Today we ventured to the east NP. This park has an 8 mile one-way loop that takes visitors through the park. There are plenty of lookouts and parking to do some short hikes. This park felt a little wilder with lots of greenery and cacti of the desert (not just saguaro cacti) but not as groomed as its west sister-park. Together visiting both east and west creates a great experience of the Sonoran landscape.
I did not realize that Arizona had a wine region but they do! At about an elevation of 5000 feet (for reference Tucson is at about 2500 feet) the vineyards are plentiful in this beautiful area of grasslands, rolling hills, Santa Rita Mountains and ranches (both cattle and horses). I stopped at Sonoita Vineyards and the Elgin Winery and Distillery. I tasted a few wines and bought a bottle. The wines were very good (to my unsophisticated palate).
The drive took about an hour each way and was beautiful. Cactus gave way to yucca plants and grassland was plentiful. The vineyards often couldn’t be seen from the road but once I drove up the dusty driveways, the rolling hills with vineyards emerged.
Tumacacori and Tubac are an easy 25 minute drive from where I am staying so I ventured south. I visited Tumacacori Mission first, which consisted of a church and planned community near the Santa Cruz River. There was a church, convent, cemetery, plaza, orchard and large garden area. It was peaceful and interesting. The grounds were lush and the remaining buildings were well-preserved. I really love the adobe structures.
Three miles north is Tubac. Tubac is historical and artsy in the cutest way. I started at the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park and Museum but didn’t spend too much time there. I then walked the streets of Tubac starting with the Tubac Center of the Arts. A juried competition was showing and the art was impressive. I then meandered the three streets filled with art, jewelry and other things you didn’t know you needed! The village boasts being founded in 1752 and the arts and crafts were impressive. I especially loved all the garden art.
Similar to running into an old friend that I didn’t realize I missed, Tucson continues to surprise me. A few years ago after Tucson came onto my radar, I joined a few Facebook groups focused on the city. I figured it would give me a little insight into the culture, pluses and minuses and some secrets, too. I do this for any city I’m visiting if it is remotely a possibility as “the place”. As expected, some comments are negative but mostly the tidbits have been positive. As I am exploring, I find Tucson has a lot to love about it and I am enjoying discovering its nooks and crannies.
Tucson is clean. There is no garbage littering the downtown area or any other place I’ve explored so far. I found a dog park last night and even that was spotless. It is impressive.
Food is important here and I sense a certain amount of pride with the offerings at the various restaurants I’ve visited. I found a fantastic market called Time Market. It has fresh grocery items but also an attached cafe and bakery offering morning pastries, pizzas, salads and sandwiches. Artisan bread comes out of the oven at 7 a.m. and I suspect it is worth getting up for! My croissant was delicious.
Next to the Tucson Museum of Art is the Presidio neighborhood. Since the museum was not open when I arrived, I walked the hood. It was another charming, historical area with some stunning homes – not ostentatious or large – but instead with character and details worth observing.
I visited the Tucson Museum of Art, which although is small, has an impressive collection of varied art. The collections include ancient Americas, contemporary Latin American, Indigenous, Latin American Folk Art and Modern Art. The size of the museum makes all of this digestible and three other buildings outside the courtyard add more to see.
I then walked about 13 minutes to Barrio Viejo and along the way this beautiful plaza appeared! I also landed on an ice skating rink with holiday music and kids skating and smiling. Wandering is the best way to be surprised.
As I headed to my short-term rental I stopped at University of Arizona to check out the turtle pond. I found it, but no turtles, just large goldfish.
Tucson offers so much variety and beauty. Tonight I will attend an opening at the Etherton Gallery. Today is my fifth day in Tucson and she has been generous with her gifts of warmth, beauty and accessibility.
I stayed truly in the middle of nowhere last night (Ridgecrest, CA) but it is the only place to stay to enter the park from the west side. It still was an hour and a half drive to get to Death Valley this morning. I drove through Trona, which was a wasteland of mining mounds and smokestacks. I found it interesting that there was a sign posted that if you litter there is a $1000 fine, yet the desecration of the land seems to be just fine. I also drove through Lost Hills yesterday. There were hundreds of oil drilling machines in the large oil fields. I’ve never seen anything like it. I am not in beautiful San Francisco any more!
Fortunately, Death Valley trumps Trona and Lost Hills by a thousand fold. Death Valley was amazingly beautiful and varied. On one side of the road there were smooth, colored, layered mountains and on the opposite side of the road jagged peaks like one would expect. I visited:
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Sand dunes in the middle of this park were amazing to see.
Badwater Basin. The lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. The salt looks like snow. Because of the recent storms, the flats were actually covered with water and looked like a lake. The storms also prompted some road closures.
Artists Drive. The colorful hills with layered rock formations were mesmerizing.
Zabriskie Point. The golden colored badlands were my favorite thing in the park. It was nice that Pete was able to see them, too.
After I left the park I drove four plus hours to Needles, CA. It’s another very small town in the middle of nowhere. But tomorrow will only be a five hour drive and we will be in Tucson!
Today my daughter and I decided to hike on the Marin side of the bay. This was a 4 mile trail that had us traveling through gentle hills of greenery and rock and ultimately landing us on the coast of Tennessee Beach. We brought Pete but then noticed a no dog sign. We spotted a few dogs ahead of us so we brought Pete along. We kept him on the trail and leashed but his nose was busy so there must have been scents of animals. All Trails said there were deer, coyote and birds spotted in the area.
Even though cars were lined up down the road from the trailhead, the trail was actually pretty empty. We noticed lots of offshoot trails and many cyclists so we guessed the plentiful number of trails dispersed the crowds. Picnic tables and benches were strategically placed in several areas. Overall, this was a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning.
Yet another former military outpost that is now a fantastic park. Fort Funston was a 30 minute drive and a great outing for me and Pete! The sand dunes, trails on the cliffs and the beach were perfect. Ample parking made the trip easy and Pete met so many dogs and was a bit surprised by the horses!
Fort Point National Historic Site is one of the favorite things I have visited in San Francisco because of it’s beauty, location and history. The fort is well-preserved and right on the water and basically conjoined to the Golden Gate Bridge. The setting is truly magnificent. Make sure you visit the rooftop!
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Carmel is approximately a two-hour drive from San Francisco and an easy getaway from the city. Carmel’s reputation as a storybook, quaint town is well-deserved and accurate. We stayed a few blocks from Carmel Beach, which is considered one of the cleanest beaches in the world. The sand was white and the thunderous waves were littered with surfers.
We stayed at a pet-friendly hotel, but were not allowed to leave Pete in the room alone, which meant we were limited on what we could do. It worked out fine because Pete garnered tons of attention anywhere we went. When we arrived on Friday, we went straight to the beach and Pete rolled in the sand nonstop. We then wandered downtown, snacked on some made-to-order beignets and chose a seafood restaurant for dinner.
The next morning was a bit rainy but after breakfast and coffee we walked to the beach. Instead of the hike we planned to do, which Pete could not join, we drove along the stunning coast, Monterey and Mission Ranch. We then returned to Carmel and hunkered down at a wine bar for wine and a snack. We purchased a bottle and went next door to an amazing cheese shop for lunch-worthy snacks, made a quick stop for some more beignets and then returned to our room to wait out the rainy afternoon. It felt decadent and exactly the right thing to do.
Later that afternoon, we walked down to the beach and meandered an hour further along the coast, returned to our room and ordered takeout sushi. Our final morning we grabbed coffee and returned to the beach so that Pete could have his final roll in the sand. We stopped in Palo Alto on our way home for lunch and a quick mall saunter. It was a fantastic weekend with my daughter!
seniyegroff 