Explored the Tucson Botanical Gardens, where cacti are held in captivity and a cafe serves lunch: a change of pace from our desert hikes.
Category: Americas
Aircraft Boneyard
Hiked in the mountains above Tucson, Saguaro National Park East. Looking out, across Tucson, we could see the largest aircraft boneyard in the world, housing almost 4,000 carefully lined up military planes.
Sabino Canyon Recreation Area
Hiked in the Santa Catalina Mountains above Tucson to a height where fewer cacti roam. Sabino Canyon Recreation Area.
Saguaro National Park
Hiked the Sonoran Desert trails of nearby Saguaro National Park (named after the tall cacti), followed by mid-afternoon lunch at a decent “crafthouse and eatery” on our way back to our rented apartment.
Tucson on Foot, Bike, and Streetcar
Explored Tucson on foot, bike, and streetcar.
Too Many Cactus Pictures
Hiked an in-and-out trail for much the day through the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, turning around at the Instagram-worthy Seven (water) Falls. I took way too many cactus pictures.
Tucson Arrival
Flew to Tucson, AZ; went for a walk before checking in to a rental apartment. The area is new to us: we’ll be exploring it on foot and bicycle over the next two weeks.
Public Service Building
Included the Minneapolis Skyway in my walk to escape cold and ice. Finally got to see inside the new Minneapolis Public Service Building. I’ve previously admired the exterior, so it was good to walk through the beautifully designed interior, including this skyway section.
One More Hawaii Trail
On our way to the airport, KOA, stopped to hike one more trail across ‘a’ā (stony, rough lava) at Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park. At Honolulu HNL we’ll board an overnight nonstop flight home to MSP.
A New Trail
Hiked Pit Crater Trail, up to a tree-filled volcanic crater. The hike took us through miles of lush meadows, contrasting with our lava hikes this past week. The trail is a recent (2018) addition to Volcanoes National Park, and new to us.