CAP Trail, 6 Nov 2022

Every time we drive to or from town, we pass a sign that reads, "CAP Tangerine Trail Head." Today, we decided to go see what it was.

CAP stands for Central Arizona Project, and it refers to the aqueduct that brings water to southern and central Arizona from the Colorado River. As the Colorado runs out of water, so will we.

When they built the canal, they used the dirt they excavated to construct an elevated pathway. It's good for horses and bicycles, but the trail is not scenic. It just parallels the canal, straight and flat.

As a walking trail, it's pretty boring. Even so, we did see some other people walking. We got some exercise, but I doubt we'll return. Walking this trail in summer would be tough - it's fully exposed to the sun and has no shady places to rest.

Rooster Cogburn's Ostrich Ranch, 22 Oct 2022

Rooster Cogburn's is one of those old-timey tourist traps you pass on road trips in the US. It's located right on Interstate 10 at Pikacho Peak. We've driven by it many times since moving to Arizona in 2014. It turned out to be an extremely clean and professionally-run animal-themed attraction where the residents are very well cared-for. For a $15 ticket you get a cup of large animal feed, a couple of tokens to purchase small animal feed from dispensers, a popsicle stick with sugary stuff stuck to it for the parakeets, a stalk of asparagus to feed one of the desert tortoises, and a small container of liquid feed for the lorikeets. After you return to the main building from your tour of the animals you get a couple of pieces of squid to feed the stingrays. And finally - of course - the gift shop. A pleasant way to spend the morning, and kids love it. It's open only in the morning.

Deer who are too cool to talk to the tourists

Wyatt Earp, the desert tortoise

Friendly goats

Sky Goats

Lorikeets

Ostriches

More ostriches.

Rabbits

Stingrays

Box Camp Trail, Mt. Lemmon, 23 Oct 2022

This is an out-and-back trail 10.3 miles long on Mt. Lemmon in Tucson. It has an elevation change of about 2,600 ft and is considered "challenging," as it has some steep sections with treacherous rocks, and in places it's easy to lose the trail and get lost. You can also go off-trail on purpose if you know the way and go from the top all the way down to Sabino Canyon. Assuming you stay on trail, the elevation is 8,100 ft at the top and goes down to 6,600 ft.

We didn't hike the whole trail. We started at the top and went about 1.5 miles out, then returned. It was a cool, moist day with a temperature of 41° F and humidity around 65%. It had rained the previous evening and rain was expected again later in the day. That meant mountain mist rolling in and out. At the top of the trail, we were above the mist layer. That made for some really nice views. The mist rose as the morning wore on.

At this elevation the environment is pine forest, very different from the desert floor. There are even bears and wolves up here.

There was a memorable and pleasant smell in the area. It was the combination of the sweet scent of new growth and the char left from the last forest fire a few years ago. Hard to capture a smell in photos.

The mist rose slowly throughout the day and eventually formed rain clouds over the mountain. Nice trail! Will visit again.

Rattlesnake encounter

I came across this beauty on the walking trail in our neighborhood. It was stretched out across the path, soaking up some early morning rays. The snake is about 3 feet (1 meter) long.

They're usually camera-shy, so I was happy to see it wasn't alarmed and didn't move. I took a quick photo and stepped around it.

I love the smell of creosote in the morning

Slowsand

If you stand still too long, you'll gradually sink into the ground.

Just outside St. David, Arizona, not far from the Holy Trinity Monastery/RV Park/Pecan Stand

Bisbee

Photos from a visit to historic Bisbee, Arizona, in June, 2016. At the turn of the 20th century, Bisbee was the largest city between New Orleans and San Francisco. Its success was due to the presence of copper in the hills. Copper was mined there until the 1970s. With the closing of the copper mines, the population dropped steeply. Bisbee is now a sleepy, small town known for its local artists.

Post office / gift shop

Sleepy, small-town street

Streets lines with artists' shops and galleries

Picturesque, small-town scene

Bisbee mining museum and resort hotel

Mining equipment on display in front of the museum

Keeping track of who was underground at any given time

Miner humor