Tucson, AZ

Next stop was Catalina State Park just north of Tucson. Catalina is an impressive little park with a beautiful campground (best bathroom award) and trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding. If you want to see saguaro cactus you can satiate your appetite here in the state park without even going to Saguaro National Park...but we did anyway.

It turns out that the national park's saguaro population had declined significantly due to guess what? Cattle grazing. Yes, cattle grazing (cows + desert = not so smart policy makers). Thankfully, grazing rights were revoked not too long ago and little baby saguaros are popping up all through the park and the cattle are now grazing on the National Mall. Only kidding about the Mall, but maybe that's not such a bad idea.

We primarily went to Tucson to bike. Tucson is considered by many to be the winter biking capital of the U.S. There are lots of mountain biking trails, a city-wide system of bike routes, and Mount Lemmon...one heck of a climb. However, I ended up back at the doctors with a very bad cold and never ventured out on my bike. Philip did one trail ride which he rated just okay.

Tucson is a sprawling city with six-lane roads crisscrossing the metropolitan region and Route 10 bisecting the city. It is home to a bazillion strip malls and fast-food outlets. And it has winter smog. Maybe I was just cranky because my nose was stuffed, but Tucson did not rate high on our list.

We sampled part of the historic walking tour. As it turns out almost nothing remains of old Tucson. Downtown is pretty much a ghost town. We shopped Fourth Avenue near the university. The collection of eclectic shops and eateries provided an afternoon of entertainment. We had yummy burritos at the B-line. And their desserts are heavenly.







Our last morning in Tucson was Saturday, January 9. As we ventured to the Whole Foods, we came upon a significant traffic jam, helicopters in the distance, then lots and lots of police. We thought it was a car accident. Sadly, we had come upon the scene of the mass shooting involving Congresswoman Giffords. It was a sobering experience. We felt so foolish for having complained about the traffic jam as if our day was being ruined.

I will always remember one Tucsonian saying, "I can't believe they shot Gabby. She's the only one who makes any sense." Get well Ms. Giffords, may you heal along with all the other victims. Our condolences to the families who lost a loved one.

Sorry, readers. I am seriously lacking photos due to migraines, a sore throat and runny nose. Catalina State Park is a pretty park in a very convenient location. Do visit if you are in the area.



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