Winter Trip 2023/24 - 2nd week March

Start out the week taking Gary to Sabino Canyon to do the hike to the Dam.

The trail is wetter than last week

The Falls are still running well but the Pool looks smaller

The sky looks foreboding 

So head out to find the trail to the top of the dam.  We cross the bridge

and I head up a rocky hill

Gary changed his mind and joins me

We make it to the top

Sabino Creek is running strong with all the rains we've had

Time to head out to bear the dark clouds owing us

We made it out dry but hear a thunderstorm hit shortly after we left.

Finished the M&M doorstop rock someone had requested back in NC

Tucson meets friends on the wash

We're invited to a home made cream party

Delish!

One week to go!

 

Winter Trip 2023/24 - First Week March

Gary finally recovering.  We head downtown to walk around 4th Street and stop at the Train Museum

In the drive home, I get some shots of some of the area Murals

Gary went shooting with a friend again, I went on a hike with his wife and another woman.

A 2 mile hike to the Dam.

It's a level hike

As we get to the dam it gets rocky

Quite a bit of water running down

We walk the nature trail on the way back and find an interesting Crested Saguaro.

We get a bit of an Airshow above the RV Park

And we finally get in an 8 mile bike ride.

We were supposed to go listen to a friend play guitar and sing at an open Mike but they canceled.  I had seen that Gabriel Ayala a classical guitarist from the local Yaqui Tribe was playing at the 1st Thursday at the Museum of Art.  

Gary grabbed a hotdog at the food truck

Gabriel played in the lower level. He is very good. He played at Obama's Inauguration.

Really liked this exhibit.  The artist dedicated the work to" Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls [MMIWG] to assist with awareness of the crisis. Fabricated red ribbon dresses represent mother, on wooden frame, accompanied by three freestanding daughters. Tabs on the dresses indicate paper dolls, dolls that after being played with are thrown away. Four medicine shields represent hope"

This painting struck me with it's vivid reality 

Craming in a lot in our last 3 weeks. 

 

Winter Trip 2023 - Tucson, Last 3 Weeks February

 We pretty much lost the last week of January and 1st two weeks in February to Gary coming down with Bronchitis.

He was better so we went to Govindas, a Vegan/Vegetarian place for lunch with friends on Valentines Day. 

Interesting place. A vegan/vegetarian buffet at the ISKCON Temple a non sectarian community promoting unity and peace. 

There is a koi pond

And some exotic birds

Think this guy is fat and happy to be living with vegans!

Next we're off to the 99th annual Tucson Rodeo Parade.  7 Winters in Tucson and this is our first time.

It is the largest Non-Motorized Parade in the country.  In all, there are over 120 entries – made up of over 500 horses, approximately 2,300 people, 85 wagons and buggies and 8 marching bands.  It was a beautiful morning!

Next, I head to Patagonia with the girls while Gary went with one of the guys shooting in Sonoita.

Then we all met up at the Copper Brothel Brewery for lunch

Gary is ready for a hike, so we head to Saguaro National Park East to walk the Freeman Homestead Trail.  A 1 mile loop.

There's nothing left of the home.  Gary is standing in the center of the foundation, you can see part where the sand has.been cleared away.

From here the trail goes into the wash.

There are hills in the desert

A Saguaro Cactus Skeleton.  Inside the tough way skin is a woody skeleton.  The trunk and arms of a Saguaro are pleated like an accordion.  This allows for expansion and contraction depending upon the amount of water taken in.  When fully hydrated it can weigh between 3200 and 4800 pounds.

It was fascinating and learned a lot about his life.  He was colorblind and mixed his own colors.

The best part of the exhibit was the immersive room.  His art was displayed in constant motion on the walls and floor.

Thoroughly enjoyed 

We do another hike

The Ridge Trail

A teddy bear cholla cactus, doesn't it look cuddly?

The Ocotillos have sprouted leaves after the rains and some have flowered

It was a cloudy day so it was quite pleasant hiking up the ridge

We figure this is the end of the trail

But the trail seemed to go on

Then disappeared 

So we headed back

A great hike.  It was supposed to be 2.2 miles but we went 3 miles.