Last weekend I went to a different part of Saguaro National Park East for my first hike of 2025.
Life In Motion.
Parker Canyon Lake.
Earl and I decided to go for a little road trip to celebrate New Year’s Day. We weren’t looking to put hundreds of miles on the car; I wanted to see what was south of the fairly nearby community of Sonoita. I had heard there was some good storm chasing down in those parts during Monsoon Season, and this would be a good opportunity to get a lay of the land so I know what my options look like when lightning shot opportunities move into the region.
Parker Canyon Lake is in the Coronado National Forest. It’s fairly close to the Mexican border, but not close enough where you can see the wall or anything. The area is quite scenic and there were quite a few campers doing their thing in the various campgrounds. I love the fact that people can go camping in January.
I took a bunch of photos in the area.
On the way home we stopped at a brewery some friends recommended. Situated in the small town of Sonoita is the Copper Brothel. We had a nice lunch before making the trek back to Tucson.
It was a wonderful way to start the new year.
Flagstaff.
I took half a day off from work so we could get a head start on the weekend. The original plan was for me to go hiking early Saturday morning up in Flagstaff. However, when we got up there, I reviewed the weather forecast and it was calling for morning thunderstorms.
Morning thunderstorms are not a good thing when you’re hiking on a mountain peak.
So I made the determination tonight that we’d change the purpose of the weekend and just have a relaxing time. It was easy to come to this decision; the both of us have been quite stressed for the past week or so due to a myriad of reasons, so having a “down time” weekend was just what we needed. So Friday night we explored Downtown Flagstaff, which is a wonderful place on a Friday night in August.
Downtown Flagstaff sits at about 7000 feet above sea level. The higher elevation isn’t particularly noticeable to me, but I did have a low grade headache by the time bedtime rolled around.
The first photo is a hotel. We had dinner here together the first time we were in Flagstaff, which was back in 2003. I believe it’s called the Hotel Weatherford.
Video: Hiking Mount Lemmon – hot fun in the summer sun
I had a fun hike up on Mount Lemmon yesterday. I’m happy I got this whole “hiking in the summer in the desert” thing figured out. Here’s a video of my adventure, with some bits about the history of Incinerator Ridge, some tips to make it enjoyable, and maybe a blooper or two. Enjoy!
Video: Tips for Hiking Mount Lemmon – Aspen and Mint Springs Trails
Here’s a video of my latest hiking adventure. I decided to take a slightly different approach with this video and included tips on how making your hike more awesome when you’re hiking Mount Lemmon. I’d love to hear any feedback you have on this or my other videos.
I have to admit I’m rather proud of this particular piece. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it.
Video: Lemmon Rock Lookout Trail.
I went hiking yesterday morning. It was a bit more humid than it’s been in past weeks, but it was still cool at the Summit Trailheads atop Mount Lemmon. This time I hiked down the fairly steep Lemmon Rock Lookout Trail. Next time I’ll take some hiking poles or something to be a little more steady on my feet.
I had a harder time than usual putting this video together. With the political turmoil going on and Earl yelling “breaking news!” from the other room every hour, I had a hard time finding music tracks I thought would fit the vibe I was striving to achieve.
I talk about being positive and doing positive things for the world in my videos. I truly believe that. But sometimes I need to listen to my own press.
I hope you enjoy my latest video.
Holiday Start.
I went for a hike early this morning, because I am really enjoying hiking these days. I hiked along the “Wilderness of Rocks” trail near Mount Lemmon. The video is forthcoming, but it was a great day for a hike.
Hiking Mount Lemmon: Aspen Draw-Aspen-Marshall Gulch Trails.
Here’s my latest hiking video! This weekend I hiked up from Summerhaven again. I hiked the Aspen Draw trail again, but then went down the other side of the ridge along the Aspen and Marshall Gulch Trails. This was a fun point-to-point hike as Earl was waiting for me at the Marshall Gulch Picnic Area.
I’m trying to get these videos out there simply because I like sharing my adventures and I hope viewers enjoy the experience as much as I do. If you know someone that may enjoy, please send them to my channel!
Hiking Mount Lemmon: Incinerator Ridge Trail.
Not only is hiking a much needed escape for my mental well-being, making videos about the experience is equally as mentally grounding for me. Here’s a video of yesterday’s hike.
Hiking Mount Lemmon: Butterfly Trail.
I decided to go for a short hike yesterday morning. I hiked some of the Butterfly Trail on Mount Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains. It was a great little hike.
