Monday, Jan. 9

We were blessed with another sunny, 70-degree day at Organ Pipe National Monument.  About 15 miles north of the campground was a dirt road that took us back to some impressive mountains at Alamo Canyon. The drive in was slow, but that gave us more time to ooh and aah at the formations and colors. The road dead-ended at the base of the towering rock, which gave us perfect scenery for lunch. Almost out of groceries, Carol made peanut butter, honey and banana sandwiches. They were good, but the atmosphere was much better. We all got out of the Ham after lunch and took in the beauty around us. We now know where to go for lunch when at Organ Pipe again.

Tuesday, Jan. 10

Gas and food stops delayed getting us to Catalina SP, outside of Tucson, until late afternoon. We took a hike, continually stared at the enormous mountains and enjoyed an Arizona sunset.

Wednesday, Jan. 11

The only way we could stay in this wonderful park was to move to a different site each day. After our morning hike, we settled into our new site and had lunch.

Lois had plans in the sun and Carol wanted to continue reading her book, so I took off on my bike for a ride and short hike.

Click on this link. https://photos.app.goo.gl/eg2hnMMrwebESt5B8

Thursday, Jan. 12

The campground was covered with frost this morning. Quite a contrast to the mid-seventies that are predicted for this afternoon.

With the dogs tired, a light lunch and the ladies involved in their afternoon activities, I biked to a canyon that I visited last year. I descended down to the rushing water and scrambled from boulder to boulder. To play in a big creek made me feel like a kid again. 

Click on this link. https://photos.app.goo.gl/4bGtfZGch93qwLoJ7

Friday, Jan. 13

The hot sun and warm temperatures were melting the snow on the surrounding mountains. Looking for one last adventure before leaving Catalina, Christy and I waded out into a normally dry wash at the base of the mountains. The icy water was quite a shock to my bare feet, but we were here to cool off. Christy didn’t seem as excited about the experience as I thought she would but that all changed when she found a large stick. Picking it up with her teeth, she held it high above her head and danced away. She had discovered a wonderful treasure. The dancing quickly turned into zoomies with water and sand flying everywhere. I eventually pulled the stick from her mouth and threw it downstream. Over and over the game went on until I finally had to be an adult and end the fun.

Dried off and back in the Ham, we left for downtown Tucson to spend a night at a Harvest Host destination. Surrounded in a plaza by every business imaginable was an old fifties diner. We found our spot in the parking lot with other HH members and ordered from the menu of Tucson’s top-rated diner. We enjoyed our food in the Ham and relaxed until bedtime.

Saturday, Jan. 14

The Phoenix parks are always a good choice for camping, so we returned to the beautiful Usery Park. While the dogs napped after their exhausting hike on the Chain Fruit Cactus trail, I took a hard, fast bike ride on a desert trail.