Picacho Arizona 20 Jan - 19 Feb 2025

ahschneid
Feb 18
10 min read

Steve, Ranger Keira, couple from Germany & young lady from Ukraine at THE TOP OF PICACHO PEAK

The highest peak on the left is where the picture above was taken

We arrived at Picacho Arizona on 20 January 2025 and had quite a first week here! We contacted our friends Dave and Jill who were staying in Marana Arizona at the Ironwood Forest National Monument next to BLM. They weren't going to be there many more days, so we arranged to get together at their campsite on Wednesday 22 January. We had met them in Bainbridge Georgia in November of 2023. They had to talk us in to their site, but once we arrived we got to talking like no time had passed. They went to Alaska in Summer 2024 so they had lots of tips for traveling through Alaska and Canada. They made lunch for us and we tossed a few beanbags with their cornhole game and before we knew it, it was 5pm! We had arrived around 11:30am. Needless to say, we had a nice time with Dave and Jill. Who knows when we'll cross paths next or if at all, but being with fellow full-timers always feels like family.

Steve, Dave, Jill and Anita - Marana Arizona - 22 Jan 2025

We got in to pickleball at Picacho Peak RV Resort too, so we played when we weren't site seeing or doing chores like laundry. On Saturday 25 January, we signed up for a Ranger guided hike on the Hunters Trail up to Picacho Peak. Including Ranger Keira, there were 8 people who hiked. Unfortunately, about a half hour into the hike Anita tweaked her knee and opted to turn around for fear of injuring herself more. The trail was constantly uphill and the easy steps were over, with perilous uphill rocks ahead. It hurt Anita's pride, but was probably the best thing to turn around. Steve, on the other hand, persevered to the top. He made it through the scary straight-up climbs holding on to cables to the top and then back down safely. Steve, Ranger Kiera and Kurt made it back around 2:30pm, six and half hours after leaving that morning. The others of the 8 who started that morning either took other trails back or turned around like Anita had.

On the trail going up we met a fellow pickleball player, Brad, who was on his way down. He hikes to the top 2-3 times a week and usually in the early morning before pickleball. AND he's 72 years old!

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

There was another sign saying if you have existing ankle or knee problems the hike is not recommended. Anita should have heeded those words.

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

Picacho Peak Saddle

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

The Saddle (Stalagmite)

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

Almost to the peak

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

Canyon Wren on top of peak

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025 - View from the Peak

Picacho Peak Hike - Picacho State Park - 25 Jan 2025

Our RV Park on the right

After the Saturday hike, we opted to take it easy on Sunday. We went to church at 9am in Eloy Arizona. The church is St. Helen of the Cross Catholic Church and was our church for the time we were in Picacho. We were close to Casa Grande where the closest Walmart is, so we got groceries before heading home. We did manage to rest and recuperate Sunday afternoon. Anita had iced her knee Saturday afternoon after getting home, so that was much better. Steve was somewhat sore Saturday after the hike, but by Sunday morning was feeling "normal".

St. Helen of the Cross Catholic Church - Eloy Arizona

St. Helen of the Cross Catholic Church - Eloy Arizona

St. Helen of the Cross Catholic Church - Eloy Arizona

St. Helen of the Cross Catholic Church - Eloy Arizona

St. Helen of the Cross Catholic Church - Eloy Arizona

Beautiful Arizona Sunset - Picacho Arizona January 2025

Our second week in Picacho Arizona was pretty busy again. We played pickleball a few mornings, and we got groceries one day. Dave and Jill had mentioned to us that we should see Saguaro National Park West, so we ventured out to there one day. We had seen Saguaro National Park East last winter on our way to El Centro CA to join the caravan to the Baja, but Anita didn't know there is a "West" to the park. It did not disappoint!

The same day we went to Saguaro NP West, we went to San Xavier del Bac Mission. The mission church was completed in 1797, and it continues to serve as a place of faith and community. Steve nor Anita got what they expected with San Xavier del Bac Mission. Steve expected a grand church in a city and Anita expected an old wooden church in the desert. We were both wrong. The San Xavier Del Bac Mission is known as the White Dove of the Desert and serves as the current church for the village of Wa:k. Wa:k is an O'odham word that means "where the water goes in". It is also the name of the San Xavier community in the O'odham language. The intricate details inside were fascinating. We were pleasantly surprised with this site, which was also recommended by Dave and Jill.

There are four pickleball courts at our campground and most of the time they're full and there are lots of people waiting to play, so you put your name on the board if you want to play. Sometimes we only play 4 games in two hours because there are so many people. One day there were so many that it was announced that we could only play to 9 to make the games go quicker.

We've seen Road Runners on our walk to the pickleball courts and one day we saw this Hummingbird while waiting to play pickleball...

Saguaro National Park West - 28 January 2025

Saguaro National Park West - 28 January 2025

Display inside Visitor Center

Saguaro National Park West - 28 January 2025

Saguaro National Park West - 28 January 2025

San Xavier del Bac Mission - Greater Tucson Arizona 28 January 2025

San Xavier del Bac Mission - Greater Tucson Arizona 28 January 2025

San Xavier del Bac Mission - Greater Tucson Arizona 28 January 2025

San Xavier del Bac Mission - Greater Tucson Arizona 28 January 2025

San Xavier del Bac Mission - Greater Tucson Arizona 28 January 2025

San Xavier del Bac Mission - Greater Tucson Arizona 28 January 2025

San Xavier del Bac Mission - Greater Tucson Arizona 28 January 2025

San Xavier del Bac Mission - Greater Tucson Arizona 28 January 2025

Notice that Judas is holding a bag of money on right

San Xavier del Bac Mission - Greater Tucson Arizona 28 January 2025

Baptismal Font dating to 1756-83

San Xavier del Bac Mission - Greater Tucson Arizona 28 January 2025

San Xavier del Bac Mission - Greater Tucson Arizona 28 January 2025

This Road Runner was not bothered by people taking its picture...

After the mission, we continued driving to Madera Canyon. Steve had heard there are bird feeders there. Again, we were not expecting what we got. Our drive took us to a 4900 ft elevation that was 45 degrees with green trees and creeks. We were turning around to go back down and Steve noticed something that looked like snow. We both noticed it, but we both dismissed it thinking we're in south Arizona so it can't be snow. Well, we stopped to see the bird feeders and while the truck sat there for about 10 minutes we actually had a little snow accumulation! Anita told people at pickleball the next morning and they looked skeptical, so she explained that Madera Canyon is about 70 miles away and a higher elevation. Our campground is in the desert after all.

Madera Canyon - Sonoita Arizona - 28 January 2025

Yellow eyed Junco, House finches and not pictured Bridled Titmouse

Madera Canyon - Sonoita Arizona - 28 January 2025

On Saturday (1 Feb 2025) we hiked the Calloway Trail and the Nature Trail at Picacho Peak State Park. The Calloway Trail was difficult enough to feel like we got a hike in, but nothing like what Steve had done the Saturday before with hiking to the top of Picacho Peak. While we were at the State Park Anita made him get the "I survived the cables to Picacho Peak" T-Shirt. He earned it!

Picacho Arizona - 1 February 2025

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025 - Anna's Hummingbird

Visitor Center

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Calloway Trail

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Calloway Trail Cactus Wren

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Calloway Trail - Saguaros behind us

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Nature Trail

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Under the rifles

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

We had decided to attend the Vigil Mass at 4:15pm that Saturday, so we went back to Picacho State Park to watch the sunset. We still had a day pass from our hike earlier in the day. We had to wait a few minutes for the sun to go down, but we saw some spectacular colors as it was setting and just after it set.

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Sun setting on the peak...

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Sunset

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Sunset Vermillion Flycatcher

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Sunset

Picacho Peak State Park - 1 February 2025

Twilight

Our third week in Picacho Arizona, we went to the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge AZ. An Ancestral Sonoran Desert People's farming community and "Great House" are preserved at Casa Grande Ruins. Whether a gathering place for people or simply a waypoint marker in an extensive system of canals and trading partners, the structures are a large part of the story of this site.

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument Coolidge AZ 4 Feb 2025

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument Coolidge AZ 4 Feb 2025

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument Coolidge AZ 4 Feb 2025

On 9 February we drove back to Picacho Arizona to attend the Superbowl Party that evening.

Superbowl Party 9 February 2025

Beautiful Arizona Sunset

During our last week in Picacho Arizona, we checked out the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson. We spent about 4.5 hours there, but could have spent the whole day and not seen all the details available. There are five hangars and acres of planes outdoors to see. We enjoyed being inside as the sun was getting hot in the early afternoon. A volunteer inside the space hangar got us to take a picture standing on the moon and holding the earth up. We had actually passed by that room, assuming it was for kids. It was a great day of site seeing and we enjoyed the Pima Air and Space Museum, a recommendation by Jill and Dave. We were told that the museum is the third largest collection of its kind, with the Smithsonian being the largest and the Air Force Museum in Ohio being second.