Goodbye Tucson.

Our final days in Tucson Arizona comprised of a tour of Old Tucson Studios and a visit to Saguaro National Park.

Old Tucson Studios is a touristy amusement attraction with a can can musical, gun fights, card shark show, pistol & lariat shows. But the real attraction is that it is the site of the most active filming locations for Western-themed movies, TV & cable shows in the USA. The history dates back to 1939 when Columbia Pictures chose this site to build a replica of 1860’s Tucson for the movie Arizona starring William Holden and Jean Arthur. Local carpenters built the town from scratch, erecting more than 50 buildings in 40 days. Without running water, they made more than 350,000 adobe bricks from the desert dirt to create authentic structures for the film, many still standing today. Over time it was the site for The Bells of St. Mary’s, The Last Outpost, Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Lone Ranger, Cimarron, Lilies of the Field & Have Gun Will Travel to name just a few. The Gambler, Three Amigos, The Quick and the Dead were some of the films in the
1990’s and early 2000’s.



Stunt man falling from tower at a Wild West Comedy show.



Bullwhip demonstration by Pistol Packing Paula



Joan with Pistol Packing Paula...the only female pistol twirler.


Location for a film shoot


We were hoping to see the desert in bloom before we left Tucson, but our visit to the Saguaro National Park, although awesome, was still a little early. We did see some blooms along a short hike.

















Balancing rock formation.


We packed a lunch and had this little visitor serenade us!


Trail up into the mountains


Joan along the trail.



Ron along the trail.


Our friends Tom & Sue finally pulled the trigger and bought a beautiful 5th wheel. They spent a couple of days at Beaudry RV resort in the space next to us. We went to the dealership to see the rig they chose and spent a day shopping. Tom & Ron hit the hardware store and where back in 1.5 hours. Sue & I hit Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Wal-mart and 5-6 hours later we were back. How do guys do that?


Not only did they have to decide on which RV to buy they had to shop for a new truck too!


Tom & Sue with their new home!

We attended the Stations of The Cross on Good Friday at Santa Cruz Catholic Church. The stations were simple crosses positioned around the outside of the church & school complex. With Father leading the group and the participants taking turns carrying a large wooden cross we walked from station to station. Interesting!


We liked our 2 month stay in Tucson. They do things different down here though. The city has very few storm drains so when it does rain the washes fill and the streets flood. Instead of spending money for a storm sewer system, they just purchased signs to place all over the city.





Their highway overpasses are very artistic. I guess this is where all of their tax dollars went.










There is one exit off of I-19 with an exit sign and ramp that leads to nowhere???? We were told the original plan was the development of a casino that never took place.









But you can't beat the sunsets!






Our next destination is Las Vegas to visit friends.

Hope all is well

Joan &
Ron

Picacho Peak State Park

Arizona has some of the most beautiful and awesome state parks. Unfortunately they do not have the funds to support them and are closing all but 9 of the 34. Picacho Peak is one scheduled to close June 3rd. How sad! We are glad we were able to visit. It is located about 30 miles northwest of Tucson - in the middle of nowhere.


Approaching Picacho Peak is the best way to view the unique shape of the 1,500 foot peak.

We ate lunch at an isolated picnic table overlooking the mountainside starting to bloom. We were hoping the desert will be in full bloom by the time we leave, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.



It has about a mile driving loop and several hiking trails. I chose the medium length trail which was just under 1 mile but pretty much up hill and moderately rugged. An hour later - I was hot, dry and my muscles were already rebelling but I got some great pictures.


Callaway Trail


Cactus with 2" thorns surrounded by beautiful flowers.



Mexican Gold Poppies.


Desert enhanced by the color of purple.


Not all Saguaro's are as shown in a picture perfect postcard.



Besides the beauty of the flora there were some unusual rock formations along the trail.






Finally made it to the top.


Another view from the top.


Picacho Peak’s most noted historic event occurred on April 15, 1862, when Confederate and Union scouting parties met in the Battle of Picacho Pass during the Civil War. This was the only Civil War clash to take place in Arizona.


Memorial to the 4 soldiers who died in this Civil War battle.



Site of the Picacho Pass battle.

Our next trip is to the Saguaro National Park in the next couple of days.

Hope all is well!

Joan & Ron

We spent last Saturday at Davis-Monthan AFB for the Arizona Days Air Show with friends Tom and Sue. We thought we would be wise and take the shuttle. Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea - it was a 3 hour wait! So we drove to the base and Sue sweet-talked one of the military police to get us into handicap parking because of Ron's knees. A good thing...because even after we got on the tarmack the displays, vendors and show were spread out and required a lot of additional walking. Tom is retired from the Secret Service and had a lot of knowledge of the various aircrafts and served as our "tour guide" Featured were the A-10 "warthog" tank destroyer, 4 Patriot jets flown by the Thunderbird pilots, F-22A Raptor, B-1 Lancer Bomber, F-15 Eagle just to mention a few.


E-3 Sentry AWACS- airborne warning and control system. Premier surveillance system monitors skies around the world providing critical battlefield info to commanders on the ground.


MH - 53 Pave Low


Patriots


Parachutist


My favorite picture taken of the Thunderbirds


Another Thunderbird formation. This year marks their 57th anniversary.



One more. They were originally formed at Luke AFB here in Arizona and since moved to Nellis AFB in Las Vegas.


And what's an event without the infamous Clydesdales?


Tom, Sue, Ron and me....everyone else was smart enough to wear a hat...it was HOT!

We had a good time!

Hope all is well!

Joan & Ron

"The Town Too Tough to Die"

We finally got to the town of Tombstone. A place Ron has been wanting to visit...a thrown back to when he was a little boy with his toy Mattel Fanner 50 gun & holster playing cowboy. "The Town too Tough to Die" is 60 miles south of Tucson and is the most renowned Arizona old mining camps. It is, of course, the site of the infamous Wyatt Earp - Clanton gang battle at the O.K. Corral. One interesting find was that it really didn't take place exactly at the O.K. Corral but at the rear entrance. The town features lots of tourist type stores, restaurants/bars and attractions such as a reproduction of the shoot-out. The actors were actually pretty good. We saw two other shows that were very mediocre.


Ron and his friends - Wyatt Earp & Doc Holiday



The town, America's example of our western heritage, which is well preserved with original 1880's buildings.



Tucson isn't big on St. Patty's day celebrations. We found an Irish Pub for a corned beef, cabbage lunch, but it was not really crowded like the bars & restaurants in St. Louis. We then ventured down near the university to have a cup of coffee and listen to a live band playing Irish tunes.


We have found if you want to see whats going on in a town find the university and follow the college kids.

The weather has been perfect in the 70's and 80's...at least perfect for us. An occasional 1/2 day or so of rain, but that's ok...we are waiting for the spring blooms in the desert.

Hope all is well!

Joan & Ron

Titan II Tour

One of the main attractions in Tucson is the Titan II Missile Museum. The Titan II was the largest Intercontinental ballistic missile in the United States Air Force inventory and was on ALERT from 1962-1987. I remember in grade school having bomb shelters and practicing drills during the Cold War.

The Titan II measures 110 feet in length with a 10 foot diameter, utilizing in excess of 200,000 lbs of propellant and produced 530,000 lbs of thrust. It had a target range of 5,500 miles that could be delivered within 30 minutes....scary.

There were 3 sites during that time. One being in Tucson at the Davis-Monthan AFB which is the only one still open as a museum and conducts tours. The other two were in Wichita, Kansas and Little Rock, Arkansas. These 3 sites housed 18 missiles each. To this day the proposed targets for any of these missiles is still classified.

With the end of their life as weapon systems reused Titans became the basis for rockets that have launched dozens of satellites into orbit. The existence of the Titan as a weapon helped to prevent a massively destructive war between the United State and The Soviet Union. And has also served to advance human knowledge and begin the exploration of space. The tour was very interesting and highly recommended if your ever in this area.


One of the missiles on display. Your able to see the entire missile and realize the massive size...but it was hard to get a picture.


T
Command Center. There were 2 retired USAF on our tour who were able to interject some interesting stories. One actually worked on the Titan in Little Rock.


Rocket Engine. One of many exhibits on display. Way over my head...but Ron enjoyed it.


The bowels of the operation. To get here you had to walk 55 steps (down but of course then you had to come back up). Luckily I was able to control my claustrophobia. I'm never sure.



Anyone over 5' 11" had to wear a hard hat...I, of course, had no problem with the low tolerance areas.


Hope all is well!

Joan & Ron

Early Morning is for the Birds!

Yesterday we set the alarm to get up at 6:00 am to participate in a bird-watching event. Setting the alarm to get up early is now foreign to us. "Wake up with the Birds" is a weekly event at the Agua Caliente Regional Park, a 45 minute drive from our site.

Armed with our camera & 2 pairs of binoculars off we go. We never realized how difficult it is to be a bird-watcher. Besides learning how to identify all the species by coloration, sound and flight pattern you have to be able to spot them. There were about 30 in the group with 2 leaders and I think we were the only 2 who couldn't find the little creatures hiding in the trees.

We just aimed our binoculars in the direction everyone else did and pretended we saw them. We did see a spectacular great horned owl, wood-warblers, red-shafted norther flicker & gilded flicker woodpeckers. But that is a very short list compared to the numbers who use this park as there habitat. Also saw alot of robins. This group got so excited over the robins who apparently are only here for a short period of time then migrate to the mountains for the summer. We, on the other hand were ho-hum about the robins although this species where truly large-breasted and deeper in color.

Visiting the park was enjoyable. You enter the park to a very loud serenade of singing birds and the trees and ponds are beautiful. However, we decided we would rather see nature through geo-caching than bird-watching.


Wood-warbler. We were only able to spot it because it was sitting on mostly bare branches.


One of many ponds scattered throughout the park.


Walking Path




Sunning turtles.


Flowers are starting to bloom.


Ron lasted 45 minutes then went back to the car to make some phone calls. I meandered behind the group and just enjoyed the walk. Got a few good pictures. I actually enjoyed the park and the turtles more than the bird thing.

Since we got up so early I didn't make coffee, so after we left the park we found a donut shop and had coffee, donuts and read the morning paper.

The rv park is jammed!! They are hosting a Monaco Rally this week so every site is filled and there are people everywhere. We tried to sneak into one of the seminars but they threw us out. We are affectionately (or maybe not so affectionately) know as S.O.B 's.....some other brand.


Jammed park due to over 340 Monaco rally participants

Going to sight-see today, I think, not sure where.

Hope all is well!

Joan & Ron

Water...water everywhere but not a drop to drink..."

We woke this morning to no water…ugh!!! Up until now, my idea of roughing it was staying at a Holiday Inn instead of the Ritz. One of the RVers drove away without unhooking their water hose, which tends to create a mini Old Faithful. I think this happens often...hopefully it won't be something we experience personally. Luckily they were not near us, but they had to shut off the water to the entire park for repairs. It was back on within a couple of hours. Now we are experiencing 20-30 mph wind gusts which tend to shake the coach. We are hoping someone pulls in on both sides of us soon to act as a buffer. The park is starting to clear out some; they are getting the spots ready for a Monaco rally on the 15th.


We visited 4th Avenue, an area in downtown Tucson similar to the Delmar Loop in St. Louis. We stopped 3 coeds to ask them about the area and if it was worth a visit and their reply was its fun if you like the hippie era…..well…we ARE the hippie era!
The Hippie Gypsy brought back lots of college memories with its shelves stuffed with tie-dye T-shirts, Jimi Hendrix posters and hash pipes. The colorful murals on the sides of many of the buildings and their trash cans made out of old bicycle parts were fun to see.





Hope all is well!

Joan & Ron