Tucson, Arizona

Our home away from home and favorite source of winter sunshine! One of my very best friends moved to Tucson a few years ago, so I travel there as often as possible. And on every visit, we find new fun things to do. I love the sunshine, desert landscapes, colorful sunsets, wildlife, vintage neon signs, hiking, and colorful downtown districts. There is a strikingly beautiful mission in town. And a high desert museum that's filled with amazing plants and animals. One place that's on repeat for me is Saguaro National Park. I love me some cacti. This is a well-known fact amongst my friends who once went in on a giant cactus for me on my 40th birthday. I have been to the park more than once and loved it every time, so I was excited to show it to Ben!

High-density Saugaros in the national park

Saguaros are special because they take so long to grow. And they are cute. As my friend Gina can attest, the Saguaro Forest is one of the oldest forests! It takes 8 years for them to grow a single inch. And they have to make it to the ripe old age of 70 to grow their first arm. Sometimes they don't even grow an arm until they are 90. And those long-awaited arms are critical to their survival, helping them store water in the desert. So the saguaros with multiple arms are true elder statesmen and absolute survivors that you just have to admire.

There are two districts in the park, located on different sides of town. We started our day in the slightly less traveled Rincon Mountain District, taking a beautiful sunrise drive on Cactus Forest Road and a hike on the Loma Verde Trail.

Sunrise on the Cactus Forest scenic drive

After a drive by one of our country's largest airplane graveyards and a Sonoran Hot Dog for lunch, we headed over to see the Tucson Mountain District of Saguaro National Park as well. Both are beautiful, but the Tucson Mountain side has a pretty incredible pass to drive through on the way in, older saguaros at higher densities, and the main visitor center. Both sides are worth the visit!

Airplanes, resting in peace at our country's largest graveyard

Bacon-wrapped, bean, salsa, onion, mayo & mustard-covered hot dog deliciousness

Saguaro National Park is just the beginning of the beautiful hiking options in Tucson. It is a landscape I love exploring because it is so different from the green, mossy Northwest forests I'm used to. Catalina State Park is a great place to experience a variety of trails. The park shows off the best of everything Tucson has to offer: the Catalina Mountains as a backdrop, mighty saguaros and other spiky plants, mesquite and willow forests, and canyon views for miles.

Beautiful Catalina State Park

We also explored the palm-lined oasis of Agua Caliente Park. It's a shady contrast to the typical desert landscape. Its lagoons are filled with turtles and a thriving population of ducks, herons, and birds of all kinds.

There is so much to see in downtown Tucson and its Barrio & Mercado Districts. The Barrio is full of colorful adobes, while Mercado has open-air markets and Spanish colonial architecture.

We just happened to be in town for the 100th anniversary of the Tucson Rodeo! It was incredible for people watching, in addition to the show itself.

Finally, saving the best for last ... we loved spending time with our friends and their gorgeous bulldog, Marilyn Monroe. It was almost like being back home and gave us a much-needed moment of pause on our travels. We even fit in some pool time at Casa Rysdale, their glamorous, relaxing, and reservable(!) Air BnB.