I have some great pictures to share that were taken in East of Oracle, Arizona at the Willow Springs Ranch. Willow Springs hosted the "24 Hours in the Old Pueblo" Bicycle Race. The weather was atrocious for most of the week that I was there, but the clouds and rain cleared enough for the mountain bikers to have a safe and dry race.
On the way home to Tucson the old bus handled well in the once the approaching rains hit. As the result of all of the bouncing and thudding along the 10-mile long washboard road from the racetrack, one of her windshield wipers stopped working. Fortunately it was on the passenger side. This fix for this appears to be to reconnect the drive-arm under the dashboard. Piece of cake!
Here is a good view of the desert terrain North of Tucson, and the motorhome complete with ATAS-120 HF radio antenna. The track was at a little over 5,000 feet in elevation. Considerably cooler than the temperatures back in Tucson. In this picture I can see the dreaded Jumping Cholla, as well as a couple of Mesquite trees. It's barren, but beautiful in its own way.
This is a side image of the infamous Lance Armstrong, 7 time Tour de France champion, though stripped of those titles. He was racing with his WEDU team. I read some of his story about his battle with multiple cancers and find his words inspiring. Courage and commitment seem paramount.
And here is the worn-out and bedraggled ham operator at the "Liaison Tent." Home of very little action. Once I got some lighting for the tent, and one of my "Rocker" folding chairs, I was good to go. I took 2 four hour shifts from 12am to 8am. I figured if those guys were out there bicycling for 24 hours, I could at least sit and read and listen to the chatter on the radio.
MORE PICS TO FOLLOW!
Last week I took another hike up Blackett's Ridge. It's one of the more challenging hikes at Sabino Canyon. I've heard some folks scamper right up the 1.7 mile hike from the Bear Canyon trail. But for me...well it's my second attempt and just can't seem to get up the grade. It's pretty steep. Most people start out early in the morning. This last attempt was at at noon, and the heat was just too much. I always know it's time to turn around when I get dizzy, or stumble. No more falling down!
At my last evening out at the BLM lands, I caught this brilliant sunset. I'll have to get some help with capturing the rich colors on my camera. Maybe a filter would help.
This morning's hike up the Esperero Trail was pretty cloudy and I felt a few sprinkles of rain. The clouds changed the entire look of the area. The wind was cool, but the wildflowers seem to be in full bloom. It's Spring! These birds seemed to be waiting for the sun to come out. 
Sabino cave on a rock face.
This looked a little surreal. 
Wildflowers.
Bench.
I love this one. Just a lonely mesquite.
These pictures of the desert sunrise and the, "Moho", are captured at the Bureau of Land Management campgrounds west of Tucson. There is plenty of space for the 20 to 30 RVs that roll in each weekend. The limit is 14 days in any 30 day period. There are no facilities, but there is plenty of desert and it is surprisingly fairly quiet at night. I spent the last two weekends there.
This little bee posed nicely. I'll have to get some editing software to crop and expand.
The creek has turned green. I know that the snow must be melting on Mt. Lemmon and that this creek will dry up soon. The town of Summerhaven is at about 8,000 ft and I'm told that there is runoff from the town coming down the mountain. Maybe that's the cause of the color.
With a bit of zoom, these two hawks can be viewed dancing, or possibly fighting, or mating. They moved very quickly and of 30 pictures, these two managed to capture an image of the birds.
This red fellow sitting on top of a large saguaro is called a house finch. 
And this fellow, with his whistling call, is called a phainopaplet. They are quite numerous. What calls attention is his bright white under wing. He swoops and dives displaying a grand blend of black and white.
With a little zoom, you'll find a quail withing the mesquite tree branches.
And this is a saguaro bloom. As the rest of these blossoms open, the top of the cactus will be bright and beautiful.
This may be the nest of a cactus wren. I've seen them build homes in holes they've carved into the side of the cactus, and occasionally, I notice these, "patio style" homes. Likely less protection from the elements, but maybe it's nice to have a bit of a breeze. I spoke to a realtor yesterday about buying a home here in Tucson. More to follow!
It's a little hard to believe that there's been so much water running in the streams and washes here in Tucson. Locals say they haven't seen so much in decades. This little stream is a short hike from Sabino Canyon Recreation Area, my usual haunt. Shooting into the sun gives that sparkly look I was after.
These are the National Park Service volunteers doing trail maintenance. I asked for a pose and they kindly took a break from their work. With the weather still as cool as it's been, I'm sure they are enjoying the digging. When it warms up, not all that far off, they'll be packing plenty of water and staying in the shade. That is, if they are out in the sun at all.