HOT HOT HOT.

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4.11.13. We were on our way to see some Big Cacti!!! We made a pit stop at the Colossal Cave and got a tour down inside (Jordan's choice, I HATE Bats!!) But the cave was a dry cave, and there was no wildlife inside! I'll leave the visuals up to the photos. A lot of hard work from the CCC went into building this cave and allowing tours to pass through, stone walkways had to be built and staircases throughout- with all the supplies either being brought through the main door or an 'elevator' door they built for that purpose. There was unfortunately a lot of human damage inside from before the cave became 'protected'. This was also our first viewing of the big cactus, the ones you picture in western movies that are 40ft tall with arms that stretch out to the sides. They fill the mountain sides around here- they almost seem fake.

After leaving the cave we made our way to Saguaro National Park. We were hoping to camp the night there, however upon arriving we found out there are only “hike – in” sites on the park...with a minimum hike of 6 miles. Plan B: Drive the 8mile “scenic loop” - stop and take LOTS of pictures, and then find a place to stay for the night and in the morning come back and explore the park a bit more.

4.12.13. We woke up early with the sun and found Kona a dog park......some real grass on a baseball field and lucky for her someone forgot a ball after their last game! She was in heaven, the cacti have really limited her full out sprints and obsessive ball sessions but shes been a trooper. We then went back to the park and did a 5 mile run on one of the trails- a little different than a NE trail run, you really have to be careful what you brush up against and pay attention to where your stepping. The morning was fairly cloudy which was nice. The sun here is HOT. We had some yummy post run egg sandwiches and rolled our bikes out for a few loops around the scenic drive. I did 2, Jo 4. The park is situated along the side of a mountain so the loop was a fun course to ride. One side is a pretty good uphill climb, the other you can really benefit from the downhill.

After that we were really ready for a shower.....now the mission was to find a campground with showers! We had called a place in the morning just north of the city that had 'heated' shower- not hot but heated...that would have to do! The problem was....as we pulled up to the check in booth- the CAMPGROUND FULL sign was up. Our van was full of two people who hadn't had a full shower in at least 10 days, and a dog who was sick of driving....our moods were sour and we had no where to stay....back to the trusty atlas.

Our goal is to head north into AZ making our way toward Sedona. Jordan found a campground that had overflow only camping available that night, but their showers were available and they were hot. It was a long 2 hour drive ... but the shower was amazing- we were totally different people after! The views are beautiful here, the Saguaro cacti are still all around, as well as some harsh mountain sides and really colorful sunsets.

There are a few lakes around and so yesterday we spent the day at Saguaro Lake. Kona was very happy to be swimming, as well as us. The temps are nice mid 80's, but the sun gets hot quick in the morning and is far more intense. Its hard to escape. The campground we are at has some hiking trails off the back. Jordan is making his way to the top now. He woke up at 5 to beat the heat and hopefully is at the top by now. Its a 3 mile hike in but is steep according to the map. He was excited. I struggled with the hot sun yesterday and decided it was probably in my best interest to stay low to the ground and out of the sun for the day. We will probably explore the lake more when he gets back and then we have a dinner cruise reservation on a steamboat through Canyon Lake tonight.

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Photos

MOOOOve Over.
Open Ranches everywhere around here.

Comments

[Sonny]

Great stuff. Enjoy and stay safe.

[David Foote]

Many visits
Love following your trip.....many visits to canyon lake and the apache trail. Enjoy

[big bird]

O.T.R.A.T.T.W. over the river and through the woods!!
great pictures, be careful out there!! did you bring a kite, because its windy in the west??

[Eileen Hickman]

picture perfect cacti
Looks beautiful. I think the longest dad and I went without showers when traveling was 7 days. Showers make the trip. Our worst laundry experience turned all items orange, frustrating. Enjoy the views, hope the boat was nice. Did Kona go too? We found calling ahead to campsites helped. Hopefully you won't get in a bind again. Looks like the kitchen is working out well. You could sell hotdogs when you come home.