Hiking in the canyon, birding, dinner with friends and the ISS

Saturday was another beautiful Arizona day.  The sun was out, the sky was incredibly blue and the breezes kept it from feeling too warm.

Rob and I decided to get out early and get our run.  We started at Heritage Park trail and meandered here and there until we hit pavement.  We stayed on the road for a bit and then we were back to trail.  We eventually made it back to where we started.

We had plans for Saturday evening so we decided to spend part of our afternoon hiking with Penny.  She and Annie do really well in the motorhome but Penny does better if she is exercised.  Labradoodles are amazing dogs but they need exercise.  Annie loves to go to certain places but hiking up a canyon is not really her thing.  We sometimes put her in the backpack but decided that she should stay home.

Huachuca Canyon is just a short drive from the RV park.  It sits at the back of post and you can drive or hike along the road/trail.  We left the car at the trailhead and started making our way up.

MAKING OUR WAY TOWARDS THE TALLEST PEAK IN THE PICTURE.  WE WERE NOT HEADING TO THE TOP OF IT BUT PARALLEL TO IT

GETTING CLOSER

PENNY LANE SNIFFING TO HER HEART'S CONTENT.

JUST IN CASE YOU WANT TO HANG OUT IN A PIT TOILET.

The picture above is a bit gross but I couldn't resist.  The facilities were near the trailhead and the sign just supports why I loathe pit toilets.

It was sunny and a little warm but we crisscrossed small streams on the way up.  Penny Lane was able to find deeper pools of cold spring water to keep her cool.  We all had water to drink so it was actually a really nice day for hiking.

We came across several bird watchers.  Many of them were in pursuit of a bird called the Elegant Trogon.  After finding a couple of patient birders, I got a really good lesson on this beautiful bird.

These birds are native to Mexico and Central America but some come to extreme SE Arizona to nest.  Huachuca Canyon is one of only a few places where they might be seen.  You will hear one well before you see it.  They have a very distinctive call that is often described as a "bark" or a "croak." 

 I also learned about the Acorn Woodpecker.  

I had spotted this one on my own.  I thought it was a woodpecker but did not know what kind.  Again, the very patient birders gave me a short lesson.  These particular woodpeckers are on the small side.  They peck holes into trees and "hide" acorns they have found in the holes.  Apparently, they do not hide them very well and the squirrels steal them.

We had been hiking uphill since we left the car and we eventually peaked.  To continue would have had us going downhill so we decided that we would turn around.  

The downhill trip was a bit quicker.   We loaded our tired dog and made our way back to Lewis and Annie.  Annie was eager to see us and quite the zippy little bundle of energy.  Penny just wanted to eat and chill.

After a couple of hours hanging out with the pups, we got cleaned up and headed out to visit our friends the Portouws.

We have known the Portouws for quite a while.  Rob and Larry are fellow Army Officers and we were back yard neighbors when we were all on post in Pennsylvania.  Larry and Charlotte's kids used to babysit our kids.

Larry and Charlotte have an amazing house with acreage.  Their views are spectacular.  The house has a porch all the way around and their  strategically placed doors allow for the breezes to keep things very comfortable.  They also have two very, very sweet dogs.

WHISKEY

BRANDY

SILHOUETTES

It had been 15 years since we had last seen one another but we took up conversation like it had only been a week.  

We had an amazing dinner outside and, as darkness fell, the stars began to show themselves.  The light pollution was very low and the sky was brilliant.  We were particularly thrilled with an amazing view of the International Space Station as it moved across the sky. 

We had a lovely time with the Portouws.  We could have spent hours chatting and watching the light show but we knew we had to get back to our girls.  We said our goodbyes and headed back to Fort Huachuca.

What an amazing Saturday we'd had!  A bit of a run, a great hike, a little bird lesson, dinner, and the ISS.

Another great day in this thing we call life.