Adventure 562: Catalina State Park/Post J

Poor Wiley, a sad sack today.

This morning the Wiley Cager made a valiant effort, scoring 42 points in three hands. Unfortunately, she came up one peg short and wallowed miserably in the "stink hole", as I, ever the humble victor sailed by for the win. The question remains: Why does winning feel so sublime, while defeat so deadening? It's not that a morning cribbage game means much of anything, yet the feelings for both the winner and the loser are the same as a World Series winner or a Super Bowl loser. Aren't we humans just the most curious beings? Speaking of undeniable reality, today was laundry day. We found, after some searching, a small laundromat ten minutes north in Catalina, Arizona. Located in the back of a small mini-mall, we missed it on the first pass. Undaunted, we performed a very common maneuver here in Arizona: the U-turn. After unloading our wash project, I wandered around to the front of the building to the Ranchero Market, which faced the highway in front of the mini-mall. So delighted by what I saw there, I immediately retrieved my Bunny so we could enjoy our second breakfast, an authentically delicious plate of huevos rancheros served with rice and beans. Simply scrumptious. After laundry and our second breakfast, we returned to the trailer, filled to the brim with pleasant surprise and nicely appointed Mexican vittles. After putting the clothes away, remaking the bed, and donning our bike clothes, we headed for another exploratory ride of the Tucson Bike Loop. Thankfully, the idiot light on the truck showed a low tire, so we stopped for air only to discover that we had picked up a nail somewhere along the way. Less than two hours later, completely repaired, we were on our way to our ride. The Tucson bike loop is superb; however, we've discovered that some local knowledge is required to remain on the main route. Today, we discovered two end points that require a little jog to stay on the trail. Anyone looking to ride this trail should either be prepared to learn "on the bike" or research extensively before arriving. Despite our backtracks, we enjoyed a nice two hour ride, which made our day complete. Tomorrow, we move to the culdesac of our friends, the Krals where we'll be the next three days. Our time at Catalina has been wonderful, although we're both amazed at how quickly the last ten days have passed by. Regardless, we're prepared to agree that life is good, especially today.

 Today, Falcon waves "Hi."

 Very soon, this nice part of the loop dead ended at the bus plaza.

The Ranchero Market, also a taqueria and meat market, included a fine selection of Mexican food stuffs from fresh tortillas to an entire shelf of hot sauce choices.

 The market, clean and pleasant, provided a welcoming atmosphere.

Six or seven light fixtures provided a unique touch. Besides this cowboy hat, there was a coffee pot, a milk bucket, a woven basket, and colorful mixing bowl.

On our second to last day here, the recent rain gave way to Tucson's usual sunny weather.

In the meantime, we were privy to waterfront property.