Dear Maia, Isaac, and Virtual Wanderers,

We woke up to desert sunshine in our funky, old fashioned hotel in Globe. I’m getting good with organizing getting 3 dogs and 3-4 loads of luggage, etc into an out of the car. Fortunately, we have been on the ground floor all but the first night.

It only takes a couple hours to drive the 100 or so miles between Globe and Tucson on AZ Hwy 77. The road looses and gains altitude as it wanders to the low desert. About 10 miles out of Globe, the first saguaro cactus appear. That’s when I know I’m not on the Colorado Plateau any more.

The map has several little towns marked, like Christmas. I’ve missed Christmas everytime I’ve driven this stretch. Apparently, once a place to mail Christmas cards, it’s now uninhibited.

The mileage signs list Winkleman, which was a definite town which is about 36 miles out of Globe. It has a population of about 300. Next up is Dudleyville, which has about 400 people and not much to see from the highway.

Mammoth is the next dot on the map. This is a bigger town with a population of about 1k, which is about the size Estes Park was when I grew up there. Like many towns in this area, its history is mining. It’s about 60 miles south of Globe.

About 7 or 8 miles down the road is a town named Oracle. A State Park by the same name is located there. I stopped there last year for the first time. This time, I drove through the community before stopping for a hike. This town of 3-4 k has pastry! Too bad you can’t see the sign from the highway. There is also a patio restaurant where we had an excellent lunch – it’s dog-friendly. Definitely worth a stop.

What is nice about Oracle State Park is that it’s about 10 degrees cooler than Tucson. And, it’s too hot to hike by the time we arrive, but too early to check into the hotel. They have a lot of trails and there is lots of Catalina Mountains foothills foliage. Because it’s foothills, it’s rocky hiking. Fine for feet, rough for dog strollers. We don’t go very far because I’m afraid I’ll pop a wheel. I should add that it’s hot enough that my senior girls can’t hike super far.

After Oracle, the elevation drops and the saguaro cactus return once again. The Catalina Mountains are striking scenery as the road leads into Tucson. I didn’t take pictures, but it’s our main adventure tomorrow. So, stay tuned.

Love ya’ll, Cathy Hartt

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