Greek Festival Tucson, Arizona September 27, 2014

                                   Dancers

After year off because of a fire in the church, the Greek Festival returned to St. Demetrios Greek Orthodoc Church  on Fort Lowell Avenue. Over the course of three days there were dances, church tours and lectures by U of A professors on various Greek topics. Visitors could enjoy all types of Greek food from Gyros and Spanikopita to Baklava and Greek wines as well. Tara ate a Gyro while I  ate Chicken Souvlaki both of which were very good. Quintin enjoyed the dancing and food but was tired by 8 pm. After Tara and Quintin left I toured the Church. It is sad to see that construction has come to a halt because of a lack of funds.

                                   Quintin enjoying the festivities

                                Big tents

Sabino Canyon Seven Falls, Catalina Mountains September, 27, 2014

                                             Bear Canyon with water from the recent rains

Location: Sabino Canyon is the trail head for Seven Falls. To get to Sabino Canyon from the University of Arizona take Campbell Avenue north toward the Catalina Mountains. Turn right onto Skyline Road. Skyline will become Sunrise Road. Keep driving until you reach Sabino Canyon Road. Turn left and you will see the parking lot on the right.

A year and a half ago I hiked the 7.6 miles to Seven Falls by way of Bear Canyon. I remember the hike was very pretty but I also remember it as being very popular with tourists. If you come to Tucson or live in Tucson this is the hike everybody chooses to do. As a result, of this popularity rescues in Bear Canyon are common. In fact today I saw a woman who injured her knee when she jumped from a high rock into one of the deeper pools.  I also saw a number of couples who were carrying very little water. The trail is easy to follow and few route finding skills are needed. There are four creek crossings that could pose challenges during the monsoon season. There are also a few areas where people have created illegal trails by cutting switchbacks. Please stay on the trail. These illegal trails cause erosion and they also can get you in steep rocky terrain.  On this hike I did see 50 or more Army personnel (from Marana) who were hiking this trail to stay fit. They were very friendly and even helped out the woman who injured her knee.

                                          One of the falls

                                                A zoo up at the falls

                                              If you look closely you can see four of the falls

                                     Bear Canyon terrain