Kitt Peak

We are in Tucson for a week.  The first touristy thing we did while here was go to the Kitt Peak Observatory.    The round building is the usual telescope looking at the stars and the funny building that looks like a 7 that fell over is a solar observatory.  Most of the building is underground.  Not sure how it all works but it was interesting to see all of the equipment they use to study a laundry list of astronomical things.   The visitor center had lots of interesting information and a video with beautiful pictures from telescopes such as Hubble.  Kitt Peak is 6800 feet high and when we got to the top the view of they mountains and valleys in the distance was incredible.

We have also started a culinary tour of Tucson.  We hit a great steakhouse the first night called Lil Abner's.  They grill the meat outside on a big wood fire where you can watch if you want.  Steak, ribs, chicken all very good.  On our way to Kitt Peak we stopped for lunch at Cindy Lou's.  They serve the best liver and onions in Tucson and Jim thought it was pretty good.  They also serve a poptart ice cream sandwich -- did not try.  Someone else will have to let us know if its any good. 

Small Critters

The hummingbirds have been gathering at my little feeder.  Sometimes there are up to 8 at a time plus a few bees all trying to get a drink.  We had small feeders attached to the window of the rig by suction cups and it was neat to see the hummers close up.  The only problem was they made a mess on the side of the rig.  Tiny hummingbird poop dripped down the side.  Yuk! even if it was tiny. 

We also had a visitor sitting on a pretty rock I found.  Its a walking stick (the bug) and he was about 8 inches long but not very thick.  He sat on the rock for a couple of hours.  I came back outside and he was gone and a big old bird was hopping away from the rock.  Walking sticks don't go very fast so I know he didn't get away.  The bird got a meal and then had the nerve to hang around looking for more. 

The snakes are out and so are the scorpions.  Jim met up with a rattlesnake that he thought was dead.  It was coiled up but its head was hanging to the side.  He got close to it thinking he might like the rattle when all of the sudden the snake moved its head.  Jim and the guy he was working with jumped back and ran to their truck.  Scared the daylights out of him and well it should have. 

Hot! Colors!

It's been HOT here all of a sudden.  Close to 100 degrees for several days after only being in the low 70's.  We like it warm but its nicer to get use to the heat while it creeps up from the 70's to the 80's and then the 90's.  Its supposed to be in the 80's after this hot spell which will be perfect.  Of course now its getting to be time to leave and head north.  We are going to take three or four weeks to get to Minnesota where it is still snowy and cold.

The desert bloom has started with the yellow Brittlebush blooming everywhere especially along roadways making it look like a beautiful carpet along the highway.  The Beavertail cactus are putting on a show of bright pink blooms.  The Ocotillo which usually look like a tall group of sticks are green with bright orange flowers on top.   There is Desert Globemallow which is a tall spiky orange blossom plant blooming along the highway and everywhere you look is a pretty purple flowered little plant.  The purple plant is called Scorpion weed.  It smells bad and gives many people a rash but it is pretty.  More new kinds of blooms are popping out everyday.  It should be gorgeous the whole rest of the time we are here. 

Gorgeous Sunsets

When the clouds came in it caused a great sunset.  It seems funny to wish for clouds but having sun most of the time you really notice when clouds finally do roll in and the colors are always great.  There is always dust in the air which is part of why the sunsets and even sunrises are so pretty.   It rained a little bit here just enough tomake the road a little muddy.  It is hard to get the mud off the truck.  It is that really sticky caliche stuff that turns to cement when it dries.  Jim really wants to put the truck up on a lift so he can get all the mud off from underneath.

The truck needs to go in for some work.  The windshield washer isn't working because a packrat ate the rubber tubing that feeds the fluid up to the windshield.  He tried putting more fluid in the reservoir and it dissappeared.  Not sure what all is going on but we need it fixed before we hit the road.

Natural Water tank

Desert Bighorn Sheep, mule deer, burros and all kinds of other desert dwellers come to this natural water tank for a drink.  We hiked back to it and it was about a mile up off of the Painted Desert hiking trail here on the refuge.  It hasn't rained here in a month and then it was less than an inch.  The rain water runs down the hills here and into this rock pothole.  The water doesn't absorb into the soil in these desert areas it just runs and collects in rock depressions.  The animals appreciate this water otherwise they have to travel all the way to the river which is quite a trek.

Some desert blooms have started.  We are seeing some pretty yellow flowers on the brittlebush.  This shrub with the red flowers is called a chuparosa.  It will bloom whenever it gets a little water.  The beavertail cactus and the ocotillo will be blooming soon.   We never stay long enough into April to see the desert all in bloom.  Its hard to say how good the bloom will be this year.  We had some good rain but its just hard to tell if it was enough to make everything bloom.