Trip to Arizona

Tucson, Arizona is located just about 108 miles southeast of Phoenix. The English name Tucson derives from the Spanish name of the city: Tucsón [tukˈson], which was borrowed from the O'odham name Cuk Ṣon [tʃʊk ʂɔːn], meaning "(at the) base of the black [hill]", a reference to an adjacent volcanic mountain. Tucson is sometimes referred to as "The Old Pueblo." It is the second largest city in Arizona (beat only by Phoenix itself!), and is the new home for our daughter and son-in-law. They made the move in the spring of this year, and since Debbie and Bri have always been very close, a visit was well overdue! Since Jesse could not take the time off of work, and since Emma chose to stay home to keep him company, Debbie boarded a plane and headed off on this solo one week adventure. 

Hit the jump for the story and more pics!


 

Tucson has hot summers and very temperate winters. Flying in to Arizona from the Seattle area in October was a definite climate shock. Debbie was just getting used to having to wear a coat at home, with shorts and tank tops already put away for the winter. The temps when she stepped off the plane were in the upper 80’s…and already cooling off for the day! In October, Monsoon season was just getting over, so the locals were just starting to enjoy clear skies and sunshine. Arizona is also home to the largest population of Saguaro Cactus…the Saguaro Blossom is the State Wildflower of Arizona.

The Saguaro is protected by Arizona state law. When house or roads are built, special permits must be obtained to move or destroy any Saguaro affected. They have a relatively long life span, and may grow their first side arm anywhere from 75 to 100 years of age. However, some never grow one at all. These are called a “Spear Saguaro”. The arms are grown to increase the plants reproductive capacity. Everywhere they went they were surrounded by Saguaro’s and other variations of Cacti.

Initially a trip to the Grand Canyon was planned, but this happened to fall during the ill-fated “Government Shutdown” period. So, the Grand Canyon was CLOSED! So, a driving trip up into Mt Lemmon was embarked upon. Mt Lemmon is the highest peak of the Santa Catalina Mountains, reaching an elevation of 9,157 feet (2,791 m) above sea level. Driving along Catalina Highway there were many picturesque scenes.

 

Catalina Highway stretches 25 miles along the entire mountain range, leading to a wide variety of activities from rock climbing to skiing. Near the top of Mt. Lemmon is the town of Summerhaven. A welcome stop at the Mt Lemmon Cookie Cabin yielded a slice of the yummiest pizza and the biggest cookie ever seen! The town was forested; shady and cool, which was a welcome respite from the drive in the desert sun. Heading back down the mountain, some truly spectacular scenery revealed itself.

Some of the wildlife in the area was captured, including the home of this Funnel-Web Spider. This type of spider is very shy and harmless to humans.

On the last day, Debbie and Bri visited a beautiful park in Tucson.

Debbie was not expecting to see Palm Trees and Green Grass! Truly a beautiful oasis, and a fitting goodbye to Tucson…for now!

 

Lots more pics in our Tucson, AZ Gallery!