Sabino Canyon

            We found ourselves back at Sabino Canyon today, taking our friend, Karen and her children, Kallie and Matt on the tram ride up into the canyon...
           It was already smoking hot when we met there at 9:30.  Karen coming from the far southwest side of town (she has a timeshare at Starr Pass) and us coming from the southeast side of Tucson...we had agreed to meet at 9...I've briefed Karen on 'southwest' time, and she has already mastered it, as we beat her there!

          Today, you could ride the tram the 4 miles into the canyon, but not disembark to explore the surrounding trails and pools, due to the raging fires in our state.  They have decided to be proactive and not let anyone go trapsing through the canyon, willy nilly, building campfires and such.  I quietly put my barrage of lighters away, so as not to attract attention to myself...

                Autumn took the pictures of our trip that I am posting...beginning with this deer, who revealed itself to us as we sat and waited for our tram to arrive.  You know it must be a very dry summer, for the deer to appear at the tram starting point!

         Kim and I had visited Sabino Canyon many, many times over the years we lived here...we would bring in a cooler with sandwhiches and drinks and spend the day, hiking, swimming and just enjoying each other's company.  When we did take the tram, they used to describe this rock outcropping as 'Geronimo's Face'...today, in a more politically correct world, our tram driver told us this rock formation was called 'the winking guy'...seriously.  Pretty weak, eh?

               Anderson's Dam was are all time, favorite spot to picnic, swim and work on our tans.  I can't even tell you how many times Kim and I ended up right here, especially when we lived in the apartments at Tanque Verde and Dos Hombres.  There is usually a waterfall, cascading down the center of this rock formation and a deep, cooling pool awaiting below...today, it was rock and sand....

            The driver let us get out for 5 minutes at the top of the canyon!  Here's Matt, Tonio, Cody, Autumn, Kallie and Karen...
            It was baking hot...already close to 100 as we rode up into the canyon, and just over 100 when we finished.  The bambini shrieked to go swimming with Karen and kids...we went back to her Starr Pass time share and they had a large pool to enjoy. 
          And, when we made it over there, it was topping 106 degrees!

                     These two hawks amazed and delighted us today, as they foraged right next to the table we chose in the shade near the pool!  The male is in the tree and the female on the ground, in the grass.  A rep from the Desert Museum even stopped by to talk to Kallie and Autumn and to observe the hawks.                       The temp hit 107 today...but it's a dry heat!

                                Love,
                                      Dave