After getting after a short night's rest, I started my day making a Walmart list - what was I thinking...Walmart on a Sunday... and reviewing my list of potential activities. I decided on hiking in The Rincon Mountain District; it has several trails and some are multi-use trails. I chose one that offered lower impact hiking, the Loma Verde loop (2/hr). I had been told the night before that there was a small population of black bears that lived in the Rinco...

What can I say about the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum...not enough. It has an amazing zoo that houses over 300 animals. It has a colorful aquarium (inside and cool); a garden, museum and gallery. A few years ago Dan and I were traveling through the Tucson area and we happened upon the desert zoo. It was incredible then but even now, it is prettier (and additions are still coming). The desert is in bloom and alive with activity. I arrived at the museum ar...

Saguaro National Park elevates to about 8,600 feet and is divided by the city of Tuscon. Both the east park and west park contain stands after stands of the familiar saguaro cactus. West SNP was more conveniently located to the camp and had the 800 year old native American petroglyphs that I wanted to see. The saguaro cacti grow only in a few areas, southern Arizona being one of the three places; the cactus can grow to more than 40 feet tall and can live t...

Picacho Peak is the battlesite of Arizona's westernmost Civil War in 1862. The peak is so tall it was also used as a traveling point for settlers going between New Mexico and California. As I arrived at the entrance, to my disappointment, I saw the closed sign and the gates were locked. I saw a few businesses close by and opted to go in to the junkyard-like garage and ask why the park was closed. The woman behind the counter said it was summer, it's too h...

Leaving New Mexico for Marana, AZ was a little bittersweet; it was nice seeing old friends, meeting new friends, talking with family of friends, and riding the canyon roads; but, I did not enjoy the dry dusty heat or the severe dust storm that we had to endure. I hope to keep in touch and see the owner of Mountain Meadows RV Park but only if the visits are in Florida. I took the 400 mile drive to A Bar A RV park in Marana, AZ; all went well traveling on I-...