Saguaro National Park, Tucson

We arrived into Tucson to a 30-degree temperature change!  The cold weather seems to be affecting the entire US, even in the south where we were hoping for warmer temps.  My Uncle George and Aunt Ruth were also in town staying at the same RV Park, Valley of the Sun. They had been there for a few weeks visiting my Dad and his wife Jane and stayed one extra day so they could see us.  We got settled then walked 8 spots down to where they were set up with their camper trailer.  My Dad, Jane and her grand-daughter Gabby were already there.  We had a great visit and enjoyed pizza for dinner.

Jane, Dad, Me & Gabby in their backyard

The next morning, George and Ruth came over for a quick tour of the MoHo then they were on their way heading toward California.  Golf was on our agenda for the day.  Dad’s good friend Chuck was able to get us on at the Omni Tucson National.  The four of us had a great round.  A little challenging for me, but I had never played golf with my dad before, so it made for a great day.  The wind was blowing and it was a bit chilly by the time we got off the course, but the sun was still shining.  We headed to a local bar for an after round drink, then back to Dad & Jane’s for a delicious homemade spaghetti and meatball dinner.  Mike & I headed back to the MoHo for the night.  The rain came in that night which all of the locals were excited about; Mike & I not so much!

On Thursday, dad took us for a tour around the city.  We headed up to Gates Pass for a cool view out over the desert. Then up to “A” mountain.  This is the mountain (hill) that overlooks downtown with the big A painted on it for the University of Arizona.  Apparently when rival schools come into town for football games they sneak up and paint the A their own school color.  Gotta love those college traditions; I’m sure it has been crimson at some point in time : )  We then headed down to the University District and had a beer at the Frog & Firkin, a typical college bar right near campus.  We headed back to Dad’s house for a night of relaxation.  I did some laundry (thanks Jane!) and we had another wonderful dinner of BBQ steaks and all the fixins!  Also, Dad loaded us up with supplies for the MoHo.

Dad and I on our hike in Saguaro National Park

Friday was our last day.  The weather was still quite chilly, but it was a gorgeous crisp sunny day out with clear blue sky.  We decided to do a hike into Saguaro National Park.  The cool thing is that Dad & Jane’s backyard opens up into the Park.  So, we drove the car to a nearby spot and did our 3 ½ mile hike and ended up back at their house.  Dad shuttled us back to get our car.  A pretty neat spot for sure and such a different landscape than we are used to.  The Saguaro Cactus are like their trees; they are everywhere and each one so unique.  Tons of Prickly Pears, Agave and Cholla too. Mitch Cameron, you would love this park!  That evening, Chuck (from golf) and his wife Cori invited us to their house for dinner.  We arrived in time to still enjoy some daylight and thank goodness we did. Their home is absolutely amazing, especially the backyard.  Now, this is a house for entertaining!  Pool, huge gas firepit, outdoor bar and covered patio area.  They cooked up a delicious spread and we had some great wine.  We really enjoyed getting to know them and they couldn’t have been nicer.  What a great way to end the visit.  We headed back to Dad’s to drop them off and say our goodbyes.   It is always sad saying goodbye to friends and family. That is the hardest part of this trip for sure.

Love the Saguaro!

Mike in a field of Cholla

We were up and out early this morning heading east.  We were originally going to spend some time in New Mexico, but the temps are too cold.  We are trying to avoid below freezing, as it is hard on the MoHo.  We encountered a few below freezing nights in Tucson and the MoHo plumbing did fine, but the pipes from the RV Park were frozen this morning.  So, looks like we will overnight near El Paso for the night and make a plan from there.