Leg Two: Tucson to not Tucumcari but Gila, NM

 Leg Two: Tucson and Gila Wilderness

I drove perhaps my longest leg of the trip from Escondido to Tucson. Seven hours all told, with breaks, and it was a long day. Easy on Interstate 10, though. And easier with road snacks:

Thanks, Chuckie and Jerry!

My kindergarten best friend and Sissy, Sonya, winters in Tucson with her husband, so I caught them a few weeks before they headed to their home in Wisconsin. 

We took a beautiful spring hike in Catalina State Park. The wildflowers were blooming like crazy and there was a nice running creek with pools for a rest at the midpoint of the loop. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect weather day. Close to 80º with a tiny breeze to keep us cool.

Eschscholzia californica ssp. mexicana, a subspecies of California poppy. They were everywhere!

I'm guessing Arizona toad, Anaxyrus microscaphus. My dumb phone focused on the rock not the animal as I took a quick shot.

Our rest spot, a beautiful clear pond along a rushing creek.

Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens) starting to bloom!

After our hike we rewarded ourselves with tacos and beer and a nap.

Some music by a Grateful Dead cover band and pizza and beer rounded out the evening. 

Started our evening at The Hut

And ended it with baby beers

The next day, we trekked to Gila, NM, where Sonya and Dale have often rented cabins. It is a beautiful setting, and we enjoyed some short walks with friends Lupita and Gary as well. It was still quite cool these early springtime days. The creeks were running heavy with spring run-off, so our hikes were cut short, but it was beautiful!

This place billed itself as an RV park. Look at all the tractors!

Along Mineral Creek. We had to turn around after a short while cuz the river was just too high and swift.

We drove to another trailhead: The Catwalk. It was SO COOL! In the olden days, people decided that the rushing creek water through the narrow Whitewater Canyon would be fine for helping them mine. They bolted pipes onto the stone walls and ran the water through. Later, the Civilian Conservation Corps worked it into a walking path above the stream.

It's also cool volcanic geology.

Click for movie

We ate dinner in Silver City and noticed this fine classic car across the street. 

We got an extra day in Gila because it rained, and the road was too muddy for Poppy to navigate the hills. I was grateful for the support and expertise of my friends Sonya and Dale and Lupita and Gary for helping me out of the sticky (and slick!) situation. It was wonderful to have an extra day to really relax and kick back.

We watched movies, read, walked, and painted rocks! Much needed day of RnR. 

There be artists here.

Fresh snow on the mountains as I left!

I am grateful for my friends. My oldest friend Sonya who I’ve known for 56 years, and her wonderful husband Dale, and my very newest friends,Lupita and Gary,  who I’ve known for three days. I’m thankful for wonderful people in my life. It was just a fun few days! 

New Mexico has my heart, and the Gila Wilderness area is a new beautiful piece of it! You should go!