I like walking trails and especially trails with history to them. Tucson's Turquoise Trail is such a trail and it can be done without a guide. There are also many benches to rest on, and many more places to grab a bite to eat or drink. This trail can also be supplemented with short side tours to the many beautiful murals in the Old Pueblo. Some of the most beautiful murals are painted by Joe Pagac and Ignacio Garcia, a native of Benson, AZ.
I had heard about this trail months ago when I researched walking paths in Tucson. The Turquoise Trail is also known as the Presidio Trail and starts at the old Presidio. It is marked as a blue line on the sidewalk. I had asked SteveT if he were interested in walking it with me and he said yes. So today was the day for this adventure.
My allergies, however, made my morning miserable. I woke up at 6 am to crusty, itchy eyes. Steve and I agreed to meet at 8am but the burning eyes made this hard to adhere to as I couldn't see well. I looked awful! I walked Gretel and Gretchen for three miles around the hood and took Hansel as my chosen dog. He walks well in cities and is friendly to other dogs and people.
But getting to the starting point wasn't easy with one-way streets, downtown construction and traffic-backup at the Convention Center for the Tucson ComicCon today. I decided to just follow the blue line down the sidewalks to guide us after stopping at the Visitor's Center in the old Pima County Courthouse. (The app GSPMyCity also features this path.
I've always liked this part of Old Tucson, with its older architecture separated by several parks and art, mature trees and native flora. This area is also known for its homeless people, who were mostly absent today. A small encampment of homeless were camped out along the central route. We saw our first tent near the Mormon Battalion monument south of the old court house.
Construction near the Convention Center forced us to change our route briefly after leaving the court house, but the rest of the trail was easy to follow. "Just follow the blue line" I heard a few times from locals. I came to see the Hispanic heritage and there was plenty here to read about.
The Tucson ComicCon caused quite a bit of a traffic jam along this route. People were coming dressed as Star Wars characters and other fictional people for the costume contest. We meandered around the various characters to reach Barrio Viejo, Tucson's oldest neighborhood that began among Mexican residents of the territory in the late 19th century.
Our first proof that we were in Barrio Viejo was walking past El Minuto Cafe, a circa 1930s Mexican adobe home that is now a restaurant. This place is now only open 4-8pm so we had to eat elsewhere later, but this is a place I'd like to try out on my next visit.
The small adobe house now line the southern part of this neighborhood. We walked a block on S Main Street, then turned east on W Simpson for a block, before turning north on S Meyer Stret before hitting the famous Cushing Street and its famous colorful Sonoran row houses.
The row houses didn't look as bright and vibrant as in the photos on the official Tucson website. Electrical wires above the roofs also didn't help, but once we went north on Scott Avenue and then hit 6th Street Amory Park and the Children's Museum, I was in familiar territory. Several more homeless were sleeping under the tall pines in Amory Park.
Sixth Avenue took us north, past Congress and now to the old train depot and the Hotel Congress. The patio restaurant in the back looked inviting, but they seemed too busy to help us so we continued our walk back to our cars.
Street Tacos and Beer Company is at the corner of Congress and Church where we were parked. This wasn't planned, but it was convenient for us to stop in for a burrito and beer while the dogs rested in the shade. Both dogs were overcome now with the rising heat and they needed to cool down. The meal was tasty, but now we wanted craft beer. Steve chose Crooked Tooth, but the only beer that I hadn't tried was their Strawberry Milk Jug stout. It was ok.
The real fun began when Steve suggested another brewpub, "the one with all the bikes on the ceiling." That is the Catalina Brewing Company toward Marana, so off we went for the 14-mile drive.
I like the Catalina Brewing Company. They always have several good beers on tap that I like. I chose the Orange Dream Wheat, a new tap with low alcohol. We sat in a corner with couches to get away from the loud music, and also to let the dogs cool down on the cool floor. This was a nice way to end the active day before heading home.
Our last stop was at Rudy's BBQ off Ajo Way, a Texan chain I had never been at before. I had a tender turkey sandwich with cole slaw. The food was good. This must be a popular place because the customer line never got shorter.
The dogs got one last stop to pee and poop off a canyon road in the Whetstones before I dropped Steve off. The Sudafed was beginning to wear off and I went to bed when I got home.
I definitely want to walk the Tourquoise Trail again and start from the official location, the Old Presidio. We never managed to get to the old Presidio and began our walk with the old Pima Courthouse instead, the third stop on the trail. Now that I'm familiar with the trail, the second time will be slower so that I can read up on the history of the various buildings. New apartment high rises now stand where much of the history that is featured on the path once stood.
sources:
http://tucsonpresidio.com/turquoise-trail/
https://tucsonguide.com/meet-the-muralist-ignacio-garcia/
https://tucsonguide.com/meet-the-muralist-joe-pagac/
http://www.catalinabrewingco.com/
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