Arthur Pack Park

January 9, 2026 to January 11, 2026

Friday

The rains passed yesterday, and behind the front came an unusual cold snap. The weather was reported as 33F when we awoke this morning (just one degree above freezing, for those unfamiliar with the odd temperature scale we use here). There's no rush to get outdoors obviously, so I decide to drive over to the Blue Willow for breakfast again, where I order a repeat of the Swiss, bacon and green chili omelet I enjoyed last time. I have to clear the windshield and side mirrors first though because they're lightly frosted. It must be a little colder here up against the foothills than downtown or the airport.

By late morning it's warmed up enough for Rachael and she heads out for her daily constitutional, a shorter walk than usual because it's still pretty cold - it will never get far above 50 today. I have plans for a short ride along the loop, maybe just far enough east to see if there's water in the wash or snow on the peaks, but they never materialize. I find one essential news article after another that just must be read before I go, and eventually I decide I've missed my chance unless I want to risk being late for the main activity of the day, a trip over to The Loft for a viewing of Marty Supreme.

And because I think there should be at least one photo for the day, I take a shot of the tree glowing ahead of me before we drive off to the theater.

Saturday

As it turns out, I should have shut down the iPad and gone out for that ride yesterday, because today's conditions are even less welcoming. It's even colder this morning - 30F - and significantly windier. It will be windy all day, but at least with the clear skies it warms up reasonably quickly and by 11 it's warm enough that I decide to bundle up and get off the couch.

Rachael's not tempted though, and is content to wait for better conditions tomorrow when it's supposed to warm up considerably.

Rachael takes her time easing into the morning.

Once I do go I bike east with the same idea in mind I had yesterday - to see if there's any water in the wash (there isn't) and if there's any snow on the peaks (there is). And of course I've got my eyes and ears alert for any birds, but there's very little to be seen on that front. It's just too windy today apparently, and the only birds I see or hear at all is a flock of house sparrows twittering away in the safety of a dense thicket, and ravens. Amazingly, I don't see even a single morning dove in the 16 mile out and back to Sabine Canyon Road, where I finally decide I've had enough of biking into this headwind and should turn around and coast home.

Coincidentally, I somehow missed crossing paths with Kelly. I got an email from her later complaining about the wind (which didn't prevent her from biking twice as far as I did today!). She biked through the same stretch as I did going the other direction at about the same time of day, so she must have been on the opposite side of the wash when we passed.

A broader view. It looks white all along the top. Looks like perfect conditions for Keith to head up there training for the Great Divide race.

Doesn't look like there's any white stuff on top of Rincon Peak though.

I wonder if I'd gotten my timing right I'd have causght a shot of Kelly on the opposite side.

I should have taken time earlier to take a shot of the ravens - at one point there must have been a dozen of them doing their aerial acrobatics; but by the time I did I missed my chance for anything better than this.

After I'm back, Rachael and I head over to Union Street Public House for a meal and intimate chat. The meal is fine, with us repeating what we had last time, but the intimate chat has to wait because the place is packed and deafening as the undefeatedUniversity of Arizona basketball team finishes polishing off TCU. With its 16-0 record this year, the Wildcats are the number one rated NCAA team at the moment - definitely something worth making a shout about.

Just type usual. Rachael has the grilled salmon, while I take the Brown/Lellman challenge and polish off a half chicken.

Sunday

It's gotten considerably warmer over the last two days, and it's nearly 50 this morning when we first check. It looks beautiful out too, seemingly an ideal day for a walk or bike ride. There's just the one thing - the palms are whipping around and it's windy as the dickens.

It's a temptation to sit another one out, but I'm not doing it. I've found another birding hotspot I want to check out before we leave town in three days, and I've found one where three new species look possible: Arthur Pack Park, a spot I've never noticed before and have to study the map a bit before I could locate it. I'm still stuck at 79 birds for the year (I've seen my age in birds though, which is pretty cool right there), but I'd really like to hit 80.

Over my first cup of coffee (but Rachael's already finished her second as usual, which she tends to do within 10 minutes of rising) I discuss the logistics with her. It's a 23 mile round trip to the park, and an easy enough ride except for one thing - it's downwind all the way there but then upwind into a 15-20 mph header on the way back, just the opposite of what I'd like. Instead, I decide to drive out there and bike up Oro Valley and back, where I can just bike into the wind as far as I like before bailing out and coasting back.

It's warm enough that I get an early start, and park the car in the Mountain View HS at around 9:30. My plan is to do my birding first, which I assume is at the small pond at the edge of the golf course. When I bike past it though I see it's on the other side of the fenced golf course, and too far off for any real birding. So that's a disappointment, but as long as I'm here I decide to bike a ways down a trail through the desert that starts at a trailhead opposite the golf course.

The trail is part of a large trail network in Maeheen Benan Desert Sanctuary, which turns out to be a fantastic spot. For a refreshing change bicycles are permitted, and the trail surface is decent enough that it's easy to manage with my bike. I follow the primary trail for about a mile before turning back, enjoying the desert scenes and splendid mountain vistas. I came out here for the birds, but really this desert preserve is the best thing here. It's my favorite discovery of the winter here.

In the Maeheen Benan Desert Sanctuary. It's a complex desert environment, with saguaro, barrel cactus, creosote and palo verde the predominant species.

There's a terrific view of Mount Lemmon from up here. It's no wonder that Mountain View HS got the name it has.

Which is all excellent of course, but I did come here hoping to see some birds.when I'm back by the golf course I see four birders standing at the end of the pond so I find a gap in the fence and bike over. I'm not there long when one leaves his group and walks over, and I'm bracing myself for being told I need permission for being here.

But no, he's just wandering over to chat. He says it's fine to be here if you leave when the golfers start arriving, which will probably happen soon. We chat a bit more, and then I ask if he's seen anything interesting. Yes, there is that group of five mergansers way out there, one of the three birds I was hoping to see today. And there's are a dozen or more tree swallows harvesting insects over the pond, so that's two. And there's a night heron over there in the reeds not far off, which was what I was most hoping to see because it's the one I'm least likely to stumble across back home. Three for three! I'm thrilled.

It isn't long before the golfers arrive and it's time to move on, so it's really lucky I've driven out here and arrived early in the day. If I biked I'd have missed the show. And it still leaves me plenty of day for biking out to Oro Valley, but it's not the upwind slog I'd anticipated. Instead, it's very calm here on the north side of the Catalinas and I enjoy an excellent ride, continuing all the way to the end of the path near Catalina State Park. An excellent day all around, as long as you don't look up and around at the rest of the world.

Looking up at Mount Lemmon from the Cañada del Oro bike path.

Rachael got out for a local walk while I was gone, putting in about five miles before she'd had enough of the winds and decided to get back to her book. While she was out she came across a protest demonstration, one of countless ones that are occurring all across the nation this weekend. It's not like in the beginning of A Tale of Two this Cities though. It's nice enough seeing a few new birds and the great desert scenery, but it's not enough. There's nothing about this that feels like it's the best of times in America right now, it's just the worst and getting even worser by the day.

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Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 160 miles (257 km)

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