Sky Islands Scenic Drive and the Loop

We took another drive out to Mt. Lemmon today. It was a much cooler day in the valley, 61 degrees when we started. It got to 36 degrees at the top. It's about a 25 mile drive to the top of Mt. Lemmon, and it's a jaw dropping, breathtakingly beautiful drive all the way. Someone said it's like driving from Mexico to Canada, all in one hour or less drive. 

Fantastic scenery once again, even though it was very cloudy, with rain chance hovering around 45%. Is that SNOW????

Yessiree....at about 7,000 feet, you start seeing snow. Lots of it! Sparky gets so excited!

Hey, even Eldo decided to make a snowball. Sparky pelted him with one, and he threw one right back.

Wonderful picnic areas on the side of Mount Lemmon. You can see why this drive is called "Sky Islands". Perfect name for it!

Lots of overlooks and pullouts....

WOWZA! What views!

A view through the trees...

The trails look really rugged and tough....but Sparky will just have to check it out the next time we come back in a few weeks....This one is called Soldier Trail and it was extremely rocky and uneven.

We checked out the ski area near the top of Mount Lemmon. It was closed, but the parking lot was so tiny, we wondered how the skiers could park there on open days.

For the last day of our stay in Tucson, Sparky headed out on the Loop Trail one more time, heading out from Udall Park once again. It is officially known as the Chuck Huckleberry Loop, and is the #1 trail in the US for recreational trails on USA Today's list. Sparky headed east towards a new section of the loop and viewed some more cool art installations. Beautiful iron arch window...

Riverside parks stops to rest and relax...except there is no river currently flowing...

Arroyo Del Fuerte

Here is a bridge over an arroyo--a steep sided gully formed by fast flowing water that seasonally fills and flows after heavy rains...found mainly in the southwest. A wash is very similar, it's a dry bed of a stream that fills and flows only occasionally or seldom. It's usually in a ravine or canyon. They pretty much mean the same and so are now used interchangeably. 

Another view of the bridges Sparky saw on her last bike ride. 

Always, the mountains are within range....(HAHAHAHA...)

How would you like to bike this every day? Sparky would! Well, almost every day if the old body would permit it.

One of the cool sections on The Loop is a series of memory gardens near Pantano River Park. There are SEVEN specialty gardens--Each is a series of commemorative trees with a special motif or theme to mark the passing of someone special, to celebrate life or a special occasion. The gardens are: The Garden of the Children, Garden of the Families, Garden of the Masks, Garden of the Flute Players, (Sparky's mom loved Kokopelli--the flute player) Garden of the Winter Solstice, Garden of the Summer Solstice, and Garden of the Sun. Some of the commemorative trees have painted rocks or expressions of loss, hopes and dreams in unique forms at the site. Sparky saw a couple of glass bottles with messages inside at one site. You can really get a feel for the person's life and what they were like by studying the site. At the start of each garden area is a big panel with the numbers of the sites and the person's name represented. What a wonderful way to remember someone!

What a ride on the loop today! About 21 miles this time....Sparky went looking for a website that tells you all about the art installations' locations along the trail and here it is...https://www.webcms.pima.gov/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6/File/Government/The%20Loop/Loop%20Art%20Map/7705%20update%20loop%20art%20map%20web.pdf

And off we go to our next destination....Cottonwood, AZ, about 35 min. from Sedona. We will be exploring the area a LOT, hopefully. We are staying at the Thousand Trails Verde Valley in Cottonwood for 11 days.....The vistas are amazing! Stay tuned for more about the park and our explorations....See you down the road!

The Biking Capital of the World! and Beep, Beep!

You know, Sparky loves to ride her bike. So she got all excited to find out that Tucson is the biking capital of the world! (Listed in several different places.) Miles and miles of biking trails, mountain biking, and trail riding. Sparky does not own a road bike, so any bike trails that take you out on the public roads and busy byways, are not for her. 

Tucson is a beautiful town, and the bike trails are no exception. Sparky decided to try The Loop Trail, a system of trails that were recently connected and completed in the last couple of years. Over 131 miles of PAVED asphalt with NO motorized vehicles allowed, so super safe riding! Much of the trail follows river beds and there are paved trails on BOTH sides of the riverbeds.

The nearest trailhead, the Julian Wash Trailhead at the Ray Schoonover Point, is within 2 mile drive of the Voyager RV Park. Caution: the trailhead parking lot is NOT designed for big trucks, especially duallys--that's us--a BIG 3500 Dodge Ram Laramie with dual rear wheels and extra wide rear fenders. Very difficult to pull in, out, and park without getting hemmed in, so Sparky had Eldo drop her off with her bike and she took off, first going east, then coming back to the trailhead and heading west, getting in about 24 miles total that way. The stone work and metal iron grate work along the trail is very beautiful. All the trail markers are weighted down with rocks indigenous to the area. See the wrought iron grate work at the bottom of the Julian Wash trailhead sign? 

A wash

There are VERY interesting features along the way. Big washes and very well engineered floodways and drainage ditches. A wash is a dry stream bed that floods and flows, dispersing water during heavy rains. They have an official MONSOON season in Tucson, from June 5th to September 30th so it's no wonder that the stream beds and gullies and drainage plains around the subdivisions are so carefully constructed with tons of rocks and deep depths. Bet the rains are really something!                                                    

Whether you head east or west at the Julian Wash point, you will encounter some artwork. In case you didn't know it was art, they painted the word "art" on the pavement in front of the installation. (!) This  entryway or arch, is one of Sparky's favorites on the trail so far.

There are two metal art pieces just as you get started along the Julian Wash Trail. The one on the other side across from this one, is different.

The mountains follow you wherever you go on the bike trail. Tucson has FOUR mountain ranges all around the city--the Santa Catalinas, the Santa Ritas, the Tucson Mountains, and the Rincon Mountains. The weather is fabulous during January--perfect temps for biking, low forties at night, sixties and low seventies during the day. The Loop Trail is not strenuous, there are little hilly parts, but much of it is fairly level. This photo below is riding back to Udall Park from the Loop Trail.

Sparky went out a second and third  time and biked 15 miles each time picking up another portion of the Loop trail near Udall Park, about a 25 minute drive down Kolb Rd. in city stop and go traffic, getting much closer to the mountains. It's one of Tucson's largest city parks. The gateway to the left, is at the corner to the entrance of the park. Sparky wishes she could say what direction to go out of the park to head down to pick up the Loop Trail, but she's so directionally challenged, she has no idea whether it was N, S, E, or W from the park. (It's a wonder she doesn't get lost on a linear trail! remarks E.) To that Sparky says, "He knows me too well!" She doesn't tell Eldo that sometimes she DOES get lost but doesn't tell him, haha. More artwork on this portion of the Loop trail. A beautiful mosaic bridge....

A close up of the mosaics...

Another better view of the extent of the mosaics along the bridge...

A shaded bridge.....

Art work on the cement bridge buttresses....

Another bridge art install...wonder what the story tells? Sparky will have to go looking for interpretative info about these art panels. They are beautiful, and some look familiar as far as Native American motifs.

Cautionary signs to make the ride more interesting to an out-of-towner....Wonder what venomous creatures they are talking about besides snakes?

Even the fencing along the sidewalk portions of the trail are beautiful....

The way that Tucson uses native materials for seating and their informative kiosks is wonderful.

Sparky saw a kiosk that showed how conservationists are helping the burrowing owl maintain its population through artificial burrows! Very cool!

And the best part of all? Besides the constant beautiful views? Sparky saw THREE roadrunners in one day! BEEP, BEEP! And yes, they have to watch out for coyotes. Sparky DID have her camera on one of her bike riding days so here they are...in all their feathered finery. 

It was a really beautiful, safe ride on the Loop Trail. Sparky could do it every day, it's that cool and a great workout. Get maps online and get riding! We are loving Tucson, the desert is so different here than in other southwestern places that we have been. It could be the time of year, but we are finding the atmosphere and climate to be second to none here in Tucson. We hope to spend a lot more time next time in the Tucson area to explore and ride some more. See you later!

Prickly Pears, Ocotillos, Rainbow Cacti, Oh My!

A visit to Tucson is not complete without a trip to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, just outside of Tucson on the south side. It's 26 miles from the Voyager RV park, and a beautiful drive into the Tucson Mountains to get there.

It's a zoo, a conservation park, a free flight aviary, an aquarium (you can feed stingrays for a slight extra fee), a hummingbird aviary, a botanical garden and much more, consisting of 98 acres and lots of walking paths to explore everything. It's 22.95 for seniors admission.

Some of the paths are uneven and loose gravel so if you are unsteady on your feet, you might want a walking/hiking pole just to stabilize yourself. It's definitely not wheelchair friendly on a lot of paths as you are going up and down little hills to explore. There are two miles of paths traversing the desert with beautiful vistas in all directions.

There is a beautiful cactus garden. Sparky loves learning about new species in the specific areas we travel too, and this garden was AMAZING! By now, we are familiar with saguaro and pipe organ cactus, but how about rainbow hedgehog cactus? (seen at the left). Sparky saw flying saucer cactus, fishhook barrel cactus, teddy bear cholla (say "choy-uh"), beaver tail cactus, and many, many more. Did you know cactus are found in other areas besides the southwest? There are cacti in southern Canada. Mexico has the greatest number, (no surprise there!) with about 850 species.

We've mentioned ocotillo (say "oh-co-tee-yo) and have seen the plain, tall, ugly. spiked dark branches so far, but the desert is starting to come alive with blooms. Ocotillo bloom every April, regardless of rains, and hummingbirds LOVE them. The greatest number of hummingbirds is during this time as well, so a mutual admiration society! 

Other cactus can start blooming in late winter months, sometimes January heading into spring, depending upon the variety and conditions, but most will start to bloom in March or later. 

Here is a view of bare ocotillo on the right as you are walking down one of the desert paths.

And here is an ocotillo starting to green up.

Some aloe blooming....

A view of a palo verde tree (translates from Spanish for "green stick") with distinctive green bark and branches, they are all over the place in Tucson.

Sparky had never seen so many different cactus varieties in her life! Each cactus in the garden has a sign showing what it looks like when it blooms.

There is a sting ray tank where kids and big kids can touch the rays as they swim in never ending circles, which is a minimal extra charge.

Sparky's favorite part was the hummingbird aviary. She only had her iPhone, but there were four varieties of hummingbirds currently there, and they were beginning to nest. Sparky caught this hummingbird hanging out. Broad billed hummer, she thinks!

There was another one in a branch who posed just a foot or so away from everyone walking by. Very beautiful but small aviary to sit and watch the hummingbirds thrum by you, whizzing and darting around, and occasionally posing in a branch for quite a while.

There were coyotes in a fenced in area, looking bored, but as it was a VERY windy day, they were trying to keep warm by soaking up sun on a rock. Coyotes are definitely in the area! This sign was OUTSIDE the museum towards the parking lot.

Javelinas ("have-el-een-a) were under a stone bridge. Javelina teeth grow until the animal is four years old. They sharpen themselves as they rub together. Javelinas don't bother humans but if threatened, they can bite! They are also smelly, emitting a musky odor when you get near them. Which you shouldn't, but the odor does carry a ways.

There were several ramadas, shade structures-- for relaxing, learning, or respite from the summer heat. The Tohono O'odham, a Native American Tribe that lives in the Sonoran Desert, built this one at the museum, out of mesquite branches and a saguaro rib roof. They are like arbors and are open to the cooling winds during hot summers in the desert.

Even the entrance to the museum is beautiful....statues in the entryway, and beautiful Arizona rocks and boulders. Look at the colors in this boulder! Bet this area is amazing for rock hounds!

We highly recommend a visit to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, if you visit Tucson. See you down the road...Next up, a fabulous bike ride on the Loop Trail in Tucson. Bye for now!

Things to Do in Tucson

The Boneyard in Tucson-see below

The list of things to do in Tucson is a huge list. We are covering a few things that DON'T have to do with eating in restaurants--(WHEW! That would break the bank, laughs Eldo) art, culture, and sports--not because we don't enjoy those things, but because we are here for just a short period of time, for two weeks, and Sparky is into NATURE, as you probably already know, if you've been following us. So Sparky's posts are more about biking as a senior with a hybrid Trek bike, a museum or two, and anything else we come across. 

We visited the Pima Air and Space Museum as it is about two miles from the park. It was very cool and we highly recommend it, especially if you are a history buff, or an aviation guy, or a veteran, or someone who enjoys learning about something that's not in your usual orbit. (Haha, see what Sparky did there?)

Lots of planes, jets, inside and out. Lots of information and cool facts about aviation pioneers, early planes, famous people, and evolving technology. Below is the smallest flying plane every built--the Bumblebee. Isn't it cute? It has a wingspan of only 6 ft. 6in, with a maximum speed of 180 mph. It was designed for the sole purpose of taking the record for the world's smallest aircraft in 1984 and designed by Robert Starr. The record didn't last long in the Guiness book of records. One of the designer's former partners built a SMALLER one, a single wing design plane. Guinness gave Starr the record for the smallest bi-plane. In 1988, Starr built another bitty plane and broke his own record.

Lots of military planes and history on museum grounds here in Tucson. And, the aircraft are displayed up in the air as well!

bay door

Below is one of the most famous helicopters, the Bell UH-1. The army designated it as the HU-1.You probably know this one as the "Huey", used in Viet Nam. The first Hueys flew in 1958. They were heavily armed and provided armed escorts for troops. The one below is the Sparky likes the nose designs on many of these aircraft. Each company would paint special designs on the noses and/or the bay doors. They look ferocious! Guess that is the idea, scare your enemy or at least worry them.

Here's another one!

Sparky saw needle nose shafts on most of the jets. They looked like they were spears. For a brief moment, she thought that ok, if they were going to crash, the idea was to stab something upon landing, but she knew that wasn't it. 

The tubes are called pitot (say "pee-toe" tubes), named after the French guy who invented them. They are flow sensors, they measure the speed and pressure of air, liquid, or gas. They help a pilot gauge and measure  airspeed and altitude. They are usually found in the front of the aircraft, but they can be in other locations on the aircraft as well. When  school kids come to the museum, they might play a game, "Find the pitot tube" Sparky was on the lookout the rest of the visit, seeing where they were.

Sparky learned about different wing designs....the Delta wing, the variable geometry wing, (they move back and forth and help aircraft take off in short distances) and how about these wings listed below? Geometry anyone?  Uh, no thanks, math was and is not, Sparky's forte. BUT-just so you know, in case you did want to know and impress someone, the dihedral wing design (upward wing span) is on most commercial planes. 

Sparky really enjoyed reading about women in aviation. There were several panels about women in aviation, going back to the beginning of aviation history. Remarkable that women were striving and achieving the impossible for the times in the male dominated field of aviation. She remembers Vicki Van Meter... She was TWELVE years old!!!!

B-52

We also enjoyed seeing the Presidential jet that carried Presidents Johnson and Kennedy, a Mars landing rover, the Apollo cockpit simulator, (Yikes! Unbelievable number of gauges and dials!) the B-52 bomber that was so huge, the black Sikorsky helicopter, jets that were in movies (Top Gun) and even art done on the aircraft themselves. 

Inside one of the hangers is a cool K'nex (building blocks for kids) panel of the space shuttle Columbia. And, Sparky impressed her grandson with her sitting in an old simulator. His response?  "WHOA!"

One of the coolest exhibits was a reconnaissance spy plane, similar to the one Gary Powers (for you old folks) that was shot down in and he was captured in 1960 in Russia. This was a super secret spy plane with a bunch of different serial numbers and names, trying to disguise the fact that we had such an aircraft, and it carried a drone as well. It established speed and altitude records--2,193 mph., and 85,069 feet in altitude. It could fly from New York to London in 1 hour and 55 minutes. It was darkly beautiful....

We really enjoyed our trip to the museum today...we highly recommend it. The place we REALLY wanted to visit was the historic Davis-Monthan Airforce Boneyard in Tucson. It's a preservation/graveyard for planes, the largest in the world. There are more than 4,400 planes stored here, but it's permanently closed. You used to be able to tour the facilities, but no more. (See first photo above). 

With the humidity levels from 10% to 19% and only 11" of rain annually, hard soil (the planes can be moved around without the necessity of paving) and 2500 feet of elevation, it's the perfect place to store planes. Some of the planes are there for preservation and some are there to be used for parts. It's a shame you can't visit it any more...here is a link to what they do there....https://www.airplaneboneyards.com/davis-monthan-afb-amarg-airplane-boneyard.htm

The weather is so beautiful here! Glad it's not summer, though, we'd be long gone. Temps in the 60's and low 70's, nighttime lows in the 40's. Sparky is riding as much as she can with our remaining time here. Be sure to watch for the next blog for some bike riding in the biking capital of the world, Tucson, Arizona.