Time to move the sorry backsides of ours. Hiking today.
We are off to Sabino Canyon Recreation Area which lies within Coronado National Forest perhaps 45 minutes northeast of our motel.
The number 2 rated thing to do in Tucson (of 181 noted by Tripadvisor) is Sabino Canyon with many reviewers noting a particular trail called the Phoneline Trail. We decided to give it a roadtest. There is a paved road within the recreation area where there is a shuttle going up and down all day - no other vehicles. We decided to take the shuttle up to its endpoint and then hike the Phoneline trail back to the Visitors Centre (approximately 8km but you can add extensions.
Some valuable information at the Visitor Centre (some people may say obvious information)
Our shuttle was called Lady Di so here they both are.
The shuttle from the Visitors Centre to its endpoint is a 3.7 mile trip complete with narration from the driver and takes about 25 minutes. This is stop 9 at the end of the line. Photo by Tracie, our shuttle driver.
Spectacular views from up there.
The trail...
And one of the trail walkers...
Hans and his prickly buddy
Yep, cacti are everywhere. These types are only found in the Sonora Desert of Arizona. They live on average for 150 years and only grow their first "arm" (if any) at about age 65 years. Some pretty old guys in this photo. Hans would have felt young in this crowd.
. At some points you really feel the steep drop off, and for some stages Di was very focused on looking and staying left! We crossed that water run off (white quartz) that you see in the picture below. Not very wide and a pretty sudden drop.
This photo is zoomed in of the road and the river running through the Canyon. The sandy area is known as "the beach". No swimmers today as the river is currently at high water levels due to rain and snow run off and the water is very cold (as we both found out later on)...
For every cactus that Hans admired, Di was admiring rocks. Tucson is known as a rock hound's paradise. They hold a huge convention for gems and mineralogy each February. A particular type of rock found here is a layered, alternating light and dark banded metamorphic rock (thanks Google!). It is known as Gneiss and pronounced "nice".
And yes they were... Very. Some examples in the photo below, also with a glimpse of Tucson in the background.
The Phoneline is a great trail and the outlook changes as you descend.
You see more and more of Tucson.
From this point Hans did an extension known as Blacketts Ridge. A 1.7 mile climb up a ridge and then same return. A self portrait at lunch time with Tucson urban sprawl in the background.
Di opted for a different extension and backtracked about 1/2 mile up the Phoneline trail before descending steeply to a trail winding along the river.
We met back at the Visitors Centre within 20 minutes of eachother.
Did you notice the river is between our trails and the road? We both had to find a way across to get back to our car. Di tried near shuttle stop 2 - shoes and socks off, pants up and waded in but did not cross - too fast, too deep and too slippery (such a girl!). Found a causeway about a mile downstream and crossed with dry feet - Yippee.
Hans also had to cross a creek, at the bottom of Bear canyon but no issue - shoes and socks off and across he went. Tough! Nah, not really. You just get on with it.
Back to the ranch for regrouping before going out for a Friday night dinner.
At 6pm, we wandered down to 4th Avenue, a couple of blocks away from our motel, and settled for a pasta dinner at Caruso. We were very pleased with the meal, plenty of food, a glass of red each and the bill ended up $38 including tax, well worth it.
After the meal, we went across the street to a small coffee shop cum bar cum gig place cum art gallery called Cafe Passe and listened to some really good blues while drinking a Weissbier (Hans) and a Margarita (Di). The performer was brilliant, played John Lee Hooker and Robert Johnson with a bit of Ry Cooder thrown in on slide guitar and harmonica.
Diverse range of punters there. Several young kids with mum and dad, an older couple who looked totally out of place, several uni students working on their laptops, skateboard punk rockers, several older guys who looked like alcoholics and then us...
As we left the Cafe Passe, we were met by a couple of transvestites (we think) and one of them chanted "hello mid westerners". We were laughing our heads off, a dumbass Tucson idiot thinking he/she/it is somewhat world wise.
We wandered home on well lit streets, passed a dance studio where practice was in full swing and came back without incident. Most pleasant evening.
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