Tucson (Arizona)

...Flying to Tucson is not cheap! Although it is possible to fly to Tucson, a change in Phoenix is necessary .As it is only about a 2 hour drive from Phoenix to Tucson, we decided to fly to phoenix, stay the night and then pick up a hire car and drive to Tucson the next day I did a lot of price checking prior to booking and found the cheapest flight was with B.A.We had a large number of air miles so were able to use these in part payment. The flight ...
.../> Tucson facts
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Tucson covers 500 square miles and is the second largest city in Arizona (mind you there are few other large settlements in Arizona)! Tucson has a population of 800,000. Tucson is encircled by mountains and desert-a fascinating combination. We loved the extensive forests of cacti, especially beautiful in the setting sun. In addition the mountains have forests of pine and much cooler temperatures.
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In June my family were lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend a few months in the beautiful western United States. Our trip started in Phoenix and ended in Alberta, Canada. Our first week was spent in a rented home in Tucson. So now sit back and let me give you a taste of this wonderful, friendly city and some of the delights that are within a days drive.

Getting there.
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Flying to Tucson is not cheap! Although it is possible to fly to Tucson, a change in Phoenix is necessary .As it is only about a 2 hour drive from Phoenix to Tucson, we decided to fly to phoenix, stay the night and then pick up a hire car and drive to Tucson the next day I did a lot of price checking prior to booking and found the cheapest flight was with B.A.We had a large number of air miles so were able to use these in part payment. The flight cost £250 plus about a thousand miles for each adult, with a reduction for my 2 children.
We were really thrilled to be upgraded to club class, so made the 9-hour flight in style! I’m not sure the other passengers in club class were as thrilled as we were after my 20 month old had launched his lunch in temper and used his crayons to colour the aircraft wall! We are obviously sadly lacking as parents.
I have checked the price of the same flight for June 2004 and the cost has risen to £420 plus 2,800 air miles per adult!

Tucson facts
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Tucson covers 500 square miles and is the second largest city in Arizona (mind you there are few other large settlements in Arizona)! Tucson has a population of 800,000. Tucson is encircled by mountains and desert-a fascinating combination. We loved the extensive forests of cacti, especially beautiful in the setting sun. In addition the mountains have forests of pine and much cooler temperatures.
The climate in Tucson ranges from very hot to warm. We went at the end of June and the temperature was in the hundreds every day for our entire weeks stay (one a few days the temperature soared to 110!) I would recommend going in the spring especially with children, as the heat was really debilatating. Tucson has a monsoon season with rains starting around the middle of July which always result in flash floods and road closures this is also the time to witness amazing thunder and lightening. In the winter nights can be freezing.
The city itself is not nearly as sprawling as Phoenix. Downtown Tucson has a number of museums and art galleries .We gave these a miss, as we preferred to visit the desert and see things we could not see at home. I have to admit to spending several blissful hours in one of the city’s brilliant shopping malls though! Unlike malls here this one had free massage chairs for weary shoppers, a brilliant play area, free parking and really helpful staff! This was just one of many really good malls in the city.
Tucson is a very safe city by American standards. There are a large number of retired folk living here due to the good climate; Tucson also has a young population due to its university. Tucson has an Indian reservation to the south, which consists of much poorer scrub type land (most native American land is poor as this is what they were given)! The south area also has the highest crime rate. Tucson is only a few hours drive from the Mexican boarder and the area has a high Hispanic population.

Accommodation
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We spent our week in a house I rented via the Internet. June is low season in Tucson due to the heat. I paid 500 dollars for the week (about 300 pounds) The house was beautifully situated on the 9th fairway of the Tucson omni international golf course in the northern foothills of Tucson. The price included everything from full air conditioning to bed linen and towels. We also had the use of a swimming pool. From the back yard we watched humming birds and gambols quail families. One early morning we watched 2 coyotes running around the golf course just outside our back gate!
Tucson also has a large number of good hotels-all much cheaper than their u.k. Equivalent. There are also guest ranches where you can live a real cowboy/girl existence, in addition to bed and breakfast options.
We enjoyed living in a rented home as we were able to see more wildlife, felt more relaxed and I enjoyed food shopping in the huge Wal-Mart (sad person that I am)!

Places to visit
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Tucson has a large number of attractions within a few hours drive. Hiring a car is really essential here as public transport outside the city is non-existent. During our stay wildfires were burning in the mountains above us so we were unable to visit the mountains as the road was closed. The fires did add a touch of excitement, as at night they appeared very close and looked like a volcano errurping. Luckily there was no smell of smoke or any smoke haze where we were.

The Saguaro national park
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This was our favourite place; just 15 minutes drive from where we were staying. Saguaro cacti only grow in a relatively small area in Arizona and this park has a large concentration of very tall specimens. The park is free to enter and has a brilliant ranger station, with really lovely child friendly staff .My 6 year old really enjoyed the specially designed programme for his age. He had to spot animals, learn the names of the many different cacti and visit the petroglyphs in the area to name a few. When completed he was made a junior ranger with a ceremony! His mother was all emotional (much to the amusement of the ranger)!
We drove on dirt roads to hiking trails and did manage to walk short distances. My husband carried our toddler in a backpack with a sunshade. One evening we decided to walk as the sun set, to avoid the searing heat. On the way back to our car we were startled by an incredibly loud rattle-yes we were being buzzed by a large diamond back rattlesnake, just about 2 feet away. Luckily it slithered away when we stepped back (well I didn’t exactly step)! That episode ended any more thoughts we had of walking!
We loved watching the sunset over the desert and with so little light pollution the stars were amazing.
The saguaro national park has a west and east side, miles apart. We preferred the west side as the cacti are much more impressive.

The desert museum
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Situated within the national park this was another highlight. Basically it is a zoo with a difference. The museum contains only animals and reptiles native this part of Arizona. There are no bars and the animals have a lot of space. It is here you learn just how many dangerous critters there are out there (even the smallest beetles spray a foul smelling substance)! My 6 year old loved it here, especially as there were lots of talks for children. There are numerous trails through the desert past both captive exhibits and some non-captive, so you need to watch were you are treading as it is not uncommon for a snake or tarantula to cross the path! It cost about £20 for a day ticket for our family, which was well worth it. We were given a free pass by a friendly American woman we met, which enabled us to return one evening. My son loved being able to watch tarantulas and scorpions running about with a special light-yuk!

Old Tucson studios
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Again within the park and just minutes from the desert museum. This is the place where many westerns were filmed. When we visited Tucson a few years ago this was a great day out for children. However the place has gone bust and the stunt shows, stagecoach rides and cowboys walking around are no more. It is still possible to have a guided tour and see where many famous films were made, but it was a big disappointment.

Tombstone
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This is a real Wild West town about 2 hours drive south of Tucson. It was here that the famous battle of the O.K corral was fought. Tombstone has a real flavour of what the west was like in the not too distant past. The town still has the boardwalks and saloons and is surrounded by deserted goldmines. Many of the buildings have been preserved including the newspaper office where you can buy copies of the paper, which run the story of the gunfight at the O.K corrall. We watched several shootouts in addition to a re-enactment of the shootout at the O.K corral. If you visit I would advise bringing a sunshade, as there is no shade in the corral and the heat is a killer! We met real cowboys riding through town here much to the delight of my 6 year old!
Close by is Boot hill graveyard, the final resting place of many a victim of the lawless lifestyle. the epitaphs on many of the gravestones are really entertaining such as hanged by mistake! Well I think they are amusing, my son thought it very off that we were laughing at what was written!

Sabino canyon
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This is just a few miles from downtown Tucson in the Santa Catalina Mountains this is a desert oasis, which feels miles from anywhere. There are no cars allowed into the canyon so access is by shuttle bus, which costs a few dollars each. There is a really good informative visitor centre at the trail head. The canyon has a stream (dried up when we visited) abundant wildlife and wonderful desert scenery. We saw a beautiful red cardinal (of the feathered variety not the church one)! There are of course lots of snakes, lizards and other insects not found here. It was far too hot to walk far and we were the only people mad enough to be there on the day we came! There are picnic tables probably best in the winter or spring.

Trail dust Town
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This is another mock Wild West town. A real hit with our 6 year old. There is a brilliant restaurant, which serves enormous steaks for a bargain price. There is also a very well acted shootout, a museum and a saloon. This place is situated on the outskirts of the city, although feels like you are really in the desert.

In addition to those we visited there are numerous other attractions in the area. I would recommend you buy either the rough guild to Arizona or the really good moon guild.
I hope I haven’t bored you all to sleep-bit like getting out the holiday pics! I really love Tucson and would recommend it to anyone!

 

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