February 27, 2015. Relaxing in San Carlos

CAMPGROUND:  3rd (and final) night at Tokonala RV Park

LOCATION: San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico on Sea of Cortez

WEATHER:  Beautiful again. Highs in 70s (starting to sound like a broken record!)

We walked across the street to a beachfront restaurant for our last margarita and tequila.  Beautiful setting! George is trying different kinds of tequila....

In the afternoon, we read books next to the swimming pool.  Lazy day!

DINNER:  We went to a charming Italian restaurant.  It was really upscale.  We had a coupon for a free appetizer which was zucchini sticks. For an entree, we split their seafood special....grilled yellowtail and a side of spaghetti. We bought a bottle of wine made in Baja California, Mexico.  Surprisingly good!

February 26, 2015. San Carlos sunshine

CAMPGROUND: Second night at  Totonaka RV park

LOCATION:  San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico. Adjacent to Guaymas, on Sea of Cortez

WEATHER:  Warm and sunny. Highs in 70s

We talked with new neighbors who are driving back north from Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan area.  We are seriously thinking about spending time there next winter.

We took the public bus to downtown Guaymas.  It is not very interesting....just a big city with a port.  We had planned to eat  lunch there, but couldn't find a decent restaurant, so we caught a bus back here to San Carlos.  We ate at a beachside restaurant.  We split a huge bowl of seafood.....raw shrimp,crab, octopus,  crab, scallops, and octopus marinated in a lime and tomato juice mix. Served with cucumbers and avocado slices.

We had to shoo the seagulls away, that were trying to eat our food!

We are trying to arrange a fishing trip, but it may be too windy to go out.

DINNER:  Leftover chicken with beans and rice.  

February 25, 2015. Police escort in Mexico!

CAMPGROUND:  Totonaka RV Park. Modern RV park, like in USA. Full hook-ups. Pickle ball court (?). Swimming pool. Our site has shade. Nice bathrooms. Across street from the beach. 4 stars. $21/night

LOCATION: San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico. Near Guaymas. On Sea of Cortez, across from Baja California

WEATHER:  Every day is perfect. Sunny. Highs in 70s

We packed up in Bahia de Kino.  We talked with a couple in a renovated bus from Oregon.  They gave us some helpful hints about visiting their state, which we plan to do this summer.  

Wednesday is French bread day at Islandia RV park.  A French guy who lives here gets up at 2:30 AM and starts baking bread.  We bought a scrumptious baguette and a pastry.  Who would have known?

 

He has standing orders, and sells out every week.  He uses flour from Minnesota that someone buys for him in Tucson and brings it to him monthly.

Our destination was San Carlos, a new community outside of Guaymas, a big port, about 150 miles south of Kino.  

We had to drive inland to Hermosillo to catch the highway south.  Somehow, we missed the turn and ended up in the middle of nowhere.  I went into this little store to ask directions. The storekeeper said, "you're lost!"  ....(which we knew)

We made a u-turn back to Hermosillo.  There, as we were driving along, a police truck pulled up next to us at a red light.  We rolled down the window and I asked them where the highway to Guaymas is.  The policeman said to follow him and he would show us the way.  So, we zipped through the city, following him.  What an adventure!

We arrived in San Carlos and as soon as we parked, headed to the adjacent restaurant for a late lunch. We had  2 tacos..... one with shrimp and one barbecued octopus. Those tacos plus beers for less than $8.00.

We drove around the area.  Really pretty views.

DINNER: George grilled chicken.  Side salad and beans and rice with grilled chiles.  

February 24, 2015 continued

Back in town, we passed by some interesting shops.  This one features "head" tacos.  I think it is cow brains and other bits of meat from their heads.....

Next  to the pier, we stopped at a seafood stand.  The man was selling clams, oysters and scallops to eat raw.  

We watched the guys next to us eating clams.  Then we ordered a scallop.  These are called Queen Scallops, caught here in Kino, and are huge.  We split one.

The owner cracked it open, then cut off the scallop meat.

He cut it up in small bites, squeezed lime over the pieces, along with a watery tomato juice and hot sauce.  Really good!

Then, we walked across the street to a vendor selling fish and seafood.  We bought about a half pound of bay scallops to cook for dinner for about $1.25!

Back at the RV park, we talked with our interesting neighbors.  They have travelled all over the world, and gave us travel tips for our next trip to Mexico.

We joined the permanent residents here for their daily happy hour.  They are really acclimated to the heat. It was a very comfortable 70 degrees, and they were all bundled up, commenting on the cold wind!!

DINNER: One of the best meals we have had in quite a while, if I do say so myself.  First we had shimp cocktail, from some of last night's  extra shrimp.  Then, using leftover grits, I made a take on Shrimp and Grits.  I substituted the scallops we bought this afternoon for the shrimp.   I sautéed them with onion and garlic, then added the grits and jalapeño-flavored cream cheese.  Wow!  We paired the meal with a crisp French Sauvignon Blanc that I had bought in the USA. 

February 24, 2015. Adventures in Bahia de Kino

CAMPGROUND:  Second night at Islandia RV Park

LOCATION: Bahia de Kino, Sonora, Mexico, on NW coast of Mexico, on Sea of Cortez

WEATHER:  Beautiful. Windy. Highs in 70s

This RV park is right on the beach.  Last September, a hurricane ripped out part of its sea wall.

It is the same hurricane that damaged much of Baja California.

We took a nice walk on the beach.  This beach has a lot more shells, and people are out collecting.

The RV park is a but run-down, but has character.

This Airstream is one of the permanent RVs here, with a nice shady palapa. People can live here paying $150/month.  Pretty cheap living!

One of the full-timers, a French guy, gave us a lift into town and dropped us off at a beauty/barber shop.  We both got haircuts.....less than $5.00.  Then we walked around town.  Someone had told us about a beachfront restaurant on the far side of town.   We walked there, on a sandy road.  We had an appetizer for lunch there,  marlin-stuffed chile peppers.  We watched the white caps, as it was very windy.  On our way back, we faced into the wind, and got pelted by the blowing sand. 

See next post for more.......

February 23, 2015. Moving to REAL Mexico

CAMPGROUND:  Islandia RV Park. Electricity, sewer, water (but no water pressure).  Kind of dumpy but full of character. Bathrooms (sort of). On beach. $20/night.  3 stars

LOCATION:  Downtown Kino Viejo in Sonora, Mexico

WEATHER:  Another perfect day. Sunny. Highs in 70s

We took advantage of the amenities at Kino Bay RV park....nice, hot showers, strong wifi, then packed up to head into town.

We moved from Kino Nuevo (New Town, also called Gringo-landia) to Kino Viejo (Old Kino) where the town actually is.  The RV park is right on the beach.  There are about 9 rigs that stay here year-round, even in the heat of summer.  Everyone is very friendly.  

We took a walk into town for lunch.  We ate outside, while  one of the many street dogs hoped for scraps.  They didn't sell beer, so he walked to a nearby store and bought a big bottle, called cerveza familiar, or family-size, and we shared it.

 

Across from the restaurant is a busy tortilla shop...

This is a typical street scene....

We walked along the beach, and stopped at the pier to buy seafood for dinner.  There are a lot of stalls and outdoor restaurants.  We bought some huge clams (although they were the smallest they sold) and some shrimp, all caught this morning nearby.  

This RV park has an informal daily happy hour, too.  We took some beers to a grass hut on the beach to join others.  What a group of characters!  One couple has been coming here for 28 years!  I can't imagine how primitive camping must have been then.  Unfortunately, they had to warn us about crime. There have been burglaries here, so they cautioned us to be watchful.  Sadly, the crime is due to drugs.

DINNER:  Gourmet Italian.  We sautéed the clams and shrimp with onion and lots of garlic.  I made a butter-wine sauce and pasta, and combined everything.  All less than $6.00!

February 22, 2015. Relaxing in Bahia de Kino

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Kino Bay RV Park

LOCATION:  Bahia de Kino, Sonora, Mexico, about 5 hours SW of Nogales, Arizona

WEATHER:  Another picture-perfect day

We had a quiet day, reading and enjoying the ocean breeze.  We walked across the street to Jorge's restaurant for lunch.  We split a seafood cocktail, with shrimp, clams, octopus, fish and scallops.  Muy bueno!  There were quite a few Mexicans on the beach, most likely weekenders from Hermosillo.

In the afternoon, we took a bike ride, then played pool in the Rec Room.  I won! What a pool shark!

We talked with some neighbors.  Their RV broke (axle) and they have been here 3 weeks waiting for a part.  They gave us some hints about the roads going north.  We are tentatively going to another beach town farther south, before heading back to the USA.  We are going to try to avoid the Nogales border entrance, as we hear that it gets backed up for hours.

In the evening, George made a nice fire and we grilled the fish our neighbor had given us.  The fillets were so tender that we wrapped them in foil to cook.

DINNER:  Fish fillets with an Asian flavor.....marinated in sesame oil and soy sauce.  Wrapped in foil with onions and garlic.  Served with grilled zucchini and rice.  Nice change of pace.

February 21, 2015. Life in Bahia de Kino RV Park

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Kino Bay RV Park

LOCATION:  Bahia de Kino, Sonora, Mexico.  On Sea of Cortez, across from Baja California

WEATHER:  Another day of perfection!

This RV Park is like a little town.  People must gossip, as everyone seems to know about us by now.  This morning as I started doing laundry, 3 ladies approached me (by name) and invited me to take a walk with them.  It was good exercise.  They told me that the "vegetable man" would be coming later this morning.  They all have ship-to-shore radios in their RVs, and use this for daily announcements, as well as for monitoring the boats. 

It was nice to be able to hang up the laundry on the clothesline.  

The vegetable truck did come, announcing himself on a loud loudspeaker......"Verduras, Verduras."

He had a nice selection.  He comes twice a week.  

We bought jalapeños, zucchini, green onions, oranges, and cilantro.  He weighed everything together and gave us the price....about $1.00

I made vegetable quesadillas for lunch with some of the produce.

Then, an old man came around selling pecans. Another selling souvenirs.  Then a truck full of water carboys.  

We took another long walk on the beach.  I learned that most of the nice beach houses were formerly owned by Americans and Canadians, but now wealthy Mexicans are buying them up.  (Supposedly from drug money). 

Neighbors invited us to happy hour in their Rec Hall. Weird....men on one side and women on the other.  The women were all talking about tomorrow's breakfast fundraiser at the Sports Club.  

DINNER:  Since we have been eating Mexican/seafood dishes since we arrived, I thought I'd change it up a bit.  I made a mix of leftover couscous, cream cheese, green onions, red onions, leftover grilled hamburger crumbled, and julienned zucchini.  I seasoned with basil and oregano.  It wasn't pretty, but tasted good!

Another neighbor came over and gave us some fish he had caught today....more sand bass and a fish called golden eye.  That will be tomorrow's dinner.  

February 20, 2015. Beaching at Bahia De Kino

CAMPGROUND:  another night at Kino Bay RV Park

WEATHER:  Another day in paradise

We spent the morning walking on the beach.  We had miles to ourselves.  It was fun looking at the beach houses from the water side.  Many are mansions.  They appear to be privately owned (with no one there) and some are rented out, mostly by Americsns.  

Then we took a ride up the bay to explore.  We stopped for lunch at La Palapa (Thatched Roof Shelter).  Looks like this....

We had a delicious lunch of fish ceviche and a side of guacamole.

We had to take home leftovers.  

Back at the RV park, we relaxed and talked with neighbors.  Most leave their RVs here year-long. For $1500-$2000/ year, they lease a site.  They do whatever they want with the sites. Many have built beautiful out-buildings with outdoor kitchens, bars, lounge areas.

This one has an upstairs Palapa party room.

Some neighbors invited us to their sports club for their weekly Friday Social.  The club is comprised of the Americans and Canadians who live here.  They have a huge clubhouse with lots of activities.  Tonight was a Mardi Gras party.  The club was initially formed to serve those who go fishing.  It is a  volunteer rescue squad.  Each boater signs out when he leaves for the day.  Everyone has big radios and antenna.  Then, if the boat doesn't return in the afternoon, volunteers go out to help them.  

Then, we walked to a restaurant where a band was playing.  One of the musicians lives in our RV park and had encouraged us to attend.  Fun!

DINNER:  Another neighbor went fishing today and gave us some of his catch.....sand bass.  We grilled it on the George Forman grill, and made fish tacos with tomato, red onions, and guacamole.  Muy rico!

February 19, 2015. Beautiful Bahia de Kino, Mexico!

CAMPGROUND:  Another night ar Kino Bay RV Park

LOCATION: Bahia de Kino in Sonoro, Mexico. On the Sea of Cortes..across from Baja California

WEATHER:  Perfect!  Highs around 80

Our campground is 95 % Americans and Canadians.  We watched a big caravan of 25 rigs leave this morning.  Now, the RV park is only about half full.  Everyone is very friendly.  They tell us that tourism is way down, due to the fear many Americans have about traveling to Mexico.  Not many people come on their own, so they are curious about us.

We went into town, searching for the ATM.  This time, it worked, so we are no longer penniless!  What a relief!  We celebrated with lunch at a beachfront restaurant.

We ordered beers to start.  The waitress said they didn't sell beer.  We could bring our own, or she would run around the corner and buy us some.  We said ok, and she brought us Tecates.

We shared Pescado en Crema de Chipotle....lightly fried filet of a mild fish in a chipotle cream sauce.  We split a huge platter for about $6.

We walked around Kino Viejo (Old Kino). It seems much more Mexican than Nuevo (New) Kino.  Lots of little shops, dusty streets, and lots of seafood restaurants and stalls.  No one speaks English here.  We looked at an RV park in Kino Viejo, and plan to move there next week.  

We found a little grocery store for shopping.  Then, we walked along the beach.  Fishermen were working on their boats....

We bought a fish called Liza which we learned is mullet.  It was $2/pound.  The guy selling it said it was very fresh, caught this morning..  He assured me that it was ok to eat sashimi-style. 

These birds were fighting for fish in front of us..

Back at our RV park, we looked for someone in the office to pay.  Mañana, I guess!  No one seems too concerned about these things.

We joined a group of RVers in the Rec Room for happy hour.  They all leave their RVs here year-round, and spend about 6 months here each year.  

DINNER:  George grilled the fish.  I served it with cucumbers and leftover lentils.  The fish was very good. 

February 18, 2015. On to Mexico

CAMPGROUND:  Kino Bay RV Park. Full hook-ups.  On the beach. Rec hall, laundry. Ramada shelter.  Kind of falling down....but this IS Mexico. $18/night.  3 stars

LOCATION:  Bahia Kino, Mexico on Sea of Cortez.  In state of Sonorra.  About 250 miles southwest of Nogales, Arizona. 

WEATHER: Beautiful. Sunny.  High inland about 90.  About 82 On the coast.

We tried to get an early start, so that we would arrive before evening.  Our "early" start ended up being about 10;00 AM.  We crossed through the border and no officials were there, so we just drove right through.  So much for the list of foods we could not take in!  We had to pay a toll for the toll road, and we were off!  After about 15 miles, we finally encountered an immigration office.  We had to get a tourist permit for $22 each.  (This trip is becoming expensive....we had to buy car and trailer Mexican insurance for $320, too.)

The countryside was pretty barren, like southern Arizona.  Saguaro cacti and dusty foothills.  Poor-looking villages.  There were lots of greenhouses and fields covered with plastic.....growing vegetables for export.

We stopped at a little open-air restaurant and had carne asado tacos.  There was a refrigerated cabinet containing lots of delicious, spicy condiments.  

Back on the highway, we had to pay several tolls.  By the last one, we had run out of pesos.  The clerk said credit cards were ok.  Ours wouldn't work.  Uh-oh!  After trying 3 cards, we paid in USD.  It was double the price, and no change.  We were on the hunt for an ATM!

We had to drive through Hermosillo, a pretty big city.  Somehow, we missed the bypass and had to drive through the city.  It was a bit scary. We spotted some banks with ATMs, but there was no place to park.

After Hermosillo, we turned off the highway and headed west toward the coast.  We stopped in a small town that has a bank and a place to park.  George went to two ATMs while I watched the car.  He came back empty-handed; the debit cards did not work!  Oh no!  He said he couldn't read the Spanish message, so he doesn't know why they wouldn't work.

There was nothing else to do but to  keep going.  We arrived in Bahia Kino at about 4:00 PM.  There are two towns Viejo (Old) Kino, and Nuevo (New) Kino.  We decided to go to Nuevo Kino since it was getting late, and there are several RV parks here, and our guidebook said it is "where the action is". The town is very narrow with one main road hugging the coast.  We found this RV park which is right across from the beach. It looked pretty good and we could see some empty spots.  We got ready to pay......they don't accept credit cards.  The guy was nice and said we can go to the town's one ATM tomorrow to get pesos to pay tomorrow.  I hope the card works!

After we settled in, we spoke with some of our neighbors.  Many keep their rigs here year-round and spend 5-6 months here.  

We walked down to the beach.  Jorge's Restaurant is adjacent to us.  George will fit right in!

 

The beach was pretty empty.  No high-rises.  Just a few nice beach houses.

We watched the sun set.  Beautiful!

 DINNER:  Thank goodness we had ignored the guidebook and brought some hamburger and buns with us. We grilled them and I warmed up a can of corn.  We also brought some milk so we can have cereal in the morning.  Other than that.....we MUST get some cash tomorrow.  Stay tuned!

February 17, 2015. Preparing for Mexico

CAMPGROUND:  2nd night at Lake Patagonia State Park

LOCATION: Near Nogales, AZ. About 10 miles north of border in south central part of Arizona

WEATHER:  Another gorgeous day. Highs in 70s

We drove into Nogales to complete necessary paperwork for Mexico.  We had to buy Mexican car insurance.  Ouch!  We found out where to cross, and said we'd cross at about 9:00 AM tomorrow.

We went to Walmart, always a delightful experience, to try to buy a cheap phone to use in Mexico.  No one spoke English!  We couldn't find anything, so gave up.

To acclimatize ourselves, we had lunch at a Mexican  seafood restaurant.  We had a tostado covered with ceviche and an order of marlin tacos.  We were the only gringos in the place.  Muy deliciosa!

This circle on the map is our destination.....Bahia de Kino

Back at the campground, we took a paddle boat ride on the lake.  A lot of work!  There are a lot of different birds here, which were interesting to watch from the water.

DINNER:  Grilled shrimp.  I doctored up the leftover couscous with portabello mushrooms, onions, and greens to go on the side.

February 16, 2015. Heading toward Mexico

CAMPGROUND:  Lake Patagonia State Park.  Beautiful views of lake.  Popular for boaters and fishermen. Beach area.  Spacious sites. Fire rings, picnic table, electricity and water. Dump station.  Too far from town to get TV or internet. Nice bathrooms. $25.  4 stars

LOCATION:  Near Nogales, Arizona.  South central part of state.  About 15 miles north of border.

WEATHER:  Beautiful. Sunny. Highs in 70s

We are hoping to enter into Mexico on Wednesday, so wanted to move closer to the border.  We drove about 80 miles south, through Tucson, and stopped in Tubac, a cute artsy town, for lunch.

We lunched on their patio, watching the tourists buy lots of pottery and artwork.

We were able to get into this state park.  It stays pretty full.  It is at a higher altitude, so it is cooler.  We have a nice view of the lake from our site.  After setting up, we hiked around the campground.  We always enjoy seeing the many different kinds of RVs.  We spotted this Boler, which is a Canadian brand.   Our friends Tony and Jenny from Nova Scotia that we met on the road have one of these.  They are no longer manufactured, so are a bit rare.

We also saw an ice-fishing house someone was using to camp in.  Sure enough, the license plates were Minnesota!  :-)

We built a campfire and our neighbor joined us to chat.  They are from Colorado, and have lived all over the world.  We are hoping to meet other campers who have camped in Mexico, to get some tidbits from them.

DINNER:  We cannot take fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs or dairy into Mexico, so I didn't shop for much this week, and I'm trying to use up everything.  I made curried lentils with  canned tuna and broccoli.  Surprisingly tasty.  

February 15, 2015. Phoenix outing

CAMPGROUND: Back to Picacho Peak RV Resort

LOCATION: 30 miles northwest of Tucson

WEATHER:  Perfect. Sunny. Highs in 70s

We started the day at the Wyndham Hotel in Phoenix where we stayed overnight after the beer feast.  

We walked around the beautiful pool area.

We headed back towards our camper "home".  We stopped and hiked a trail recommended by a Mayo colleague.  We hiked in another area that overlooks a lush golf course.

After doing some shopping, we stopped for lunch and a beer at a beerpub.  The weather is so nice that they opened all the windows.  A guitarist sang outside.

We had a coupon for a $6.00 growler refill, so filled our growler with their double IPA.  

Back at our camper, we did laundry and computer work.

DINNER:  Shrimp on the barbie.....I marinated shrimp and we grilled them on skewers.  Side dish was salad and couscous.  

February 14, 2015. Beer festival!

CAMPGROUND:  Wyndham Hotel.    :-)

LOCATION:  Phoenix, Arizona

WEATHER:  Sunny. High about 83 (record high)

Our daughter and son-in-law gave us tickets for Christmas to the Arizona Stong Beer Festival in Phoenix held today.  Not wanting to drive after the beer tasting, we reserved a room at the nearby Wyndham.  

We left the Air Stream at the RV park, and got an early start to Phoenix, about an hour northwest.  We got settled and walked to the beer festival.  There were about 80 vendors there, from all over the USA.  The last festival we attended was a few years ago in St. Paul, Minnesota on a below-zero day.  Some of the beer vendors had problems with their beer lines freezing up.  That certainly was not an issue today!  This festival had cooling stations place around the grounds.  It is sort of like an outdoor air conditioner blowing wet frigid air on you.  Heavenly!

Our entrance fee gave us forty 2-ounce beer pours.  That is a lot of beer!  We didn't use all of them, but certainly got our fill of some really good ones.   We had a snack at a food truck  place selling pretzels in the shape of mustaches.

This is what it looked like.  This guy either passed out or is napping.

George wore his Surly t-shirt, which attracted a lot of attention.  Surly is well-known among beer afficionados everywhere.  He liked seeing this Model A.

We really had a great time, and really appreciate the gift.

We walked about a mile back to the hotel.  The exercise did us good.  George napped, then we went to dinner at the hotel's restaurant.  It was quite nice.  We sat in their outdoor patio next to a beautiful swimming pool.  

A very fun day.....quite a nice change of pace!

February 13, 2015. Luxuriating in Arizona

CAMPGROUND: Picacho Peak RV Resort.  Resort with pool, activities, clubhouse.  Full hook-ups.  5 stars. $28/night

LOCATION:  30 miles north of Tucson

WEATHER:  Perfect!  Sunny. Highs in 70s

We took a one-hour mountain hike at the state park, then packed up.  We had wanted to stay longer, but there was no availability.....weekenders coming in.  So, we drove about 1 mile to this RV resort.  This is the first time we have stayed in one.  Most of the people are snowbirds or year-long residents.  It is for the 55+ year-old crowd.  I guess people like it because of all the activities.  There is even a woodworking shop.  Lots of classes, field trips, and parties.

We settled in, and went to the pool. To  those readers in frigid weather.....don't hate us!  Here we are enjoying the pool....

Here's a beach bum.....

DINNER:  Fried rice using the last of the grilled pork.  Turned out really well.  We paired it with some Japanese sake.  Oishi!

February 12, 2015. Day trip to Tucson

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Picacho Peak State Park

LOCATION:  30 miles north of Tucson

WEATHER:  Sunny. Highs in upper. 70s

Since I was chastised by friends and families in the frigid Midwest for complaining about the heat here, I will not comment on the weather.  (Actually it is perfect today, and we are not mountain-climbing). -:)

We had a nice trip into Tucson.  We stopped at 2 brewpubs for beers and lunch.  One featured Native American food.  We had chips and salsa, made from chollas.....cactus buds.  Tasty!

We had to stop at RV stores for a part George needs for the project he is working on in the camper.  While there, on a whim, we looked at a 2015 Air Stream.  We got an estimate for our Air Stream trade-in.  We decided to keep our current one.

Back at the park, George finished the project.  He installed lifters so we can easily lift the mattress.  

DINNER:  Omelette using lots of leftovers.....onions, SPAM, cheese, peas, spinach.

February 11, 2015. Enjoying the Arizona desert (sort of)

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Picacho Peak State Park

LOCATION:  Between Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona

WEATHER:  Sunny and hot. Highs around 80

We got up early to hike a trail here at Picacho Peak.  Unfortunately, it was not early enough.  I quickly got super hot from the temperature and the sun streaming in our faces.  The trail was described as "moderate".  I don't know who judges the difficulty, but the straight-up trail over the mountain seemed more like "difficult". 

After our 3-hour hike, we jumped in the truck  (thankfully with air conditioning), and drove to Biosphere 2.  It is a huge science lab installation in the middle of the desert, owned by the University of Arizona.  The air-tight glass structure encompasses different environments....rain forest, ocean, savannah, and desert.  Students and scientists study the environment there.

In 1991-1993, a group of 7 scientists lived inside as a human experiment.  Very interesting.

Back at the campground, we watched the sun set at the Sunset Trail trailhead.  Needless to say, we didn't do that 4-hour hike....

DINNER:  I made a pasta dish using leftovers....grilled pork, artichoke hearts, capers, onion, garlic in a creamy cheese sauce.  This is the 3rd meal with a $4 pork purchase.