DECEMBER - Hike up Brown Mountain

There aren't that many hiking trails that allow dogs here but we hear that we can hike Brown Mountain trail with Tucson, so of we go.  The trailhead starts at the Gilbert Ray Campground

It's in the Tucson Mountain Park adjacent to Saguaro National Park

Up the first mountain

 Glad I'm walking and not riding a bike

 

You don't want to get too close to those cacti riding by, they do jump out and bite you 

 Tucson checks out the trail below

This Saguaro seems to be saying How do you do?

Another hill looms ahead

Hopefully the final peak

 We reach the far side of the loop.  That's the Desert Museum in the background

A nice hike, about 8.5 miles

DECEMBER Week 1 - Tucson, AZ

Well, my RV is sold and we are in the Rec Hall and a young couple walks in and asks if we know of any RV's for sale in the Park.  Gary says mine is for sale, do you want to look at it?  When we walk out of the Rec Room the husband points over to Gary's 5th wheel and says "I'm really looking for something like that one!"

They take a look and are very interested so we start looking more seriously for a replacement. We drove 1 hr to Benson to look at one that turned out to be a total disaster.  We continued on to the next town to view another one and fell in love with it.  It was a little more than we wanted to pay but had a rear kitchen, opposing couches and was in really good shape except for evidence of a leak in one of the bedroom closets.  They said they'd look into it and repair it and give us a call when it was done.  Meanwhile, another one like it popped up on Craigslist for 2/3 the price so we went to take a look and ended up hauling it home.

So, out with the old and in with the new (to us).  Between what we were selling the old one for and the insurance check from my hitting his back end in Steamboat Spings, it was almost paid for.

Goodbye to the  old

Pretty worthless kitchen

and cramped living quarters

and in with the new:

 His and Her couches

And finally a kitchen to cook in! Gary took the TV shelf out of the bedroom and put it in the kitchen for even more counter space when needed

I start work at the Desert Museum.  The commute isn't too bad.



I usually run into the same commuters most mornings

I am working in the Membership Office.  I enter all of the data on renewal and new memberships into the computer.  I arrive to a backlog of a month.  That's OK cause I get to roam the museum on my lunch hour.

The Big Horn Sheep

 Saguaro Cactus with Cactus Wren

There is an aviary with Hummingbirds too

 The Grey Fox

My favorite guy - Cruz is a two year old Cougar.  He was found in San Jose, CA in March weighing only 15 lb  was nursed back to health and released 3 times unsuccessfully into the wild so became a resident of the Sonoran Desert Museum in 2013

He is a handsome boy!

The Mexican Grey Wolves are cool.  They are critically endangered native wolf.  Only about 50 of them left in the wild .  Their plaintiff howl  breaks my heart.

 

 

The views are nice too

  Great Blue Heron

The Prairie Dogs are always fun to watch

 

There's usually a docent with one of the wild birds on the patio 

Twice a day they have a free flight of the wild birds.  Saving that one to go with Gary

NOVEMBER - Arrival in Tucson

I've been negligent about posting on the blog so I'm catching up by posting a synopsis of each month until I'm caught up.

We arrive in Tucson in early November and find temporary accommodations. 

The Parking lot of the Casino Del Sol

The traveling Vietnam Wall was there for the weekend.  

 After a week of researching local RV parks we end up at Desert Trails.  We pay for a month and hope they can keep us until the end of March but make alternate arrangements at a Park in town.

We take the spot right across from the Rec Hall as it will fit both our RV's

 There are two resident owls who can usually be found in the Palm Tree outside the Hot Tub room.

 

We get to enjoy beautiful sunsets.

 And as usual Tucson makes many friends,  This one is his double from the Park next door.

There are some nice trails behind the Park for hiking

Always remember to bring water when you walk in the Desert

We got a little lost trying to find our way back from one area that wasn't well marked, so I painted a rock to show the way

There's always a nice dip in the pool if you get too dehydrated

Or if its too chilly for the pool there's the hot tub

We venture into the City for the All Souls Procession which started in 1990 with a ceremonial performance piece created by local a artist Susan Johnson. who was grieving the passing of her father.  Now, well over 150,000 people participate walking down the streets of downtown Tucson for a two-mile long  procession that ends with the ceremonial burning of a large Urn filled with the written hopes and offerings of the participants for loved ones who have passed.

It is quite the experience

 

A trip to Mission San Xavier del Bac 

It was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. Construction of the current church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797 it is the oldest intact European structure in Arizona.

It's quite impressive and  retains its original purpose of ministering to the religious needs of its parish.  While there we witnessed a couple of elderly Mexicans walking on their knees from the back of the church all the way to the Alter while praying and then they got up and walked backwards out of the church

 The detail of the paintings and

ornamentation is beautiful

 It is undergoing much need renovation / restorations

A drive through Saguaro National Park East

 We stopped to do a short hike to some Petrolglyphs in the Park

 Then took advantage of this Picnic Pavilion to have lunch.

 Couldn't beat the view!

Still looking for work.  I was hoping to get a job at the Big Blue House B&B but it wasn't meant to be

 So, I went to Office Team to look for a part-time temporary position.  I got a call back a week later with a position at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.  Yeah!  One of my favorite places.  I'll be working Tues-Thurs.

More good news is that I sold my RV without taking a big hit.

Bye!

So moving in with Gary full-time - Yikes!