in hard once home, thanks to all the pigweed I was walking through.

Perimeter trail south from Miller Canyon to Hunter Canyon

This three-mile section is finally done. I took Gretel, Gretchen and Sweetie on this after work hike under an overcast, cool sky after school today. I wanted to see the route and look at waterfalls from all the rain this week.

I got started just before 3pm. I was the only car in the lot.i carried a windbreaker in case it rained. Small storm cells were to our east 

Everything was so green. This will all start to fade in a month unless we get a Pacific hurricane. Miller creek was rushing nicely; I had to roll up my jeans to keep them dry.

I kept Gretel and Gretchen on leashes. Sweetie was off leash on her own, but in the end she and the other dogs were exhausted.

This is a pretty trail that first huddles a housing area before climbing up along a ridge to reach a hill at the two-mile mark. This hill is a nice turn-around for future moon hikes.

The grass is tall and making the single track look smaller than usual. A few drainages were flowing to provide water. In two months the water will be gone and the grass will be dry, itchy kindling.

Once past the hill, the trail descends and closes in on an old double track I never knew was there before it nears the highway and the entrance to Hunter Canyon. I turned around before reaching the highway to keep the dogs safe.  I didn't want any of the dogs to get close to traffic.

Gretel and Gretchen are getting along nicely. Gretel likes to dart off to explore, and so does Gretchen. Twice they took off on me to chase what I assume are deer, although I never saw any. I'm sure those two ran a good mile more than me.

This hike took us 2:30 hours. All three dogs were clearly tired and didn't want to get out of the truck in the end. I forced Gretchen to go inside with me for the night.  Gretel stayed with Sweetie in the truck and didn't protest.

My Skechers Sieger hikers fell apart during this hike. The sole of my right shoe came apart, which made fast walking treacherous. I bought those shoes in late April! I'm apparently really rough on shoes and cars.

A day in Tucson: The Loop along the Julian Wash (1.5 miles o/w)

I did something today that I don't normally do on a school day: I took the day off to run more errands in Tucson. I took Gretchen with me so that we could do a short hike or walk somewhere. 

The day began with the usual walk around the 'hood with Gretchen and in the end with Sweetie. I usually just walk Sweetie around the block, due to her arthritis, and today she seemed fine with the shorter section. Gretchen gets the bigger loop by herself. 

I didn't leave for the Old Pueblo until after 10:30am. I wanted to make sure I missed the morning rush on I-10 east of Tucson. The forecast called for isolated thunderstorms after 3pm, with a high of 94F. 

I dropped off a big bag of aluminum cans on my way, then stopped at the new Raising Cane's restaurant off Ajo Road. I was selected as one of the Yelp Elites to review a combo pack. Cane's is an all-chicken fingers restaurant that started in Baton Rouge. I had only eaten at one once, and that was late at night through the drive-thru in Amarillo. That chicken fingers sandwich was unremarkable, but this meal was good. This time I got a complimentary "combo pack" with fries, a side of tasty coleslaw and a Diet Coke. I should have ordered iced tea, as their tea seems to be popular. 

It was already hot when I got to Tucson. I stopped once to walk Gretchen along the interstate frontage road for a pee break. After Cane's I stopped at the Harbottle brewpub to chill inside with a cold beer. It was too hot to walk Gretchen; she needed to chill with me. But an hour later the sunny, partly cloudy sky turned more cloudy and the temperature dropped from 94F to 77F. That was near ideal for a quick walk along the Loop. 

 

The closest trailhead parking from Harbottle brewing on Ajo Road was on the next cross street, South Palo Verde Road. I parked behind a run-down hotel (homeless shelter?) and walked west, to link up at Country Club Road where back in early January I had walked with Gretchen west to Park Avenue. This way I closed off that part of the Julian Wash section of the Loop. 

 

The Julian Wash section along today's section was mostly along an industrial section of town, along RV repair businesses and run-down hotels. It wasn't very scenic except for the distant mountains north of town. I didn't see too many homeless encampments on this section. I turned around at Country Club Road and walked east, this time making it to the Los Ninos park outside an elementary school. Dark clouds were forming above the mountains; it looked like it would rain. 

 

Today's walk was a mere 3.34 miles, but it's still enough to subtract from the rest of The Loop that I still need to walk along the Pantano and Julian Washes. 

It was 4:30pm when I drove back home, stopping briefly at Steve's place to drop off a four-pack of Harbottle IPA. Steve was not feeling well and asked me to walk Trace for him. I gladly did so, leaving Gretchen in the truck so that she wouldn't harass Trace. She was a bit aggressive the last time the two dogs were together.  

I walked Trace around the entire perimeter of the ample RV park. He walks so well on leash!  His only flaw was wanting to chase after a squirrel.  Thus ended my day in Tucson. It's going to be the last day I take off for a while.

Severe storm in the late afternoon

 Today starts a marathon of forecasted evening storms.  Weather looked good through 3pm with storm clouds moving in for 5pm.

I take these storms seriously.  I also know that storms can come sooner than forecasted, so a 3pm storm could be here an hour earlier.  I like to take my weekend hikes in the early afternoon but the forecast today really limited my options.  I had things to do in the house in the morning so that time slot was also taken.

I wanted to check out the Gold Hill drainage.  Surely water is running well there, but instead I remembered I had laundry to do.  The lucky dogs today were Hansel and Sahne (a good pair; they play well with each other). Sweetie was in fine form today so she came along as well.

My choice was the Palominas trail head again.  I wanted to see if the water level has increased any but instead it's receded some from the side wash.  Hansel and Sahne dove into the swift-flowing water to retrieve a stick I threw.  Sweetie sat on the sidelines and stayed closer to the shore.

I walked them for two miles.  That's just enough to get them exercised, but not too much to exhaust them.  I kept it short because I wanted to get to the laundromat by 3pm.  The laundromat closes at 5pm and I wanted to make sure I had enough time to wash my clothes.

There was no live band at the brewery next door, despite one advertised for 3-5 pm, classical guitarist Kurt Hauser.  Perhaps he cancelled because of the weather forecast?  I didn't stop in the brewery, so I started a load of clothes, went to Burger King/Safeway for food, then returned to the laundromat to pick up my clothes to leave.

That was perhaps a wise decision, as it began to rain on my drive home.  This storm was moving over Bisbee, but Hereford looked clear.  I was able to drive away from this storm and even managed another short stop for the dogs by the river, but now lightning over the Mules and thunder in the south gave warning that there was more to this storm.

Clouds were indeed dark over Hereford when I got home, but I raced against the storm with Hansel and Gretchen one lap around the block.  I had to walk fast as the rain started when I got back on my street, so we raced back to the truck to wait out this storm.

Gretchen hates storms.  She huddled close to me in the front seat, with Sweetie and Hansel in the back and Sahne in the other car by herself.  It even hailed.  We four sat in the truck for over an hour before it stopped long enough for me to get inside the RV with Gretchen and to get the wet clothes that were in the back of truck inside to dry all over again.

It rained until 11:30pm.  Hopefully all my solar panels are still working.

I got an email from SteveS announcing to all hiking club members that Bill Breeding died August 2nd. He was 91 years old.   He was a retied LTC and a Vietnam Veteran. He hiked until his early 80s, telling me he was having problems with his balance, but still kept an active schedule with his ATVs and RV trips with his son Bruce who'd fly in from Georgia to spend time with him.  Kevin and I always enjoyed chatting with him at the Manda Lee Bar, but I stopped going there in 2016.  I should have tried harder to stop by there again this summer to see of Bill was around.

 

Slavin Gulch

This morning I drove with Ellen, her co-worker David, and Gretchen to this seasonal swimming hole.  I hadn't seen this much water in the creek since I took Gina to this area back in 2015.  The Dragoons were a green and watery paradise.

I was a little leery of taking Gretchen.  I was worried she would chase after deer and disappear among the crags, but she did better than expected.  While she enjoyed exploring, she stayed close-by and didn't keep us wating for long.

The Dragoons is a rattle snake habitat and I was on snake alert, especially since Gretchen hasn't had snake avoidance training.

I was exhausted from lack of good sleep,  Ellen and Dave got into the cold water, but I waited to get hot.  I sat in the water but never dove in.  Even Gretchen was cautious.

The hike was just over four miles, hiking to the farthest watering hole.  From that area we could see a water fall even higher up, one that we hadn't noticed before.

We were the only ones on the trail when we first took off at 7:30am, but came across several groups on our way back to our cars by 11am.

Walking toward the border

I didn't come home till almost 4pm.  I filled in at the middle school, for an English class, and the middle school doesn't end until 3:45pm.  The best part of the day was meeting a Labrador Retriever service dog, Zane, who sat obediently by his owner's side.

I was curious how the dogs would take to the new gate and let Sahne, Gretel and Wolfie (always happy to have Wolfie) in the front yard.  The gate was only a short deterrent.  They found a gap in the dead juniper and were soon on the street running.  Those little shits!

But luckily they came right back to me when I called.  First Sahne, then Wolfie, then Gretel jumped in.  Since I had three of them in the truck, I decided to take them down to the Palominas trailhead to check on the river there.  We started the walk at 5:36pm.

Wolfie has not been outside the yard in months.  He has gained some weight around the middle, but he looked so happy following the two girls, who were running ahead and exploring the tall grass.  Wolfie, however, always stopped to make sure I was nearby. 

We never made it to river, though.  Water was filling in the wash a good quarter mile before the river, under to grove of cottonwoods.  This only happens after days of heavy rains. At first the wash was damp, then wet, and then totally impassible.  I slipped a few times on the mud before I decided to turn around and walk in the opposite direction, and go south on the official trail. The official trail is a wide road that goes straight to the international border.

I didn't have a pack with me because I wanted the dogs to drink from the river.  I had at best two hours of daylight left as well, and didn't want to be on the trail at sunset as this is a popular border crossing for the illegals coming across.  I gave us a two-mile turn-around.  Skies were looking stormy from the south as well.

I turned around just past the surveillance tower two miles from the border.  The road here is notoriously rutted and fills up with water.  I remember this from years ago when I last walked this stretch with Sadie and Zeke.  All three dogs took a quick mud bath before resuming our return walk, going back the way we came.

A USBP SUV was parked just south of the wash.  Perhaps I had activated a sensor.  There was no agent at the wheel, so perhaps there were illegals elsewhere that the agent was tracking.

I was back at the truck in 1:35 hours.  We had walked 4.4 miles.  Not bad!  Wolfie panted the entire drive home.

  

Searching for Gretchen

 Sahne is a hyper dog to have in bed.  While she sleeps peacefully, once she is awake, she just wants to lick me and play.  She couldn't wait to go on her sunrise walk.

Today's walk was short, a mere 1.7 miles in a very light drizzle.  After the walk I let Sahne back into the house.  The nice thing about her is that she never fights me.  She always goes back to her pack willingly.

My plan today was to look for Gretchen in the area she was last seen the night before.  There were no new messages of any more sightings and that got me concerned.

Susan called me early, worries about Gretchen.  She volunteered to help me find the dog, suggesting we first try the Wildlife Refuge area off Mandan Avenue.  This thin stretch of refuge follows a shallow ditch that originates in Brown Canyon, and can be used by wildlife to get into the canyon unimpeded.  I brought Sweetie along.  Having a familiar scent would help Gretchen come to me if spotted.

It was a hot morning. It was 11:20am when Susan and I met off Mandan and it was already sunny, hot and cloudless.  The refuge has one mile-long trail that travels west-east through the refuge.  There was no water in the drainage, but Sweetie and I walked through the lush grass calling her name.

She was nowhere to be found.  After less than a mile walk, I called it quits to go home. I felt defeated, sad and despondent.  Why would Gretchen run off like this?  Steve came by briefly to let me know he searched for her in Carr Canyon, but all he saw was what looked like a coyote.

I spent the rest of the afternoon teaching myself the new software that the school district has adopted. No one I have spoken to seems to like this new software, and no one has gotten the full training needed to be efficient.  This is going to be a frustrating schoolyear!

My luck finally turned shortly after 6pm.  A woman named Lacy called to tell me she spotted Gretchen in the wash behind her house off Cherokee, a block north of Yaqui Road and the Mormon Church.  A neighbor had spotted her there last night but didn't realize she was a lost dog until today.  With a severe storm forecasted to come in by 7pm, and dark clouds already moving in, I took off right away to the location.

Lacy let me park in her driveway and walk across her property to get to the wash.  I wouldn't have been able to see Gretchen otherwise from the sidewalk, due to the tall brush in and along the wash. Her golden retriever in the backyard was barking at something in the wash, a dark dog running through the tall grass. 

I saw Gretchen right away, or at least her ears and her upper head.  Thank goodness for those tall shepherd ears! I called her name and she came running through the thick brush as quickly as she could, jumping up on me with joy.  Lacy's dog barked even more agitatedly, so she moved out of the way to give Gretchen and me some privacy.  I was holding back tear4s of joy, which didn't add any aesthetics to my allergy-induced red eyes.

I was so glad to have Gretchen back.  I texted Susan right away, then drove off to park in the Mormon church's parking lot a block south of Lacy's house to walk the dogs along the multi-use Newman Trail, affording direct views of the mountains and the dark storm clouds moving north.  Lightning blasted through the southern horizon.  If I wanted to get two miles in, I had to walk fast. It was just before 7pm.

People were still riding their bikes or jogging along the path despite the impending storm.  It was a gorgeously ominous sky before sunset, with powerful orange storm clouds moving toward town.

I got home with minutes to spare.  I kept Sweetie in the truck to spend the night, and took Gretchen inside, where she fell asleep soon after hopping on the bed.  The dog was clearly exhausted, and not once woke up during the next 90 minutes, as the rains pounded the RV.  A severe weather alert flashed across my phone screen, but we never got the tornadic activity that was predicted earlier.  

Last day of summer vacation

What to do on my last day of vacation? 

I got up to walk both Gretchen and Fritz along the near 5-mile loop walk in the 'hood. Gretchen is showing confidence in the route and Fritz didn't pull too much. The walk was more pleasant than expected and we all got a good work-put. We were done by 7:07am, making this a 1:45-hour walk I couldn't normally do on school days unless I got up two hours before my usual departure time. 

Fritz and Gretchen were tired after the walk. Both did fine until that last mile, when it began to warm up. Morning clouds gave way to sunny skies.  Even I felt exhausted, and lay around on the bed going over my news websites when Stan's Fencing called at 9:20am to let me know they were coming to put in the two main posts for my front gate. They said they would be over in 20 minutes. That just barely gave me time to get Fritz back in the house and the other two dogs leashed up for the duration of the crew's presence. 

 

Installing the front gate is a two-day process. The first day is for drilling the post holes and pouring the concrete. This concrete must set before they come back with the gate, in about a week. I'm glad they were able to get Part 1 done while I was home! They were gone within 30 minutes. 

 The crew was fast and friendly, but dented two of the posts on the field fence I have up front. I didn't think much of that until later.

I enjoyed having Fritz in the front for the two days.  He was a gentle dog with me, although he was strong enough to squeeze around one of the side posts to get out.  He was gentle with Gretchen and Sweetie and neither seemed to mind him.

So, with Fritz back in the house, I let Sahne out next.  She was clearly stumped by the new arrangement with the RV as close to the house as possible and blocking the through-way to the street.  And Gretchen was clearly upset that she was in the front yard which has become her yard.  They sniffed each other carefully and I watched both with trepidation.

I took Sahne on a solo loop around the 'hood.  She is a hyper dog that needs a good work-out every day and she's not getting enough exercise.  I wanted to give her that today.  

It looked like some showers were coming and I wanted her to get some exercise before the rain.  It wasn't much of a storm, luckily.  Gretchen napped in the RV while I walked Sahne. The walk with Sahne was over in 30 minutes, but it was a hot and muggy walk. I brought her inside the RV afterwards to rest.

That was a mistake.  Gretchen was not happy with that arrangement and got defensive.  She lunged at Sahne, who fought back, and in seconds I had two dogs biting at each other within inches of me.  I was having none of that!

It was a hot afternoon.  By now I was getting drained by the heat and the tension in the RV and decided to take the girls down  to the river to run off some energy.  But Gretchen did not want to hop into the truck with Sahne.  Since Gretchen already got a good workout earlier, I left her in the front yard and drove down to the Hereford bridge with Sahne and Sweetie.

It was 3pm now and getting hotter.  The dogs didn't mind, but I minded the muddy trails.  This part of the river must have gotten hit hard with the last rain.  The mud was very soft near the bank and pools of water soaked the low areas.  The grassland near the river has become a wetland. This was not conducive to walking safely.  After letting the dogs swim in the muddy water for a bit, we drove off into town for a late lunch at Culvers.  Each dog got a pup cup.

The entire trip to the river and into town took just over two hours.  I was back home by 5:20pm and noticed that Gretchen was not in the front yard.  The bottom portion of the fence was bent upward; she had squeezed underneath the bottom wire to get out.

 

What provoked her to get out?  Was she upset that I drove off with the other dogs but left  her behind?  Did she need time to decompress?  Whatever the reason, I needed to advertise her being lost on Facebook so people could watch out for her while it was still light out. I had to act fast.

Luckily I had a nice photo of Gretchen standing next to Fritz that I took on today's walk.  I used that in my LOST DOG post. The difference in body structure between the two dogs is very obvious in the photo.  Within a few minutes of posting my message, it received shares on Facebook to all the lost/found pet sites.

Two hours later I received my first phone call saying she was spotted off Ramsey Canyon Road, west of SR92.  All the way up there?  On the other side of the highway? That's almost five miles away!  I met the woman, Ilene, and she showed me the yard she ran into. I yelled out her name several times but did not venture onto private property.

Homes off Ramsey Canyon Road west of SR92  are spacious and do not have fencing.  This could give Gretchen an advantage by getting away faster.  The heavy brush also makes for good concealment.

An hour later I got another phone call saying she was near Choctaw and Yuma Drive, a mile north of the first call.  Why was Gretchen moving farther from home?  I drove around calling her name, but stopped at 9:40pm as now I was getting tired.  I would take the day off tomorrow to resume looking for her.

Sahne slept with me in bed, stretched out to her delight.  I kept staring at Gretchen's photograph, in utter disbelief that she was gone.