Tucson, AZ - Tucson Bike Loop/Saguaro NP (12/30/24 - 2/28/25)

Our last stop in AZ was Tucson to finish out the rest of the winter. We stayed at RINCON West and Lazy Days KOA RV resorts while we were here. The two reasons we wanted to be here was the weather and the bike trails. With drier and warmer than usual conditions, we loved experiencing Jan/Feb on bikes with shorts and short sleeve shirts.

The Tucson area also has many options for hiking with a view. At Saguaro National Park we hiked trails on both the east and west sides of the park.

Like I said, the main reason we came here was to ride the Tucson Loop bike trails in the winter. 131 miles of fully-paved trails which centers around a 54 mile loop around the city. The trails follow many of the washes (dried river beds) with trails many times on both sides of the wash.

I thought this sign was a little overboard for the actual dip in the trail, but the point was well taken.

Very rarely are there at-grade road crossings. Here on the Aviation Bikeway, they built a road crossing bridge in the shape of a rattle snake. The other side of the bridge is the snake's head where you ride through the mouth.

My favorite wildlife on the trails were the many roadrunners. They are kind of hard to get a good picture because they are usually on the move. By the time you get your phone out, they duck into the brush. We also saw several coyotes(video), of course.

At the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, there was a trio of javelinas taking a nap in the sun.

One of the most unique features of this area are the thousands of huge saguaros all over the valley.

One day we took a side trip down to the town of Tombstone where we stopped in at the brewery.

There are several attractions to see here including the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park. We bought an annual state park pass that could be used here.

If your in the mood for some live music and good food, stop into Big Nose Kate's Saloon or one the other historic establishments nearby in Tombstone.

Tucson is surrounded by mountains. Here from Mt. Lemmon you have many views along the scenic Mt. Lemmon highway.

At the top of the mountain in Summerhaven, we found some turkeys along the side of the road.

Another view along the scenic drive.

At the Tucson Botanical Gardens, you can see the butterfly exhibit and many examples of plant life from the local deserts. This place was fairly small, so seeing all the exhibits did not take too long.

I do recommend a visit to the Pima Air and Space Museum. There are dozens of aircraft both indoors and outside.

Another interesting facility to visit was the Biosphere 2 where you could see controlled environments up close. Called the World's Largest Earth Science Experiment, there are multiple buildings of various environmental conditions under research.

This is the tropical rainforest where all the environmental conditions are duplicated to create an indoor simulation of Brazilian forests.

On a whim one Sunday, Michelle and I headed out to Charron Vineyards for some live entertainment and wine tasting. Over 39 years and 2,200 miles away from Middletown, we ran into Ann Remsberg from our high school class of 1985. What a small world!

We also took care of one Michelle's bucket list items that was to go horseback riding at the Boomerang Riding Adventures east of Tucson.

I even got into the act aboard a calm, but independently minded boy who would venture off-trail to scratch his belly on the bushes.

A big industry in AZ is mining. Just south of Tucson on I-19 you can take a tour of the ASARCO Mineral Discovery Center and its mining operations.

A little farther south you can visit an actual Titan missile silo that was part of a nuclear deterrent system across AZ at the Titan Missile Museum.

Here in the control room, they simulate what an actual launch would look like with sound effects and tour goers role-playing the launch steps.

I did not take this picture, but Facebook knew I was here in the desert and sent me this meme. I have become a big fan of the saguaro!

Here's a view from a hike on the west side of Saguaro National Park. Next stop we head to New Mexico to visit a few more National Parks as we head east and then north this spring.