I think this sign is kind of rude. I mean they don't even know us and they're calling us names.
We made a couple of stops along the way for groceries and to check out Trader Joe’s, (You’re right, Melody – it’s a cool store.) so we didn’t get to Catalina State Park until after sunset. Who knew that this campground was so popular? We got the last available campsite and the hosts made a big deal about how lucky we were blah blah blah. We managed to act polite and grateful blah blah blah all the while thinking WTF?? Over the next few days though we discovered that there were people lined up at the park gates every morning at 9am waiting for somebody to check out so that they could check in! Yes, way! Go figure. I mean as campgrounds go it’s okay, but nothing special. I guess it’s the closest one to Tucson though.
Taz is not sure about making friends with Sophie.
The hills behind the campground really popped at sunset.
We ended up staying there 4 nights because it was pleasant and well, because we’re lazy and didn’t have a plan for anything beyond that. There were some nice hiking trails to explore and we spent a couple of days touring around Tucson. We liked Tucson; it’s very clean and modern. We picked out the neighbourhood that we’d like to live in if, for some reason, we ever have to move to there.We went to Biosphere 2, the University of Arizona’s enormous science experiment complex, although we opted not to do the hour and a half tour because it was too hot to leave Taz in the van that long. (High 70’s!)
The hiking trails:
The grand-daddy of saguaros:
This one seemed to have a message:
Desert high-rises:
From there we headed to Kartchner Caverns State Park. We knew from our brochures that we couldn’t make a camping reservation and we were a little worried by the line-ups at Catalina so we hauled our butts out of bed and made an early start. It’s only about an hour from Tucson so we arrived by 9-ish. The first question was “Do you have a reservation?” Whaaaat??? We freaked out for about a minute until we realized that she meant a reservation for a cavern tour – not a campsite. There were still a few campsites empty. Phew! Actually there were lots of campsites the whole time we were there, so no more of that getting up and racing to the next destination nonsense for us. We’ll take our time and take our chances.
It was HOT there!! (80-ish) We took a tour of the caverns which was excellent! Unfortunately, they didn’t allow cameras and we’re too cheap to buy pictures, so there are no photos for you. Trust me; if you’re ever down this way, it’s worth the price of admission.
This photo is for you, Shirley. Gracie's Station is actually all one huge restaurant. We stopped there one night after one of our day trips. They had a "special" listed on the blackboard at the entrance which sounded right up my alley. Snapper and scallops with jullienned (sp?) vegetables in a leek wine sauce. The snapper was delicous and the scallops, which were about 2½" in diameter and and inch thick just melted in my mouth. Probably just as well that I neglected to ask the price before I ordered or I would've missed a fantastic meal. $28.00!! Oops!
Taken just outside of Gracie's Station:
We did a couple of day trips from there on the recommendation of some people from Jersey that we met on the cavern tour. One day we went to Chiricahua (cheery-cow-ah) National Monument Park.
Wow! This place is amazing! From the lush green forest that you drive through to get there, (We’ve been in the desert too long – we’re craving green-ness!) to the bizarre rock formations. It was incredible! We took a hike up Sugarloaf Mountain which gave us some nice views of the place.
This enormous rock is balanced on a base no more than a foot across!
Lichen covered rock:
Our hike up Sugarloaf Mountain:
This rock is called the Sea Captain. Can you see him?
On the way back to Kartchner from there we stopped at White Water Draw. A nesting ground for sandhill cranes. Thousands of them arrive around sunset every night and settle onto the marshland for the evening. What a sight!! Of course, you’ll just have to take my word for it because we got there just as the light faded, but in the following photos there are thousands and thousands of cranes in the dark spots…
Another day we went to Bisbee. It’s a cute little artsy town. It would’ve been more pleasant to explore, but it was freakin’ cold! Yes, I can hear the out-pouring of mock sympathy, but it really was cold. I had to wear socks and everything!
Cute house eh?
We didn’t expect to like Tombstone, Arizona. We’d heard that it’s really touristy, but figured what the heck, we’re this close anyway, we might as well see it for ourselves. Surprise! We liked it! Sure it’s a little hokey, but it was fun. I mean how often do you get to ride in a stagecoach?!
A lot of the people in town dress in period costume.
Our stage-coach.
Taz quite enjoyed the ride.
A lady-in-waiting assists her highness from her carriage:
I’m writing this in the parking lot of the Pima County Aerospace Museum. Dan is inside getting his aviation fix and I’m sitting here watching the clouds roll in and listening to the wind howling. A cold front moved in a couple of days ago, so it’s been a bit chilly. There was even ice on Taz’s water dish the last couple of mornings. There’s supposed to be an even bigger storm moving in tonight (looks like it’s right on schedule), so when Dan returns, I’m going to lobby hard for a Super 8 night. I freely admit it; I’m a fair-weather camper!
The grand-daddy of saguaros:
This one seemed to have a message:
Desert high-rises:
From there we headed to Kartchner Caverns State Park. We knew from our brochures that we couldn’t make a camping reservation and we were a little worried by the line-ups at Catalina so we hauled our butts out of bed and made an early start. It’s only about an hour from Tucson so we arrived by 9-ish. The first question was “Do you have a reservation?” Whaaaat??? We freaked out for about a minute until we realized that she meant a reservation for a cavern tour – not a campsite. There were still a few campsites empty. Phew! Actually there were lots of campsites the whole time we were there, so no more of that getting up and racing to the next destination nonsense for us. We’ll take our time and take our chances.It was HOT there!! (80-ish) We took a tour of the caverns which was excellent! Unfortunately, they didn’t allow cameras and we’re too cheap to buy pictures, so there are no photos for you. Trust me; if you’re ever down this way, it’s worth the price of admission.
Our campsite at Karchner Caverns. You don't want to sleep-walk around here!
Kartchner Caverns was all about weird vegetation:
This photo is for you, Shirley. Gracie's Station is actually all one huge restaurant. We stopped there one night after one of our day trips. They had a "special" listed on the blackboard at the entrance which sounded right up my alley. Snapper and scallops with jullienned (sp?) vegetables in a leek wine sauce. The snapper was delicous and the scallops, which were about 2½" in diameter and and inch thick just melted in my mouth. Probably just as well that I neglected to ask the price before I ordered or I would've missed a fantastic meal. $28.00!! Oops!
Taken just outside of Gracie's Station:
We did a couple of day trips from there on the recommendation of some people from Jersey that we met on the cavern tour. One day we went to Chiricahua (cheery-cow-ah) National Monument Park.Wow! This place is amazing! From the lush green forest that you drive through to get there, (We’ve been in the desert too long – we’re craving green-ness!) to the bizarre rock formations. It was incredible! We took a hike up Sugarloaf Mountain which gave us some nice views of the place.
Ahhh. - green!
This enormous rock is balanced on a base no more than a foot across!Lichen covered rock:
Our hike up Sugarloaf Mountain:
This rock is called the Sea Captain. Can you see him?
On the way back to Kartchner from there we stopped at White Water Draw. A nesting ground for sandhill cranes. Thousands of them arrive around sunset every night and settle onto the marshland for the evening. What a sight!! Of course, you’ll just have to take my word for it because we got there just as the light faded, but in the following photos there are thousands and thousands of cranes in the dark spots…
Another day we went to Bisbee. It’s a cute little artsy town. It would’ve been more pleasant to explore, but it was freakin’ cold! Yes, I can hear the out-pouring of mock sympathy, but it really was cold. I had to wear socks and everything!See? Fresh snow along the road...
Cute house eh?
We didn’t expect to like Tombstone, Arizona. We’d heard that it’s really touristy, but figured what the heck, we’re this close anyway, we might as well see it for ourselves. Surprise! We liked it! Sure it’s a little hokey, but it was fun. I mean how often do you get to ride in a stagecoach?! A lot of the people in town dress in period costume. 
Our stage-coach.
Taz quite enjoyed the ride.
A lady-in-waiting assists her highness from her carriage:
I’m writing this in the parking lot of the Pima County Aerospace Museum. Dan is inside getting his aviation fix and I’m sitting here watching the clouds roll in and listening to the wind howling. A cold front moved in a couple of days ago, so it’s been a bit chilly. There was even ice on Taz’s water dish the last couple of mornings. There’s supposed to be an even bigger storm moving in tonight (looks like it’s right on schedule), so when Dan returns, I’m going to lobby hard for a Super 8 night. I freely admit it; I’m a fair-weather camper! Some shots from Dan's museum tour. He took tons of photos, so you aviation nuts (Don) will have to contact him to see more.
