Cycling Mt. Lemmon

Tricat ride up Mt. Lemmon
Photo by David McErlean

Mt. Lemmon is world famous in the cycling community. Pro teams travel across the globe just to train on the Catalina Highway's steep, long roads. The road is 26 miles long with with over six thousand feet of elevation.

The weather is warm again and cycling season has never been better. This morning I left from La Buzz Caffe and headed up Mt. Lemmon. La Buzz Caffe is located at the base of Mt. Lemmon and is the last major parking lot before heading up the mountain.

From La Buzz Caffe, the road to the mountain is a few miles of false flats before reaching the mile marker zero, where it turns to a steady climb.

The first six miles to Molino Basin are the hardest. After passing Molino Basin, the road levels out more to make the length of the ride harder than the steepness of it. The hardest part of the ride is telling yourself to keep going for three to four hours to the top. There are several places to stop along the way, such as Windy Point.

To keep the body moving, there are scenic views of all Tucson from the high elevation. Just looking out over the flat desert.

Once at the top of Mt. Lemmon, there is a small village with a general store and the Cookie Cabin. Although its a little pricy, the Cookie Cabin has really good pizza and cookies. These are the only places on the mountain to get food and refill your water bottles.

The way back down is very fast. Riders hit speeds over 50 miles and hour coming down the mountain. Watch out for fallen rocks in the road and cars. It will be one of the few times that riders are moving faster than the cars.

Expect to take three or four hours for the climb, and an hour for the way down. Don't for get to bring extra water and food on this ride. There any available until reaching the village. Also make sure to bring warm clothes with you for the way back down. The wind gets very cold while coming down.

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Pima Canyon Trail

Pima Canyon Trail
Photo by David McErlean

After eight weeks of recovering from a knee injury, I am finally able to go hiking again.

For my first hike back, I went to Pima Canyon Trail in the Santa Catalina Mountains.

Pima Canyon is an easy trail that starts on the west end of the Catalinas. The trail begins with a easy walk through the hills surrounded by local homes. On the trail, there are several areas that are great for picnicking with a large group. After the houses, the trail becomes covered in cotton wood trees. The trees shaded the trail, making it a great hike in the hotter months of the year.

After the first few miles, the trail becomes slightly steeper on the way to pima dam. The dam is a small rock wall with a thin layer of concrete over it. Hiking to the Pima Dam is an easy hike for every skill level.

Pima Damn
Photo by David McErlean

Hiking to the dam is 3 to 4 hours round trip. Make sure to bring enough food and water. There is no fresh water anywhere on the trail. Some parts of the trail are not easy to see so follow the cairns that mark the trail.

Cairn marks the trail
Photo by David McErlean

For a longer hike, continuing on the trail after the dam will take you deep into the mountains to connect with Finger Rock trail to Mt. Kimball and further up Mt. Lemmon.

The first few miles of the trail are very popular on the weekends. Get to the parking lot early in the morning or later in the afternoon.

To get to the trail head, head north on N. Euclid Ave. Cross the Ina intersection and go into the neighborhood. Turn right on E. Magee Rd. The road will dead end in the parking lot.

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Arizona Ghost Towns: Ruby Arizona

Ruby Arizona
Photo by David McErlean

After an hour on a dirt road hugging the U.S. Mexico border, I came to the town of Ruby Ariz. Not sure on what to expect from the Ghost Town in the middle of no where, I drove in to explore.

Ruby is an old mining town that was abandoned in the 50's. Now, it is used as a tourist attraction with the historic town to search through, fishing and hiking.

School House in Ruby Ariz.
Photo by David McErlean

With a few of its original buildings still standing, Ruby is a great place to get lost in time while exploring the old fashioned school house and other buildings around the property. After exploring the remnants of the mine, it's easy to pick up a trail leading into the Coronado National Forest.

In the summer time, Ruby is home to thousands of bats living in the mine shaft. When the bats leave, it is said that they look like a cloud of smoke, flowing out of the tunnel for up to an hour.

The area is most popular for bird watching and fishing. The ponds hold trophy size bass and other game fish. The lake is quiet and you are almost guarantied to have it all to yourself. Ruby is open to the public Thursday through Sunday.

Things to remember: Make sure to fill you car with gas before getting onto the 289 from Nogales and bring food and water for the day; there isn't anything near Ruby. The road is dirt but maintained and patrolled often by U.S. Border Patrol.

Work Truck in Ruby Ariz.
Photo by David McErlean

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Gone Walkabout: Gentleman Hiker's Arizona Trail Trek

Tune in Tuesday night at 7, MST for a live blog with Arizona's Gentleman Hiker, John Officer, to talk about hiking the Arizona Trail and tips to be more successful on the trail.

Arizona Trail

Map from: Arizona Trail Association website

The Arizona Trail is an 800 mile trail that continuously runs across the state from Mexico to Utah. The trail passes through mountains, canyons and desert. Hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders get to see every side of Arizona as the land scape and wildlife change with every step of the trail. 

"We all love the many features of the Arizona Trail. It has challenging mountains, pine forests, lush desert with towering saguaros and incredible canyons. Plus, there's the wildlife; from wild elk and javelina to colorful cardinals and red tailed hawks to scurrying gila monsters and, if you are very lucky, maybe a desert tortoise," said Dave Hicks, a hikers and the executive director for the Arizona Trail Association in a press release.

The Arizona Trail Association has been planning, developing, managing and promoting the Arizona Trail since January 22, 1994. The trail is 96 percent complete with only 35 miles left to develop. The ATA is hoping to have all 800 miles of the trail completed and open to the public by the year 2012.

I plan to run start running segments of the trail this coming spring.

Blue Gold: Wold Water Wars

Water is the essence of life. Everything needs water to survive. Plants, animals, people, everything.

The blue gold is so vital to our survival that societies have gone through great lengths just for a taste of it. Societies have even worshiped it as a God.

The documentary, Blue Gold: World Water Wars, looks at the worlds water and the wars being fought for the control over its depleting supply.

Water in the U.S. is under appreciated. When a faucet is turned on, water is expect to come rushing out in endless supplies, but all that water has to come from somewhere. Soon, that somewhere is going to be no where. The water table world wide is getting lower. In some parts of the world, it is already gone.

About 70 percent of the earths surface is made up of water. Around 97 percent of the water is salt water. The rest is being stored in ice, rivers and underground waiting to be used. (U.S. Geological Survey)

Living in the desert, water is in high demand and low supply. Tucson has an increasing water shortage problem. The number of people living here is increasing while the amount of natural resources is plummeting.

The film takes an interesting look at what different societies have gone through to have clean drinkable water. It also looks at ways to stop the decline of the water table and start the recharge of drinkable water. Blue Gold: World Water Warsis a movie everyone should watch to understand the importance of water.

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge

Buenos Aires NWR
Photo by: David McErlean

Sweeping desert covered in cactus as far as the eyes can see. Hundreds of miles of dirt trails that stretch into the open desert. Empty camp sites marked by a lonely sign.

What was once used for camping, hiking, mountain biking, and hunting, is now an empty desert, patrolled by U.S. Border Patrol. The border war in the United States against illegal immigrants and drugs has made the area too dangerous for recreational use.

Named for the pleasant breeze that blows through the area, the Buenos Aires started in 1909 as a private ranch. U.S. Fish and Wildlife bought the ranch on August 1,1985 and established the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Pima County, Ariz. to save the Masked Bobwhite Quail and other endangered wildlife, according to Congressional records.

Water Barrels in Buenos Aires NWR
Photo by: David McErlean

The Buenos Aires is now a major gateway into the United States for illegal migrants and drug mules. With around 118,000 acres of land, it is one area that people try to enter the United States. They are able to walk right over the border and blend into the desert before any Border Patrol agents even know of their existence. Getting lost from Border Patrol isn't always the best thing though. With so much land to cover, migrants find themselves lost in the park for days, unable to find any water source. The park is covered with empty water bottles left by passing migrants as they finish the last drops to their supply.

To help migrants from dying in the desert on their journey north, the Buenos Aires NWR has allowed Humane Borders to place water at three locations in the park. Marked by a blue flag raised 30 feet off the desert floor, two 55 gallon drums filled with drinking water wait for passing people in need of water.

In an effort to see how difficult water is to find in the desert, I went on a mission to find all of the listed water sources in the Buenos Aires. With the use of a map, compass, and a truck, I was able to find the listed water drums. The locations were full of water and in plain site, but the vastness of the desert landscape made me realize how next to impossible it would be to find the water after a day of running in the hot sun.

Read my story, A Quest for Water, for more information on the Humane Borders water tanks in the Ariz. desert at BorderBeat.