The Santa Cruz River

Yesterday was a good day.  We rode from the ball fields up to Twin Peaks road.  It's 20 miles round trip.  Going out we had a frisky little head wind, coming back was much easier and more quiet.  It's amazing how much noise a head wind creates in your helmet.  I guess it's because of all of the air vents.

The new overpass at Ina is open, and AZ DOT replaced the bike path.  Water is being released from the sewage treatment plants along the Santa Cruz, it's very deep under Ina, so they didn't do an underpass, instead you have to climb up, ride across the bridge, and the make a 180 degree turn to continue upon your way. This is the bridge, that's the water below.  The bike path is separated from the cars.  I would be happier if it was a couple of feet wider, but I did not get a vote.

 
The water is clean enough for fish to live in.  He's tough to see (look in the grass in the middle), but there is a man fishing down there.  He kept the fish so I suppose he's planning on eating him.

We saw a heron sitting in a tree.  They are fishing there, as well.

There are new paths in the area, and at least two new bike bridges.  Before we left for the summer, work was in process to connect Sunset to Silverbell over the Santa Cruz.  The bridge is complete so that also provides a new route for the bikes. Tucson continues to make good on their promise to build trails.  Once you leave the Tucson city limits, it becomes obvious that Marana does not share their dedication, the trail surfaces are just abysmal.

Here is an interesting article about the various water releases along the river.  It is a lot of words.  If you find your interest waning, scroll to the bottom where the pictures are.  They show the changes in the state of the river over time.