The Road Runner Tour, Days 20 & 21

We just finished two day in Tucson, AZ doing the touristy things.  Our rather posh house is located close to Sabino Canyon, a major hiking/biking/tourist destination.  We purchased tickets on the "Crawler," an open air, electrically-driven tram that took us about 4.5 miles up the canyon.  We climbed about 600 feet in elevation.  From there, all of us (except Elaine), hiked up a bit further, then traversed back along the Phoneline trail, halfway up the canyon wall and overlooking  the tram road.  We joined up together, returned to the house for dozing, snacking and resting until going out for a decadent Italian dinner.

On the ride up the canyon.

At the end of the road.  The intrepid hikers.

Philip, Betsy and Elaine.

The trailhead and the first few steps upward.

Photo by Elaine, showing us on the switchbacks going up.

View back down to the end of the road and canyon beyond.

Ditto.

After coming up the first 0.5 mile, we walked the Phoneline Trail #27 to the Lower Sabino Road.

Dinner was at an Italian bistro, Piazza Gavi, where we were given the last available table which was really a coffee table surrounded by overstuffed couches located on a outside porch,  However the meal was superb and generous.

Our table was behind Betsy on the right.  The fire hydrant was an unusual touch.

Today, we journeyed out westward, first to Saguaro National Park West and then to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.  At the national park we drove the scenic loop, stopping at one overlook to view some Native American petroglyphs.

Our next stop was at a wonderful museum/zoo that had a wide diversity of plants and animals, organized around natural desert zones, areas or displays - riparian corridor, mountain woodland, reptile, invertebrate and amphibian hall, earth science, desert grassland, cacti garden, cat canyon, birds of the Sonoran Desert, life underground, and hummingbirds.  Wandering around on the museum grounds was much more interesting than hiking in the desert itself.  Here is a selection of photos of stuff that caught my eyes:

Gila lizard (about 8 inches long)

One of several Rattlesnakes

The chemistry of limestone stalactite formations.

Puma.

Iguana or maybe a Chuckwalla

Another lizard.

Ocelot.

Cactus Wren.

Bobcat.

Beaver.

Big Horn Sheep.

Totem Cactus

Western Tanager.

White Winged Dove.

Gambel's Quail.

Another posing Cactus Wren.

We returned to our house and had dinner in.