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 Rincon Mountains. My first thought, "Wow, how cool would that be to see a bear."; my second thought, "Are you an idiot?". The trail took me up a small hill that overlooked a cactus forest and along the base of Rincon Mountain. It was a good choice. I decided to wait till later in the evening before setting out (hoping the temperature would drop) - not the case.

Even though the air temperature did decrease as evening set in, the temperature rising from the ground was still dry and hot. A good rule of thumb that I use: carry at lease two quarts of water per hike and turn around when half of your water supply is gone.

The views along the loop were spectacular; the animals - well -hidden; other than seeing a few birds and lizards, I spent most of the hike looking for things that I didn't want to see and enjoying the dry beauty that only a desert has to offer.

Being that this activity satisfied my checklist of things to do (outside) while traveling through southern Arizona, tomorrow I will try to see my niece, Patricia and her family who live about 90 miles north of Tucson.