Carr Peak with Gretel

The sky was still hazy from the prescribed burn last Friday, but this morning there were darker clouds moving in from California.  Rain was predicted for the afternoon. This was our first post heat-dome weather.   I had a dinner with Ellen's parents at 6pm, so what better time to hike up Carr again.  I haven't been up there since December with Margot. 

Getting the right dog alone for a hike is always a big chore.I had four dogs in the back yard and Gretchen inside the house.  She acted very scared around the other dogs and I'm assuming they had attacked her this weekend.  This way she wouldn't stress out in my absence.  I took her on a short pee walk and left the house shortly after 10am with Gretel. She was long overdue a solor hike.

We got to the Sawmill trailhead at 10:49am.  It was 65F. We were the only vehicle at the trailhead.  Skies were still hazy from smoke rather than clouds, although two hours later, at the peak, it was thundering.  This thunder scared Gretel and she stayed right behind me for the descent.

It never did rain during my hike.  The dark clouds moved north of the mountain range.  The temperature remained mild with no breeze, which is typical just before a storm. I hiked at a steady pace, but noticably slower than usual with many short breaks to get my breathing back to normal.

The spring was barely trickling, but there was enough water in the tub for Gretel to drink.  The waterfall was also dry.

As for flowers, I saw mostly dandelion along the lower elevation, and a purple prostate flower near the peak and yellow prostate on the peak. The aspen are still leafless but the elms are budding.  The post 2011 pines all have healthy candles growing.  

Ravens circled overhead near the peak.

I met one person on the hike.  She was coming down the peak as we were ascending.  I recognized her from a hike in the Perimeter parking lot on Christmas Eve!  She is Kathy from St David, who drives an hour most weekends to hike the trails solo.

I was back at the car by 2:30pm and back home by 3pm.  Gretel napped the rest of the day.  She was too tired to bully Gretchen.  I kept the other four dogs outside until I got home from my dinner with Ellen, her parents, and Brenda and Gordon, old hiking friends I hadn't seen in years.

Erin and the boys fly down for a visit March 23-27

 This is a vacation she called me about back in January, after suffering long enough with 20F days.  She wanted to visit me during our warm spring and she hit the jackpot because we had a ten-day record-high heat dome for the entirety of her visit.  She reserved her flight tickets and hotel early.

This was the first visit for Ben, 8, and Owen, 11 to Arizona.  I was looking forward to a few days off from school to spend time with them.

Erin arrived late Sunday afternoon.  The boys wanted to spend some time in the pool before going out to eat.  I suggested Taco Giro, but their meal turned out rather bland and they didn't care for it.

Erin and I never had time alone to talk, but on Sunday she told me that Barb, my former mother-in-law, still talks badly about me.  I apparently made a real good impression on her!  Barb told Erin and Erin shared with me her and Al (Al being my father-in-law who died of colon cancer before Erin was born) visit to San Francisco.  I complained that Barb had to use the bathroom every 20 minutes and we spent a lot of time waiting for her to come out of the public restrooms.  My complaint had nothing to do with Al!  I didn't elaborate any further as Erin is closer to her dad than to me.  There are certainly many things i could say about Barb to Erin, but why?  Those stories are from 40 years ago.

Monday I went to work while they spent time at the pool.  But once I got to the hotel, they switched into walking clothes and we walked around Bisbee.

Benn really seemed to enjoy Bisbee, running up the stairs, enjoying the street art, exploring alleys.  Owen isn't quite so agile but he kept up with his younger brother.  I was aware of his flat feet that tired him out, but he let Ben lead the way.  We ran all over Old Bisbee before having dinner at the Bisbee BadAssery.  We even managed a table in the "cave" which the boys thought was cool...until a rat darted out from a small hole and between Ben's feet.  We were ready to leave anyway,but still, that ending definitely dampened the mood.

The big day was Tuesday in Tucson and the Reid Zoo, with a short reprieve at an arcade before dinner at the Barnyard, a beer pub with a large outdoor seating area with games for kids.  This wass Erin's idea and it worked well to keep the boys bored.  This day tired me out, as I was following the boys all over the zoo and its many playgrounds.  While the zoo isn't big, it's well designed and kid-friendly. 

Ben is outgoing and easily meets people, but Owen is reserved and emotionally very sensitive.

On Wednesday we stayed local.  The Kartchner Caverns were fully booked so the boys spent another day at the pool, then two hours at an indoor play area behind Planet Fitness.  I would not have known about this place had Erin not done her research.  The place has charging aisles for phones and is well air-condiitoned.

Our last day together was Thursday.  We agreed to a short hike along Miller Creek at 9am.  I was so looking forward to this.  But the mood quickly soured when we were attacked by gnats along the creek.  Ben got annoyed "I hate the woods!" while Owen cried.  This didn't make me feel very good, but on the  return hike Erin and i reassured the boys it was all downhill and we'd be out of the woods fast.

I didn't bring a dog on this hike as we met several others with dogs.  One man we met was a local author and hiker, 83-year old Geoffrey McLeod.  His age alone is an inspiration!  He served four years in the Marine Corp but is originally from Canada.  He's active with the local art scene and hikes a mile with his dog Princess every day.

I enjoyed my conversation with Geoff.  It also gave the boys a 20-minute break before we resumed out walk back to our cars.  They weren't quite so whiney on the way back.

We finished the night with some rolled ice cream at Crazy Bato.  The boys had never had rolled ice cream.  The two young gals working the counter (one was a former student of mine last year, Kaylee) had to make each oder separately by hand.

The visit went too fast but I'm glad they came for a visit.  I hadn't seen the boys since 2021, before Kevin died, but now long road trips tire me out.  Maybe when I have a few fewer dogs I may venture on the road again.

I left the hotel at 8pm and went back to work the next day as Erin's flight left Tucson at noon.  They arrived in Chicago at 4pm to 27F.  I'm sure her suntan was the envy of everyone around her!