Romero Ruin Interpretive Trail

We got up early as it has been 90 degrees and humid the past few days so we wanted to get an early start. We walked from our campsite over to the trail. The Romero Ruin is an archaeological site that includes the remains of a Hohokam village dating back to about 500 A.D. The trail is an easy 3/4 mile loop through the remaining surface features.

Here is a shot of the Santa Catalina Mountains.

On the Birding Trail, we thought we had found the largest Giant Saguaro we had ever seen. However, this one runs a close second or maybe, first. Look at the number of arms and how tall it is. Amazing!

Here is a picture of what remains of the outline of the Hohokam village.
This is all that is left of rancher, Romero's home. Supposedly he was ran out by the Apaches.

Upon our return to the trail head, we could see our campground and rig. Can you pick us out? We are in the top middle of the picture where the rear part of the trailer is partially blocked by a tree. Look closely, you can also see our truck with the kayaks on top.

Back at the rig, John shot this picture of one of our visiting hummingbirds.
We were also visited by a pair of road runners. Here is the male . . . . look at colors on his head.

As we are set to move tomorrow, John packed up some of the outsides items while I worked a bit on the inside. It has been very nice at Catalina State Park but it is time to move on. We definitely would return to this park and would recommend it to anyone.

We watched a bit of TV, had a nice conversation with Melissa, and watched a bit more TV before calling it a night.

Sky Island Scenic Byway

We decided to take the Sky Island Scenic Byway in the Santa Catalina Mountains where pine covered mountains rise above the desert floor. The trip up the highway can be compared to a trip from Mexico to Canada in all of 27.6 miles. The vegetation ranges from Giant Saguaro cactus in the desert lowlands to pine, fir, and spruce at the highest elevations. It was a beautiful diverse drive. Here is a link for more information on the Sky Island Scenic Byway if you are interested.

There are many vista points up to the summit. Here is a picture taken from the Seven Cataracts Vista. We think the vista point is so named because there are at least seven pools that could be seen (not in this picture). An amazingly beautiful sight in the middle of nowhere.

Next up was Windy Point Vista. The vista here provided panoramic view of Tucson. What caught our attention first was this guy climbing the backside of the rock formation. Yes, he made it to the top.

The smoggy inversion layer doesn't show off the views of Tucson very well.

We loved these rock formations. It appears as if rocks were just stacked on top of one another and left. Sort of like rock graffiti.

Here is a shot of the truck in front of the big rock wall that they had to cut through to put in the highway. Out here in the middle of the desert, we do turn heads traveling around with the kayaks. We frequently are asked where we've found water to use them. HaHa.

More scenic views from the Geology Vista.

Here are a couple of pictures taken from Hoodoo Vista.

San Pedro Vista with views looking east to the San Pedro Valley and Galiuro Mountains. The sign said that on a clear day you can see the National Forest in New Mexico. I'm thinking there aren't too many days like that. Still the view was pretty.

Next up, Aspen Vista. The Aspen are the dead looking trees as they have yet to get their leaves. Oh, the smell of pine was wonderful. Reminded us of being in the mountains near Lake Tahoe. It has been a while since we've smelled those wonderful smells.

Our last stop before turning around was Ski Valley. Yes, there is still snow at the higher elevations but with days like today, the snow is melting fast.

We had packed a lunch and so our next stop was a picnic area within the pine forest. It didn't take us long before we found our spot. It was only us, a few birds, soaring hawks, a beautiful view, and the smell of pine forest. I don't think it gets much better than that.

As we head back down to Tucson, we watched the temperature rise. By the time we were on the desert floor, we were back up to 90 degrees. The only plus about warm days like today is that once the sun goes down, so does the temperature.

After dinner, we took a walk down to the wash and checked the area out as we were hoping to see some owls. No such luck. On the way back, John took this nice picture of the sunset through the trees.

Melissa gave us a call but had to cut it short because her cell phone battery was going dead and she left her charger at work. It was a short conversation but it is always good to hear from her. We'll touch base later this week.

Montrose Pools

Can you believe that the first two months of 2009 are gone? Time sure is flying along.

This morning we decided to get up and head out early for a hike to the Montrose Pools as it was suppose to be 90 today. This is just one of the trails that you can take from the trail head here in Catalina State Park.

This is a picture of the Arizona State Tree called Palo Verde which is Spanish for green pole. Every part of the tree is green and it is very thorny. John and I both like the tree as it is very distinctive.

Here is a neat shot from the trail looking up toward Romero Canyon. Interesting sun rays don't you think?

Here is a pretty view of saguaros, green plants, and the Santa Catalina mountains.

We made it to the Montrose Pools which are mid-picture behind the saguaro with many arms. We are actually above the pools looking down on them.

This area is a protected Big Horn Sheep area and hikers are restricted from getting 400 feet off the trail and no dogs are allowed. Supposedly, the sheep are lambing right now. Nope, we didn't see any Big Horn Sheep. We sure wish we had.

Here is a very pretty wispy plant that we saw near the Montrose Pools. The picture really doesn't do the flowers justice.

After leaving the Montrose Pools we returned to the Romero Canyon Trail and proceeded up the trail until the rocks got to steep for me. I don't have a problem going up them, it is the coming down them that freaks me out. John told me he was surprised that I went as far as I did and that as long as I keep pushing myself past my comfort zone, I will be able to take these kinds of trails in stride. Humm, I guess time will tell. We did see a woman coming down who was so smooth going over the rocks - almost gliding. Ah, to have her confidence!

As we headed back down the trail, we were given a pretty view of Oro Valley off in the distance.

We decided to take the Bird Trail Loop to see if we could spot any birds. It was getting too warm so there wasn't any activity. Here is a shot of the creek that one has to cross to get to the trail head. In the almost two weeks that we have been here, we have seen the creek shrink in the length it runs down the wash.

We decided to leave the Bird Trail Loop and walk down the wash toward the trail head. We were treated to a fly over of a Harris' Hawk. Click on the picture to enlarge and you can see his neat tail feathers. As best as we can tell, this is a juvenile.

After showering, having lunch, and going grocery shopping, we returned to enjoy the afternoon sitting in the shade of the trailer. At last, John was able to get a picture of the American Kestrel that he has been seeking. The American Kestrel is quite a beauty and is a falcon not a hawk.

Just before dark, we spoke with our new neighbors in the row behind us. They are avid birders and were enjoying watching the hummingbirds at our feeders. We got to talking and they shared some good bird viewing information with us for the areas that we will be headed after we leave Tucson which won't be for a week or two (we are undecided as there is still much to see in the area).

We got home and were looking at pictures taken today when we heard the coyotes for a while. It is a sound that I enjoy and haven't heard for a few nights. Hopefully, they will be active tonight and will help lull us to sleep.