Blogs from Tucson, Arizona, United States, North America - page 15

Today we got up early and headed to the Sonoran Desert Museum. It actually opens at 7:30, so people can avoid the heat. The "museum" is a combination of museum and zoo - mostly zoo. We wandered around looking at the desert animals and plants - thoroughly enjoying them all. Rich liked the bighorn sheep the best, of course. Nancy liked the hummingbird aviary. There was a fluffy little baby sitting on a branch. The adults were whirring all over. Every person in there had a smile on their face! We also liked the other aviary where you could see different local birds up close. I had no idea that cardinals lived here! I thought their range ended much further east! There was a cross-section exhibit about the woodpeckers and the cactus boot. Also, a volunteer ... read more

We left Death Valley to drive south. The highway to Las Vegas was still lined with wildflowers. As we're driving along, our check engine light comes on! Luckily, our truck has On-Star, so we found a Chevy dealership in Las Vegas on the north end. We unhitched the trailer in the parking lot and let them work on the truck. We walked across the street for lunch and to shop for groceries as long as we had PLENTY of time! Then we got in our cozy little house and read our books and took a nap. Great way to wait ! Luckily, it wasn't too hot. It turned out that the top of the line air filter Rich had installed before we left so we wouldn"t have ANY trouble on the trip, was the cause of ... read more

We joined 400-some people for a hike. Among them were military, fellow veterans, firefighters, swat team, Raytheon employees, family members and friends, young & old. All were united on a sunny, early Saturday morning to hike to Bridal Wreath Falls in the Rincon Mountains in support of the Wounded Warrior Project. Before we all started the hike, a bagpipe player & the Color Guard did the opening ceremony with the National Anthem. We've done this hike before (&when water was actually spilling over the falls), but had never seen this many people on the trail and it was quite inspiring! The trail of people continued on for what seemed an eternity along the 5.2mile trek to and from the falls. Despite the heat and blazing sun, everyone seemed in good spirits yet eager to finish the ... read more

It was 11:00 am on Saturday morning, Desire and I had nothing planned for the day so we decided to go hiking. We needed new hiking grounds besides Sabino Caynon and Mount Lemmon both of which we are exhausting. Saguaro National Park was our choice for the day, off we went. It was a beautiful day with temperatures above 75 degrees Fahrenheit. From where we live the park is less than 25 minutes drive. Being a Saturday, the park was busy with bikers, hikers, visitors from within and out of state. The Saguaro National Park protects the forest that is home to giant plants, particularly the ones known as the Saguaro. The saguaro cacti are found all over the state of Arizona, they are a symbol of the American west and Arizona is one of the ... read more

We’ve been busy seeing a few sights and participating in old-timer activities at our RV resort. Nan even went to a line dancing class today. I’ve been thinking about taking round dancing lessons, but it is difficult to get me away from the shuffleboard and bocce courts. “Who is that fellow with the staff?” “Why that’s Paddy, he’s Suzie’s brother-in-law.” “Is that legal, to roll the bocce ball the way he does; one knee like, close to the ground?” And so the conversation has started whether my genuflection style is legal. I’ve got an old man’s back, and my patented squat roll, that I employed in tournaments with my brothers Tom and Mick, is just too stressful anymore. So, I’ve modified it to what I call a staff assisted genuflection roll. At the shuffleboard courts, there ... read more