A glimpse into Tucson’s past and present

Saturday was such a beautiful, warm (not hot) day that I took a walk along the bike trail along the south side of the Rillito riverbed. I walked from the Mountain St. access path along a tree-lined, shady path for a half-mile, then back. The photo on the left is looking west; on the right side, looking East toward Trader Joe’s on Campbell. A few bicyclists whizzed by. A few other walkers passed me. (I am a slow walker and I dawdle looking at the sights all around me.)

A city trail for all to use

As I made my way back toward the access path, two men on horseback rode onto the trail. “Nice,” I thought. “A multi-use trail. Bicycles, people, dogs and horses. And those horses must be stabled in someone’s back yard.”

But before they had gone very far, one of the men turned his horse toward the fence and the horse very neatly stepped over a low bar, left, and then headed down the access road to the riverbed. The second man followed.

I was so fascinated that it wasn’t until they were down in the riverbed that I thought to whip out my phone/camera and take a picture of them. So here they are. The man on the dark horse with the cowboy hat was carrying a cigar and I hope he didn’t light it!

Escaping the good (or bad) guys in the Old West

Watching them appear, then disappear, then reappear as they rode off among the bushes and trees in the river, I was reminded of the descriptions I’ve read in books about the West, where escaping characters–good guys, bad guys, native Americans, white folks, Mexicans, whatever–would flee into arroyos or simply seemingly disappear after riding over the top of a hill. When the following guys reached the hilltop, the fleeing ones had vanished. I realize now those descriptions are realistic. Hiding in a dry river bed filled with mesquite and creosote and other desert plants is clearly possible. And a very smart thing to do if those other guys are closing in on you!

Now the photo at the top of this post is one I took over a year ago when I was at a sculpture exhibition in Brandi Fenton park. It reinforces the idea that riding along the Rillito riverbed during most of the year is a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

If you are interested in reading stories about the West I recommend Paulette Jiles’ books about life in Texas after the Civil War. You may have seen the movie, News of the World, based on one of her books. They are available at the Pima County Library. The first in the series is “The Color of Lightning” and the most recent is “Chenneville“. She is a brilliant writer and tells great stories about fictionalized versions of real people and she clearly loves the West.

To see books I’ve published, visit my author’s site here. Some novels, some advice.