Tucson and the Sonoran desert territory surrounding it tell the tale of the West. Purchased from Mexico in the historic Gadsen Purchase of 1863, the frontier town hosted outlaws, gunfights, cowboys, and the Earps while fighting off stagecoach robberies and Apache attacks. A railroad and commercial center, Tucson was once the capital of the 48th state. The wide open spaces surrounding Tucson make it home to aircraft storage, outdoor enthusiasts, stargazers, futurists, and the last vestiges of the Western spirit.
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Pima Air & Space Museum
Located south of Tucson, this gigantic campus of aircraft and space flight history spans over 80 acres. Five separate hangars each representing a different era, a separate museum, and hundreds of planes on display outdoors made for a comprehensive visit! The self guided tour was well mapped and each plane had a description plaque describing missions, technical details, and historical significance. The hangars not only had ground level multi media displays and aircraft, but suspended many more planes from the ceiling. As an added bonus, we witnessed a flyover by a Warthog and an F-16 from the nearby military base!
Mini Time Machine Miniature Museum
While the greater Tucson area offers over a hundred different museums, this one is a quirky hidden gem that sparked imagination and delight. The entryway doors are about 25 feet high and the door handles are giant sized to immediately immerse us in the world of miniatures beyond. From fairy castles to mansions to New York insane asylum reproductions, the display rooms lead the visitor through the artfully displayed three dimensional snapshots of history and fantasy. The workmanship and artistry is astounding! Knowledgeable docents, stationed throughout the museum, discuss and demonstrate the fine craft of miniatures. Finding little hidden objects placed by the modeler makes each display a treasure hunt. And it seems each item included in a scene has its own history of discovery or design or repurpose. Miniature modeling not only displays lifestyles and cultures through the ages, but the hobby itself has been practiced by crafters for centuries utilizing materials and subjects pertaining to their time. Very delightful and enjoyable museum!
Tucson, AZ
Nestled between the east and west regions of Sonoran Desert National Monument, Tucson offers all the amenities of a big city combined with countless outdoor activities. It is also somewhat of a foodie city and the humble Sonoran Hot Dog is not to be missed! The urban college gives a great vibe to the downtown area, too. We left many things to be visited and hope to get back for a longer stay (just maybe not in the summer) to explore more of the surrounding area and attractions.
Nevada
We have been following, by chance, the cactus blooms throughout the Sonoran and Mojave deserts. The bright flowers and unique buds seem to be a signal for the lizards to emerge as well.
We also began our preparations for the next part of our travels… the Dinosaur Diamond Highway expedition! Stay tuned for more details!
CAMPGROUND REVIEW: KOA – Tucson/Lazy Days
We stayed at the luxurious KOA campground in Tucson for three days in a back-in FHU site. Our site had gravel drive with asphalt and concrete patio pads and included a wrought iron table and four chairs. The campground has several site options with different amenities and also several attractive casitas/cottages. The two laundry and showers/restrooms facilities were clean and in good condition. Daily activities include yoga, arts and crafts, train rides, bbqs, bingo, pools, library, and much more. As with most KOAs, there is a small camp store with supplies and souvenirs. RV storage is also available on site, next door is a large RV dealer, and access to Tucson was easy. The beautiful Tucson sunsets were visible from our site. This could easily be a destination in itself. The campground fills up fast, so advanced reservations are necessary.
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Next up…entering the Land of the Dinosaurs!
Their RV Travels 