Two days in Tucson, AZ

Sunday, March 11, 2012, we moved on to Tucson.  It was warm but overcast.  We traveled US 60 to Apache Junction then south on AZ 77 to AZ 79 into Tucson.  Traffic was slow and heavy leaving Apache Junction as the annual Renaissance Festival was going on just outside of town.  Once past there, it was easy going through the desert.  There were roadside lupines and other flowers in bloom.  As the elevations changed, there were more or less saguaro.  The Desert Museum docents told us that was due to the soil conditions at various levels.  As we drove along, we were suddenly pelted with black bugs smashing on the windshield.  It seems we drove through a cloud of large bees known to the area.  It sounded like hail when they hit.  As we turned South, we could see the 9000' Catalina Mountains and  the Mt Lemmon Ski Area still with snow.  We found our campsite at the Prince of Tucson RV Park and got settled in.  We have now learned the importance of asking more questions when we make a reservation on the phone.  I did look at this place on line and of course the pictures made the campground look very inviting.  The folks are pleasant and friendly however, the park is under major construction installing a viaduct for water. The campsites are literally on top of each other.  There isn't room to put the awning out without hitting the next door rig.  When we sit outside, there is a whiff of septic odor from poor venting. When we checked in, we learned that the road to the park was closed Sunday night for a 2 year construction project.  We had quite a time getting back last night after sight seeing since the GPS doesn't know about the construction.We were less than a mile from our campsite but couldn't get there!  We stopped for gas ($3.99 for diesel-$125 to fill the tank) and to get directions but even the attendant didn't have any ideas of how to get around the block.  Luckily, the people getting gas next to us, gave us directions and we got back. 

Our exploring adventure yesterday was to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and to the Old Tucson Studios.  I had been to the Desert Museum several years ago when my friends, Cindi and Molly, lived here.

25 year old Chuckwalla



This snake sure looked like it was outside the glass terrarium!



This docent was talking about the saguaro.  She is holding a very large bird's nest  made down inside the saguaro.

View looking west from the museum.

Inside the cave exhibit

Sonny tries on the bat ears.

Why do some of the saguaro arms grow like this?

Prairie dogs are the most fun to watch though at this time of the year, it is mating season.  The males were pretty beat up from fighting over the girls.  The one on the right has no fur left on his tail.

Javalina napping

Our visit including seeing a black bear, a barn owl, many lizards, snakes, frogs, a road runner, bob cats, puma, wolves, deer, blooming flowers and of course, many cactus.

After a coffee and muffin break, we went to Old Tucson, a frontier town setting used in over 300 movies and television episodes of the old West.  Much of the town burned in 1995 but is being rebuilt over a 25 year period.  We took the train ride around the perimeter to get our bearings.  There were living history reenactments, a stunt show, a John Wayne video, show girls and even Sonny was a star on stage!  I made a video of his 3 minutes of stardom and as soon as I can get it out of my phone, I can produce it!

The Hotel where Sonny became a star with the can-can girls.

Train wreck in the desert

This donkey looks a little sad in his winter coat on a hot day.

The "Legend of Santa Maria" stunt show.  The guy in red has just pushed the sheriff off the building.  Can you see his legs? 

Next, the girl on the ladder is going over backwards. It was a cute story with funny lines and goofy stunts.

Here, we listened to the stage coach conductor tell the history of coach travel around Tucson.  Theses coaches were built in New Hampshire.  Travel was very expensive-$400 to go to California in the 1870s.  This line only ran for 23 months before train travel took over. 

This lovely lady choose Sonny to  star with her in the Saloon show.  She told him that since he had a diamond earring, he must be rich so she picked him for her partner. (Little did she know!)  Sonny had a little pink cowboy hat and a stick pony.

Sonny and his "girls".

Farm pond in Old Tucson

Today, Sonny arranged for a mobile washer to come and power wash the rig.  Road dirt, bugs and bees needed to go.  The windows are so much cleaner!  The neighbor even had his rig done, too.  'Course, we are so close, he probably didn't need to pay to have his done. The over spray from our job would have cleaned his.

 While the washing was going on, it was coffee and doughnuts in the clubhouse with line dancing after to work off the doughnut. The teacher was a 92 year old guy who had the beat in spite of having a stroke last summer. We did the Electric Slide, Alley Cat, Achy Breaky Heart, a waltz and he even knew a line dance to the Beer Barrel Polka. Hope I can remember that one. We lazed around the campsite most of the day. After lunch, it was pool time. The park does allow children but they have child proof doors around the pool-all the knobs are 5 feet off the floor.    

The day ended with another beautiful pink, lavender and yellow sunset behind the mountains.  The weather news this evening said the dew point here is -2%....how can that even be??? In Prescott, 200+ miles north of here, the dew point is -10%.  Tomorrow, we are going to Tombstone for the day.