Month: May 2018

We took several day trips to the region between Tucson and the Mexican Border at Nogales. One day we went all the way to Nogales, Arizona, and did some exploring. We especially enjoyed the Pimeria Alta Historical Society Museum, a small museum with fascinating displays about the history of Nogales and the border region. The docent, a Nogales native, was around 70 years old so she had lots of stories about Nogales and its past; she was very interesting. Believe it or not, a hundred years ago or so the sister cities of Nogales Arizona and Sonora were separated only by a dirt street, and people crossed the border at will. That’s a far cry from the big wall that separates the two cities now. The museum had a special exhibit of items from Bracker’s department store, a favorite of wealthy Mexicans who would cross the border to shop. Founded in 1924, Bracker’s went out of business just a year or so ago. After the peso was devalued most Mexicans could no longer afford to shop there.

The twin cities of Nogales were founded in the 1800s as a location to connect the US and Mexican railroad systems. Today Nogales is a major transportation point for commerce between the US and Mexico. The north side of Nogales hosts dozens of truck depots. Trucks bring their loads from Mexico, mostly Mexican produce, and their loads are inspected and then loaded onto US trucks to go to US markets. Shipping is the backbone of the economy in Nogales, Arizona.

We found a great little Mexican seafood restaurant on a back road in Nogales, Arizona. Never would have found it without a Google Maps search for restaurants!

On another day we visited Tumacacori National Historical Park, north of Nogales. The park consists of the ruins and grounds of one of the old Spanish missions. Father Kino, who came to be beloved by the indigenous people, founded as string of missions in what is now Arizona and Sonora. There is a small museum associated with the park.

We also made a stop at nearby Tubac, an artist colony with lots of galleries showcasing southwestern art. We had been to Tubac several times on previous visits to Arizona. We ate at an interesting restaurant, Elvira’s, which served a unique take on Mexican food.

Our final visit to the border region was unexpectedly interesting, the Titan Missle Museum. During the Cold War, beginning in the 1960s, there was a network of missle silos in Arizona, Arkansas, and Kansas. They housed Titan II missles equipped with nuclear warheads, ready to be launched if needed. Most were decommissioned in the 1980s but one silo, near Tucson, was retained for historical purposes (the nuclear warhead was removed, of course). We were able to tour the underground silo and view the missle as well as the control room. Our tour guide had worked at the silo himself so he was able to provide interesting insights.

Walt drove over from Camarillo to spend a few days with us in late May. He lived in Saddlebrooke, just north of Tucson, for many years and still owns a house there. We had a chance to check out the old house and neighborhood and to have a couple of meals in the community clubhouse.

We also did some sightseeing while Walt was visiting. He loves cactus so we paid a visit to one of his favorite spots, Bach’s Cactus Nursery. Bach’s is a wonderful place to walk around. They have several greenhouses and lots of outdoor plants. It’s like being in an arboretum.

One day we drove up to Mt. Lemmon, atop the Catalina Mountains just north of Tucson. At around 9,000 feet in elevation it’s a popular spot for Tucson residents to escape the desert heat. Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley operates through the winter. It is the southernmost ski area in the United States.

Bach’s Cactus Nursery

Mt. Lemmon

We spent part of a day exploring the El Presidio Historic District, the oldest part of Tucson. The city began as a small cluster of buildings near the Santa Cruz River, a reliable water source in the harsh desert climate. A number of these buildings have been restored to their original conditions and they provide a glimpse into how Tucson might have looked a hundred years ago or more. Nearby, some residences have been “gentrified” and have transformed parts of El Presidio into a desirable place to live. We had lunch at one of our old favorites, El Charro Cafe, in business since 1922.

The Tucson Museum of Art is at the edge of El Presidio so we spent some time there. We are members of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento and we get free admission to many museums across the country through a reciprocal agreement. The Tucson Museum features southwestern art. We were fortunate to be there during a special exhibit of hand-woven rugs from Sonora. There were many beautiful pieces, along with descriptions of the techniques used by the weavers. The rugs came from the collection of Gloria Giffords, mother of the former congresswoman from Tucson, Gabby Giffords. When Gabby was a girl the family would take roadtrips to Sonora, searching out new weavers and new pieces.

We were very fortunate to be on the northwest edge of Tucson and just a short drive from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Saguaro National Park. Both are in the Tucson Mountains and provide spectacular desert scenery. The Desert Museum is more than just a museum – it includes a zoo, and arboretum, an aviary, and indoor exhibits about the desert. We purchased a museum membership so we could return repeatedly, which we did. Among the highlights were a lecture on Gila monsters and rattlesnakes with an example of each (safely at the front of the auditorium) and “Cool Summer Nights” when the museum stays open until 10 PM so you can observe the animals as the sun goes down.

Saguaro National Park has several short hiking trails that allow you to get out into the desert vegetation. The park has one of the greatest stands of saguaro cactus in the world, with saguaros covering the desert mountains. We were fortunate to be in Tucson during the saguaro blooming period in May and early June. Every day from our patio we saw new white blossoms on top of the saguaros.

We arrived in Tuscon to begin a stay of almost two months. Carrie’s mom and stepfather lived in Tucson for many years and we always enjoyed visiting so we wanted to return for an extended stay. Late spring promised some warm, sunny weather in advance of the desert heat that is common in midsummer.

Our house was located on the northwest edge of the city, far enough away from urban development that it felt like we were out in the desert. Our casita was associated with a main house a short distance away and we shared a pool, which was wonderful on hot days. Our patio and dining room window looked out at palo verde trees, saguaros, mesquite trees, and other desert vegetation. We could see a few other houses in the distance, but otherwise we were secluded.

The house had a bird feeder, hummingbird feeder, and birdbaths in the backyard so there was a constant stream of birds (mostly doves, quail, and hummingbirds) as well as rabbits and lizards. On a few occasions we also saw deer, coyotes, and bobcats. We never saw a rattlesnake in our yard, but Charlie saw one along the road about a mile from our house when he was out on a walk. It was always necessary to watch your step carefully because rattlesnakes can be hiding near rocks and plants. Our next door neighbor was bitten by a rattlesnake last year while clearing some brush in his yard.

We both like to walk and there were good desert walks around our neighborhood. The weather was getting warm so we would typically walk in the early morning. When the weather started getting warmer Carrie often chose to walk in the Tucson Mall, which is quite large. Apparently lots of people in Tucson like to do that.

Most of our rentals have been managed by a property manager who we never saw. In this case, however, the owner, Carella, lived right next door in the main house, along with her little dog, Maisie. It was a pleasure to get to know Carella; we soon felt like we were neighbors.

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