Sky Island Scenic Byway

On Easter Sunday, our granddaughter, Emily, took us on a drive to the top of Mt. Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson.

The Sky Island Scenic Byway is the only paved road that leads to the top of the Catalinas.  Beginning at less than 3,000 feet elevation, the road winds around hairpin turns to reach a summit of more than 9,000 feet.  Several pullouts are provided along the way overlooking the valley containing Tucson.  Our favorites were Molino Canyon Vista and Windy Point Vista (aptly named) where we walked among the rocks taking photos of the awesome view.

The gain in elevation from start to finish is so great, it encompasses several ecosystems, comparable to a trip from Mexico to Canada.

The trip starts at the desert floor amidst the saguaros and other cacti.

In just minutes, you begin to notice the change to trees,

and by the end of the 27 mile drive, you find yourself in an alpine forest of Ponderosa pines.

 

It was a perfect drive for an Easter Sunday.  No one could see such panoramic views and such environmental variety  and not  marvel at God’s Great Creation.

For more photos from our drive, click on the diagram below:

Sabino Canyon

Tucked away in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson is a beautiful little canyon named Sabino Canyon.

Imagine it is 150 years ago. Your horse died and you have been crawling across the hot dry desert for 2 nights. (You are smart enough to know that you should rest in the heat of the day and travel at night by the light of a half moon.) Unfortunately, your canteen has run dry. Just when you're about to give up all hope, the first rays of sunlight break over the desert and you see a beautiful mountain range in the distance. There is a darker green line that runs like a vein up the side of the mountain. "Trees," you whisper in a choking voice. You know where there are tall leafy deciduous trees, there is water. You are saved. You have found an oasis in the Sonoran Desert. You have found Sabino Canyon. (paragraph taken from  “Story trail” )

It is still such an oasis in the midst of the desert, and provides an excellent escape from the bustle and heat of the city.  We visited Sabino Canyon with our granddaughter, Emily, over Easter weekend.   A narrated tram trip takes you 3.8 miles up into the canyon.   We  walked part of the way back down.

For a slideshow of our canyon visit, click on the map below:

 

Sonoran Desert Museum

The name, Sonoran Desert Museum, is a misnomer, as far as I’m concerned, and I wonder how many pass up this outstanding facility because of the title, Museum?  It is, in fact, a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place! 

For years, we’ve seen the brochure, looked at the website, and said, “We’ve got to see that”, and finally this year, took the time to do it. The Museum is located just outside of Tucson.

What a delight!  Almost two miles of paths winding through the 21 acres lead you past 300 types of animals and 1200 plant species.   From the mountain lion to the scorpion to the cactus, it’s a captivating place.

One of our first stops was the Earth Sciences Center, a man made limestone cave that you would swear was authentic.    Next came the Mountain Woodland exhibit, with the mountain lions. There are many such exhibits, housing the many animal species in their own habitat.    I was glad for the new camera’s zooming ability for photos like this one.  We were probably 40-50 feet from the bear.One of the more unique aspects of the facility is its windows on the various habitats.  For the nocturnal creatures or those loving crevices, you get a peak at them there also.  (See the snake through the glass in this photo?)We were even able to observe a sleeping beaver up close in his den though a similar window.  Through the use of these windows and “hot spots”, places identified as most likely to spot the animals, there were very few species that we were not able to watch.

The  number of identified plants is outstanding – there are more cacti varieties than you can imagine.

There are two aviaries, one exclusively for hummingbirds.  We tried to capture a picture of them, but they’re almost too fast for the camera.  Here’s an attempt at one in flight. We attended two presentations, Running Wild, in which wild animals take turns circling the stage, including a ringtail cat and a porcupine.  Two tropical parrots even circled near enough over our heads that we felt the wind from their flight.

The second presentation, Live and (Sort of ) On the Loose, featured a Gila Monster and a Rattlesnake, and covered how to avoid being bitten by either, or what to do if you are bitten.

The day ended with a stroll through the beautiful pollination gardens.  The museum is almost too large to fully experience in one day.  I definitely would like to return.  We have lots more pictures!  Would you like to see them?  Click below.

For more information on visiting the Sonoran Desert Museum, CLICK HERE.

Mission San Xavier del Bac

I was totally unprepared for the sight of the San Xavier del Bac Mission in Tucson.  My pre-conceived notion of an old mission was perhaps a small nondescript adobe structure.  That mental picture could not have been farther from the truth. The Catholic mission itself was founded in 1692; the current building, also known as “The White Dove of the Desert”  took 14 years to build and was completed in 1797 .  A masterpiece of construction, it is considered to be the finest example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States.  Until 1854 with the Gasden Purchase, the mission building was located in Mexico.

A large reconstruction effort was initiated in 1992, and continues today as funds become available.

The building remains unfinished.  One legend suggests that early taxation laws exempted buildings under construction, so the builders chose to leave one dome unfinished.  Another legend is that the tower is being left unfinished until the “Excellent Builder” will come to direct its completion.

Much of the manual labor was accomplished through the hard work of the native tribe, the O’odham.  Children of the tribe still attend the school on the grounds and services are still held weekly in the sanctuary.      

THE MISSION SCHOOL

The interior is even more impressive than the exterior, featuring Baroque styling. 

As you enter the huge carved mesquite doors, your senses are flooded by the brilliant colors of the paintings, carvings, frescoes and statues. The interior is richly decorated with ornaments showing a mixture of New Spain and Native American artistic motifs.  Chapels sit to each side of the sanctuary.  The dome towers 52 feet above the floor.

The mission is surrounded by gardens and courtyards.  In the parking lot out front, O’odham tribe members prepare native foods such as fry bread to sell to the many visitors. 

We could not pass up the chance for fry bread, one of our favorite treats.

In the nearby San Xavier Plaza, more Native Americans sell their handicrafts.  Ron purchased a pair of turquoise earrings for me from Joe Begay, a Navajo.  Joe is a master of trades including acting, singing and silversmithing.  He showed us photos from his acting roles.  One of the first was Little House on the Prairie.  He says he was “lucky to be allowed to play an Indian.  Until then, all Indians were played by whites”.  He has also had parts in many movies, including Dances with Wolves.

For more photos of the mission interior and grounds, click on the collage below.

Justin’s Diamond J RV Park

We chose to stay at the RV park primarily because it was near the Sonoran Desert Museum, our ultimate destination, but were pleasantly pleased with the park.  Bordered by the Tucson Mountain Park, the landscaping of the RV park was well done, and pathways led into the Tucson Mountain Park.   The facilities were clean, the personnel friendly, and we even found a nice trading library.  We’ll plan to stay at this park again in the future. For a glimpse at our evening walk, click on the picture below.

Pima Air and Space Museum

For years, Ron has wanted to stop in Tucson at the Pima Air and Space Museum.  Hoyt liked the idea also, so we made it our destination of choice on Tuesday of our week with Hoyt and Bernice.

The facility is so large, containing over 300 aircraft plus displays, that it took us all day to tour it.

Most of the planes are outdoors.  We were able to board the U S Air Force One used by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

 

It did not have the feel of luxury you would expect in a Presidential aircraft, and we wondered how it would compare with today’s US Air Force One.

 

 

There are many hangars on the grounds, displaying aircraft and related materials.

 

Here, a Veteran who volunteers in the museum tells Bernice what it was like to fly on a bomber in the war.

 

 

 

The number of aircraft, sizes, and shapes is amazing.  Here are some of the more unusual ones: