Today's time in Tucson ended up being very worthwhile, despite the late start.
SteveT and I agreed to meet at 10am at his place, but on my drive there I realized that I had left my credit card by the bed. I had to turn around as I needed that card for the drive to Tucson. I had to gas up ($3.53/gallon) beforehand. Driving back home cost me over half an hour. I didn't get to Steve's place until 10:45am. But it wasn't just my credit card that caused a delay. My rear left tire was low on air again.
That tire's air pressure was more than just from the cold morning. It had a puncture in the tread. Steve also saw a small nail embedded in the rubber which had not punctured the steel belt. He plugged the leak, inflated the tire and we were on our way to the Old Pueblo at 12:15pm.
I dropped off tin and cardboard at the recycling center, then stopped at Himmel Park to photograph a mural by Joe Pagac, his first mural for Tucson dedicated to his childhood neighborhood. Pagac, along with Ignacio Garcia and Jessica Gonzales, paint some of the most beautiful murals for Tucson. We stopped along Speedway Blvd for a few more murals but had to ignore most of them due to time. We had to get to the Loop!
http://joepagac.net/public-murals
https://www.jessicagonzalesart.com/
https://www.ignaciotheartist.com/
We made it to The Pit for lunch at 2:50pm, a growing popular food truck plaza. We were both very hungry by now. There were six food trucks open, the most I've seen on a Saturday. Even the BBQ truck was running. The owner, Les, fully recovered from a mini-stroke and is back selling his famous Cajun shrimp and BBQ.
We started our walk at 3:15pm, walking the Loop section from 22nd Street south. It was sunny and in the low 70s; pleasant conditions for walking. I had no idea how far we would go in daylight. I always hope for at least two miles one way. We passed Golf Links Road and the trail became more rural, with more evidence of horse and small farm lots. Lots of joggers and cyclists passed us. We stayed mostly on the horse trail, a soft decomposed granite section parallel to the black asphalt.
We passed the Michael Perry park which was buzzing with children. The dogs drank water from the fountain. I didn't bring my pack today because it was cool, but this water was a delight.
We were nearing the end of the Pantano River Park section of the Loop. This was a quiet, reflective part of the Loop, with memorial trees decorated by grieving family members known as of the Garden of the Families. Mostly emory oaks, one day these trees will be a shade barrier for Loop users. There were even two trees dedicated to beloved pets that had passed on. These two trees were 0.25 miles from Harrison Road. Steve encouraged us to walk to Harrison road to complete this section.
https://tucsoncleanandbeautiful.org/adopt-a-park-public-areas/other-programs/commemorative-tree-parks/
The sun was now fading fast. No clouds meant no dramatic sunset, but it quickly cooled down. We finished the walk past dusk, the official closing time of The Loop, but there were still plenty of cyclists with their lights on coming in either direction. There were even a few people coming out to take over benches and tables.
The Pit was now booming with people as we returned. Some were even playing bocci ball. The lights along the old gas station canopy created a festive atmosphere. We stopped one more time to get dessert from a small table, Pies the Limit, owned by a very personable Rafael. I bought some cheese cake for tomorrow's breakfast. It was now 6:10pm and we still had one more stop to make before driving home.
I wanted to show Steve the Arizona Beer House on Kolb /Road. I had last been there a few years ago with Zeke and was impressed with the varied beers on tap and in cans and bottles. There was even a food truck outside specializing in Mediterranean food, but we weren't hungry. We kept the dogs in the truck to nap while we sat at the bar. (My phone was low on battery juice and needed recharging. There are AC outlets along the bar for that). A young woman and her Weimeraner pup were nearby. I'm sure Hansel would have been very interested in sniffing that dog out.
We both enjoyed our time at the Beer House. The guys working the bar really know their beer and are very helpful.
I'm almost done with walking the 54-mile Loop around Tucson. The Harrison Greenway going south is seven miles and I still have five miles of the eastern Julian Wash to complete. The Harrison Greenway is a straight path on the east side of Davis-Monthan Air Force base, with no streets to walk under and no rest stops or parks to stop at. I'm expecting that to be a boring and taxing section that I may just do in one attempt with Hansel on a cold winter weekend.
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