Tucson - Wild Wild West - USA 2022 - 6
02-04.03. - Tucson
After the stop at Biosphere 2, it is still too early to check in at the hotel. So I first drive to the eastern part of Saguaro National Park. We have done that in 2000 before. At that time it was still early in the morning and we (or better I 😉) saw many roadrunners. Now, shortly after noon, I don't expect to see any at all.
The drive through the suburbs of Tucson takes longer than expected, but finally, I'm there. In this part of the NP, you are only allowed to drive a relatively small circle, the rest is off-limits. It's a narrow one-way road, but there are enough pull-outs to stop and take photos. There is also a short turnoff on an unpaved road that leads to a picnic area (Mica View) and some short trails. I take that of course and use the opportunity to stretch my legs a little. Then I have enough. Tomorrow I want to visit anyway the western part of the park and in the Desert Museum, which I also want to visit tomorrow, there are more than enough cacti too.
This time I have booked a bed-and-breakfast outside the city and near the desert museum. I get the "Tiny House", which is a bit apart and really cute. It's 29°C (84°F), I'm just sitting on the terrace writing this trip report. Even when I get back from dinner at 8:30, it's 24°C (75°F). This is what I had hoped for when I planned the trip to the Southwest.
The next day, the first thing on the agenda is the Desert Museum [↗]. The good thing about visiting in winter is that it's not that hot, even though it's quite warm today (27°C / 81° F) and rising throughout the day), but nothing compared to real summer temperatures. The downside, and it's a big one, is that they don't open until 8:30 instead of 7:30. That means it gets crowded quickly, whereas in the summer you have an hour or so where there are few people.
So I enter the grounds 5 minutes after opening and go straight to the cougar and then the hummingbirds. Another plus when visiting in the winter is the bird of prey show. It starts at 10am, but I'm asked to be there early as it can get crowded. And it is. I got there 20 minutes early and there was already a long queue.
When we are let in, we don't enter an amphitheater, we just line up in three rows. The birds fly over our heads from the left and right. Since they fly directly at us, they are difficult to photograph in the air, especially since we are not allowed to hold anything above eye level. The rangers place food on small trees very close to us. This way even people with smartphones can take photos. They don't show a huge variety of birds (nothing compared to Weltvogelpark Walsrode or the bird of prey show at the Kasselburg). It takes 30 minutes and is certainly quite nice if you don't have a decent camera. Otherwise, it's ok, but nothing to come for.
I explore a few more places and pay a second visit to the hummingbirds before I leave. Now I was here already again for 3.5 hours.
Since the mountain area of the Saguaro National Park is just around the corner, I go there next. As in the eastern part, there is also a loop trail that you can drive and that offers various hiking opportunities. Since it is now High Noon, I drive only the loop. This one is completely unpaved and the scenery is not much different from the other part. If you've seen one, you're not missing much by skipping the other. If you ask me, I'd go for the route I was on yesterday.
Since I'm north of Tucson now anyway, I decide to stop by the Tucson Outlets Center. While the outlet in Las Vegas was as it has always been, many stores are unoccupied here. The big brands like Adidas and Nike are there, but many of the others are missing. I would say at least a third of the stores are empty. I can't find anything that interests me either.
Last stop for today is the Saint Augustine Cathedral [↗]. It doesn't look special from the outside, and the inside of the nave is nothing special either (although it does have nice windows). The attraction is the entrance hall facing the street (you can also enter the church from the side). There are some nice murals there in a modern style.
I have two more museums on my "maybe I want to visit" list, but I decide I'd rather use the terrace of my hotel. Unfortunately, the announced weather change arrives. It becomes quite windy and the originally blue sky is almost completely covered with clouds. So I move in after 2.5 hours. About an hour later the wind has calmed down and you can see a few patches of sky between the clouds. A good sign for interesting sunset shots. On the way to the hotel, I already scouted possible locations but didn't find any special place. I would have had to hike on one of the trails, hoping for a nice foreground. So I choose the lazy option. There are some nice big cacti in the backyard of my "Tiny House". I get the tripod out of the car, look for a composition and start photographing.
The next morning I photograph the same cactus, just in the other direction. Sunrise shots can be so easy 🌝.
Shortly after I start my drive to Tombstone [↗]. This is an old western town where the famous "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" happened. You may have heard of Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers who were involved. I'll start at Boothill Graveyard, where you'll find many old graves. Some are simply labeled "unknown", others with names and notations like "hanged" or "murdered".
In the center, the old main street has been closed to traffic. Only some carriages are allowed to drive there. This street, but at least partly also the rest, is a kind of Disneyland. I don't know how original the buildings are, but inside you will find only souvenir stores, restaurants and the like. It took me an hour to visit both places, but if you want to see the shooting that takes place several times a day or go shopping, you obviously need more time.
Now I want to go to Chiricahua NM [↗] near Wilcox, which is quite a drive. But since it's off the beaten path, I probably won't get that close. I was actually going to walk the Echo Canyon Trail, but when I arrive, all the parking spaces are taken. I take that as a sign. The temperature is quite pleasant (20°C / 68°F), but there is a cold and gusty wind blowing, which is hard to bear even with a fleece jacket. Later on the way back to Tuscon, even on the interstate, there are warnings about the strong wind and the associated fire hazard. So I drive back to the entrance and stop at various parking spots to take a few photos.
On the way back to Tucson I make another small detour to Benson and St. David to photograph the murals and old cars that I saw this morning on the way to Tombstone.
