Desert Mountain
Have any of you been to Tucson before? I find it really … unique. And quite beautiful in a way that is so very different from anything I’ve seen before. It sits right in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, which I’ve been told is one of the most biologically rich deserts in the world. Think towering saguaro cacti, wide-open skies, and mountain ranges in every direction.
The light here is something special—it turns everything golden at sunrise and sunset. It seems “quieter” than most cities, and the pace feels intentionally unhurried. It doesn’t appear polished or flashy—and that’s part of its charm IMHO. Even though I was here for just three full days, I was able to take in a little of everything that Tucson is known for.
It didn’t take long for Maisie and me to get back into the swing of things with the RV lifestyle; after three long days of driving, we could finally settle in, unpack a little, and then go explore! Day 1 started out with a short drive to Saguaro National Park – Rincon Mountain District (East). A curving drive up desert mountain roads brought unbelievable vistas overlooking the expansive footprint of Tucson. Jaw-dropping views. I didn’t get many photos because I had to concentrate so much on the narrow road with hairpin turns! Good thing I had unhooked my truck from the camper :D.
But wait – did I say, “desert mountain”? Hold on for a sec for a little back story as to why those two words don’t go together in my brain. I grew up in the Washington, D.C. area. Big city, big suburbs. The closest desert is 1,500 miles away. The closest mountain? 75 miles. In my mind, those were two very distinct landscapes. I mean, maybe this is pure silliness, but I just haven’t ever seen them merge into one before. (Am I the only one? Admit it - you didn’t know they could join together to form the most interesting landscape you might imagine!) I’m not sure why I find this so astounding, but there it is. Full-on dry desert land with lots of sand and dirt, small bushes, and then there’s those giant saguaros. But all along the sides of a mountain! And those saguaros? Let me just say that they are very cool – so much so that Saguaro National Park was actually created to protect the vast forests of giant saguaro cacti here in the Sonoran Desert. Did you know the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) can live 150–200 years and reach 40–60 feet tall? The park protects more than 25 cactus species along with creosote bush, mesquite, and desert wildflowers. Wildlife ranges from roadrunners, Gila monsters, and javelinas to coyotes, bobcats, and—at higher elevations—black bears and white-tailed deer. Fortunately, we haven’t seen any bears (yet), but we spotted some rabbits and lots of lizards out on the trails that morning. There’s a really pretty paved loop around part of the park—Cactus Forest Loop—just 8 miles long but with lots of scenic pull-outs and trails to hike; I’d highly recommend it!
After a 3.5-mile hike down a couple of trails in the park, as well as a climb up a place called Javelina Rocks, we decided to head to the campus of the University of Arizona. If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times, but I just LOVE exploring college campuses! My own college experiences at the University of Tennessee were mostly incredible. While walking around the Arizona campus, I remembered that I actually had been here once before. My volleyball team at UT played the Wildcats here my junior year. In the week leading up to the match, I remember attending a mid-week post-match concert at Tennessee’s Alumni Gym; I’m pretty sure it was actually the Stray Cats! I always had my camera with me, documenting all the amazing trips we were able to take as collegiate athletes. So of course I wanted to take pics of the concert! I decided I needed a little better vantage point, so I stood on top of a folding chair (yes, one of those old metal folding chairs), and somehow managed to lean back too far and fall, bruising the hell out of my hamstring. What a dunce. But the next few days saw the whole back of my leg turn all shades of black, brown and purple. I’m only reliving this now with you because the main reason I even remember it is the match we had at Arizona that next weekend—a group of frat boys at the match decided to call me “Hematoma Woman” and were so loud. I’m serious, y’all, I had my own fan club! How embarrassing. But truly hilarious.
So, yeah, I remember the University of Arizona. :D
And you know I can’t resist exploring the athletic facilities; Maisie and I walked completely around the football stadium—and yes, we might even have snuck in to get a peak of the field. (I mean, there was a padlock on the gate, but it wasn’t engaged, so, well, we did what we had to do.) The whole campus was quite beautiful, with gorgeous palm trees surrounding lush green lawns and typical college lecture halls, dorms and student centers.
We’re still not done with our Day One exploring! Craving local ice cream (a favorite during my travels), we headed to the entertainment district in downtown Tucson, which was quite similar to Austin TBH. Parts of it were super funky, and I was impressed with the quality of art found on many of the buildings in the form of giant murals. Tucson is actually a UNESCO Food City (yes, really!)—being named the first U.S. UNESCO Creative Cities Network City of Gastronomy. Who knew? Unfortunately, by this time, we were too pooped to experience some of the cuisine they are known for (plus, with a dog, it can be a bit of a challenge). 17,328 steps later, and we were ready to call it a day.
What will tomorrow bring?