But It Was Fun.
I went hiking on the De Anza Trail on Thursday. The De Anza Trail is 1,210 miles long and goes from Nogales, Arizona all the way to San Francisco. Juan Bautista De Anza, apparently, led 300 people along this route in the 1775-1776 Spanish Expedition. He also founded a Mission and Presidio in San Francisco, a Mission in Santa Clara and the Pueblo of San José. The group ended by settling in the San Francisco Bay area.
The full trail is not yet restored. They worked a bit on one section last fall, but I think we started at the end of the finished part, because the trail completely disappeared. Luckily, we were in a portion of desert where it’s almost impossible to get lost. We trekked southward, hoping to get to a little town, but at some point we were stuck hiking in washes and dried riverbeds.
An owl swooped by us here, but I didn’t have my camera out.
We (a bit stupidly, I admit) decided to leave at two in the afternoon to make it to Tubac in time for friends to meet us for dinner. Hiking in 96 degree heat in the sun is tough. I had my reservations, but my hiking partner was an Arizonan, so I was thinking that maybe Arizonans are used to this weather, and that I should get used to it too, LOL.
We saw a beautiful golden coyote here. Why do I never have my camera up when I want a shot?
Most of the time we were hiking in sand. I think I sunk four inches every step, then I had to lift my leg out. My hips are still sore, LOL. Good exercise, though.
I found the dried and cracked mud of the wash fascinating.
Near the end of our trip, we hiked for the freeway so we could be picked up. We’d hiked four hours, and we were starved. We saw this little guy on a log. What’s fascinating to me is that this lizard appeared like it was coated with fuzzy, black velour.
Not so in the picture. Weird.
So that was my adventure for the week. 
How was your week?
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Natasha Fondren is a writer traveling the U.S. in a camper with her four cats. She is currently enjoying the lizards and desert heat in Arizona.
Sounds like that was about enough adventure given the heat.
DEFINITELY!
My week was nothing as exciting as yours. We looked at lighting fixtures today and ordered new ones for our kitchen. I wanted simple, and that’s what we got. I hope they look good when they come in.
Oh pretty! I hope so, too!
Just seeing a lizard would make for a notable week for me. And hiking through sand in 96 degrees would probably make it my last week. Also “a portion of the desert where it is also impossible to get lost” strikes me as a very dubious statement! However, it does sound like a great little advanture.
LOL, Eric! Well, it’s true. The desert here has lots of hills and valleys and canyons. People have been known to go in circles until they die, LOL. But this portion has a visible mountain to the left, and we were in a narrow (as in a mile or two wide) passageway between parallel railroad tracks and a freeway. So really, you can’t get lost.
96 degrees? For little sweaty people like me, that would have been tough. We’d have been chatting, and you’d look over and see me getting shorter and shorter. Finally, it would just be my talking head gliding along on a pool of saline. Eventually, there would have been nothing but a puddle.
I love the pictures of where you saw the owl and the coyote. That made me smile.
LOL, Robin! I wouldn’t want that to happen!
Weren’t they great pictures of animals?
nice! A golden coyote – didn’t even know that they were that color.
It kinda looked like this coyote, almost the color of a light deer. A little less black in the fur.
Stupendous mountains. I like their shapes.
My adventure consisted of physio, and having my leg up over a guy’s shoulder…
Ouch! Although… I hope the guy was hot. That would make it worth it, almost!
I love these pictures! What a gorgeous area you live in. I’m impressed with your stamina and ambitious hike! My week was great…still going, actually, since it’s just Wednesday now..;) We’re doing the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony this week. I LOVE that piece!
Oh awesome, Darcy! That is a cool piece! Is it only Wednesday? Still time for redemption, LOL! I feel like I haven’t gotten enough done.
Beautiful hike! I’m jealous
I wish I’d been cool enough to appreciate it!