The mountains of Tucson with their red misshapen peaks greet me as I fly in. I meet my colleagues to carpool over to my hotel, which I soon discover is in the not-so-nice part of downtown.

The conference is off to a great start with some interesting questions on changing the narrative in water messaging, being careful of the dominant narrative of resilience and considering other perspectives around it.

I sneak on a trip to the Tucson desert museum, which is essentially a zoo of native species. It is cool to see squirrels and lizards and birds and butterflies flitting around the gardens. In captivity I am surprised to see a mountain lion, asleep underneath the window. It is strange being so close to a cougar, and I get a glance as the sleeping panther wakes up from a nap.

I love seeing all of the reptiles and aviaries with native birds that allow me to be so intimate with otherwise rare animals. I adore seeing the mountain landscapes of Saguaro national park and all the saguaros and other cacti! There are so many different kinds of cactii in the gardens. My favorite exhibit is the hummingbird house that has five different species buzzing around. I manage to get decent iPhone pictures, lamenting leaving my camera behind on the last-minute excursion.

The opening reception of the conference is nice as the sun sets. There is a networking happy hour, and I meet colleagues from EPA’s delegation, then enjoy free drinks and food as a fantastic band plays. As I Uber to my hotel, my driver informs me of the fentanyl issue plaguing the area and advises me not to walk around at night.

I go for a hike the following morning after hearing from the Office of Water assistant administrator how great it is along the Santa Cruz river and behind the resort. Near me it is barren and full of trash and unhoused folks keeled over in the tunnels, but I see some beautiful birds.

What is amazing is hiking behind the resort into the the canyon. Being surrounded by hills covered in saguaros on all sides is so unique. I see a couple flocks of quail and many other birds. The afternoon sessions all cover communications, and I have to rush back to see the assistant administrator speak over a delicious lunch, otherwise I would stay hiking all day!

There is another happy hour, but we leave early to get Mexican at a local market. They have pumpkin horchata, but they forget to bring out my burrito and it gets cold. It is delicious reheated the next day though!

I carpe the diem and hike again the next day up the hill through the hidden valley trail. The views of the surrounding mountains are stunning, and of course so are the cacti and birds. I spend some time to create videos talking about the plants on site. I see gila woodpeckers and others making nests and eating cactii flowers.

After the conference I head to Tumamoc hill, with signs about the indigenous people who have lived there for thousands of years. It was nice learning about their water use and how they have survived with responsible water; they view water as a relative and honor it as such. I see many birds on the way up to the viewpoint looking over Tucson and at the top I see a hawk! There are many informative signs speaking to the ecology and archeology of the hill. On the way out as my Uber arrives I finally see a roadrunner! I snag a picture or two before I feel pressured to leave.

The downtown area is really hip and vinbrant. The old Pueblo style buildings are covered in some of the most beautiful street art along fun bars and funky restaurants. I stop for some raspberry fudge ice cream as I tour the Spanish colonial architecture of downtown. There is a little market and lots of musicians playing as I make my way over the footpath around the central plaza de armas, a Spanish style plaza.

There is a large cathedral and some historic Freemason buildings around but I head past into Barrio Viejo. Here the adobe buildings are so colorful and full of little gems like a wishing well. There is an event taking place where community members are speaking of the hundreds of migrants killed on the way to Arizona. As the street lights turn on I take a Lyft back to the hotel and get a workout in.

I get up with sunrise and walk along the river, this time until I reach an actual river with the rain from the night before. Supposedly, it is the first time it has rained in over a month! The stream is full of life and many colorful birds. The river is free of trash as collectors pick it up and the vegetation is lush and full of trees. I love how ephemeral everything is; a cactus flower along the hotel is in bloom and the next day is closed. There is a great view of A hill and the surrounding mountain landscapes in the morning sun.

I turn back as I have to catch my flight, but I see vermilion flycatchers, a Harris hawk, and several roadrunners! I am late for the airport as I take my time photographing, and have a hard time pulling myself away from the charismatic species. But I have plenty of time thanks to a quick Uber and TSA pre check to skip the long security line!