Living full time in our motor home allows us to be Ready To Go. . .on to the next adventure!

Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco Skyline as seen from the Marin Headlands - California

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Tucson AZ–Cactus as far as the eye can see at Saguaro National Park and the Sonoran Desert Museum

Voyager RV Resort – it’s basically a small town
50A FHU – Passport America rate of $129 per week + resort fees + taxes for a total of $175. . .geez. . .
4G 3 bars on Verizon – 4G 5 bars with Wilson Booster

Our first time in Tucson. . .it’s a whole new world. ..wow!

but wait. . .before you even think of playing tourist,
you must make your way to the Tucson Visitor Center

Tucson Savings Passport - Tucson Visitor Center

the Savings Passport Book for $18. . .
lots and lots of 2 for 1 deals in here. . .
I’ll tell you more about it as we go along. . .

Found out about it from someone on TripAdvisor,
my favorite #1 place to go for all things touristy. . .yaaa!

Saguaro Cactus Forest - Cacti for as far as the eye can see - Saguaro National Park

Saguaro cactus as far as the eye could see on our first adventure

Saguaro National Park

at Saguaro National Park

Saguaro National Park

first stop.. .the Red Hills Visitor Center, where this beautiful vista awaits from the back veranda. . .
we show our
America the Beautiful Pass which we purchase annually for $80. . .
but hey. . .this was our last year to pay full price. . .
after August, Dave will be an old timer. . .and we get the $10 Senior Deal. . .woo hooo!

Saguaro National Park

we head out to drive the Scenic Loop. . .

Saguaro National Park - our hiking trail

take a hike.. .

Saguaro National Park

and enjoy the beautiful scenery looking out over the Sonoran Desert. . .
this view is looking towards Mexico, approximately 80 miles away. . .

See more Saguaro National Park beauty here. . .


 

after enjoying our lunch of tuna salad, crackers, lemonade and tea,
sitting in the car in the parking lot (it was chilly, even with the sun shining)
we headed off to our next adventure, where the saving begins from our Passport Book. . .

Tucson Sonoran Desert Museum

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum
normally $19.95 pp. . .but buy one get one free with our savings book. . .
highly recommended by RV Friends Marsha and Paul who wrote about it
in their Where’s Weaver Blog. . .check it out
here. . .

looking toward Mexico 80 miles away - Tucson Sonoran Desert Museum

while touting itself as a zoo, botanical garden, nature center, aviaries and various other venues,
including restaurants, gift shops, and even a art gallery. . .
what it really feels like is a nice long hike on a really great hiking trail,
with many, many areas of entertainment. . .
a very enjoyable way to spend several hours. . .
and if you are bringing children to Tucson. . .almost a requirement. . .

Mountain Lion - Tucson Sonoran Desert Museum

the “zoo” portion of the park was delightful. . .
I mean seriously. . .would you ever, in your life, want to be close enough
to get this great a pic of a mountain lion?  I don’t think so. . .

There are several other pics of various other Sonoran Desert Wildlife
available for your viewing pleasure in the album following if you so choose. . .

Gila Woodpecker - Tucson Sonoran Desert Museum  Tucson Sonoran Desert Museum

we saw what I believe to be a Gila Woodpecker, which build their nest in the cactus. . .
the woodpeckers were not part of the zoo. . .they just happened to be in the area,
and Dave was able to capture this really great shot. . .

Harrison Hawk - Birds of Prey Flying Demo - Tucson Sonoran Desert MuseumBarn Owl - Birds of Prey Flying Demo - Tucson Sonoran Desert MuseumBarn Owl - Birds of Prey Flying Demo - Tucson Sonoran Desert MuseumPeregrin Falcon - Birds of Prey Flying Demo - Tucson Sonoran Desert MuseumHarrison Hawk - Birds of Prey Flying Demo - Tucson Sonoran Desert MuseumHarrison Hawk - Birds of Prey Flying Demo - Tucson Sonoran Desert MuseumHarrison Hawk - Birds of Prey Flying Demo - Tucson Sonoran Desert Museum

The Birds of Prey – Free Flight Demonstration is an absolute “must see!”
Today we saw a Barn Owl, a Peregrine Falcon, and Harrison Hawks. . .
just divine. . .but let me tell you a little secret. . .

Tucson Sonoran Desert MuseumTucson Sonoran Desert MuseumTucson Sonoran Desert Museum

for better viewing of the Birds in Flight. . .come here. . .
to the Habitats for Small Cats. . .
and either find you some seating on the veranda,
or go upstairs, and watch from the overlook. . .
much less crowded, and you are up on level
to where the birds are actually flying, and doing their acrobatics. . .

It was hard to follow the flight paths from where we were
standing in the Birds of Prey viewing area. . .

just a little tip for your viewing pleasure. . .you’re welcome. . .LOL!

Tucson Sonoran Desert Museum

there were quite a few people at the Museum today. . .
but other than the crowd at the Birds of Prey. . .
at no other time did it seem crowded or congested. . .
really well laid out, with something for everyone. . .

Tucson Sonoran Desert Museum

a wonderful day spent out in the air conditioned sunshine. . .



I’m tired, sunburned, windburned. . .think I’ll sleep good tonight.

My FitBit registered almost 7900 steps. . .
the closest I’ve come to the goal of 10,000. . .
working my way up. . .I’ll get there eventually. . .

See you tomorrow at Mt Lemmon. . .

’til then,
Janice and Dave








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