Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Sabino Canyon, Tucson

Until Labor Day I had never been to Tucson, Arizona.
Located just 60 miles north of the U.S.- Mexico border, this is the true South West.

Mr. Cactus and I love to hike, and discover new places.
We decided to check out Sabino Canyon , which is rated one of the top hiking spots in Arizona.




Because the temperatures are still warm this time of year, we waited until early evening to head out on some easy trails.

The Sonoran desert is dotted with giant Saguaros, Prickly Pear Cactus, Ocotillo, jojoba bushes and teddy bear cholla.


With a name like Cactus Needle, I took a particular interest in the flowering cacti.


I loved the names of nearby sites.

Mount Lemmon in the distance and as a quilter, I kept a lookout for Thimble Peak.


Beep! Beep!

Did anyone watch The Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote cartoons as a child?

Yes, Roadrunners really do run very fast.

I felt fortunate to be able to catch this one with my camera.
As we walked along, we even saw a coyote dash across the trail and into the bush.

I was quite happy he didn't stay around long enough for me to take his picture.

Especially because the sun was beginning to set in the western sky.


I felt relatively safe until we saw this sign several miles from the visitors center.

I told Mr. Cactus it was time to head back.

(...hmm...I noticed it said to watch children and pets, but nothing about watching out for your wife!)


We were wondering what happened to many of the Saguaro's in the area.


This one almost looks as if it had been struck by lightning.
Sabino Canyon has a trail for every level of hiker. The paved roads are closed to private vehicles, but for a fee a shuttle service is provided.
We noticed a lot of families with young children, in contrast next to the extreme mountain bikers peddling up the mountain.

We'll be back.

10 comments:

Abby and Stephanie said...

Growing up in the California desert I'm very familiar with roadrunners. Through patience and bribes of raw hamburger, Dad was able to entice the roadrunners to eat out of his hand. He had 3 and named them. They'd come peck at the window to let him know they were there.

Nat Palaskas said...

What a fun tracks. Lovely shots of the cactuses, thanks for sharing Nedra - Hugs Nat

Kris said...

Oh, the memories!! I went to high school in Tucson and we used to go up to Sabino Canyon and just hang out!! No hiking - just hanging!! Those were the days - why in the world were we so eager to grow up and get out into the world?? Thanks, Nedra for the trip down memory lane!! Kris

Needled Mom said...

Beautiful pictures! I love the desert and have actually been there. It is a wonderful place to hike and you have captured the scenery beautifully.

Yes, the mountain lion warnings would be a little scary. Yikes! What a cute little roadrunner too.

Sheila said...

What beautiful images; Tucson is a great place to vacation. We were there a few years back, I got a little too close to a cacti and it got me. Thanks for sharing.

Lois Evensen said...

How terrific! We have climbed mountains in Spain and have fished in the Arctic Circle, but we haven't even visited our own desert in the South West. I guess we better hurry up and do that! Your pictures make it all very inviting. Beautiful! And, it's good to know there are organized trails for all skill levels.

Regarding those mountain lions, we have them here, too. We used to have plenty of them, but as the subdivisions moved more and more into the wooded areas, the cats moved further away. Recently, they have been sighted again.

Thanks for your great images.

Sara said...

Beautiful photos of a beatiful location. Thanks for sharing. I need to get one of those mountain lion signs for my back yard since we've had 2 recent sightings.

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I will need to put that on my some day list.
Karen
http://karensquilting.com/blog/

Nanette Merrill said...

Oh my gosh, what a discovery of a place. This looks like the terrain my daughter Natalie loves so much. I've got to show her your post.

The Ashtons said...

Hi, Nedra! How are you? When I saw the cougar sign I had to relate - we just had a cougar roaming around Adam's family cabin at Sundance. EEEEEEKKKKK! There goes our blissful hiking to Stewart Falls. I hope things are going well for you. Annie