The Mission Trail, part 4

Just outside the boundary of Tubac Presidio State Historic Park is a parking lot that serves as parking for the newest type of national park, a national historic trail.
In this case, Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. When completed, it will be an international endeavor, stretching from Culiacan, Mexico to San Francisco, California, a distance of 1,217 miles. It commemorates the epic journey in 1775 and 1776 of settlers and soldiers from Central Mexico to northern California. About 300 people made the trip, the purpose of which was to establish a presidio, or fort, in San Francisco. It is the famous presidio that still exists today. At the time, San Francisco was at the northern edge of the Spanish empire. It will probably be years before the trail is completed, but currently there is a 4.5 mile stretch of the trail that is open to the public that leads from Tubac Presidio State Historic Park to Tumacacori National Historical Park farther south. I will talk about my visit to Tumacacori in the next edition of this blog. "Tubac" is pronounced "too-bach."
"Tumacacori" is pronounced "tomb-a-cock-a-ree."
I walked a short distance down the Anza Trail and read some informational signs that I was able to see while I was touring the state park. There are 3 signs underneath a covered ramada. They talk about the national trails system, Spanish exploration of southern Arizona and northern Mexico and who Juan Bautista de Anza was. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Spanish military. He was the one who would be in charge of the presidio at San Francisco. After reading the signs, I walked a ways down the trail, I think it was about half a mile, until I came to the Santa Cruz River. The walk from Tubac to Tumacacori requires fording the river twice.
Needless to say, a National historic trail is a very long and skinny national park.
Other examples of National Historic trails include:
Old Spanish, from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Los Angeles, California; Santa Fe, from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Independence, Missouri; Pony Express, from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California; Oregon, from Kansas City, Missouri to Portland, Oregon; Lewis and Clark, from St. Louis, Missouri to the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon; Continental Divide from the Mexican border to the Canadian border; Appalachian from northern Georgia to northern Maine; Ice Age in Wisconsin; Mormon Pioneer from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah; Iditarod from Seward to Nome in Alaska;Selma to Montgomery in Alabama, which is a route that Martin Luther King and alot of followers took in the 1960s and Ala Kahakai in Hawai'i, which deals with Polynesian culture. It commemorates the historic landing of Captain Cook on the big island of Hawai'i and the rise of Kamehameha I. There are other trails that I have not mentioned.
Sometime I want to walk the entire 4 1/2 miles from Tubac to Tumacacori. Tumacacori is a fascinating place and I could spend the whole day there. When i drove from Tubac to Tumacacori, I drove down old U.S. Highway 89, the forerunner of Interstate 19. The old highway is now a county maintained road and still in excellent condition. While I was en route, I noticed an ever earlier alignment of old highway 89. It is in a crescent configuration. The north end angles off from the later alignment and is currently blocked off at a bridge over a small creek. It is still in decent condition because it provides access to three houses. South of the bridge, the old road is overgrown with weeds the entire distance. There are small sections of asphalt still visible. I walked this portion of the road, about 150 yards, and walked across the old bridge. It is one of those old style bridges that have silver trestle work above the roadway. I like those old bridges, they have alot of character.