Hiking among the Saguaro

Bill found a hike in the Tortolita Mountains among all different kinds of cacti. It was a rugged hike up the mountain on the Alamo Springs trail. We started out at 7:30 because we knew the temps would raise as the day wore on. Saw a coyote and 3 roadrunners on our way, but no pi’s. They wouldn’t stop for a photo op. 

The trail started out Sandy and level and then started to go upward and rocky. 

 Everyone was tired and hungry when we returned to the RV and it’s just noon!  

Thought I might hop over to a quilt shop but the closest one is 49 miles. I told you we were out in the boondocks. 

Just West of Tucson

Since Bill and I have been camping, we’ve talked about camping on BLM land or Bureau of land management land so this is our first attempt to make that happen. 

What a beautiful and very different landscape. So many different types of cacti, wide/open spaces and lots of dirt roads. This is where home will be for the next couple of days. 

This is our view from the camper. 




After we got settled, we drove the car into the Saguaro National Forest. Oh my, I never expected to see so many Saguaro cactus. 

We were even able to take a short hike with Lenny and zBanjo on their nature trail. 

Everyone is enjoying the sun and warm temps. 

Back at the camper, Bill made a small fire from dead cacti laying around. We had our Andouille sausages and s’mores. 

When the sun goes down, it goes quickly. And it’s beautiful to watch the colors appear. 

Night all. 

Bowie,AZ - Day 2

Today’s exploration took us to the Coronado National Forest in the Chiricahua Mountains. To get their, we drove about 45 miles on mostly dirt roads. We arrived in Portal, a tiny town with several homes off the grid. There was a tiny store and cafe at the base of mountains. 

After a quick stop to stretch our legs, we continued to the Silver Peak trailhead. Started out level but quickly led us winding up the mountain. Beautiful terrain, desert plants and vistas. 

An Shaba plant that has bloomed and will probably fall over because the root system is so shallow. They are in a 3-year drought. 

A young but large Agave plant.




After the hike, we needed a little refreshment so stopped at the little store for ice cream. Lenny and Banjo loved that stop. 

Back at the camper, we were ready to watch Nate wrestle in the King of the Keystone tournament that the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club hosted at the C3 event center in State College, via Rokfin. We had good connection and watched the whole tourney. Nate won the heavyweight match 3-1. He really was the aggressor in that match. 

Way to go, Nate. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts. 

A moonrise to end our night. 

Tomorrow somewhere near Tucson. 

Bowie AZ - March 27 and 28

Leaving Roswell, NM, headed for Bowie, AZ, here are some pics along the way. 

That’s a pistachio. Lots and lots of Pistachios farms along the way. 

Passed White Sands National Park. 

Interesting murals near a missile range. 

Had to go through border patrol going into Arizona. 

We rolled into Bowie (pronounced Booie, like the knife). Setup in the Alaskan RV Park. Not the most glamorous RV spot BUT the owner is a Country and Western star, Judy Hall. She built the RV park when her band was playing gigs in Tucson. She also built an airstrip for them to fly in. 

After setting up and talking with Judy for awhile, we headed to Fort Bowie. 

Fort Bowie and Apache Pass were central to US Army operations against the Chiricahua (pronounced Cheer a cow a) Apaches for control of the region. 

Lots of history to read as we hiked. 

This is what we saw at the end of the 3-mile hike, 


Another day in.. great hike. 

Roswell Day 2 and Bill’s Birthday.

Happy Birthday to my sweetie. Little did he know how we would celebrate (nor did I). 

Bill found a place to go hiking, Bitter Lake Wildlife Refuge, Oxbow Trail. We were about 9 miles out of town in the desert, beautiful blue skies. You can see the desert terrain. 

The trail was about a 3.5 mile loop. 

We made it around the loop and approached our car to get water. I said, you have the keys, right. Bill felt his pockets, no, you do, he said to me. I did NOT have them. Some of you reading this know I have lost my keys before. So I was so mad at myself. We each took off in opposite directions to look for the keys along the trail. Lenny and Banjo weren’t happy but they followed along. Along the way I met a couple and asked them if they had found any keys. They had not. Then I met two ladies and told them my plight. They graciously offered to wait at their cars to take us back to the motor home. I said I’d finish out the loop and meet them back at the car, hopefully with keys in hand. I met Bill at the halfway Mark and told him about the two women. But still no keys. Then Bill reached into one of his deep pockets...  you know what he found ... the KEYS and a leash. The keys were entwined with the leash.  Grateful he had them but wishing he would have found them a little sooner. So headed back to the car a a fast clip and met the ladies coming toward us. When we told them what happened, we all laughed. We asked them to go for a beer and lunch on us. I was so grateful we met people who were willing to help us. 

We made new friends, Lisa and Shannon, and enjoyed a delicious Mexican lunch and several cold beers. Fun getting to know them. 

They both knew the area well and told us about their town. Lisa told us to check out an old town, Lincoln, snout 45 miles west. So that’s just what we did to end Bill’s birthday celebration. They’ve preserved many of the buildings and they’ve made a nature trail. Not sure the dogs wanted another walk but away we went. The trail was only 3/4 of a mile, just enough. It took us around a meadow and back up to the street. 

This was their store and their church.  

Arriving back at the RV, the dogs gobbled their food and went to sleep. A good day.