January 29 - February 12, 2023
Monica's dad and his wife Linda live in Tucson, and we're going to try to see them every winter. This year, we only had two weeks so we made the best of it. We were able to have dinner and hang out with them a couple times. The best part was going over to their house with Lacey, who got all of the attention the entire time. It was so good to hang out with family.
Sue and Toni also live near Tucson, and Margot was able to go to where they are in Green Valley many of the days were we there. They played pickleball and other games and enjoyed each other's company. We even saw them just before we left.
This trip to Tucson, we stayed in the southwest area of town in Tucson Estates. That put us just a few minutes from Saguaro National Park. Margot bought a wooden hiking stick there the year before, and she added a hiking stick medallion from national parks as we went through 2022. The stick was completely full, so she needed another one. We stopped by the visitor center there to pick another one up and to wander around the desert paths. It's always a nice place to visit.
We were also able to do the Bajada Loop Drive one day after work, a dirt road that weaves in and around the best part of Saguaro West. It was awesome to enjoy the nice weather and amazing plant life.
In addition to Saguaro, we also made it to the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. We've seen some old structures lately in our grand tour of the southwest, but this was the oldest by far. The Ancestral Sonoran Desert People lived there so long ago, and though the structure is crumbling there is still a lot left of it. We went on a guided tour, and learned a lot. We had hoped to visit the Hohokam Pima National Monument, but apparently there isn't much to see other than an expanse of dirt.
We visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum a few times. First, we went with Toni and Sue to see the Raptor Free Flight show on a Saturday. Though there were a lot of people, we accidentally ended up in a great place to stand and see the show. Hawks, owls, ravens, and other birds flew close enough to the tops of our heads we could touch them (though we were told not to move around or put our hands above the tops of our heads, so we didn't). The show was awesome. We had lunch there and bought a bunch of stuff at the gift shop. It is still one of our favorite places.
We went back other times just to walk around. The Cactus Garden is definitely a highlight of a trip there. We saw a few animals. It's such a nice place to unwind.
We also celebrated our second anniversary with a fantastic dinner. We love you, Tucson!
