Thursday, 30 March, Catalina State Park, Tucson

Another warm and sunny day.

We relaxed outside drinking our coffee.  I feel much better today.  No more drugs, I can breathe, and it didn't turn into a bad cough.  I think Rob has actually avoided it as well.

We decided that today would be a good day for a bike ride or a hike.  I felt like it would be nice for Bella to be able to get out somewhere where she could explore on something other than gravel or weeds, so I elected for a hike.

We decided to go to Catalina State Park. Catalina state park sits at the base of the Majestic Santa Catalina Mountains.  It is a haven for desert plants and wildlife and nearly 5000 saguaros. It is 5,500 acres of foothills, canyons and streams and has 150 different species of birds. The park provides mile of equestrian, birding, hiking and biking trails which wind through the park and into the Coronado National Forest at elevations near 3,000 feet.  There are also some very pretty wild flowers.  Another week or so and it will be amazing.
We did the Canyon Loop trail.  It was only about 2 and a half miles, but it was plenty.  I didn't like it at first because it was just a wide sandy trail.

But the surrounding area was beautiful.

Then a side trail led down to the creek.  That was really nice, because it was pretty warm. In fact, Bella did something I have never seen her do before.  Not only did she wade right into the stream to drink, but...

Then she laid right down in the water.  She is normally one who barks at anyone who goes into the water warning them of how dangerous water is and get out of it immediately!

But, there she was laying down in it and she even tried to roll over in it. She must have been pretty hot.  When I saw her try to roll I took her vest off of her.  She didn't roll, but she did come to me in the deeper water and I put water all over her.  She seemed much happier after that.

We continued on by the stream for a little ways.

And then back onto the sandy trail to the end.  It was nice and very pretty

We had dinner plans to meet John & Lori and their friends and we realized we were running a bit late.

Luckily we did make it back to the rig in time to get a shower before heading off to meet them.  Phew, after that hot hike I needed the shower.

Dinner was fun.  It was at a Mexican restaurant down town.  Their friends, Chris and David were nice. They are both retired, he was a School Psychologist and she was a Teacher who taught gifted children.  

She was raised in Berkeley, so she and rob (also having been raised in Berkeley) pretty much dominated the conversation, which was fine with all of us.

After dinner we walked down to an ice cream parlor for some dessert.  It was good ice cream and a nice eve.

Chris and David were parked in the opposite direction of John, Lori, and us, so we said our good byes to them at the ice cream shop. They the four of us walked to our cars.  It was sad saying good bye to John and Lori because it will be the last time we see them for awhile.  Rob leave tomorrow on a trip and doesn't get home until Monday and we are moving on first thing Tuesday morning.

We will definitely stay in touch and hopefully get together with them again sometime this summer or fall, or perhaps meet up with them for a trip to Puerto Vallarta this winter.  In the mean time, we will miss them.

We went back to our rig and went to bed.

CatalinaC sits at the base of the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains. d wildlife and nearly 5,000 saguaros. The 5,5t elevations near 3,000 feet. The park is located within minutes of the Tucson metropolitan area. This scenic desert park also offers equestrian trails and an equestrian center provides a staging area for trail riders with plenty of trailer parking. Bring along your curiosity and your sense of adventure as you take in the beautiful mountain backdrop, desert wildflowers, cacti and wildlife that call this area home. State Park sits at the base of the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains. The park is a haven for desert plants and wildlife and nearly 5,000 saguaros. The 5,500 acres of foothills, canyons and streams invites camping, picnicking and bird watching — more than 150 species of birds call the park home. The park provides miles of equestrian, birding, hiking, and biking trails which wind through the park and into the Coronado National Forest at elevations near 3,000 feet. The park is located within minutes of the Tucson metropolitan area. This scenic desert park also offers equestrian trails and an equestrian center provides a staging area for trail riders with plenty of trailer parking. Bring along your curiosity and your sense of adventure as you take in the beautiful mountain backdrop, desert wildflowers, cacti and wildlife that call this area home.Catalina State Park sits at the base of the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains. The park is a haven for desert plants and wildlife and nearly 5,000 saguaros. The 5,500 Catalina State Park sits at the base of the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains. The park is a haven for desert plants and wildlife and nearly 5,000 saguaros. The 5,500 acres of foothills, canyons and streams invites camping, picnicking and bird watching — more than 150 species of birds call the park home. The park provides miles of equestrian, birding, hiking, and biking trails which wind through the park and into the Coronado National Forest at elevations near 3,000 feet. The park is located within minutes of the Tucson metropolitan area. This scenic desert park also offers equestrian trails and an equestrian center provides a staging area for trail riders with plenty of trailer parking. Bring along your curiosity and your sense of adventure as you take in the beautiful mountain backdrop, desert wildflowers, cacti and wildlife that call this area home. of foothills, canyons and streams invites camping, picnicking and bird watching — more than 150 species of birds call the park home. The park provides miles of equestrian, birding, hiking, and biking trails which wind through the park and into the Coronado National Forest at elevations near 3,000 feet. The park is located within minutes of the Tucson metropolitan area. This scenic desert park also offers equestrian trails and an equestrian center provides a staging area for trail riders with plenty of trailer parking. Bring along your curiosity and your sense of adventure as you take in the beautiful mountain backdrop, desert wildflowers, cacti and wildlife that call this area home.