AstroGypsies

How does the saying go” how do you know it’s autumn in Tucson, license plate colours begin to change” as the droves from the North and East arrive. I’m not a fan of RV parks, you already may know that, the sardine feeling of being packed in with dozens, sometimes hundreds of other trailers can be smothering. Desert Trails in SW Tucson is a bit different, it is crowded, and close at times but how could you not love an RV park that used to be water theme park from the 70’s it looks like and has food trucks every Sunday, Jozarelli’s amazing pizza and Wednesday, Guerro Loco’s Bubba-Que🙂 and it’s backs up onto Tucson Mountains State Park and Saguaro National Park trails. Plus, good laundry facilities:) We’re not quite old enough to be here, but it is a good stopping spot to get some shopping done ( Total Wine, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven ) Down the road on the 86 was El Carniceria El Herradero…real tacos, caso fresca, arrachera and a wonderful friendly staff, nice to be speaking Spanish again, especially after a sad conversation with a woman in the laundry room at the RV park, saying she liked the National Parks, except for the foreigners…so because I am another somewhat white female she felt at ease to voice her racism…I always am astounded when someone says something like, Mike saved me, came in and started speaking Spanish to me;) There are just too many old white people in these places for us ever to feel that we fit in….

We also had to find a mobile RV service to look at the furnace that quit working. We called several mobile RV services, only one got back. Ray’s…would reccomend him to anyone. Knowledgable, quick and friendly. The board in the furnace was shot, he replaced it and half an hour later everything was up and running with a smile:) Why would we need our furnace in Tucson my Canadian friends might want to know, those chilly 40° nights are really cold…don’t hate us;)

American Kestral, also known as a Sparrow Hawk

Chihuahua Raven

Great Horned Owl

Juvenile Creted Caracara…skeksis?;)

Great Horned Owl

Then there is the magnificent Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum. We’d always missed the Raptor Free Flight Program, being too early or too late in the year for it, it runs November to March and we always were arriving at the wrong time:)…not this year! What an amazing sight to see these birds free flying, a Great Horned Owl, Chihuahua Ravens and my favourite new bird, the Crested Caracara. There is also a Ferruginous Hawk, but on windy days, and it was windy, it seems she just takes off for a while to explore…so they did not let her fly.

George, the resident Costas Hummingbird

Broad billed, I get it now;)

Mrs. Broad Billed getting an itch

Nice tummy bath

Mr. Broad Billed

Did I mention the Hummingbird aviary:) yup, best stop of all, in the shade and surrounded by hummingbirds. Met a couple of delightful photographers, Larry and Tom and we wandered about together before I had to feed Mike, not to the Mountain Lion though;) Cruz was superb, those paws! One big kitty, but he seemed uneasy, pacing and panting. With the heat the bobcats were sleeping as well as the foxes and we decided to call it a day for a lunch break.

Cruz resting in the shade

Panting on a hot day

Juvenile Crested Caracara

quite the squawk:)

Great Blue Heron, my those are long claws!

I could spend an entire day here wandering about! The heat was keeping us inside for great parts of the day, Groot was not happy but had his late afternoon walks. Gamora is now content to sit still and watch the birds. She is still very wary outside, maybe as she was a street urchin she is more cautious, or just her young age. So, we sit at the picnic bench, and watch the doves and try to avoid the cacti, she’s learning, already had a cholla jump out at her;) and attack, pulled it off with the pliers:(

Good morning sunshine

Earth shine retreating to the West

Gimme a hug..or not;)

Caught a beautiful earth shine and sunrise the day before we left on the paths behind the RV park, hadn’t realized how cooped up we had been, from cold to heat, the dry was new and we both felt like we were fighting a bug so taking it easy was just what the Doctor ordered for a few days. We cleaned the rest of the pine sap off of the truck roof, the trailer is next, perhaps when we hit a cooler California:)

but that, is another story…so I’ll leave you with butterflies in November, how glorious is that? Saludos amigos and stay tuned! California here we come:)

Painted Lady