Good Morning from Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
— kenne
Front Range Snow On the Catalinas — Image by kenne
— kenne
Sonoran Sunrise Over The Rincon Mountains — Image by kenne
Sonoran Sunrise
The mountains drink fire.
Saguaro stand tall
blessing the dawn.
Ocotillo bleeds light,
fingers trembling
in the pale wind.
The sun—
golden blades—
cut the sky
wide open.
Silence spills
into flame.
And the desert,
old, dreaming,
remembers its heart—
burning,
always burning.
Sunrise On Wildhorse Trail — Image by kenne
Sunrise, Wildhorse Trail
Douglas Springs Trail — Image by kenne
— kenne
Hiking the Italian Springs Trail (April, 2012) — Image by kenne
bushed
— kenne
(This hike was one of many I did with my old hiking buddy, Tom Markey, who passed awayAugust 17, 2022.)
Considered one of the top cattle and guest ranches in the southwest, Tanque Verde Ranch is located on 60,000 acres of
Tucson’s most breathtaking desert landscapes in the Rincon Mountains foothills adjacent to Saguaro National Park and
Coronado National Forest.
Established in 1868, Tanque Verde Ranch is recognized as the last luxurious outpost of the old west providing guests with comfortable
accommodations, unparalleled amenities, and a vast array of exciting activities, including horseback riding, mountain biking,
fishing, hiking, and more!
Originally purchased and settled as a cattle ranch by Rafael and Emilio Carillo, the land was sold to Jim Converse
in the early 1900s. It was sold in 1957 to the Bob Cote family, which has owned it ever since.
Tanque Verde became a guest ranch under Converse, who saw the move as an opportunity to attract those
interested in cowboy life. The number of guest ranches in southern Arizona has dropped
since the 1950s from around 55 to seven or eight today,
A wall in the Tanque Verde Ranch sales office.
Kiva Dinning Room
A statue near the original ranch house.
Mesquite trees shadow the path to some of the cottages.
The Desert Garden cottage area.
These days, the ranch has added hiking, tennis, mountain biking and nature programs, as well as a health spa, for its guests.
It has also brought in televisions and wireless Internet.
Photo Essay by kenne
Douglas Spring Trail — Image by kenne
— kenne
Moonrise Over The Black Mountains — Photo-Artistry by kenne
We reached Mica Mountain as the sun was setting and set up camp two hours out from Manning Camp; our expected goal where we would get water and spend the evening. However, we did not have enough water to spend two nights in the mountains, so we decided we would turn back in the morning. Before setting up camp we watched the sunset and the moonrise.
Cold out! Feels like winter as we crawl into our sleeping bags. It must be the altitude. The full moon provided light, no warmth. The night was long. The tarp above us was attached at only three corners since Tom wanted one loose to flop in the wind, making noise that would keep the bears away.
After a long night of wind-driven noise and cold temperatures, we broke camp early to arrive back at the trailhead before the expected temperatures in the mid-nineties. As we reached a lower elevation, we could contact Tom’s wife, Pat, to give her our expected arrival time at the trailhead. Once we got our stuff in the car, all we could think of was going to Risky Business for a cold beer and French fries with mayo.
— kenne
Italian Springs Trail Leading To The Base Of Mica Mountain In The Rincon Mountains East Of Tucson (March 18, 2013) — Panorama by kenne
— kenne
Sunset from Mica Mountain — Image by kenne
Mountains of Southeast Arizona — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Arizona Madrone At Sunrise — Image by kenne
Arizona madrone is a small tree, sometimes a large shrub, found in the mountains of southeastern Arizona,
southwestern New Mexico, and northern Mexico. It can reach heights of 50 feet. The trunks of these
trees are gray and checkered, and the branches are reddish with smooth bark.
Arizona madrones are found in canyon bottoms and hillsides in oak-pine zone at elevations of 4,000 to 8,200 ft.
Look for this handsome tree while hiking in the mountains around Tucson.
Straggling Saguaro — Photo-Artistry by kenne
The spring weather in the Sonoran Desert is alluring, with beautiful blue skies and temperatures in the upper 70s.
However, many drought-resistant plants are dying, very few if any wildflowers are blooming due to a troubling
draught in the Sonoran Desert. What makes the Sonoran Desert so diverse and beautiful are two rainy seasons,
summer monsoon storms and steady winter rains. The two seasons still exist, but half the normal amount of rain.
— kenne
Loma Alta and Coyote Wash Trails (March 19, 2021) — Photo Essay by kenne
Oral Valley/ Tucson Basin Panorama by kenne
This panorama was created from three images taken from Wasson Peak, atop the Tucson Mountains March 13, 2015.
The Tortolita Mountains are to the left, Santa Catalina Mountains in the middle,
and the Rincon Mountain off to the right.
Douglas Springs Trail in the Rincon Mountains — Image by kenne
You tasted it.
Isn’t that enough?
Of what do you ever
get more than a taste?
That’s all we’re given in life,
that’s all we’re given of life.
A taste.
There is no more.
— Philip Roth
