We continued our march across the country and chose to stay a week in Tuscon, Arizona, in a rental home that abuts the Saguaro National Park. In fact, to get to the home we needed to drive through a winding portion of the park itself before getting onto a rutted dirt road for the last 10 minutes of the commute. I was not crazy to take Louie back and forth on this dusty, grooved, pitted route to then traverse the snaky stretch of road. And my caution was not unfounded. There was one day that saw two rollover accidents on that park road. But we took it slowly and the van did just fine. He was a filthy boy by the end, but he handled everything perfectly.

This was my first time in Tuscon, and to be honest, we saw very little of the city itself for the bulk of the week. Because we were staying so far off the beaten path, we really only saw the drives to and from the grocery store and the YMCA on all but the last day. We chose the rural home deliberately as the scenery was like nothing else and that was what we wanted to really enjoy. It made a great working space for the Monday – Friday days for Larry. And because he is keeping work schedule on east coast time, we had the afternoons to go to the gym and to hike both the east and the west sections of the incredible Saguaro National Park.

Of course, we found some delicious local tastes, including some very impressive tacos, birria, and tres leche cakes. We also tried the acclaimed Sonoran hot dog. My opinion is that it would be considered incredible if you had never had a Chicago hot dog. Before we departed Larry sought out an authentic and well regarded tortilleria on our way out of town, which provided us an embarrassing amount of fresh flour tortillas that were thin and perfect. Still warm when we purchased them, they almost tasted like crepes they were so delicate and delicious.

For the time that we were there I was completely mesmerized by the flora and fauna. Right out the big bedroom window I could observe multiple animals and birds darting among the cacti. Hummingbirds, curved billed thrashers, Harris hawks, rabbits, quail, ground squirrels, desert rats, wrens, and woodpeckers all made appearances. Walking in the parks we got to really appreciate the majesty of the mighty Saguaro cactus. They were all so individual, many with battle scars that reminded me of manatees. We saw yucca, pricky pear, agave, and ocotillo, and more. Scenes that at first glance appear monochromatic are actually rich with variety.

I very much loved hiking in the desert. There is something about the vastness that calls to me. I love the dry, harsh conditions and admiring the things that can thrive in such places. I also relished any chance I got to see petroglyphs which are not exactly plentiful in the parts of Massachusetts where I grew up. It was absolutely amazing and I am so grateful for the opportunity. On our way west, we overnighted at a Harvest Host in Yuma. Then it was on to Palm Springs.