Here's the park from the main road. You'll see it does have a pond that's ringed by large palm trees, set against a backdrop of the Santa Catalina mountain range. The pond is spring-fed, but water levels have decreased dramatically. In the year 2000, the spring flow was measured at 125 gallons per minute. Since 2006, it's classed as immeasurable as the amount is inconsistent and insignificant. In summertime, this pond basically doesn't exist. This change has been attributed to a combination of drought conditions, evaporation from the pond surface, and increasing temperatures. This pond is one of what was three pond areas, but the others rarely get any water now.
The park is 100+ acres, with a sizeable grassed area. Grass is another thing that's not common in the desert as it's so difficult to maintain. There were plenty of large families enjoying food and play time together in this grassed area. Spanish was the most prominent language heard in these family groupings.
In the first photo you may be able to notice some light colouring in the palm trees. In the second photo you'll see a similar light colour below the palm fronds. It's a little more noticeable in the photo below, but still not clear ... yet.
Greg and I walked the trail behind the pond, and were grateful for the shelter from the sun under these huge trees. They are huge, but unfortunately it's difficult to tell from these photos.
Now do you see what I mean? These hang down from beneath the fronds of these huge palm trees, and there are lots of them. I'm assuming it's dead matter, but I'm really not sure.
In the greenish pond water we saw lots of fish and various sizes of turtles. There were also lots of birds singing around us in the trees. It was a nice way to spend an hour or so.
As we went further along the trail, where there weren't any trees for shelter, we came upon this area.
The soil is hardened and dry, like most of the desert land. However, where I was standing to take the photo there was a plaque, showing what the area was like many years ago. This area was actually one of the ponds I mentioned earlier.
This is the photograph that was on that plaque, showing how things were when the spring water flow was heavy and consistent; quite a contrast. You have to wonder what the first pond may look like in years to come, as lack of water becomes a greater issue in this area, especially with the demands of an increased population.
Today, Tuesday, has been quite a contrast to Sunday's 80+ temperature. We had a high of 66ºF with breezy conditions, which felt quite cold to me. I am definitely a snowbird now!
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Location: Tucson, Arizona, USA
Weather: High 66ºF (19ºC), Low 52ºF (10ºC)
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