Sunday December 1, Catalina State Park, Tucson

Our campsite view in Catalina State Park...stunning.

Another leisurely day, winding down now and thinking about packing and heading back home on Thursday. It has been good to catch up with Keith and Holly again, and look forward to seeing them in NZ later i the summer.

Holly's photo of my memory blanket....all ready to go home.

With Keith and Holly...thanks for the photo.

We had heard great reviews of Catalina State Park from a number of people so had pre-booked to stay here until we leave….and what a great decision. It really is only on the outskirts of Tucson, yet seems a million miles away. The Catalina mountains rise sharply to the east and the park and the foothills are covered in typical desert vegetation including hundreds of my favoutie cacti - saguaro (pronounced “sah-wah-ro” – took a while to learn that one!). These plants can be up to 200 years old and grow really slowly, a 10 year old plant may only be 40cms tall, and they can grow to 12m – 18m tall. They are 70 years old before any “arms” grow on them…..lots of facts, but they really fascinate me.

For the first time in our travels this year we heard a pack of coyotes howling and they seemed not to be too far away. Looking forward to a relaxing time over the final days of our American travels.

On a sad note, we heard about a tragic drowning on Lake Tarwera over the weekend, when a father and daughter who were visiting the lake drowned not far off shore. Feel for the family as well as all our neighbours and friends who were part of the search. It reinforces why everyone needs to where lifejackets when they are kayaking.