Wow, has it been three years since I visited the desert? Absolutely unheard of, but 2019 was a weird year for reasons I can’t quite recall, and 2020-2021, well, you know. So when I had the random requirement to spend some money on American Airlines, I knew just where I wanted to go.
And let me tell you, while Tucson in July is bearable, Tucson in October is magical.
Saguaro National Park
I started out at Saguaro National Park, and it was just as empty as I’d could have possibly hoped for. After flying from Atlanta to Tucson with silent passengers who seemed too afraid to say a word lest they spread disease, everyone I ran across at Saguaro was friendly and welcoming. And perhaps just as surprising, it turns out my new Galaxy S21+ can actually take decent pictures. It was the day I’d needed for a very long time.
And really, where else can you manage to find shots like this?
Coronado National Forest
I won’t lie, Mt. Lemmon captured my soul the first time I visited in 2009. My Georgia body hates the 9100-foot elevation, but thankfully, there are a few flat trails on the summit that even I can manage. The damage done by the Bighorn Fire last year was substantial, but the Meadow Trail was open once more, and I couldn’t have picked a better week to see the leaves changing.
Bear Wallow
But even my beloved summit trails couldn’t compare to Bear Wallow…at least to a person who hasn’t really seen fall colors since leaving Chicago in 2005. I picked a rock in a small aspen grove and just sat to watch the light change. Bear Wallow is amazing in the summer, but this was beyond anything I could have imagined. I mean, how much more magical can a place that’s already magical get? Tons, apparently.
Marshall Gulch
And because I wasn’t really ready to leave the mountain, I headed even farther up past the lovely town of Summerhaven to Marshall Gulch, which was a new location for me. I don’t know how I’d never been, because there was water! That’s right, the headwaters of Sabino Creek are up there, and they were definitely flowing.
It was a quick trip because of some logistical issues at home, but it just was enough…and I got the added bonus of having dinner with my parents in Dallas on the way home. Crossing my fingers that it’ll hold me until my next road trip (Congaree National Park in just a few weeks).
Anyone else done any fun travel lately?