We rose early to hike a bit before we had to check out of our campsite.
We chose three shorter scenic hikes rather than one long one so that we could take in lots of sights while still being active.
The first two hikes were off the Baja Scenic Loop drive.
The Valley View Overlook Trail lead us through the Saguaro forest to a scenic overlook of the valley below.
Kik out on the precipice
Cholla in bloom
Itty bitty grass hopper (above) and funnel web (below)
The signal hill hike lead up to a bunch of rocks featuring petroglyphs.
The desert discovery nature trail had labels for many local plants and so we continue to expand our inventory of identifiable plants in this desert.
Tarantula
We enjoyed Saguaro. At this time of year, when it's not too hot, I think we could easily have spent more time there and enjoy many more trails. But everybody is feeling antsy to get home to California, so we move on.
Casa Grande was a quick stop. We only spent a couple hours there.
We caught their last tour of the day. It was about an hour long and given by a woman who is very passionate about the ruins.
Casa Grande was the name given by Father Kino, the same
Father Kino who started the mission Tumacácori.
This is the largest structure of several structures that are here. It was four stories tall and built in the mid 1300s by an unidentified native tribe.
Several tribes in the area now believe this tribe is part their ancestry and call these grounds sacred.
Even on the shortest visits, we have found that having our children (and us) go through the junior ranger book, and, of course, a live tour, are the best ways to really learn about the sites we visit.
Happy trails to us as we head off to see some friends!
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