The Sonoran Desert

1/26 - 1/30/14
Gilbert Ray Campground
Pima County, Tucson, AZ

A few high clouds, but still mid 70's

Gilbert Ray Campground is a Pima County Park nestled in the Tucson Mountain Park that boarders the Western Saguaro National Park and right next to the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum to the north and Old Tucson Studios to the south.  We will definately come back here again.  There are hundreds of beautiful hiking trails among the tall Saguaros and coyotes serenading at night.

One of the many hiking trails

Looking back at our trailer and flag.

Yesterday we toured the Sonoran Desert Museum, this has always been on our list and we can finally cross it off.

Beautiful Harris' Hawk

Barn Owl, look at that face.

Of course the Mountain Lion.

Javelina

Harris' Hawk
Considered to be the fastest bird on earth

 Look at that beak, all the better to tear their dinner apart.  These magnificent raptors live as a family group and surround their prey and then go in for the kill while one will sit on a tall branch as a sentinel.  We were able to see this as a rabbit tried to out run 4 of the Harris' Hawks.

Cute coyote

End of a beautiful day














Have a blessed day

Nancy

Mt Lemon and Awning Repair on Trailer

Tucson, AZ
1/20 - 1/27/14
mostly sunny every day
mid 70' - low 80'

Not to much going on, but we still seem to stay busy every day.  Buddy is still having ACL issues and is receiving injections every 2 - 3 days and will continue until 2/10/13.  Buddy does not seem to be in too much pain but he mostly sleeps and has to be encouraged to go outside.

The awnings for the Moho still not here yet.  Oasis RV is going to call Zip Dee to see what seems to be the problem.  They were closed down for 2 weeks for the holidays in December but they should have been caught up by now.

The roadside awning on the trailer is attached to the trailer with a canvas bead and the stitching is rotting out.  Our trailer is a 2003 so I guess 10 years is pretty good.  Anyway, luckily Joe noticed this and Oasis RV said they had the canvas bead in stock.  Lucky for us.  We took the trailer over there and they fixed it first thing Monday morning.

The stitching was actually rotting where it is attached to the trailer.  

It's kind of hard to see and actually explain the situation.  If it is not repaired the awning will actually come off as you are driving down the road.










One outing for us was up to Mt Lemon where we drove through the desert, HooDoo Rock Formations, Live Oak trees, and various deciduous trees, then up to pine trees, Pinon and Ponderosa, and finally snow just after 6,500', we continued up the mountain to the Ski Resort.  Such a difference from the desert floor.

Windy Point 

at 6,000'

This must have been a fairly 

large tree at one time.

Sky runs at top of Mt Lemon

Another ending of a beautiful day in the desert.

A visit to the Vet for Buddy

Agave Gulch FamCamp
Davis Monthan AFB
1/21/2013

Since Joe is retired Air Force we have the privilege to "camp" at the FamCamps that most military bases have.  Some are good and some are not.  Here at Agave Gulch there are about 160 spaces, all very clean, plenty of room for the trailer and truck.  The big MHs that have four slide outs are a little tight for me, but that's just me.  Our little Airstream is usually lost between the big MHs.  The laundry room is clean and very inexpensive.  There is P/W/E w/ 50 amp.  The commissary is open 7 days a week.  We were here about 12 years ago and the campground is about double the size now.  If the campground is full they have a large dry camp and you can usually get in in about 3 days.  They also have space for RVers to stay if they want a 3 month contract, first come first serve.  We will probably stay here again in the future, even though I like the State or Federal parks best.  We will be moving to Gilbert Ray Campground in a few days which is a Pima County park.  We have never been there but I have heard that it's nice.  So much for campgrounds.

Buddy, Buddy, Buddy, what can I say.  Over the last five years or so he had tissue/muscle damage to his his wrist, now it has severe arthritis that needed laser treatments,  chronic ear infections, several sebaceous cysts, thyroid, BP and heart murmur problems along with an enlarged liver and spleen.  Now he has a ruptured ACL that will require surgery and a 8 - 12 week recovery.  And of course we are in Tucson.  Of course we love our little Buddy so we are going to go home the middle of February instead of the end of March.  I would rather have him recuperate at home in cold Olympia, WA than in the warm trailer in Tucson.  Plus we are planning on going to Alaska this summer.  I notified our vet at Hawks Prairie Vet Clinic in Lacey, Wa and she is looking forward to seeing him and setting him up with a surgeon as soon as we get home.

Buddy getting in trouble last year when he chewed open a spaghetti squash.  He ate big hunks of it.

On a short little hike in the desert

Last summer at the vet's office getting ready for laser treatments.

Looks pretty cool with those protective shades.






That's about it for today, tomorrow we hope to drive to the top of Mt Lemon.

Be Safe

Nancy

Sabino Canyon

Tucson, AZ
Still at Davis-Monthan AFB FamCamp

Sabino Canyon
High 82'
low 56'
Clear blue skies

Today we drove out to Sabino Canyon.  A beautiful canyon east of Tucson in the Santa Catalina Mountains, almost right under Mt Lemon.  Sabino Canyon is in the Coronado National Forest.  The canyon is fairly narrow with many hiking trails, the main road has a shuttle bus that climbs up the canyon and crosses the river nine times for 3.7 miles, you can get off and on the tram at any one of the 9 designated stops.

There was lots of water in the creek and many pools of crystal clear water.

See the breaks in the rock wall by the road, this is for when the water flows over the road.

The shuttle bus will run even with water on the road up to about one foot deep.

Trails zig-zag all over the place.  Next time I'll ride the shuttle all the way and then get off , there is a great hike that climbs up the mountain and then continues along the ridge for about 2.5 miles and then back down to the road to catch the shuttle.

Another area is on the other side of this ridge called Bear Canyon, with many more hiking trails, even going as far as Mt Lemon, about 14 miles.

A very nice enjoyable day.

Nancy

Introduction to "Izzy"

Davis Monthan AFB Fam Camp
1-9 - 1-18-13
Sunny, highs in the 70's and sometime 80'
Lows anywhere from 35' - 45'

We are still here, so different that when we were at Picacho and Catalina State Parks.  Actually a little on the boring side.  But we have taken care of a few things and able to clean the trailer better since we have plenty of water and sewer.  We have plans of going to Sabino Canyon for some hiking but Joe has had an ankle problem that is slowly getting better.

One thing I have not mentioned yet is that we bought a new to us 28' 1981 Airstream Motor home, Isuzi Diesel.  We took possession of her at the end of December and visited  Oasis RV Center here in Tucson to get awnings installed.  We are getting Zip Dee awnings and they closed down for the holidays so it is taking a long time to get them, so the Moho is still sitting over at the repair shop.  Here is a picture of  "Izzy"

 
Kind of short today but not too much going on here.

Safe Travels

Nancy

On the move again......sort of

1/9/14
New Place:  Agave Gulch RV Park at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, AZ
low this am 37.1 high abut 69'

After spending a week at Catalina State Park, which is becoming one of my favorites in AZ because of the beautiful trails, we are on the move again.  Well sort of........it was only 29 miles over to Davis-Monthan, that's not really "on the move".  We will be here at least 2 weeks and then??????  One good thing we are just a few miles from Oasis RV Center where the MoHo is getting her new awnings.

 The last of the trail pictures.  This is from the 50 year Trail.  I don't know why it's called that.
The trail starts of steep and wide and gradually narrows down to having to look for the trail through some rocks.  Beautiful trail, it hooks up to several other trails but didn't have time or energy to go more than three hrs and then turn around.  Next year I hope to go all the way around, about a 6 - 8 hr hike.

Kind of a cute guy here 

with his little top-knot

That's about it for Catalina State Park, Arizona

Safe Travels

Nancy

More exploring

Catalina SP, AZ
1/5/13, low of about 40 and high of 70'


While the rest of the country is suffering from severe cold we are still hitting highs of 68' - 70'
I'm not bragging but that's why we are "Snowbirds" to get out of the that cold and wet of WA, well, maybe I am bragging just a little.

Another great hiking day of up and down over several bluffs, at least I call them bluffs.

Fat Boy here had too 

much to drink during

the last rain.

The mountains in the back are the Santa Catalina Mountains and Mt Lemon.

Finally I made it back and found a side trail that lead right back to our camp.









This was about a three hour hike so tomorrow I am going shopping.   Need to get a few things for the motor home and be ready when we get the call.  We will be here until the 9th and then move to Aguave Gulch RV Park at Davis-Montham AFB or go to Gilbert Ray Campground out to the west side of the valley.

Safe travels and have a blessed day.

Nancy