Day 9: Last day before break
On March 10th I walked out of the Santa Rita foothills and crossed northeast over into the broad Tucson Valley. At the end of the day the plan was for Chris to pick me up by the side of the Old Sonoita Highway, and then for my whole family to take a three day break up in Sedona for the memorial service for my uncle Duane Miller.
It was a great day for reflecting on the previous weeks walk from Mexico. I passed the 100 mile mark about midway thru the morning. I continued to drop in elevation. Grasslands yielded to prickly pear cactus, occotillos and creosote bushes (the bushes that give the desert that sweet tangy smell when the rains come and release the oil from their bark).
By late afternoon, I could see the Tucson Valley. Directly ahead of me were the Rincon Mountains, arrayed like the name implies, like giant corner bending to the north and east of Tucson. I would be hiking up and over those mountains in a few days when I returned from Sedona. To the northwest, north of Tucson and pretty much out of sight today, I could see parts of the Santa Catalina Mountains. I would be crossing those in April when I came back from New York.
The Arizona Trail 