Tucson, AZ (2/25/2019)

As previously noted, I try to visit different parks each time I'm in Tucson.  One that had been recommended to me is Agua Caliente, a former farm/ranch that once operated a hot springs resort.  On my way to it, there was a detour caused by flood water crossing the road.  This was four days after the rain had ended.  The water was no more than eight inches deep, but I wonder what it was like at the height of the storm.  TV news had shown a van swept off the road into a ditch, so the flow must have been pretty strong.

It turned out the park is very nice, but had almost no birds to photograph.  Must be the wrong season for them.  Having driven all the way across town, I wasn't willing to give up my afternoon.  I decided to drive up Mount Lemmon, which is close by.  I had planned to do it another day when I would have a full day for it.  Actually, I would have liked to visit right after the 30 inch snowfall, but the road was closed to all except residents and workers while snow removal was taking place.  Even four days later, parts of the road were still not open.

The Catalina Highway, also known as the Mount Lemmon Highway, is roughly 26 miles long and rises almost 7000 feet from the valley floor.  The village of Summerhaven, near the top, has several galleries, shops and restaurants.  A ski resort is at the very end of the road.  Since Mount Lemmon is typically 30 degrees cooler than Tucson in the summer, it is a popular spot on week-ends for people trying to escape the desert heat.

As Tucson expands in all directions, homes are being built part way up the mountains, as far as there is private property.  Most of them are quite impressive.

The highway is not only steep, but full of twists, turns and switchbacks.  Nothing scary, mind you, but it does keep your attention.  Numerous pull-outs are provided so drivers can stop and enjoy the fabulous scenery.

It was amazing to see how much snow had melted in just a few days, but streams and waterfalls were everywhere.

One of the pull-outs overlooks the Seven Cataracts Canyon, but I was only certain of seeing five of the seven waterfalls.

Because it was getting late, I stopped at the Windy Point overlook, about halfway to the top.  Still, the rock formations and views into all the canyons and down into Tucson made it a worthwhile trip.  At the same time, I was reminded of driving up here in June, 2003 and enjoying the beauty and a great lunch, only to have a forest fire cover the mountain just days later.  What a shame that was.

I made a video of the ride down the mountain.  It lasts about five minutes and can be seen at Mount Lemmon Highway.

Later that evening, I made my way to Sentinel Peak, the best place in Tucson for viewing sunsets.  This small mountain right in town is also known as "A Hill" because it has a large letter "A" mounted near the top.  It's a tradition for students at the University of Arizona to climb up and touch the "A".  In addition, a road goes near the top and locals come here each evening in droves.  There are bikers and hikers, families enjoying picnics, people just hanging out, and like me, folks who want to watch the sunset.  This location provides a clear view in nearly all directions, an important feature with these 360 degree color shows that frequently occur.  This was one of those nights.

Tucson, AZ (2/24/2019)

As promised, here are some of the houses in the original downtown area of Tucson, which I call "Old Town".  No way for me to determine when each house was built or when each may have been restored.  Some probably date back to the 1800s, but I don't know if any go back to around the time Tucson was first settled in 1775.  Note that some residences in the area are pretty dilapidated, so no photos of them.  Of the ones I'll show, some are clearly better maintained (at least the exterior) than others, so I assume the interiors have been well cared for.

What I enjoy about these homes is the variety of color, and especially the color combinations.  Doors and windows are the most interesting to me because of the vivid colors.

The owner of this home apparently decided to leave some of the structural adobe exposed, rather than apply new stucco.

This craftsmen style home was restored and is now a doctor's office.  It still looks out of place to me.

This charming house has a tile plaque by the door identifying it as "La Casa Lila", which enabled me to Google and find that its owner is a photographer named Dave Peterman.  Interestingly enough, he has among his on-line galleries a collection of colorful windows and doors from his neighborhood, none of which I found.  If I had more time here, I'd like to return and seek out those he captured.

Like many towns, Tucson has quite a few murals scattered about.  I only photographed a few, mainly because it would require a lot of effort to park and walk back to so many different ones.  These I was able to photograph from the LRJ by stopping briefly while no one was behind me.  An Apache warrior (Geronimo?) is clearly symbolic of this area's history, but I have no clue as to the significance of the second image.

Another place that caught my eye in Old Town is known as El Tiradito, or The Wishing Shrine.  Its legend involves a man who fell in love with his mother-in-law and was killed by her husband.  Because of his sinful ways, the man's body was left to rot.  However, the mother-in-law felt such remorse, she buried the body and built a shrine over it.  It is now believed if you light a candle and make a wish, the wish will come true only if the candle remains burning all night.

A little outside the downtown area, El Conquistador Water Tower is part of Tucson lore.  Built in 1928 to supply water to a new neighborhood, it was enhanced in 1932 by using chicken wire and stucco to hide the original structure.  Although it no longer functions, it is on the National Register of Historic Places, so must be preserved.  The city restored it again in 1994.  Although you can't tell from this photo, the weather vane on top depicts a miner and his burro.

While driving around town, I encountered an old Ford Model T that was impressively restored.  While I didn't ask the year, it appears to be an early model that started rolling off the assembly line in 1908.

Tucson has a great many parks-- city, county, state, national and some private.  I try to visit new ones each time I'm in town.  One that I enjoyed this trip was Fort Lowell Park, which has a duck pond, remains of the original fort and, of course, playground equipment.

The fort, built in 1873, housed four companies of cavalry and infantry.  It was one of twelve large military posts in Arizona during the late 1800s, the final years of the Apache wars.  Protected now by a shelter, this was a thirteen-room hospital that could accommodate sixteen patients.  The structure behind it was a kitchen building.  Back then, the adobe was covered with white stucco.

Like many similar ponds, this one is like a "hippie commune" where free love reigns.  Consequently, interbreeding between different species produces some exotic looking offspring that are usually infertile.  They are often ostracized by members of the pure breeds, so they hang out in their own groups.

The pond also has a few "thoroughbreds" who are probably responsible for the hybrids.  

American Wigeon

Ring-necked Duck

Anyone who has traveled the Southwest has no doubt noticed the decorative touches applied to freeways and overpasses.  I certainly appreciate the beauty seen on many of the highways, but can't always photograph them because of traffic.  However, this overpass has some nice artwork depicting nearby mountains and the Santa Cruz river located a short distance west of I-10.  I have to say, I've never seen much water in the big ditch, even after the downpour last week, there are minimal puddles within the river's banks.

Tucson, AZ (2/23 & 2/24/2019)

Two days before my scheduled departure from Huachuca City, a Winter Storm Warning was issued for Southern Arizona, indicating the next two days would have either heavy rain or snow, depending on elevation.  Not wanting to risk traveling during a snow event,  I packed quickly and made the move to Tucson ahead of schedule.  That proved to be a good move, as the forecast rain/snow occurred just a little later than expected.

In Tucson, the rain started late Thursday and continued through the night, turning to snow early Friday, then back to rain.  I never left the RV for two days.  However, the area I had left received 6-8" of snow, making travel very difficult.  The mountains around Tucson got much heavier snowfall, with Mount Lemmon buried by 30".  Needless to say, new records were set all around Arizona.

By Saturday, skies were clear and we enjoyed a beautiful day, albeit on the chilly side.  With a heavy jacket on, I paid a visit to Sweetwater Wetlands, which is a favorite place for birds and other wildlife.  A friend has seen a bobcat mother and two kittens there in recent months and told me where to look.  I would love to get a photo op with that little family.

On the way to the wetlands, I took time to photograph the snow-covered Santa Catalina Mountains, despite not being able to find a really good viewpoint.

 As it turned out, I had no luck in sighting the bobcats, but did get a few photos of other wildlife.

Verdin

Abert's Towhee

Raccoon

Bell's Vireo

Snowy Egret

Gila Woodpecker

Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day with temps in the high 60s.  Now this is more like Arizona weather.  (And the forecast is for mid to high 70s during the coming week.)  I took advantage of light traffic to cruise around downtown Tucson.  While I don't think of Tucson as a particularly attractive downtown, there are definitely some colorful and interesting buildings here, especially in the "Old Town" Historic District.  I'll start with a few of the large commercial buildings.

Note the window reflections in this first building.

 A rather plain building, except for the wavy wall/windows on one side.

 This parking garage displays the color found in many structures in town.

 This building on the University of Arizona campus has copper plates as part of its facade.  It took a few seconds for me to notice the image engraved in the copper.  I think it's a picture of a slot canyon.

Tucson was founded in 1775 as a fort in Mexico,  Presidio San Agustín del Tucsón.  Remains of the fort can be seen in a museum, but I didn't take time to visit.  Some of the buildings in Old Town date back to before the city became part of the U.S. in 1854 when the Gadsden Purchase was completed.  In addition to residences, the area has numerous galleries, shops and restaurants.

Let's start with some of the larger homes, actually mansions, most of which have been restored in recent years, and some of which are now used for commercial office space.  Regardless, the "Mexican" architecture is what appeals to me.

This first building, known as the Steinfeld Mansion, was built in "Snob Hollow" in 1900 as the Owl Club.  Steinfeld, owner of a large department store, bought it in 1904 and converted it to his home.  It was one of the first homes in town with a bathtub and running water.  Built in Mission Revival style, it cost $13,000 to construct.  Restored in 1979, it now houses commercial offices.

I have no historical information regarding these other large, elegant structures.

 Strange to see a Tudor style home.

In the next travelogue, I'll show some of the really colorful residences in Old Town.