A Day In Santa Cruz County

Santa Cruz County is still sparsely populated and remains an excellent destination for bird and wildlife photographers, hikers, ghost town hunters, kayakers, and other outdoor enthusiasts.

New Year’s 2016, it being a holiday weekend, Ms. Rosemary and I, Ms. Karen, decided to stay away from the more popular hiking trails and try the Yetman Trail from the west entrance, located at the Southwest end of the Tucson Mountains. Years ago, our first encounter with the Yetman … Continue reading

Hike to Picture Rocks Petroglyphs

One weekend Ms. Rosemary and I (Ms. Karen) went for a hike in search of the Picture Rocks petroglyphs not far off Picture Rocks Road in the Tucson Mountains. Jim and I had heard about them for 12 years, but we never could pinpoint exactly where they were. Perhaps this … Continue reading

Aravaipa Farms Country Inn: A Lodging Review!

Front Porch of a Casita at Aravaipa Farms Country Inn

Editor’s Note: Update: 4/4/18. Aravaipa Farms was purchased in the summer of 2016 and has reopened as Aravaipa Farms and Inn. One Saturday in late August 2014, Ms. Karen & I headed for the west entrance of Aravaipa Canyon to check out a place of lodging we had heard good … Continue reading

Bowen Ranch Ruins

The remains or ruins of the Bowen Ranch House sit quietly in the southern end Tucson Mountain Park. It is an interesting departure from a nature hike in these parts. The Bowen Ranch was home in the 1930’s to Sherry Bowen, editor of the Arizona Daily Star. The Ranch became … Continue reading

AllTrails.com: A Useful Resource

We recommend that hikers subscribe to National Geographic’s AllTrails.com. There is a Free version and a PRO version for $29.95 in 2016. The advantage of the PRO version is that you can print off maps and download them to your phone, for use online or offline use. The maps feature … Continue reading

Hiking Arizona: Boots & Burgers; A Review

For all you carnivorous hikers out there in Arizona, this book is for you. Roger Naylor, an avid hiker and unrepentant lover of all things Arizona, has written a light, witty book about some of the best, most prominent and popular hikes in Arizona. And none of them is out … Continue reading

Hiking Sweetwater Preserve

Sweetwater Preserve is mountain bike, horse, hiker and dog friendly. On the weekends all of the above come out to play. It is one of Pima County’s newest aquisitions, a 700+ acre preserve located on the East side of the Tucson Mountains. Be prepared to share. It is a popular for mountain … Continue reading

A Hike to Seven Falls in Tucson’s Scenic Sabino Canyon

Ms. Karen here. On a pleasant Sunday in January 2015, I and Ms. Rosemary, hiked to Seven Falls in Bear Canyon adjacent to Sabino Canyon in northeast Tucson. Jim and I had hiked this in 1985 and at that time I considered it easy. I came back to see if … Continue reading

Hiking Tumamoc Hill in West Tucson; a Review

Hiking Tumamoc Hill, located on the far west side of Tucson, is extremely popular. Reasons for this are proximity to Tucson neighborhoods and a short but promised workout. We had heard about this for years and finally decided to see what all the fuss was all about. Don’t let the … Continue reading