“Here’s to hoping you thrive in April just as jokesters, tax collectors and the Easter Bunny do.” 

We were singing and dancing to “Roll Out the Barrell” at glass fusion by Henry, Supervisor Cathy’s husband. It’s always a fun place to be.

It’s always neat to see a Roadrunner, you can take a picture when their still but when they take off, they quickly are gone. Roadrunners hold a special place in Native American and Mexican legends and belief systems. The birds were revered for their courage, strength, speed, and endurance. The roadrunner’s distinctive X-shaped footprint—with two toes pointing forward and two backward—are used as sacred symbols by Pueblo tribes to ward off evil. The X shape disguises the direction the bird is heading, and is thought to prevent evil spirits from following.

The Life of a Roadrunner . . .Past prickly cacti and golden blooms, Through tangled brush where freedom looms, They navigate with purpose clear, With every step, they draw us near. Their journey speaks to the heart’s desire, A flame of spirit, a light of fire, Chasing dreams beneath the sun, In every moment, life’s begun.

The weather was perfect Sunday morning for a hike in the canyon. But. . . When we arrived the main parking lot was full, it’s never been full, so we parked in the Overflow parking lot. Not to much of a problem only a little less than a mile to our destination the Visitor Center to get the Crawler to Bear Canyon.

On our way to stop 3 The Bear Canyon Trail, Our driver Chris, was telling us about his recent encounter with a lady who was so dehydrated she was fighting with the rangers because she had no idea of who she was or where she was. She and many other people aren’t prepared to hike, you need lots of water to keep you hydrated. He also told us of other experiences he had at the canyon. People who didn’t stay on the trail got lost, the park closed and it’s dark. Some folks are found by the rangers and some have spent the night. The rangers find them not in good shape and feeling very disheartened. The moral of the story is the Girl Scout Motto –  “Be Prepared”

Sabino Canyon is known for flash flooding too. Several people have died or have been stranded in Sabino Canyon from flash flooding over the years. In recent years someone died jumping in to the falls and a helicopter came to retrieve the body, a bunch of onlookers were swept away because the wall of water came down so fast they could not get out of the way. Another time two deaths occurred due to flash flooding when a wall of water cascaded over a waterfall. In 1985 the canyon had a terrible flash flood that resulted in significant damage and loss of seven lives and 50 people  were injured during the event.  The moral of this story is, “Stay alert for signs of heavy rain and Get to the higher ground If flooding occurs”.

We got off at stop 3 at the bottom of the map at the red crawler shuttle, and started hiking The Bear Canyon Trail. It’s a scenic trail that has a moderate-difficulty hiking trail that follows the canyon floor, eventually leading to Seven Falls. The trail crosses Sabino Creek seven times times, and has beautiful views of both Sabino and Bear canyons.  We figured the hike we would about a 4 miles or maybe 5 mile hike at the most.

The Bear Canyon trail takes you through a multitude of creek crossings, taking you up through and down through the rocks, in between the rocks and sandy areas. It’s a very scenic trail that keeps you a hopin.

We stopped just before the Seven Falls Trail starts, we decided not to go further because we weren’t prepared and there most likely wasn’t any water in the falls ahead. We’ve gone about 3 miles so we headed back the same way then we took the the trail to the dam.

We also learned that people are rescued in the canyon all the time by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, the Arizona Dept. of Public Safety and mostly by the Southern Arizona Rescue Association (SARA). SARA it is a non-profit volunteer organization that provides free search and rescue services. The organization has been serving southern Arizona and Pima County since 1958. These people are truly dedicated, they don’t get paid and give up a lot of their time.

They have specific qualifications that need to be met. They do their training climbing up on the Blackett’s Ridge Trail in Sabino Canyon with live saving equipment on their backs. The trail is considered one of the most difficult hikes in Tucson  It’s known for its narrow ridge and steep climbs, requiring experienced hikers. It has an elevation of 4409 feet. The trail starts at 2,725 feet and gains approximately 1,765 feet of elevation. 

On 4-15-25, the SARA was requested by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department to assist in the extrication of a person that had stumbled on trail and injured themselves. The injury did not allow them to walk out and required a stokes out. Just a normal day for them, they truly need them here.

Dave’s favorite Cactus is the Ocitillo

Dave is checking the map to pin point our location.

Dave is trying to hitch a ride.. . 🎵Ride, Ride, Ride, Hitchin a Ride 🎶

We were surprised to see the dam so dry this year.

When we were there last year in May the dam was flowing.

We took the Dam Trail to stop #3 where the crawler picks you up. We were a couple of minutes late so we figured we’d walk back to truck in the over flow parking lot. Dave said we must have walked a little over 5 miles. I was laughing cause we already walked a little past 6 miles. We started walking and when we were part way there here comes the Crawler passing us, It Was Late! So we figured we might as well walk the whole way back a total of 7.5 miles! We were definitely feelin the hike but we we’re laughing cause were Not to Shabby for a Couple of Old Codgers.

On Friday April 11th Voyager had a “Fruity Floats with Friends.” An ice cream party at the pool.

It was a warm day so it was perfect for ice cream at the pool. It just doesn’t get any better.

On Saturday April 12th we went to a Car Show at Little Anthony’s Diner.

It’s always fun to go to a car show at Little Anthony’s. They didn’t have a huge selection this time, but you can always find one that you could picture yourself driving down the road in.

Another reason is to go to Little Anthony’s Diner besides the car show is their delicious food! Especially a delicious Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings, even cranberries. They even ask if you want white meat, dark meat or mixed. Plus the atmosphere is always fun. If your ever in the Tucson area give them a try.

Saturday was the perfect morning for a walk in the desert across from Voyager

You can see the green in the desert and some of the cacti are starting to bloom.

Dave came upon this snake, when it saw him it was ready to strike. We went around it but I managed to get a picture. Our first encounter with a rattler! Good eye Dave!!

It’s Sunday April 20th

Hope Everyone had a great Easter

The Easter Bear here at Voyager

Friday April 25th was my last Happy Hour at Fat Willy’s for awhile. Myself and some of my wonderful friends celebrated. Fun as Always!

           

a shrug, a hug
       touchdown, letdown
  waving, curling, sprouting
 disco, vogue; praise, prayer
 bird-pecked, green-specked
 skeletonized, or multiplied
 flower and fruity fingered
  flipped, frail, or fallen off
  perfected, nested, crested
  ~Terri Guillemets, “Saguaro arms,” 2020

The Cactus were starting to show off their beautiful colorful flowers!

Tomorrow April 29th, We’re heading back East and leaving the West behind us for a bit.

“I had a pard who came from Arizona. All day long and half the night that broncho buster would rave about Arizona. Well, he won me over. Arizona must be wonderful.”
“But Pan, isn’t it desert country?”
“Arizona is every kind of country…“
~Zane Grey, Valley of Wild Horses, 1947