Saturday, November 17, 2012

Tucson activities


November 15, 2012:

Tuesday we went to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum a few miles away, it is a huge complex, part botanical garden, part research facility and part zoo that you can easily spend a full day doing. We really liked it and ended up becoming members, it pays for itself if you go twice.  Then on tuesday night I went to the Hotel Congress in downtown Tucson, or as the locals say, the "Congress" which is one of the coolest places on the planet !  I have stayed there on two previous trips to Tucson, it's unique in all ways.  The rooms are vintage 1930's decor, they have a resident ghost and John Dillinger stayed there just before he was captured.  Also the rooms over the bar are very noisy when a music event is going on.  I went on Tuesday to hear Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band in concert.  I had never heard of him before, but he sounded interesting and he definitely was worth the trip!  It was sort of a Hillbilly/ Blues fusion if you can imagine that.  He had a large black beard and when he really got his high powered guitar riff going, the beard got to rocking.  

Wednesday AM we went on a hike with the campground hiking group.  It was a nice 6 mile hike through the desert to a couple of old mining sites.  It was different going on a group hike, you can't just stop when you feel like it, or if you're tired, or just want to look around.  It doesn't really fit my hiking profile , I like to stop often and take photos, smell the flowers, look around at the landscape, but there is plenty of time for solitary hiking. It was a good way to meet people at the campground, many of which have been coming here for years and know good things.   Back at the campground, we were pretty tired, I checked out the hot tub, it felt real nice.  

They have a campground library here and Twinkles is so excited, she can't wait to volunteer.  Meanwhile, Slick is not volunteering for anything. 

Today, we went into Tucson to the "Sprouts market" to buy some produce and by chance came upon a "Trader Joe's", we stopped there also and stocked up on a few goodies.  

On the way back, we missed the turn for the highway and in turning around ended up in a Mexican area, saw a place advertising famous Chili hot dogs.  We stopped and had a couple of them for lunch and saw several other small restaurants and a bakery nearby that may be possibilities for another time?  

Thought for the day:  Sometimes a wrong turn can end up being a "Right turn" !

Someone has painted and placed these rocks along the hiking trail

The trail behind the campground with a chain fruit Cholla in foreground

Twinkles on the trail

Barrel Cactus

View from the Saguaro Park visitors center

Saguaro cactus

Prickly Pear Cactus

Fox at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

Thrasher bird on cactus

They do have nice red dragonflies in the desert

Big Horn Sheep at Desert museum


 I couldn't get a decent hummingbird photo, but the big grasshoppers were cooperative 



Organ Pipe cactus spines

Organ Pipe cactus

First time I've seen this sign



No comments:

Post a Comment