The restaurant was busy with a lot of old folks and duffers pulling up in their golf carts after their rounds. Two stalwarts of our crew opted for Bloody Mary cocktails and two slackers picked coffee.
Three picked the breakfast quesadilla with scrambled eggs and three kinds of cheeses, one unimaginative fellow decided on the hamburger and fries. The fries were great, but the quesadillas were by far the better choice. Following our lunch, we loaded back into the Avalon and headed for Sabino Canyon National Forest. Naturally, we neglected to grab our Forever Senior Park Pass, tucked at home next to our passports in our travel drawer, so again had to pay to enter the park. We even talked about grabbing the pass last week before we left. Must have been one of those ever present Senior Moments that keeps sneaking up on us.
In 1978, due to the narrow road and small, frequently overtopped bridges, private vehicle traffic was banned and so it is either bike, hike or ride the shuttle busses.We purchased the shuttle tickets and boarded up for the hour long tour up the canyon headed towards the top of Mount Lemmon. The narrow road winds back and forth across the WPA era bridges constructed over Sabino Creek as we climbed to about the 3,320 foot elevation end of the road, approximately 4.5 miles. Due to the steepness of the canyon, the road was never completed to the top. The topography is steep, flooding frequently scrubs the creek bottom, and earthquakes in the region have tumbled house size boulders down, creating pools and natural dams along the creek. Saguaro cactus stand straight up on the steep hillsides of the canyon, together with Palo Verde shrubs, mesquite trees, century plants, Cholla cactus, barrel cactus, and other desert plant life.
We then left the national forest and headed to Target for a stop for some supplies and club soda water. We returned about 5:00, just in time for naps and cocktail hour. This evening, as the sun set, the mountains behind us turned pink, this signalling that it was time to drink. We sat out under the heater and enjoyed the changing sky and mountains.
Kevin prepared skillet lasagna in his Ninja 3-in-1 pot and we dined on good food, salad and homemade brownies. By 10:00 we were cleaned up and ready for bed. The chance to spend a few hours in the natural surrroundings of Tucson gave us a much better feel for this high desert area.
