Thursday, April 26, 2018 What an interesting day!  We spent the morning at the Titan II Missile Museum. This preserved site, officially known as complex 571-7, is all that remains of the 54 Titan II Missile sites that were on alert across the US from 1963 to 1987. The Titan II was America’s largest nuclear weapon, following the Atlas and Titan I missiles. We got to see the technology used by the US that helped deter nuclear war during the Cold War. How the building was constructed at the time was pretty amazing, too.  One of the best parts of the tour was our tour guide.  He had actually been a commander of the launch room during some of that time, so he had first-hand knowledge to share.  I got to be a Lt. Commander and turn one of the keys for a simulated launch. We saw where the launch codes were stored and what the whole process was in order to launch the missile.  Then we went through the tunnel to the silo where the actual missile was stored (minus the bomb, of course). We looked through the windows at the missile while the guide explained all of the parts and procedures. Later, after we climbed back up to the surface, we were able to look down on the missile from a special viewing platform. There was just so much fascinating information that I wish I could share it all. Not possible, of course. But if you are ever in Tucson, don’t pass it up.

Tuesday. April 24, 2018.  International Wildlife Museum

Monday, April 23, 2018. Today was a very busy day. We left early to take Jax to the off-leash dog park while it was still cool. We let him run and play for about an hour.  Next, we visited a couple of Native American shops. Pops found two more corn maiden fetishes for his collection and two small stone bear carvings. After lunch we went looking for a crested saguaro cactus that I had seen from the road a few days ago. We finally found it and Pops got the pictures.  On the way back to the camper we decided to find the road to Sentinel Peak overlook. We have been seeing it off in the distance but hadn’t been up there yet. We drove to the top and hiked out to the little stone gazebo. From there we could see nearly all of Tucson, surrounded completely by mountains. Unfortunately, it was a little hazy today, but the views were still impressive.

Saturday, April 21, 2018.  A few miles from our campground, we discovered the Mission San Xavier del Bac. In 1692 Father Kino put down the foundation for a church on the Santa Cruz River, named after St Francis Xavier. It wasn’t completed until the 1790s, but it is still flourishing today. It is also called the White Dove of the Desert. The Mission is on the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. Besides the church, there is also a mission school. While the church has had many restoration projects through the years, there are many of the original statuary and murals still in place. The interior is very elaborate and beautiful. More than $11 million has been raised for preservation and restoration of the amazing artwork.  Outside the church there are vendors selling fry bread, burritos, tacos, etc. We couldn’t resist and shared a fry bread. Yum Yum! It is well worth a visit if you are ever in this area.

Friday, April 20, 2018.    Did you know that Arizona has a wine country?  Well, it does. It’s about an hour south of Tucson, near Sonoita and Elgin. As we drove south, the cacti begin to disappear and were replaced with rolling hills and grasslands and vineyards. They call it high desert grasslands. The area is in the Santa Rita Mountains. It is beautiful. I am always amazed at how quickly the landscape can change. We found many wineries and stopped at three of them I enjoyed the wine from Sonoita Vineyards the most. It was a beautiful day again, chilly in the morning and only warming to the 70s this afternoon.

Tuesday, April 17, 2018. We visited Sabino Canyon National Park today. Pops had visited it before, when I was in KC, but he said I needed to see it as well. It was the perfect day for it since the weather was cooler. This park is a natural oasis in the desert located in Tucson’s Coronado National Forest. There is a stream that runs through it with cottonwood trees, palo verde trees, mesquite, and even some desert Gamble oaks that stay green all year.  There are a variety of trails that you can hike, from easy to challenging. We rode the narrated tram up to the top and then got off at Tram Stop #8. We hiked down a trail to the stream, to get pictures of the striated gneiss rocks. The dam is made from these rocks.  Then we rode the tram back down to #1 so we could hike Rattlesnake Trail and Esperosa Trail. Pops got a picture of a rock formation up on the ridge that looks like a giant desert tortoise (see first two pics).  In the loop near the visitor’s Center there was another rare crested saguaro. All in all we hiked about 4 miles and enjoyed every minute of it. The spectacular desert landscape around Tucson is incredible!