For Christopher's spring break, we joined his family in Tucson, Ariz., to celebrate a semi-related wedding (his sister-in-law's sister got married) and to enjoy some sunshine and golf.
One morning, we decided to take a hike in the Catalina Mountains (a state park), and wound up on the Romero Pools trail, which was a little more difficult than we had thought it would be. It was, regardless, a really pretty hike (more like a mountain climb, but still a hike, I suppose), and I was amazed at how much life there is in the desert.
We saw flowers everywhere, since it was spring there as well. The variety of colors in the flowers (purples, pinks, blues, oranges, yellows, greens - nearly every color of the rainbow) amazed me. I didn't think what grew in the desert had much color, since it kind of needs to blend into its surroundings, but I was wrong - and it was beautiful.
As we neared the end of our trail, we came to the Romero Pools, natural pools settled between sides of the mountains. The water was incredibly clear (since it's runoff from snow melt), and we found a brief respite in the coolness of the water and the shade that the larger rocks and some trees offered.
This little guy was hanging out in a crack in the rock until Chris squirted him with some water to make him move. He blended right into the rocks around him, and I almost didn't see him. I'm glad I did, though, because the pictures I took of him were some of my favorites from the day. So neat.
If you are in Tucson and looking for a day hike, this is a great little treasure. Take a lot of water, especially if you're going later in the season than March. It gets warm, and you'll drink a lot more than you think you will.
Beauty in barrenness. That's a treasure in and of itself.
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