Thank God for people like C. B. Brown, a forward-looking citizen who, in 1929, happened to be Chairman of Pima County's "Parks and Rec." Ya see, it pays to do something magnanimous... something that lasts longer than than your measly lifespan. It's called "leaving a legacy," and future generations will continue to mention your name long after you've kicked the bucket-list goodbye. If you're lucky, you might even get a mountain named after you (Brown Mountain), and a mention in some insignificant blog post whose editor appreciates your foresight.
C. B. Brown, along with coworker, Jack Kinney, thought it would be nice to preserve a piece of pristine desert... way out of town, at least as Tucson existed back in those days. Today we enjoyed Tucson Mountain Park, one of the largest natural resource areas owned and managed by a local government in the entire U.S.
TMP has approximately 62 (and growing) miles of non-motorized shared-use trails, popular with hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians. Brown probably never imagined little ole Tucson growing to 1. 2 million residents or I'm sure he would have tried to preserve even more land.
Bordering TMP is Saguaro National Park, created as a National Monument in 1933 and later designated a national park in 1994. Together, they make a sizable swathe of undeveloped recreational open space.
Thank you, Mr Brown.
Mark and Bobbie Johnson
Lovely Ouray, Colorado.
As a tribute to C.B. Brown, we will hike the Brown Mountain trail on Friday afternoon before we come to happy hour at your place at Gilbert Ray! :-) The cold beer will taste even better after a nice hike!
ReplyDeleteI'll drink to that!
Delete:))
We are now in Tucson and love that we can hike right from our RV park into TMP...
ReplyDeleteWe are in Tucson now and are sure happy we can simply hike behind our park all the way into TMP...
ReplyDeleteWe love Tucson Mountain Park—Gilbert Ray is our favorite place to stay in Tucson. And Brown Mountain is a terrific hike. I didn't know the history and the man behind the park—but we'll certainly make a toast to C.B. Brown along with the rest of you! Cheers from snowy Ashland, Oregon. :-))
ReplyDeleteTMP makes a great place to hike with its selection of varying trail lengths. We just hiked an area that doesn't appear on Google maps or the park map. I found the trail in an old newspaper article. Our favorite area is the newer Robles Pass section. It's almost always empty and has a map at every split. It's the perfect area to be alone whether hiking or biking and wanting a shorter hike. Trails can combine for anywhere from three to six miles.
ReplyDeleteI loved that Wasson Peak Trail. Seems like it should be nice and flowery this year after all the winter rain...
ReplyDeleteWasson is a great hike, but this one is a different one... new to us... and just as beautiful as anything in Saguaro National Park. If you ever are here in winter again, one you need to do :)
DeleteMay I make a suggestion-----Mark Mountain ===== one that is rough and tough and makes you rant- no wimps allowed on Mark Mountain Walden Creek Rv steve
ReplyDeleteSo, Steve... I'm guessing you want me to talk about politics. :)
DeleteJust signed up for Medicare which starts next month. So confusing picking a medigap supplement and a drug plan with the smallest donut hole. Glad you were able to split 5 mg tablets which most doctors will recommend to save their patients needless drug cost. Like you, I would prefer drug companies not be allowed to direct advertise to patients.
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