2024 The search for dryer weather!

Tucson: A Desert Surprise

Tucson, our final stop on the Arizona leg of our trip, proved to be a delightful surprise. Unlike the tourist hotspot of Sedona or the bustling metropolis of Phoenix, Tucson offered a unique blend of history, desert landscapes, and a laid-back charm.

A Glimpse into the Past: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

En route from Phoenix to Tucson, we made a stop at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. Here, the museum and the adobe structure, a remnant of a Hohokam civilization that thrived between 1350 and 1450 AD, offered a glimpse into the lives of these ancient people. The four-story structure, estimated to be over 600 years old, left us wondering about this mysterious civilization.

A four-story tall adobe "Great House", built in early 1300s.

The canapy over the ruins is to protect it from the elements. Outer rooms are 3-stories while the inner structure stands at four stories.

Tombstone: Where History Comes Alive

For our first day in Tucson, we drove out and explored the legendary town of Tombstone. Stepping into Tombstone felt like stepping back in time. This active historic town, established during the Wild West era in the 1870s, bustled with its own unique charm.

We began our exploration at the historic courthouse, a well-preserved building from the period. The infamous hangman's nooses outside the courtroom window served as a reminder of the town's past.

We then wandered down to Main Street, where the historic shootout at the O.K. Corral took place on the 26th of October, 1881. To gain a better understanding of the events of that infamous day, we attended a reenactment that brought the shootout to life with historical context and vivid details.

The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the storefronts lining Main Street and viewing a historical film that delved deeper into Tombstone's fascinating past.

The Tombstone courthouse.	The courtroom in the courthouse.
Outside the window of the courtroom.	Tombstone's main street.
The actual location where the shootout occurred.	The staged reenactment. I am SURE every detail was recreated accurately.

Saguaro National Park: A Tale of Two Deserts

Saguaro National Park, with its iconic cacti standing guard over a vast desert landscape, was our next stop. This park, made up of two separate sections – one east and one west of Tucson – allowed us to explore the desert's diversity over two days.

Our exploration of the park started on the east side of Saguaro National Park. An eight-mile scenic drive through the Saguaro National Park East, aptly named Cactus Forest Drive, took us on a loop through a dense forest of saguaros. These majestic cacti, some reaching heights of over 50 feet, were a truly awe-inspiring sight. The Rincon Mountains formed a backdrop to the desert scenery.

The following day, we ventured to the west side, the Tucson Mountain District. This section offered a contrasting desert experience. The Bajada Loop Drive, a winding route with some dirt road sections, took us through a landscape of rolling hills and valleys dotted with saguaros and other desert vegetation. The west side also provided magnificent desert vistas over valleys to the distant mountains.

While exploring the west side of the park, our exploration was almost cut short by a surprise hitchhiker in our left-rear tire – a three-inch long screw! Luckily, the screw only caused a slow leak, allowing us to limp back to our hotel. A quick call to a Big O Tires found a replacement for our Pirelli run-flat tire the next morning, and with a new tire on, we were back on track for our visit to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

We explore Saguaro Nation Park

The east side of the park with its varieties of cacti.

The west side of the park with its varieties of cacti.

Looking across the valley.

The west side provides beautiful vistas across the valley and to the mountains.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum: A Walk Through the Wild

Our visit to Tucson wouldn't have been complete without a visit to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. This sprawling museum offered a unique blend of zoo, botanical garden, and natural history museum, all dedicated to showcasing the wonders of the Sonoran Desert.

While the indoor exhibits were interesting, it was the outdoor museum, with its sheer scale, that stole the show. Two miles of walking paths snaked through desert habitats, allowing us to get up close. Saguaro cacti, barrel cacti, prickly pear, and chollas, with their teddy bear cholla and the tall Saguaro being our favorites, added to the diverse desert plant life.

But of course, the real stars of the show were the animals. All through Arizona, Becky wanted to see a real live javelina (not to be confused with a hog). We saw two of them resting and soaking up the rays.

Entering Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum on a beautiful day.	Museum is next to Saguaro National Park West. Same beautiful view.
A white tale deer.	A cougar lying around in the afternoon sun.
A fox reclining in the cool shade.	A coyote also resting.
Finally a javelina! This is actually a pair lying next to each other.	A bobcat.
Some kind of a lizard waiting to pounce on us.	And to finish it off, desert bighorn sheep.