Hiking the Ironwood trail, and Picture Rocks trails

OK POSTING THESE HERE TO SHOW THE IRONWOOD TRAIL AND PICTURE ROCKS FULL SCREEN....ENJOY!

David Yetman trail, Tucson, (hike on November 12)

Let me share some of this venture here, where you can click on each picture and view full screen.

Trail runs here along the wash

Saguaro, actually a recovery....has to be over 100 years old at least.  Somehow lost the origial trunk and grew arms around it. The tenacity of the desert!

Trail winds up the wash here quite a ways.

First View of the Yetman Stone House, more follow....

This is from the West side

Inside looking north. Sure would have been a fabulous house!

View that heads out the West door

More of the wall facing West

Fireplace facing south

OH, who is that in the window!!

View of the house on the East side, outside

Close up of the rock wall, very colorful.  From outside the South wall.

A bit about this house, I found on the Net...

The Old Stone House is located just off of the David Yetman Trail in the Tucson Mountains. Sherry Bowen, a typesetter and later city editor for the Arizona Daily Star, built it of native stone in the early 1930s. The Bowens had lived in Rockford, Illinois but moved to Tucson in the late twenties with the hope that the change in climate would help Ruby Bowen’s serious heart condition. The Bowens first lived in Tucson but soon decided to homestead in the Tucson Mountains. They moved to the homestead in 1931 and lived in a cabin while the house was being built. The Bowens eventually expanded their claim to 2000 acres.

Ruby Bowen kept a diary of her first year in the Tucson Mountains. The diary makes several references to the wildlife that existed in the area including javelina, deer, wild horses and sheep that would come down from the cliffs every evening to graze in the valley. She even mentions a mountain lion that would come near the house when she was cooking meat and that one time attempted to get in a window.


The Bowens left Tucson in 1944 and moved to New York City where Sherry Bowen worked for the Associated Press. The valley and their homestead became part of Tucson Mountain Park in 1983.
This Summary was prepared from the Tucson Hiking Guide written by Betty Leavengood.

65th. Birthday Adventure. November 7, 2009 , Mt. Wrightson

Heading up the trail to the peak of Mt. Wrightson from Baldy Saddle.

Trail leading to Baldy peak from Baldy saddle.

This was interesting, in that this tree, healthy growing, was in a ROCK!

Heading up one of 21 switchbacks from Baldy Saddle.

Marker at the TOP, tells about the lookout that was here once. Explains alot of pipes you see on the way up this mountain. Can't imagine having to LIVE there.  The remants of the post are still there.

The trail as it arrives to the top, which is VERY SMALL in area.  The peak ones sees from a distance, actually IS a PEAK!  Very limited in size, but what a view!

Ok, now you can see me with my special flag in celebration of my hike on this day!

And one with the view!

What can I say.  This view is AWESOME!

East view

North view towards the Rincons I believe.

The Catalinas, another favorite hiking spot!

View of Baldy Saddle crossroads.  The first trip I made stopped THERE.

Wow, looking down, I had nothing to hang onto either.  The foreground grass is the edge of the peak!

Have to head down ....this trail really hugs the mountain!

Baldy saddle destination. Can't see the trail but it zig zags up to the "V" here.

Pleasantly on the way down!!!!

THAT'S ALL FOLKS!