Stars and a moonlit view – looking towards Agua Caliente Hill and the Rincons. September 2014.
The weather has been hot lately and there is no hint of relief in the perfectly clear blue skies – but there are still some surprisingly lovely nights…
The first White-lined Sphinx Caterpillar I have seen this season. September 2014.
From the Phoneline Trail Sabino Canyon sounded like a raging river – as we descended we wondered if there was a chance that we wouldn’t feel comfortable crossing – but down by the canyon the flow didn’t seem as impressive and the crossing was fine – we enjoyed the cool knee deep water.
A glance at the USGS Guage for Sabino Canyon shows that we were lucky to see higher water levels – the storm fed flow peaked late on the 19th and quickly diminished.
Crossing Sabino Canyon – storms briefly increased the flow and we enjoyed cool knee deep water at the first crossing down from Phoneline. August 2014.
Two hikers rescued from Mt.Lemmon – Arizona Daily Star – A mother and son set out on the Lemmon Trail to hike from the top of the mountain to Catalina State Park and needed a rescue due to dehydration and exhaustion.
Street Smarts: Road named for old prison camp – Arizona Daily Star – This article pulls together a number of interesting facts about the highway and the Prison Camp – interesting reading and certainly don’t miss the pictures there were several great pictures that I had not seen!
David Leighton includes his Sources for the information in the Street Smarts article – one very interesting source that I was not aware of is Peter Taylor’s Master’s Thesis “If you build it, they will come: The story of the Catalina Highway.” So far I have only read select sections carefully but I am already completely fascinated – the sections I have read are filled with fascinating details! (And even some of the material I have seen before is pulled together nicely and fun to revisit.) This Thesis is available to read online without charge from the University of Arizona. One of my favorite details so far:
Unfortunately for the escapees, the most viable route of escape was to follow Soldier Creek as it headed down toward the Tucson basin. The drainage quickly becomes a closed-in, steep canyon that funnels a hiker through an ever-narrowing chute. As the canyon reaches the desert floor, it begins to widen out where it crosses the Catalina Highway. The guards would simply wait at the road for the prisoners to arrive. The escapees, by then tired out from their over night hike and often pin cushioned by cactus thorns, were then apprehended and sent to a regular prison (7’C 29 November 1993).
