21-24OCT07 - Tucson, AZ

The trip from Wickenburg to Tucson was uneventful even though we had to go through the heart of Phoenix. But since it was Sunday morning, the traffic was not bumper to bumper (but it was still pretty heavy for early Sunday!). Once again we decided to stay at a military facility. This time it was Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

http://www.dm.af.mil/

The interesting thing about Davis-Monthan is that it is the “graveyard” for the excess/obsolete planes for the Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. We didn’t see aviation assets from the Army, so they must have a separate facility? We are talking thousands and thousands of aircraft, usually shrink wrapped, and parked neatly in row after row in the desert. Some of the aircraft are old and you understand why they are there, but some are fairly new and you wonder – like B-2 bombers, A-10 attack fighters, not to mention F-16s and F-18s. There is even one of the Boeing 707 Air Force 1. Just outside the base is the Pima Air and Space Museum that seems to benefit from this graveyard. We didn’t tour it, but driving by it appears that have one of every military aircraft since the 1950s.

The day after our arrival we went into downtown Tucson and picked up a walking tour map. Not much remains of the original adobe buildings (like in Sante Fe) but it was still a nice excursion. We had an excellent lunch at the El Charro Cafe, a restaurant ran by the same family for 85 years in Tucson. During our walk we noticed a church that had services in the usual English and Spanish, but also had services with Folk Choir, or no Hymns, or with Mariachi!

http://www.elcharrocafe.com/

As usual Dan had a list of offbeat or eccentric things he wanted to see. Some were gone and some were closed but we did manage to see:

---a pedestrian bridge over the highway, designed and built to look like a giant rattlesnake. The cyclone fencing encasing it has a diamond back pattern in it, and one end has giant rattler tail, while the other has a big snake head with fangs.

---Garden of Gethsemane with a depiction of the Last Supper in concrete by soldier who prayed to God during WWI as he lay wounded.

http://www.azstarnet.com/clips/felixluceropark.html

---Jerry Hall’s art collection surrounding his house.

The next day we toured Ft Lowell. The fort was originally located close to central Tucson, but the Army moved it to distance the soldiers from the disease and the rowdiness of town life! Few of the adobe buildings remain but the historical markers give you a very good idea of the harshness of military service in the late 1800s.

http://oflna.org/fort_lowell_museum/ftlowell.htm

From there we traveled to the eastern unit of the Saguaro National Park. Turns out there is an eastern unit and a western unit, because this is the only National Park separated by a city (Tucson). It was a fascinating and educational time. Turns out that these cactus can live over 200 years old, and don’t even start spouting their distinctive arms until they are 75. For years the locals thought they were indestructible and a nuisance. But now they are protected whether or not they are on federal land and are making a comeback. In fact, the biggest danger now is cactus rustling, because a large cactus can go for several thousand dollars.

http://www.nps.gov/sagu/

We had planned on spending three days in Tucson, Arizona; but woke up on our departure day to 35 mph winds. We could have safely driven in these conditions, but it would not have been enjoyable. One of the advantages of full time RV’ing is usually we have no schedule to keep; so we paid for another day and waited for a change in the weather.

Trivia: Why is there a monument to the Mormon Battalion in Tucson?