2023 Tucson Arizona
For the next few months we explored Arizona with Tucson as our first stay. While there, we were staying near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base where we could see the “Aircraft Boneyard”. We could see the planes as we drove past, but unfortunately we didn’t take any pictures. However we drove through East Saguaro National Park, visited Mount Lemmon and hiked in Sabino Canyon.
There’s a West and East Saguaro National Park. Since we were staying on the east side of Tucson, we drove through the east park. The saguaro’s are the largest cactus in the U.S., commonly reaching 40 feet in height. It might take 50 to 75 years for them to grow their first arms. Arms are important to them because they store extra water. After 100 years, they usually have several arms. They are amazing!
The drive to the top of Mount Lemmon had a lot of switch backs and incredible rock formations. At the top there is a quaint little town and ski resort. We stopped for lunch at Sawmill Run Restaurant. There was still snow on the ground but not enough for skiers. We did a quick walk through the general store, so I could get a magnet. Yes, I’ve been collecting them for years.
Jeff’s grandfather lived in Tucson years ago. Much of our visit this time to Tucson was a trip down memory lane for Jeff and me. One of the first big trips we took as a family after Jeff got out of the Navy was to Tucson to visit his grandfather. We had to drive through his grandfather’s old neighborhood and to see his grandfather’s old house.
Here is another roadrunner. I looked for Wile E. Coyote, but he was nowhere to be found.
The hike in Sabino Canyon was special. Back when Jeff was getting ready to go into the Navy, he came out to Tucson to stay with his grandfather. He told me he would run the entire length of Sabino Canyon almost everyday as he prepared himself for the military. Visiting these places brought back a lot of memories for Jeff and me.
