5 - Tucson and Cactus

We discovered that southeastern Arizona is packed with more interesting things to see and do than we had time for. We set ourselves up at Cochise Terrace, a beautiful up-scale RV resort (paid half-price) 40 miles east of Tucson and convenient to places we wanted to visit. We had to stay an extra day to add time for essential tasks, a tour of Kartchner Caverns, a visit to Boot Hill and a very refreshing dip in the pool.

The Hoover administration had good foresight in 1933 in establishing Saguaro National Park well in advance of Tucson’s explosive growth. Suburban development has spread across the Sonoran Desert all the way to the park boundaries and probably would have eaten up the rest of the park as well as suburbanites strive for view homes amid cactus gardens. Fortunately, the park is well protected and offers visitors an opportunity to get a close-up look at a variety of cacti and other plants, especially the large saguaros (Ned of Taco Bell is one). We took the 8 mile Cactus Forest Drive and stopped along the way for short hikes and photos. Very nice!

Tucson is nearly as large as Seattle in population but, without many surrounding communities, it seems a lot smaller. It also appeared very clean, modern and much too quiet for a Saturday. We found our way around easily and parking was free everywhere we went.

We spent an afternoon in the Old Tucson district following a well-marked self-guided walking tour, looking at old buildings and historic sites, and learning about the area’s colorful history. St. Augustine Cathedral (1896) was a very impressive structure (photo). Old Town Artisans was an interesting cluster of artsy shops surrounding an outdoor eating patio under large shade trees, complete with a singing guitar player. It was across the street from the Presidio San Agustin del Tucson, which was established as a Spanish fort in 1775. Ron was especially excited about finding a small railroad museum near the beautifully restored Southern Pacific RR depot.

It’s easy to see why many snowbirds flock to this part of Arizona. The winter climate is just about perfect, the scenery is terrific and there are lots of things to do. We didn’t see everything, but hope to return in the future and spend a little more time here.