a temperate getaway from the desert heat.

There are picnic grounds and miles of scenic hiking trails through the forested hillsides. Camping and lodging are available for a longer stay. The icing on the cake is the birds! There is an extensive feeder system that entices these feathered beauties to preen and pose for enthusiastic birders with binoculars. We were treated to sightings of brilliant hepatic tanagers (the male is brick-red, the female an olive yellow), a Rivoli’s hummingbird, acorn woodpeckers, Arizona blue jays, and a slew of finches and nuthatches. Great fun for all ages.

Chuck Huckelberry Loop

(also known as the Loop) is a 130-mile, paved, shared-use trail that encircles the city of Tucson. We love to hop on our ebikes and go, go, go! Flat paths with magnificent mountain views, fields of wildflowers, and nature galore are open from dawn to dusk.

We have explored about half of the Loop so far, enjoying farmer’s markets, city parks, nearby restaurants and shopping, There are over 50 parking lots available where you can embark on the trail. The campgrounds we stayed at this year; Catalina State Park, and Rincon Country West RV Resort, provided such easy access that most days we couldn’t resist taking a bike ride.

Tucson Mountain Park

is a splendid, 20,000 acre paradise located just beyond southwest Tucson. It is one of the largest natural resource areas owned and managed by a local government in the U.S. Miles and miles of hiking

PHOTOS BY LIBY KINDER I hiked the Brown Mountain Trail in Tucson Mountain Park on my birthday. Another perfect

The smell of meat grilling at the Fourth Avenue Street Fair in Tucson made your mouth water. trails offer a wide range of experiences including breath-taking forever views, desert flora and fauna, canyons, and mountainsides.

On my birthday I hiked the 6 ½ mile Brown Mountain Trail. The desert wildflowers greeted me as I trekked up the cactus-strewn mountainside thrilling to the fabulous vistas of the surrounding mountain ranges. Another day we hiked the Hidden Canyon Bowen Loop Trail. Along the way you encounter the ruins of the Bowen Stone House, a homestead ranch constructed in the early 1930s. One gets a glimpse into living among scenery so beautiful it takes your breath away. It’s easy to see why the Bowens chose this spot for their getaway ranch.

Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve

- I call this place “Ghost Golf Course.” We discovered the abandoned golf course several years ago, and love to ride our bikes over the 18hole cart path that wends it way through what was once a premier course in Oro Valley. Closed in 2018 the Rancho Vistoso Golf Course became increasingly overgrown with the encroaching desert. Oro Valley residents rallied to save the land and wildlife inhabiting the area from unwanted development. It is now a protected preserve teeming with native plants, and a wide variety of birds and all kinds of critters.

Fourth Avenue Street Fair

is an extremely popular event in Tucson that has been held every winter and spring for over 50 years. On a perfect spring day we decided to see what all the fuss was about. Instead of fighting the traffic and scrambling for a parking spot, we simply hopped on the free city bus and zipped downtown.

We were greeted by enthusiastic throngs, happily walking about as they visited hundreds of merchandise booths that boasted every kind of artistic offering imaginable. We viewed paintings, jewelry, dog collars, textiles, and foodstuffs (with generous samples), to name just a few. But that wasn’t all. There were the tantalizing smells of scores of food stalls. We couldn’t resist indulging in a yummy gyro sandwich, and a variety of snacks. And oh, the music! As we ate, a reggae-like quintet rocked out on stage. It was a day to remember. We now understand the popularity of this lively event, and why hundreds of thousands of people shared the experience with us. PRINTED AND DISTRIBUTED BY PRESSREADER