Oracle State Park

April 13, 2019

A little more adventure than we bargained for on a loop trail north of Oracle State Park. It's labeled as "moderate", but for us there was a lot of hike-a-biking.

Mariposa Trail had a lot of steep, short hills and tight turns. But it was well-named. There were thousands of these flame red Desert Mariposa Lilies.
Midway through the loop, an authentic Italian villa!
White Irises! Not something you expect to see in southern Arizona!

The Wildlife Corridor Trail was more manageable and included some thrilling ridgetop sections.

Busy bee on a Russian Thistle
Unusual deep magenta Hedgehog Cactus
At the end of the trail is this dreamy spot on the AZT.
It was here I discovered that I had blown a tire. Rather than repair the tire and return the way we'd come, we decided to take a "shortcut" on an old ranch road. We ended up pushing the bikes through three miles of deep sand. Great day for it, though!