The AZT took us through every type of terrain with wonderful views at every step. We saw people on the trail (a forest road at that point). Four pairs of men in 4wd jeeps and a 4wd truck. All stopped for a quick chat. One man was a LLNL retiree. Another knew the area well and was sure that we were headed in the wrong direction.

We took gorgeous new trail down Oak Creek canyon that looked like CA coastal hills. When we ran out of trail we followed flags for a while until we donated enough to the flesh eating vegetation. The we follow cow trails in washes that seemed to go our direction and eventually led to a dirt road. We took the dirt road for a few miles to Hwy 83. We left Hwy 83 on a dirt road that led to Twin Tanks. The last legs were the real AZT until more trail is built. Our version was a scenic route, too.

Water in Twin Tanks was green and muddy. I cooked dinner with it but Ken went to a house and asked to fill our bottles. The couple was surprised to see him, had never heard of the AZT but were interested in the hike.

We are not clear on the route that we'll take in the morning. We'll sleep on it, then we

Before we went back to walk on Hwy 83 we thought we would look at the north end of the Twin Tanks for a trail or jeep track. There it was and it turned into more beautiful trail though perfect cactus specimens of all types. We didn't bother to put our cameras away between shots. Photo Editor, Linda, will be busy (I hope my camera is working right).

A spiffy convertible stopped as we were crossing the road. It said Gorgeous Bob. GB and Desi hopped out and after chatting they gave us bottles of frozen water. Mine lasted most of the day wrapped in my fleece and buried in my pack. I had delicious sips of chilled water.

At Three Bridges we dropped into a wash and found our first Saguaro cacti. These were old growth ancients. I had a hard time moving along.

Today was the first day that was really hot, but we wanted to get to Colossal Caves before the gift shop closed. Kim said we had two boxes, one in the refrigerator. Janet's brownies were chilled and fresh for us! Thank you Janet and Kim.

We have too much food and fuel for the desert and now I will be carrying five days food to Oracle. Kim said she will mail the excess back home for us. Again, thanks.

So the last favor that Kim set us up with was a spur-of-the-moment night in Tucson. She asked two of the cavers to give us a lift to the Hilton. Dennis and Ruby not only gave us a ride, they stopped at sunset below a bridge so that we could watch 30,000 bats take flight from under the bridge. What a fantastic sight! The bats fluttered out in a miles long ribbon that twisted and spiraled. It was a beautiful treat after the orange sunset.

Dinner, showers and the Hilton aren't bad either.