Tucson Mountain Park

Desert Trails RV Park lies adjacent to the Tucson Mountain Park and Saguaro National Park.  Multiple hiking trails begin near the park.  On Thursday morning joined the weekly Hiking Group for a trek up King Canyon to the saddle for a view east to Tucson.

The area here near Tucson is part of the Sonoran Desert--one of the most biologically diverse deserts in North America.  This diversity is driven by 2 "rainy" seasons (not 1 as in many locations) as well as a great range in elevations.  Plants "Do It in the Desert" by developing a myriad of solutions to the water problem:  meeting the demands for growth and reproduction.

We had a great hike (watching out for all those plants with spines just waiting to poke us) and finished through a creek wash with a petroglyphs.

Trail View near the RV Park

Great Horned Owl in the Park

Relaxing by Bessie in our cactus garden

Desert Wildflowers are out early this season.  

View west from the saddle near King Canyon trail

Mexican Poppy

Petroglyphs

View from the creek wash.

Habitat Restoration with the Audubon Society

One of my goals for the winter is:  GET INVOLVED and GIVE BACK.   So I scoured the internet for opportunities to participate in community volunteer activities, especially ones that are drop in or short term durations.  As luck would have it, the Tucson Audubon Society held their monthly habitat restoration work day on Saturday.  OFF we go!

Tucson Audubon Society has a long term funding to restore and monitor a small watershed on the east side of Tucson, a place called Atterbury Wash.   To date, the project has planted hundreds of desert trees and shrubs but our assignment was building small rock structures to help manage the rainfall -- when it rains.  And when it rains around here, I gather it pours!  The rock structures are designed to help slow down the run off and allow more of the water to spread across the landscape and soak in.  There is quite a science to building these rock structures, based in theory on how the Ancient Peoples managed the water in this region.

And in a few hours a group of volunteers had built several structures!  A great feeling of being part of a team doing valuable work.

My team & team lead adding an "apron" to an existing one rock damn.

Alan's team built a media luna.  See behind him to other rock structures to help restore this small runoff area.

Moving Along to Tucson

We wandered around Yuma a bit and could not quite figure out how to enjoy a couple extra days.  Yuma is built around 3 industries:  military, agriculture, and tourism.  And the tourism is really snowbirds in RVs--who fill up the 20,000 RV spots and dry camp through out the BLM lands nearby.  But what they do all season--beats me?  So on we drove.

We opted to try out Tucson as our "winter roost" having found an RV park online that was small (200+ spots), located out of town on the edge of park lands, and offering all sorts of activities and amenities.  We pulled in and felt grateful that they had an open spot (only 2 spots remained!) & are going to try to keep us here for as long as we are interested.  Our spot comes with our own cactus garden!

Desert Trails RV Park is where our hydraulic jacks are down for now.  We are thrilled with the community, the activities, and the opportunities available in Tucson.  The weather is perfect--cool to chilly nights but mid 70s in the day time.  I just might have to try out the heated swimming pool this week!

The park has a "summer camp for adults" feel to it.  There are multiple activities each day, live music a couple of nights a week (local artists), and a real community feeling.  Many RVers return year after year and welcome us newbies.  Monday morning is the park meeting and the week's activities are discussed.  What a hoot!

Friday night at the park we listened to a concert by the Ellington Big Band of high schoolers from the Tucson Jazz Institute.  This group is no slackers -- they won top honors at last year's Essentially Ellington Festival at the Lincoln Center in New York.  Give a look to youtube -- I'm sure you can see & hear a performance.  It was a "pass the hat" event to raise money for  their return to the Lincoln Center and a trip to Europe to play the jazz festivals.

And we watched some football games in the Oasis Room.  Yeah, I was cheering for San Francisco as I don't quite believe I am from Seattle yet.

Alan is off with the cycling group this morning.  I am going to a crafts group this afternoon.

On tap this week for us:  the hiking group will explore part of the Tucson Mountain Park (my new back yard), 2 music events (including a high school mariachi band), spanish class, and a celebration of Robert Burns Birthday.  One of the residents is hosting a party to honor Burns and offers to serve malt scotch and explore your potential Scottish genealogy.  Oh yeah and food trucks and bocce ball and yoga and bingo and you name it!  And that is just in the park.

Tucson Mountain Park.  Our new backyard.

Tucson Mountain Park is adjacent to Saguaro National Park West Side

Yuma

Hello from Yuma!  We finally made our way out of California...all the way to Yuma, Arizona.  If I look out the window--there is California.

Yuma is a sunny town--a bit breezy and dusty.  And home to lots of agriculture.  If you are eating lettuce this winter, well, think of Yuma the lettuce capital.

We are here for a few days and then on to Tucson.  We are free camping in a wildlife refuge, so our mornings are filled with birds.  Weather is sunny (Yuma speciality) and the wind blows in the afternoon.  It would be a great place for star gazing but the full moon!

And in the morning...we get a hello from the Yuma Proving Grounds.....boom, boom, boom!  Weapons testing and training:   boom, boom, boom!

View from one side of Bessie

View from the other side of Bessie....that be California (we think!)

Salvation Mountain

Only in the desert....would you find a sand dune remade into an adobe mountain and painted in bold colors...all to bring people to the True Faith.  Salvation Mountain.  Located near Niland (which is really near nothing), Salvation Mountain began as a labor love by a guy named Leonard Knight in the 1980s.   He arrived, looked around, and decided to begin his ministry.

First he put concrete on the dunes and then applied paint.  That broke down and he perfected the means of making an adobe covering on the dunes and then applied the paint.  It sort of lasts...sort of.  It grew and grew--topsy turvy.  And all supplies were donated so the colors are eclectic and mismatched.

Salvation Mountain is located next to Slab City.  And Slab City...well, when the military left the area everything went with them, except the slabs from old buildings.  And folks long on heat tolerance and short on money, have moved in and call it home.  Slab City.  Everything you need except trash, water, and sewage services.

Leonard is no longer able to maintain the Mountain...so he wants corporate sponsors.  Interested??

Salvation Mountain

Ummmm

A work in progress!

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