Looking for a cool summer getaway? Consider Mt. Graham (elevation 10, 720) and the alpine forest atop the Pinaleño Mountains, about a 3 hour drive east of Tucson.
Continue readingThey look like hairy pigs, but aren’t. The Spanish, who were the first Europeans to settle in Southern Arizona, called them “javelina” meaning javelin or spear. When you see the skull of a collared peccary, you immediately know why. Those tusks are impressive. Typically they weigh 35 to 45 pounds, but some males beef up [...]
Continue readingOn a clear Sunday morning in early February, Neighbor Roy, Ms. Karen, & I arrived at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum for our 2nd Behind The Scenes tour, this time of the new Warden Aquarium. Lacey was our guide for our group of 8, including two little boys who looked to be about 4 and 6 [...]
Continue readingArizona Game & Fish Department estimates that about 200,000 coyotes live in Arizona. They are equally at home in the wild, in our cities and in the suburbs; anywhere they can snatch a meal.
Continue readingKen “The Bug Guy” MacNeil is a bugologist who has opened his mid-town Tucson pet store with an inventory of over 10,000 bugs. Spiders of course. And scorpions, tarantulas, millipedes, and dozens of other crawling species. Having a bug for a pet has several advantages over the usual dog or cat. Less maintenance. Less cost. [...]
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Photo Courtesy of Mary Scott - Arivaca, AZ
One of the better sites for identifying and understanding our reptile population is the Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research. … Continue reading
Tohono Chul Park features several garden habitats and demonstration gardens, galleries and shops, educating people about the southwest desert
Continue readingThe Coronado National Forest is big and diverse. It includes the Santa Catalina Mountains and Mt. Lemmon. The principle activities in the forest are biking, hiking, and camping. All of the picnic areas and campgrounds on Mt. Lemmon have toilets. For camping, our favorite is Spencer Campground, located at 8,000 feet elevation. It’s more spacious and adjacent to some of the best hiking trails. Visit the Website … Continue reading
Ramsey Canyon is EXCEPTIONAL! Tombstone and Bisbee are Essentials. But if you have an extra day, do visit Ramsey Canyon. Hike up the mountain. Spy on the many varieties of birds and other critters. Revel in Nature. Debbie Arbenz recently took over for Liz Sockness managing the book store at the visitors center. Liz provided us with many fine photographs of Baja Arizona in general and Ramsey Canyon in particular. We have a Gallery Section, under the category of “Slideshows”, for great photos of Baja Arizona, including Liz’s. If you go there, say ‘Hi’ to Debbie for us. I wish I could recommend a nearby place of lodging. We will follow up on that one. 27 East Ramsey Canyon Road, Hereford AZ 85615-9613 Visit the website … Continue reading
About 2 miles down the road from the Desert Museum is the Saguaro National Park Visitors Center. I know this is odd, but there are two Saguaro National Parks – East & West. In between is Metropolitan Tucson. If you only have time to visit one, go West. Pictured here is an unusual rainy day in April. Most Tucsonans wish we had a few more rainy days. Six inches in spring and six inches during the monsoon season is supposed to be normal. We haven’t had normal in years. We have family living in the Northwest. They just laugh when we talk about our drought. They say they will send us all the water we’re willing to pay for. Suggestion: get directions and a map at the visitors center. Then head out to explore the most exquisite desert in the world. Picnic at the Signal Hill picnic area and walk … Continue reading
