On the path across the way, we found some additional rock formations by Karen, the rock art lady.

We found Labyrinth a circlular patternin used as a walking meditation or spiritual practice. When you see one you have to walk in it and out ir right? You just can’t pass it by.

Thios rock creation is of a Publeo Indian’s dancing costume.

On Saturday January 27, we went to a resturant in Tucson called,

Pinnacle Peak Opened in 1962 and became popular for it’s Mesquite-Grilled Cowboy Steak. It’s decorated with an old western type of atmosphere.

When you enter the restaurant you notice all the ties on the ceilings and walls. This is because of their “No Ties Allowed” policy which is to relax and enjoy without a tie. If someone does wear a neck tie, a singing cowboy comes along, cuts your tie off and gives you a small sheet of paper to write your name and the year and off it goes to the wall or ceiling. I wanted Dave to wear a tie but he didn’t bring one with him on this trip.

We have been to Abe’s on Lincoln Street in Savannah, GA where you draw a picture of Abe Lincoln on one of their napkins and they put it on the celing or wall and also No Name Pub in Pine Key near Key Largo, where you can put a dollar bill on the celings and walls too. These placs have thousands upon thousands of napkins and dollar bills just like these ties. I wonder what other places have hanging on their ceilings and walls.

Pinnacle Peak it located in what is called “Trail Dust Town” which contains Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse and the Silver Dollar Saloon, plus local shops, amusement rides, stunt shows, and the Savoy Opera House. We all said we’d mossy down to Trail Dust Town at another time to check out all the doings.

Sunday January 28, Marcia from Voyager had a Wine, Cheese and Chocolate party for us girls. Three of my favorite things!

“The desert, when the sun comes up, I couldn’t tell where heaven stopped and the Earth began.” – Tom Hanks

Pictures of decayed wood and new growth (xerophytes) in the desert.

Thursday February 1st, we went to Mission Garden.

Mission Garden is a living agricultural museum of Sonoran Desert-adapted heritage fruit-trees, traditional local heirloom crops and edible native plants. They are a non-profit, volunteer-based educational organization. Their primary mission is to preserve, transmit and revive the region’s rich agricultural heritage by growing garden plots representative of more than 4000 years of continuous cultivation in the Tucson Basin.

Mission Garden was an enjoyable and learning experience.   The mission was established in 2012 and has been growing ever since. It’s in the site of the original Mission San Agustin garden set out by Spanish missionaries near the banks of the Santa Cruz River.  

Flowers growing in the Mission.

Dave is playing a Maracas (rattle or rumba shakers) made out of the fruit from the higuero or calabash tree.

In the various plots of the different nationalities besides having the food they grew and how they did it, they also had how their plot would have looked like with a house and chairs and different items that were outside.

The Mission Garden represents all the eras and cultures of Tucson’s history, through growing plots that contain — as nearly as possible — the precise varieties of vegetables, fruits and grains that were grown in the eras being represented,  It also contains about a dozen plots representing the diverse groups and cultures that have farmed the Tucson basin through the centuries. They include the Mexican Garden, O’odham Garden Before European Contact, O’odham Garden After European Contact, Territorial Garden, Chinese Garden, Africa in the Americas Garden and several more.  Volunteers were all over keeping the place looking good.

As you drive around the downtown area of Tucson you notice a mountain with a big white A on the front of it.  The “A” was built by University of Arizona (UA) students in 1916, It’s known as both Sentinel Peak, and “A” Mountain.” You can see it clearly from where we were at Mission Garden and from the city.

“A” Mountain is a noticeable landmark, hiking trail, park and sunset-watching destination in the Tucson Mountains on the west side of Downtown Tucson. You can drive up to watch the sun-set from a couple of parking areas alongside Sentinel Peak Park.  

Hiking our way to the top of the “A”

The 2,897-foot mountain is made up of several layers of rock the same kind of rock as a volcano even though it’s not volcano. Sentinel Peak and the surrounding Santa Cruz Valley have a rich archaeological history dating back over 4,000 years. The area’s first inhabitants grew crops at the mountain’s base along the Santa Cruz River, which is known as Tucson’s birthplace. Sentinel Peak was used as a lookout and for signal fires by native Americans prior to and since 1692 and later by early settlers as well as soldiers during the Civil War.

How Tucson got it’s name with a picture taken from “A” Mountain. Looks a lot different today.

The view is great hiking along the way to the top.

We’re looking down to see the big “A” on the top of the mountain.

“Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.” – Barry Finlay

We were excited about this hike cause we haven’t done a lot of it lately. Fun day for sure!

The Big “A” isn’t always white. It’s been red, white and blue, all black, all red, all blue and all yellow on different occasions and the big “A” has been painted green every year for St. Patrick’s Day from 1993 on. We’ll have to take a picture of it when it’s green. They definitely like the “A” on the mountain.