This will be my first trip to Southern California. We will travel West through Texas and Arizona to get to San Diego, our starting point in California. We will travel North until we run out of vacation time and then head home.
Saguaro National Park is in southern Arizona. Its 2 sections are on either side of the city of Tucson. The park is named for the large saguaro cactus, native to its desert environment. In the western Tucson Mountain District, Signal Hill Trail leads to petroglyphs of the ancient Hohokam people. In the eastern Rincon Mountain District, Cactus Forest Drive is a loop road with striking views of the desert landscape.
Some of these cacti can reach heights of between 30 and 50 feet. The arms of the saguaro develop after the age of 75 years.
Tucson Arizona was just a stopping point on our way to California but there were some unique attractions. I was wanting to visit the Aircraft Boneyard (the largest in the world) but again it was closed on the day we wanted to visit.
The concept for the Pima Air & Space Museum began in 1966 during the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the creation of the United States Air Force. Earlier the commanders of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center (MASDC) the forerunner to today’s Aircraft Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) recognized that the historic World War II and 1950s era aircraft stored on the base were rapidly disappearing into smelters and that the flames were consuming not just metal, but the aviation heritage of the country. On their own initiative base officials began to set aside examples of the many types of aircraft stored in MASDC’s yards. These planes were placed along the base’s fence line so that the public could see them through the fence. The display quickly became very popular with the local community, but viewing the aircraft through the fence was somewhat unsatisfying.
Below are just a few of the collections at the Pima Museum. Many more were on the tarmac but was closed on the day we were there.
Mission San Xavier del Bac White Dove of the Desert
The oldest intact European structure in Arizona, the church’s interior is filled with marvelous original statuary and mural paintings. It is a place where visitors can truly step back in time and enter an authentic 18th Century space.The church retains its original purpose of ministering to the religious needs of its parishioners.
Award-winning Bird Photography Fine Art & Tours By Steven Blandin
Maybe it't time to make a reservation you won't regret and won't forget.
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