Picacho Peak State Park, Day 3

Looking East From on Top of Picacho Peak

Saturday, November 30, 2013, Picacho Peak State Park, AZ, Day 3 - 0 miles, 4,515.6 For the Trip

Today was a quiet, do nothing day. Cloudy and cool, it would have been a much better day to climb the peak than yesterday, but who knew?

I did notice that you can hear some of the louder trucks on I10, and the engines of the trains at night. Not so loud that they bothered me, but I read one review of the park that stated the noise was so bad they couldn't sleep. Some of the sites are closer to the road than mine, so it could be a problem, particularly for light sleepers. Here in site B1 the furnaces of the near by trailers & motorhomes were louder than the trains...

Another interesting fact - there are two other trailers here in the campground that are being pulled by a RAV4 V6. One is a ProLite Escapade , and the other a Gulf Stream Visa. While there are more small trailers here at Picacho than most of the other campgrounds I've been in, these are the first I've seen towed by RAV4s. Both are from Quebec, Canada.

I did spend much of the afternoon catching up on web pages, banking, and, of course, reading. No photos for the day, so I used one from yesterday.

Around 5:00 it finally got too cool to sit outdoors, so I moved into the trailer & started dinner - A Chicken & Mushroom Pot Pie.

Until Next Time -

The Climb to Picacho Peak

Down From Picacho Peak

Friday, November 29, 2013, Picacho Peak State Park, AZ, Day 2 - 0 miles, 4,515.6 For the Trip

There was a sign attached to the Dairy Queen at the I10 exit about 2 miles from the campground that said "Breakfast"! So like a fool, I decided to try it. Undercooked pancakes & undercooked bacon, although the coffee was good. There is another restaurant next to the Adult Book Store (yes, complete with truck parking) but since the roof has caved in I suspect it isn't open (the restaurant - the book store looks like it is doing business).

After breakfast I decided to take the hike to Picacho Peak. I'm not sure what possessed me, but rather than taking the 2 mile Hunter Trail Hike, I decided to take the Sunset Vista Trail, a 3.1 mile hike. It was a nice hike through the desert, but the return seemed to take forever. I was hoping for sight of the parking lot over every hill!

As the photo of the trail information states, the first 2 miles are a climb, but not too difficult. The last mile definitely meets the description as "difficult". I'd compare the overall hike and climb to going up Angels Landing in Zion National Park. I have to admit I didn't do the last .4 miles at Zion because the downhill traffic was so heavy you waited 10 - 15 minutes for every section of chain.

That said, while the drop was higher at Zion, here at Picacho it is still long enough that going over the edge would have the same result. Rather than a chain, here they have cables, which are a bit rougher on the hands, particularly if you try to slide along them rather than make new grips with each move. They recommend gloves, which I didn't bring.

The first set of cables you come to (taking the Sunset Vista Trail - Hunter Trail does not go up this section) go almost straight up with not all that many footholds. Making the climb requires mostly arm work rather than legs & feet. I almost turned back, but remembering how I kicked myself for not finishing Angels Landing, I ventured on. While the rest of the cable sections were difficult, none were as steep as the first one, although most had tricky footing.

In any case, the view from the top is great. One of the photos shows the campground - if the resolution was better (I was only carrying my 17 - 35mm lens) you could see my trailer right behind the green roofed restrooms. The return trip was uneventful, although as usual, the footing going down was more difficult than going up. At least gravity was on my side so I didn't have to stop for breath as often. All in all, a great hike, although I am pretty beat. Angels Landing was 3 years ago, and I definitely feel every one of them! Lots more photos of the hike at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Back at the campground I tried to sit outside and read, but everything I was wearing was sweat soaked and the light breeze was freezing me (I know, too much information!) so I gave up, took a shower, put on some sweats, and did manage to sit until dinner, which, by the way was a Black Angus Burger (couldn't find Bubba Burgers), Macaroni & Cheese, and a Yellow Cling Peach Del Monte Fruit Natural. These are individual servings that are kept in the refrigerator, and taste far better than canned fruit. I shot a couple more sunset photos while cooking dinner.

Until Next Time -

Picacho Peak State Park, AZ

I10 & the Stars

Thursday, November 28, 2013, Picacho Peak State Park, AZ, - 38 miles, 4,515.6 For the Trip

Happy Thanksgiving, at least to those in the US. The Canadians had theirs last month.

A short drive today. I did take a photo of the sun setting on the mountains at Catalina last night and included it here. I was hoping Picacho Peak would be a dark campground. Parts might be, but my site is too close to the restrooms - lots of spill. In addition, I10 is a couple of miles below the campground. While you can hear the traffic (and trains) when sitting outside, they are far enough away that it isn't annoying. Once inside I can't hear them at all. I did take a photo after sunset that shows the headlights on I10 along with the stars. I'll check before I go to sleep to see if it gets any darker to try for some star photos. The rest of today's photos at LakeshoreImages.

I'm in site B1, a very level gravel site with electric only (like the entire campground).

Dinner was Chicken Parmesan with spaghetti. A frozen, pop in the toaster oven meal, the only Boston Market meal I like.

Catalina State Park, AZ, Day 3 & The Pima Air & Space Museum

SR71 Blackbird

Wednesday, November 27, 2013, Catalina State Park, AZ, Day 3 & The Pima Air & Space Museum - 0 miles, 4,477.6 For the Trip

Another day here in Catalina. While I didn't do any towing today, I did put some mileage on the RAV4. Speaking (well, typing) of mileage, I often have people ask if I actually tow the trailer with the RAV4. I, of course, say yes, and then mention how many miles I've towed it. I've been saying 39,000 miles when I hit 4K on this trip, but decided to actually add the trips up for a more accurate count. The result - as of today, 43, 535.2. Not bad for a little RAV4!

I decided to check out the Pima Air & Space Museum. I love looking at old airplanes, and this place is huge. A couple of buildings filled with airplanes, engines, rockets, etc as well as acres of outdoor storage of all kinds of airplanes. While I enjoyed the indoor sections, the field outside was cool and very windy. Since it was hot and calm when I left the campground only 24 miles away, I didn't bring a jacket. Big mistake! While I didn't walk through all the rows of airplanes outside, I did see a bunch that I wanted to see. The only one I was looking for that they didn't have was a P38 Lightning. My uncle worked on the design of the P38, a very neat looking airplane. They had one, but it was traded off to another museum. I took a bunch of photos - no captions, but they are all from the museum. The last image is one of a piece of moon rock brought back on one of the Apollo missions. Photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

I got back to the campground around 3:30 and sat in the sun reading until dinner. One of the campers across the street from me locked his keys in the car. It took a locksmith an hour and a half to get here, and 10 seconds with a Slim Jim to open the door. I don't want to guess what it cost, but less than breaking a window!

Dinner was a salad. I should have waited - the guys with the locked door stopped by around 6:30 asking me to bring over a plate for a share of their turkey dinner!

Until Next Time -

Catalina State Park, AZ, Day 2

Cactus at Catalina State Park, AZ

Tuesday, November 26, 2013, Catalina State Park, AZ, Day 2 - 0 miles, 4,477.6 For the Trip

A note for anyone living in a small fiberglass trailer - Bean soup and a 14' well sealed box don't mix all that well. Good thing I'm solo!

After breakfast I headed to the Catalina Park trail head and did one of the shorter loops. Took lots of desert photos, including many cactus. After getting back to the trailer I opened up the folding chair, got out some snacks, and prepared to enjoy the warmth. Of course 5 minutes after I sat down Toyota called telling me my car was ready. On the way to pick it up I did stop at the Camera Store and picked up a Nikon lens cap to replace the one that seems to have disappeared, and a replacement battery cover. I was glad to get rid of the Highlander and back to my RAV4.

While it is a lot warmer today than yesterday it was still a fairly cool shower in the campground bathroom. Large showers with a bench (but only one hook) but fairly anemic water flow & barely hot. It does help you set record drying time!

Dinner was Orange Chicken.

Until Next Time -