Arizona with Friends - Part One: Tucson

Roger here...  Three days at Catalina State park, just north of Tucson.  Ahhhhh!  I have to tell you that I love it here.  The views are beautiful.  The weather is perfect.  The campsite is spacious.  Oh, and our good friends Barb and Greg are here.

The Campsite...   Our water/electric campsite ranks among the best we have experienced.  The site was spacious, beautiful and private.

The view of Mount Lemmon from our camp chairs was not half-bad, either.

Dinner with Friends...  The prime reason for our extended stop in Tucson was to visit with our good friends, Barb and Greg.  On the late afternoon of our arrival we took a ten-minute ride to their home.  

Bandido and Tequila were reunited with Izzy.  Bandido actually cried when he realized he was at Izzy's house.  She is his true love and Tequila's bff.

After some wine, we (all of us, including the dogs) squeezed into two golf carts.  We did some joy riding on the golf course cart paths (allowed after 5:00 p.m.).  What fun!  I don't have any pics due to the fact that I was clutching the ever-fearful Bandido, but it was truly a highlight.  

After the wild ride, we were treated to a delicious dinner at their home.  Their new "walled" outdoor area was a perfect place for happy hour and dinner.  BTW, dinner was delicious.  Barb is an excellent cook.

The dogs enjoyed watching the world go by after the sun went down from the private gate.

What a Hike!  

The next morning we followed Barb and Greg to a nearby trailhead in Honeybee Park.

"Hey!  I don't think this is the right way."

"It's the other way."

After a restart, Greg and Izzy led the way through this desert wonderland.  I am always surprised by how much I am drawn to the desert.

Did I say that Greg and Izzy led the way?  I must have been mistaken.  It was obviously Tequila, Dianne, and Barb.

Barb must have given Dianne some shocking info.

I'm not sure what this was all about.  I just know that I am in trouble for posting this picture.

Tequila says, "I think we are supposed to go this way."  Izzy said, "No, it's this way!

Actually, it would have been nearly impossible to get lost.  The entire hike was in a sandy wash surrounded by rocky walls on both sides.  





Look what I found!

Dianne and Tequila joined Bandido and me on a rock-climb.

This large boulder 
covered with native american petroglyphs was so interesting.  What a surprise (at least for Dianne and me).

After about two miles, Greg said, "The turn-back point is just up ahead."  And then, the dogs growled.  Ominous growls!  We were all a little startled.  My mind raced.  Was it a mountain lion?  Was it a rattlesnake?  Was it a coyote, or maybe a javelina?  No, it was a cow.  We were not sure how friendly the very large cow would be around unhappy dogs, so we reversed direction immediately.  

Moo.

We went our separate ways after the hike.  Later Barb and Greg picked us up and took us to a restaurant in the small town of Catalina.  We all ordered the sea bass.  It was amazingly good.

The Campground Cookout....

The next evening, it was our night to fix the food.  What a setting for a cookout!

Our grill had been idle too long, so I grilled up some brats that we bought at Opa's in Fredericksburg.   Dianne prepared some delicious beans, and used her instant pot to make pumpkin desserts.

After dinner we said goodbye to Barb and Greg and sweet Izzy.  We all know that our paths will cross again.  

The next morning we moved the motor home a short distance away to Arizona City where we will meet up with other friends.  Stay tuned.

Pet Picture of the Day....

A good picture of Tequila at the campsite.

Tequila asks, "Is that a ground squirrel or a prairie dog?"