Hiking - really?

Jan 18/2019  Weather 72/38  dry and sunny.

hiking the romero trail

All week long we have been thinking we need to get out on the hiking trail to the Romero Ruin inside the Catalina State Park.  Ok today is the day as we have to move on tomorrow. 

often you find horseback riders along the trails too

This park is a killer to get into, it is so popular.  Campers we talk to that come here every year book now for next year.  We feel lucky we got 8 nights on a cancellation at last minute!  Yeah! Yeah!  We can sit everyday and just look at the views; but lets get that hike in too.
There are many hikers here; perhaps some headed the six miles up the back side of Mount Lemmon which currently has snow on top at over 10,000 feet.

do you see the ruins yet?  are we are the trail???

The views on the hike were beautiful as we walked around the ancient Hohokam village.  This settlement was from A.D. 500 to 1450. As many as 125 to 200 people may have lived here at the peak of settlement (around A.D. 900).

the stones tell the story

this old guy looks like he was here A.D. 500 

Our new neighbour is so CUTE

 Jan 11/2018  Weather 67/44 sunny

Loop B camping at Catalina State Park

Trying to get into Catalina State Park in Oro Valley Arizona is tricky but persistence is worthwhile.  Every morning for a couple of weeks we went on line and check the campground reservations.  Finally we scored 4 nights in one site and 4 nights in another.  Wonderful we will take it.  This park is just beautiful.  You can sit, stand, walk, bike or hike and soak in the views.  

Saguaro Cacti all around us

Catalina State Park is adjacent to the Coronado National Forest on the western slopes of the Santa Catalina Mountains, northeast of Tucson.  Average elevation of 3,000 feet (910 m) but varies dramatically with high ridges and low creek beds.

our new neighbour - little prarie dogs abound  
i stand corrected they are round tailed ground squirrels

Who is that?

Dec 30/2018  Every so often it is time to clean up the email.  Sifting through the other day  we finally opened up the Ramblin Pushers Newsletter.    Front page we noticed a really nice looking photo and then proceeded to read the letter.  Haha.  While reading on page 2  we definitely had to refer to page 1 again.....  We missed it completely and totally forgot we had sent in this picture.  So funny.

Cover Photo

The title block photo for this issue is Rosey & Bill Bourne’s 2003 Monaco Camelot. This striking photo was taken in November, 2017 at Catalina State Park in Oro Valley, Arizona

State Park Camping

 Nov 17/17 Weather sunny, 85 and nights are cool down to 47.   

sunset in the Catalina mountains

This state park we are staying in (Catalina S. P. in Oro Valley) has a beautiful mountain backdrop, cacti and wildlife and no lights.  At night when the sun goes down it is dark.  Seriously!!!  Pitch Black.  First night we walked to take our trash and we felt almost blinded without a flashlight.  Remember take a light from now on after dark.  One other thing was sitting outside at dusk we could hear in the same spot each night a pack of coyotes howling away.  One would start and then several would join in.  Every night they collected and howled and sometimes we could hear them in the middle of the night.  Definitely no walking after dark!

campground

All the roads are paved and all the sites are paved.  We had water and 50 amp at our site plus it was 145 feet long~  and the next site was not close.  We need to stay at more state parks; we forget how peaceful and beautiful they are..... crazy!
One thing that we could not figure out and we did not ask till just before we left was what are all the holes in the ground about.  Rosey is always fearing snakes.  Well what are the holes??????    Ok thank you Mr. Ranger.  Ground squirrels that are hibernating.   Yeah!!

holes all over

What a View

Nov 14 - 22/17 Weather hot, every day high 80’s, night high 50’s. 
Quietly parked in Catalina State Park (near Tucson) for the next week.  A good book. A lawn chair.  Doesn’t get any better than this. 

Our site looks like a postcard😊