Video at normal speed on Youtube channel SUENORD1 (https://youtu.be/dhw3GIuQzb0)
I arrived in Tucson before dark and found a 24-hour Walmart to explore. In the morning, I decided to trust the navigation program on my smartphone, and it took me directly to the park Ranger station, where I bought a National Park and recreation area pass. There were a lot of people on bicycles, but none on 20″ bikes.
The first half of the 8 mile loop was pretty easy, though I walked up a couple of small hills. It was very pretty. They have had a lot of rain this year and in addition, the runoff from the paved road probably provided an extra sip of water to the adjacent cacti. There were many saguaros, and I could recognize ocotillos, cholla and beaver-tails. As a child, I once tried to take a cactus flower home in my pocket. Not a good idea!
Not many flowers were in bloom, but I suspect that the cactus forest had seldom been so green!
The last part of my “bicycle ride” was taken on foot. There was a long upward gentle but persistent slope with an over 400-foot increase in elevation, and a few short hills after that. The whole loop took me about an hour and a half. Most of the bikers went up the hill the hard way. One couple from Canada had electric bikes. Most of the people in my age group used cars.
The weather was beautiful, and I hope my video will be pretty also, when I get it back home. Next stop Galveston!