Hiking in Gold Canyon Az

Today's hike was a bit tougher then we figured because it was over a lot of rocks and twisting an ankle was a real possibility. The hike was 4 1/2 to 5 miles round trip but entirely uphill the first half. The reward was the hieroglyphs on the rocks at the end.

A view of what was ahead of us when we set out, up the entire way. 

 The view to our right

 More of the trail as we continue up

Almost there

 View from the top looking back down the trail

 Again looking back

 End of the trail

Some of the hieroglyphs we came to see

Where can we find some snow

We ventured out today to locate some snow, where do you find snow in southern Arizona after the last four days have been record setting days with temperatures in the high eighties. The answer of course is Mt Lemmon. Located on the east side of Tucson the mountain rises to 9100 feet and is home to the small town of Summerhaven as well as Ski Valley and the Iron Door Restaurant. Mount Lemmon is the highest point of the Santa Catalina Mountains and the ascent to the top is along the Sky Island Parkway which is part of the national scenic byways system. Our trip included the 55 mile drive to Tucson and then the 28 mile trip up the mountain, it was a beautiful drive. 

The disappointment came when we arrived at the summit and discovered that everything was closed. We had hoped that perhaps the ski lifts were operating, as they do in some ski areas during the off season, and we were looking forward to the Iron Door Restaurant. Still it was a great day and it beat going to work.

Overlooking Tucson to the southwest

A rare overcast day 

Continuing our upward climb

Can you spot the climber?

How about now?

Now

Plenty of Color

We thought we needed some color in our lives today so off we went to visit ‘The Patio Store’ in Florence. There is so much color there that you need sun glasses. Outdoor living areas are really big down here and people spend a lot of time on their patio’s therefore stores like the patio store are so popular.

Another record setting weather day here, I think it is the third day in a row now where temperatures have set high records for this time of year. A cool down is on the way however, highs in the mid 70’s. Oh well it is what it is.

Coyote, Vultures and RC Airplanes

Today we took a drive down a country road to see what we could find. It didn’t take long before something crossed in front of us, at first we weren’t sure what it was but then saw that it was a coyote and it appeared to be injured. When we arrived at the spot we had seen him cross I stopped the car and began looking around for him. I spotted him under a shade tree, I didn’t know if he would stay long enough for me to get my camera and telephoto lens from the back seat. If it had not been for his injury he would have been long gone, as it was I was able to get a couple of pictures.

A short time later we saw a couple of vulture’s sitting on the power lines, again I was fortunate enough to get them camera from the back. I should keep the camera up front and ready.

Then we drove backup to Sun City to see our dream house again and to have lunch at a great Chinese restaurant. On the way back from the restaurant we saw a group of radio controlled airplane hobbyists flying their planes and we decided to stop and watch a bit. It was really interesting we had no idea the planes were that large. The young guy controlling the plane had absolute control over it, the tricks he did were amazing. Last but not least was a guy with a drone equipped with a camera that was filming the event from the air.

A Day Dedicated to Retirement

We decided to dedicate today to do nothing but retirement duties. So it was coffee outdoors, a walk in the desert, reading and sleeping in the sun, cocktails with the neighbors, steaks on the grill and a little TV before calling it a day. A very good day.  

I took some pictures of some of the old giant saguaro cactus in the park, we are lucky to be in an area that has saguaros as they aren’t found everywhere in the desert.