Cherry Creek State Park

The family recently went off to explore the closest state park to our new house in Aurora Colorado.  Cherry Creek State Park is a surprisingly open park in the middle of the busy area of east Denver.

 

There are a ridiculous amount of activities to do here and we can’t wait to explore the park even more.  After driving around and checking out the place a bit and figuring out the photography permit process we headed over to Pho 75.  This was our first restaurant to try to find the best Chicken Bun in town.  It was really good but it was lacking the mint and according to my wife, there was a bit too much of the fishy taste in the fish sauce. 🙂

Quick Trip Up the Mountain

This afternoon we took advantage of the weird weather we are having in Tucson and the family headed up to the General Hitchcock picnic area on Mount Lemmon.  It’s the stop right before Windy Vista.  It was a beautiful day and the pines provided just the right amount of shade.  After a bite to eat we went up the Upper Green Mountain Trail.  We just went up to the first vista and turned around, it ended up being about 1.5 miles round trip.  One thing the area did have is a lot of trash.  Water bottle caps and glass everywhere.  Even down the first bit of the trail there were plastic wrappers and food bits that the birds were running off with.  I wish people would keep these areas clean, we all go out to areas like this so we can experience nature and it’s sad when you see two beautiful blue birds fighting over a Cheeto.  I picked up a bit of it but there was just so much everywhere, everyone needs to do their part and leave no trace.

Foto Friday – 3

My family and I recently went to San Xavier Del Bac Mission south of Tucson.  There we so many examples of symmetry there but this caught my attention the most.  These beautiful bright colors lined the bottom third of every wall.

https://outsideluke.wordpress.com/2015/02/11/tucson-mission-trip/

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Symmetry.”

Tucson Mission Trip

Recently we went down south of Tucson to visit a couple of missions.  The first destination was the San Xavier Del Bac Mission on the Tohono O’odham Nation.  It was founded in 1692 by Padre Eusebio Kino.  The current building was finished by 1797 and is the oldest European structure in Arizona.  (http://www.sanxaviermission.org/History.html)  The first thing you notice when you pull up to the massive building is the fact that one of the towers is unfinished.  This is due to the fact that buildings that were ‘under construction’ did not have to pay taxes…  The building is incredibly white and almost too bright to look at in the mid-day sun.  When you step inside you begin to appreciate the blazing white outside and it reflects the heat and keeps the inside is very cool.  Most of the restorations have been completed and what you see on the inside is as original as it’s going to get.  The colors are vibrant and the statues are amazingly detailed.  After walking around inside for a bit we ventured into the museum.  It is currently under construction and some of it has been closed off.  There wasn’t much in the way of exhibits or light for that matter.  Further to the east of the building is the gift shop, it is very clean and very affordable.  On the way out we stopped by one of the stands that had Indian fry bread…oh man that was good, both as a bean version and as a cinnamon honey one.

Next we went a bit further south to Tumacácori National Historical Park in Tubac. This is not a functioning church and is run as a national park. The site is well maintained and the museum is astounding. I wasn’t expecting the quality that we saw way out in the middle of nowhere. There was even a statue of Padre Kino, who also founded this mission in 1691 as the Spanish territories expanded north. There are plenty of exhibits on how the building was made and even an example of an O’odham house that was built in 1997. There was even a sweet couple making fresh tortillas for a small donation to the grounds. This is a great day trip for families but try to hit it up before the cool weather disappears; there is a lot of walking outside to visit these sites.

Sabino Walk

Saguaro

Ocotillo – Makes a great living fence

Above Sabino Dam

Sabino Dam – According to Sabino Canyon Tours the dam, along with the road, were built during the depression era.

Creosote Bush – Best smelling plant in the desert!

Nipple Cactus, Fishhook Cactus or pincushion,

what ever you call it the little red fruit is delicious.

Cholla Cactus

Rock formations around Tucson come mostly from the late Cretaceous period.

Here is an interesting read about how it was all formed.

The Century Plant – Of all the cactus in the desert this one has cut me up the most,

it is very sturdy and usually just stabs into me as I’m trying to get around in on the trail.

Palo Verde

Baby Saguaro

Long Weekend Visit

Sabino Canyon

Short warm walk in sun

Looked at an old tree ring

Short walk back to truck

Dinner Date

Kids at mall – parents

Old eatery with bomb ice-cream

Salted caramel!

Tombstone

Too warm January!

scored cowboy hat and boots

Long nap back to town

Catalina State Park Visit

For the last three days the only paved road going up to Mount Lemmon has been so crowded that they have had to shut it down and only let cars go in as cars left.  To avoid all of that mess and still enjoy the cool weather we headed over to Catalina State Park off of SR77.  While we where there we toured the Hohokam Ruins and then hiked up the road to the creek that comes out of Montrose Canyon.

Morning Frost

Up on top of the hill where the ruins were.

Romero Ranch ruins

Family Circumnavigation of the Santa Catalinas

Today we had a spontaneous adventure were we drove all the way through Redington Pass, then up through San Manuel over to Oracle and back down to Tucson.  I figured this would be a great way to get the family out and see something new, and also test out the new truck topper. The total trip came out to 115 miles and 5 hours with a few stops and a lunch break.

The view from Redington Pass looking down over east Tucson.

Spotted some mountain lion tracks 1 Mama and a couple of cubs from the looks of it.  Then we found what was left of their dinner; leg bones of a deer.

The new topper worked pretty well. I do have to figure out how to secure the front window flap to the bed, and the back metal bar to the rear window.  There were a couple of times I had to stop because it had shaken loose and was sticking out about 18 inches.

Side Note: I’ve made a trip similar to this in my old Jeep, and the Tacoma is way more comfortable and I felt like I had more control over the vehicle.

Casa Rivera

So we decided to stop in Oracle for lunch and just picked the highest rated restaurant on yelp.  The reviews gave us fair warning about the strict cash only policy so we hit up the ATM before we arrived at Casa Rivera.  Its on the south side of American Ave just off of SR 77.  Its a small hole in the wall and is pretty dated but the service was friendly and quick.  They are pretty serious about the cash only too, it is printed everywhere, the doors, the walls, the menu!  The prices are great and the food is amazing.  The red enchilada sauce was some of the best I can ever remember having.  The burritos were too big for anyone to finish and everyone loved their food.  All-in-all a great place to stop.

…oh and they serve breakfast until 2 pm.

A Letter to my Daughters

To my beautiful girls.

I know you ladies are still young and some of this will not apply for a few more years but I want you to know how much I love you and what may have shaped some of my seeminglessly irrational ideas and decisions.  First and foremost, I love you. This is that unconditional love, the kind that makes you end up doing things you wouldn’t normally do; like painting my toe nails pink and calling some little kid names for picking on you.  That goes for both of you.  With that said, I want to let you know a few things that guide my parenting decisions.

#1 I will protect you, no matter the personal cost to me.  Even if it’s from yourself at times, I will step in to protect you.  At times I won’t always give you a direct answer; I may however, lead you down what I think is the right path.

#2 Family is Family, it doesn’t have to be defined by blood or marriage.  We have seen many families that take all different forms, some large, some small, some with two dads or two moms, some with only one parent.  They are all families and don’t let anyone try to convince you otherwise.

#3 Love whom ever you want.  Someone else cannot possibly tell you what you love or who you love, that’s insane.  You make up you own mind especially when it comes to love.

#4 Be happy, as long as it doesn’t hurt yourself or others.  This is America after all, if you decide to move to another country I might not be able to help you out as much. 🙂

#5 Believe in what ever religion you want, I will help you reach whatever spiritual goals you wish to obtain in life.  I will never force something on you.  If either of you want to go to a Mosque or a Buddhist prayer group to see what its about I will not stop you…unless it contradicts #4.  Your personal spiritualism and beliefs should never cause harm to another human being.

#6 Be good to yourself.  I’ve always believed that it would be very difficult to love or help others if you can’t love and help yourself first.  Take care of your own house before you help build someone else’s.

#7 Be polite.  When someone speaks to you, acknowledge them, when someone says thank you, say you’re welcome.  Don’t be overly polite, that get s annoying, just be a good person.

#8 Help others, this doesn’t have to be money or physical things, maybe just spend some time with people, talk to them.

#9 Put down what ever electronic device you’re currently holding and talk to the people around you.  Don’t take advantage of your real friend, Facebook friends can’t pick you up when your at a friends house that you didn’t tell us about…

#10 Be independent, you should never say, “I wish I had someone to do this for me” figure it out for yourself, you’ll be happier for it and you can teach someone else what you learned.  This is one of biggest reasons I love your mother.  She doesn’t need me to do things for her. I want to do things for her.  I don’t want you to need someone, or need to be in a relationship, you deserve to want to be with someone and to be wanted not needed.  this one is hard to teach but its one of the most important, so all I can thing to do is show you as much as you’ll let me; how to change tires and your own oil.  I’ll probably make you barter for your first car too, be ready for that.

The final thing, its not a number just a way to live your life; treat others as you wish to be treated.  I won’t be able to be there all the time to tell you not to do something or whats the best decision is; I can only hope that what I show you and teach you helps guide you to the best decision for you.

P.S.  The photo at the top was not taken by me; my amazing beautiful wife is the one that can capture the moments as it truly are.

Top Five Family Hikes in Tucson

So here is my menial attempt to give you some insight on which hikes I believe are the top five for families here in Tucson.  The criteria for stacking some amazing trails against each other is far from anything scientific but rather just some reasonable sound judgment (I think) from a Dad.  First and foremost is safety;  In Tucson that can be huge concern, variable temperatures from 115 in the summer to below freezing in the winter.  I generally try to hike up high up the mountains in the summer and down low in the winter to avoid any sever temperature changes.  Then there is that fact that something in the desert is always plotting to poke you, maybe a cactus, or shrub, or the rare snake bike.  Next would be the ability to vary the distance of the hike, if one of the kids  is attempting to re-enact the exorcist we need to have a quick….ish out.  Last thing, the views, it’s got to be worth something, not only we big people, but I want my children to see why I love the outdoors so much.  So lets get to it!

To Sycamore Canyon

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5 – Gordon Hirabayashi

This is one of the most fascinating places on Mount Lemmon and has tons of historical sites.  Convenient enough it is just past mile marker sever on Catalina Highway so it doesn’t take that long to get up there.  The camping area is pretty big so you can have a larger gathering there and people can go on short hikes down three trails that join up there.  Soldiers Trail is pretty tough but the trail to Molino Basin is better for the kiddos.  Best of all, if the kids have tons of energy you can go up the Sycamore Trail to the saddle on the old jeep road.  If they are up to something a bit longer (about 4 miles out and back) you can go all the way to the dam, its worth it.

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4- Saguaro East

The entire park is a fun area that has a nice 8 mile paved loop with plenty of stops to get out and do short little hike in the desert landscape, jump back into the air-conditioned car and head to the next spot.  One downside is the spiderweb of trails to the north of the loop, if your not careful it can be a kind of maze.  At the south-east end of the loop there is a nice little picnic area with some big rocks for thuds to climb on.  This park also hosts a bunch of different events like the junior ranger program, more information can be found at their website.

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3 – Molino Basin

This is one of the first trail my wife took me on when I first got to Tucson.  Mostly we just scrambled up the little canyon on the north side of the road.  There is a little cascade and plenty of trees for the kids to climb on, just be sure to watch for snakes.

Headed down Aspen Trail

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   2 – Marshall Gulch/Aspen Trail

These trails can either be a nice out and back or a longer loop depending on what you and the family want to do.  There is a small creek going up Marshall Gulch and beautiful young aspen trees coming back down the Aspen trail.  This trail is great for spring, summer and fall but unless you want to snowshoe this isn’t the trail for winter time.

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1 – Sabino Canyon

This is by far one of the best outdoor ‘centers’ I’ve ever been to.  The visitors center is amazing and the park is well maintained.  It can get a bit crowded but there is plenty of space for all of the visitors.  If you want to ride the tram up Sabino Canyon Road you can do that and hike around in some or you can head up Bear Canyon and check out Seven Falls.  The entire park is well labeled and even stroller friendly in some areas.

One of the fun places to explore!

Honorable mentions; General Hitchock and Box Spring while these trails are great they just didn’t stack up to the others in my opinion.  Check out the poll below and share what you think is the top family trail in Tucson!