Tucson

Kevin spent the day getting ready for his work trip so I drove to Tucson for some shopping. I took Sara with me.

We left at 9:15am and got to Reid Park shortly after 10am, where we walked the 2.98-mile David Bell multi-use trail. I had always wanted to walk this trail but was a little disappointed in that it was nothing more than a rectangular perimeter walk around the golf course. I was hoping for a few curves, hills and scenic flora.

Sara conked out half-way around the loop so we took it easy, slowing down the pace and resting in the shade. She seemed to enjoy getting her shoulders massaged. She didn't bark or pull at other dogs and was very well behaved, but the heat had gotten to her.

After our hour walk Sara seemed exhausted, so I kept any exercise after that to a minimum. I stopped at Bookmans, traded in a few books, stopped at Summit Hut and then went to the UA campus but in the last minuted opted not to visit the Brew Pub. None of the businesses I walked in were busy, but I could tell that the bar across the street from Gentle Ben's was packed with March Madness fans; North Carolina was playing Oklahoma and ended up winning.

Instead I ate a quiet meal at Chuy's off Country Club and Speedway, watching the van carefully as Sara was resting inside. She was in the cool shade now and napping. I read part of my new "Buffalo Bill's America" while enjoying a chicken burrito. The restaurant was quiet.

It was now late in the afternoon. I was ready to go home, but this time drove the backroads back, via the Old Spanish Trail eastward that sloped and curved around the far east side of Tucson before ending in Vail. I continued on via the Marsh Station Road, passed a trailhead to Davidson Canyon (I made a mental note of that) and ended at the interstate, with the Rincon Valley glowing in reds and oranges as the sun lowered itself over the horizon. I've always liked this part of Tucson-Vail with its neat cacti gardens but now many Uebermansions have taken over the landscape. This is beautiful cactus country. And to think that I've never driven this route before! I have got to go back and explore Davidson Canyon more, now that I know where a trailhead is.