Tucson’s 2nd Part (01-11-15)

After taking leave of our friends, we headed all the way over to the northern side of Tucson.  We had booked this week at Catalina State Park a long time ago because we knew we’d be in Tucson for doctor appointments. We’ve never stayed here and wanted to check it out.



 
The colors of the sunset lit up the surrounding mountains. And yes, that is snow on the hills.








 

Although there aren't that many hiking trails inside the park, several of the trails were accessible from the campground, which made them very appealing.

Talk about a healthy saguaro cactus!  We've never seen so many with so many arms.

 
Still keeping our focus on hiking, we hiked the Canyon Loop trail twice.  Round trip from the campground it’s a 5 mile hike.

In between all that exhausting hiking, we still managed to find some time to spend with Mike and Julie.  One night they came over for dinner, and another, we met them for drinks at a Tequila bar in the Marriott Resort overlooking the city.

They have a neat tradition, every day at 5:30 they have a toast, and they provide the tequila! 


We also took an afternoon and headed up to……

Biosphere 2

I remember way back when the Biosphere 2 “experiment” originated.  Building of the complex began in 1987 and was finished by 1991. 
Biosphere 2 is modeled after Biosphere 1- the earth.

“Under the Dome” there are 5 miniature ecosystems that mirror ecosystems here on earth.  There is a mini ocean and a mini rainforest, among others.

The biosphere was a fully enclosed and sealed system. The roof has several “lungs”  that regulated air pressure.













In 1991 8 people were sealed inside the Biosphere, with their only access to the outside world being a window with a phone.

For the next two years they ate only the food provided at the start of the experiment (goats, chickens etc) and what they could grow.

  
Each one had their own private space, but they shared one kitchen, where they took turns cooking meals.

There were many challenges along the way. One of the biggest was that although they had enough nutrition from their food, they struggled to consume enough calories, and were hungry all the time.



Also, it took about 2 weeks to grow enough harvest-able coffee beans to make enough coffee for all 8 people, and several participants were frustrated by the lack of caffeine.


Years later the entrepreneur funding the experiments sold out and the biosphere sat idle.  Eventually Columbia University purchased it and used it for experiments, and they eventually sold it to the University of Arizona.



The Biosphere is no longer a closed system but has numerous doors and windows and is open to the outdoors.  Nowadays it is being used by scientists from all over the world to research carbon.

Specifically, they are studying carbon, water and air cycles, how they interact, and what that tells us about climate change.

I enjoyed the tour, but I was hoping to hear more about the original mission of Biosphere 2, and the tour concentrated on the current research being conducted.

And then we moved on to Phoenix………

Back among the Saguaro (10-24-13)

The last time we were in the Tucson area, we had planned to do some hiking, but instead, I broke my arm, so we didn’t make it out on any trails. 

This time around, luckily, that wasn’t an issue, so out among the cactus we went.  Our first venture was into the Coronado National “Forest”. 

We stopped at the very crowded Visitor's Center to get recommendations from the rangers, and ended up on Bear Canyon Trail to Seven Falls waterfall.

After 4 miles and 1000 ft of elevation gain, I was feeling tired.  By the time we reached the waterfall, the temperature was about 86 degrees.  Had I known there would actually be a fair amount of water (who knew?? It is a desert after all) I would have worn my swimsuit.

    .  Instead, we sat in the shade and had lunch while we watched other people (mostly kids) go for a dip in the multiple pools created by the falls.   After lunch we made our way back- a little easier since it was more downhill.










After a couple of days to recover, we headed out again- this time to Catalina State Park to hike to Romero Pools.









  It was even hotter this time, and the trail, although a little bit shorter at 7 miles, had a total of 1600 ft of elevation gain.  It was a little more interesting, with a little climbing, and some great views.

At the end of the trail (well, not actually the end- it keeps going) we were rewarded with the Pools.  At first we thought it was just the little pool within a creek, and we took off our boots to cool off for a bit.  Our packs were heavy with all the water we need to carry and it felt good to get them off for a bit!

We soon discovered that if we kept walking just a little further, there are more pools- several of them are deep enough to swim in.  We didn’t, but several people clearly made the trek out there with the intent to swim.

After a week in the lap of luxury, we moved on towards Phoenix, but we stopped at Picacho Peak to hike one of our favorite trails. Every time we pass by this way, we try to hike this one.

  This time around we did it differently.   We went up Hunter Trail ( the more difficult and steep trail) to the peak, and back down Sunset Trail, which is a little easier.  There’s lots of rock climbing involved, and sometimes you have to wait for someone to come down, before you can go up.

There are many places where the cliff is quite steep, but usually there’s a fence or railing to help out. I do better when I don’t look down.

We were delayed on our way up by an accident.  A young guy had been rock climbing off trail and fell about 20 feet. Several paramedics came up the trail to help him, so we waited around to see if they would need help carrying him down the mountain to the helicopter. Once we knew they were all set, we moved on.

Sometimes you have to go down, to go up.  We don’t like it when that happens, but there isn’t much choice!

In many places there are cables to hold onto while you climb, which sure makes it a lot easier going up and down!

Once we got to the peak, the view was awesome, as usual!

After lunch, we started the trek back down. By now, the temperature was in the mid 80s- pretty hot for hiking in the desert.  Luckily there were a few clouds in the sky to keep us from baking.

The trip down can sometimes be trickier than the trip up.  Especially for me, because it’s easier to not look down when you are going up!

 
Also,somehow on the trip down, it’s easier to see the precariousness of the trail!

We didn’t have any problems though, and 8.4 miles after we left, we arrived back at the campground. 








{rant on} A note about this trail:  It’s not for novice hikers, and there is a big sign at the trailhead that says that.  It also says to stay on the trail, wear good hiking boots, and bring at least 3 quarts of water per person.  It states that the trail is not suitable for dogs, or for children under 10.  We saw two dogs on the trail- I’m not sure how they even made it up there.  We also saw a man with 4 kids, all under 12 years old or so, and the ONLY one who had any water was the adult.  He had one bottle of water and NO food for the 5 of them.  It amazes me when I see people hiking in the desert with no food or water {rant off}.