Today was my one day off from working on the house. I told CC I needed to get away and do a challenging hike/walk. My choice was to drive to Tucson, walk a section of the Canada Del Oro (CDO) and stop at the Talega coffee shop and the Aspasia Mediterranean restaurant for a meal. I normally eat Mexican, but today I wanted something Middle Eastern.
I didn't stay at the house for long. I got there at 9:30am, I picked up around the Ford Escape, fed the dogs some chicken, and took the first dog out the door. It was Zana. I'm glad I only took one dog as I ended doing almost 13 miles by the end of the day.
I got to Costco at 12:40pm to gas up the Honda ($3,05; not really a deal), walked Zana in the nearby wash for a pee break, then headed to the Talega coffee shop near the Children's museum in downtown Tucson. It was already in the 70s so I sat for 40 minutes sipping a cappuccino. I planned on walking the CDO during the cooler four hours in late afternoon.
I got to the Christina Taylor Green parking area just before 3pm. The lot was packed! A lot of cyclists of all abilities were on the path today. The temperature edged up to 74F and sunny and Zana got warm fast. I regretted not filling my water bottle before heading out. My fleece-lined winter walking shoes made my feet sweat. It was also in the 70s in Sierra Vista.
I walked on the horse trail as much as possible, to get away from the cyclists and to give Zana some shade. The recent rains greened out the flora, but there was no running water anywhere, and no water fountain along this section.
The views walking northeast toward the Catalinas are impressive, with the craggy views dominating the northern horizon. The path goes past a golf course, horse farms, with river-front views on the west bank of the wash, but I never saw a sign marking the town of Oro Valley.
I rested in a small parking lot at the Pusch View Lane and Imagen Spa. It was a small, unmarked parking lot off the path. We had completed a five-mile stretch at that point. I let Zana rest. She was tired, but was rivatalized on the return walk at 5:10pm. So was I! Sunset was at 6:23pm and my goal was to get to the car before it got too dark. I averaged a 3.5mph pace. The return walk going southwest is at a slight decline.
The sun was now low in the sky, but in our eyes. It was now cooling off, with the faint scent of sage filling my nostrils. Sunset was nondescript due to the lack of clouds.
I have four more miles of the CDO to walk. Can I do it before it gets too warm for the dogs?
My meal at Aspasia was good, but not very filling. The schawarma wrap was small. I ordered a pistachio baklava to fill up and that was a small piece, too.
I got a group text from Eric during my mea; that included other family members inviting me to his May 6th graduation from ASU. Looks like a mini family reunion is in store for the near future.
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