With most everything closed for Christmas Day, the day was centered around a scenic hike. We had breakfast at the AirBnb, then drove 30 minutes to Saguaro National Park West. The Park is split into West and East, with Tucson in the middle.
Wasson Peak falls into the “all up hill, all down hill” category of hikes. It started out cloudy and cool but by the second hour we were in full sun. Locals pointed out a small side quest to see petroglyphs. It was a nice preview of what we’d see later in the day, and the seasonally wet area also had some different plants that attracted sprays of butterflies.
We were fairly depleted by the time we reached the peak so I was thankful our effort led to a panoramic view. No tall trees to obscure sight lines here! We shared a snack lunch during the brief break and began our descent.
Apart from the loose gravelly surface, the way down was much easier than the way up. Much of it followed a ridge, so while the views continued to be good, there was still not much in the way of shade. We had plenty of water but Ned didn’t have a long sleeve shirt. By the time we returned to the car nearly four hours had gone by and his arms were rather pink.
Afterward we drove the Bajada Scenic Loop and stopped for a short walk to the Signal Hill Hohokam petroglyphs. I wonder what the people who made them would think of all the tourists coming to look.
What stays with me are the long sight lines dotted with in stately cacti. It’s beautiful.
We had a little time at the AirBnb, then went to check out the local neighborhood light display, Winterhaven lights. It was quite the to do, with food stalls and loads of families admiring the over the top displays.
28517 steps
Leave a Reply