Off to Tuscon, AZ

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We've been members of the local aviation museum for several years. One of the benefits of membership is the annual membership trip. Generally the trips have an aviation theme, but do include some activities for the non-aviation travelers.

This year the trip was to the Tuscon AZ area, and after looking at the planned itinerary Connie decided to sit this one out. So in September she dropped Pat off at the airport and started on a driving trip to see the kids. Pat jumped on a Southwest flight with about 30 museum members and headed west. After an uneventful trip we got settled into our home for the week, the La Posada Lodge. While the rooms were decorated in early cowboy, they were big and comfortable.

Since we came from the east, everybody was awake before dawn the next day for the start of our tour. The first stop was the Titan Missile Museum. This is a preserved ICBM silo, one of 18 around Tuscon. The site was active for more than two decades during the Cold War as part of the USAF's deterrant force. After the site's closure by the Air Force, it was acquired by the Pima Air & Space Museum and restored to its operating condition complete with a missle that had been used for training. These silos were manned by four Air Force personal ready at a moment's notice to destroy the world. Fortunately it never came to that and we can now enjoy looking at "high-tech" from the '60s. Since everything is underground, the tour requires a lot of stair climbing and only guided tours are offered. However the docent leading our group was very knowledgeable and gave us a good mix of historical content and humor. Overall this is a must do in Tuscon if you have any interest in recent history or technology.

The rest of the day was at the Sonora Desert Museum which is one of the most popular destinations in Tuscon. It's partially a zoo and partially a natural history museum but all focused on the deserts in southern Arizona. When we were there it was 105 degrees (F) but as the say in Arizona it's a dry heat. In any event the Museum is terrific and is well worth the visit. Pat walked the extended trail through the outdoor animial enclosures. The Museum is on a hill overlooking the valley containing Tuscon and we saw a number of dust devils rising in the heat.

After the afternoon at the Museum it was back to the hotel to cool off in the bar. Tomorrow we're off to a cave, what have we signed up for?

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