Apache Junction & Tucson

From Lake Havasu we’ve arrived in the Valley of the Sun, just east of downtown Phoenix in Apache Junction.  As last year, we’re parked at Campground USA for our 2 week visit.  This is one of the newest RV parks we’ve stayed at and it provides nice wide sites, full hookups, a great pool/hot tub area and a beautiful clubhouse.  However, with its location right next to highway 60, it does experience some highway noise, especially with a southern breeze.

Beautiful Superstitions from Apache Junction

As in past years, we planning to attend Rockies spring training games.  We have gorgeous weather for our first game on Sunday, Rockies against the Brewers, and totally enjoy our afternoon at Salt River Fields – we think one of the nicest Cactus League stadiums. On the following Friday we have tickets to the Rockies and the Rangers.  Unfortunately after arriving to cloudy skies, the rains begin and the game is cancelled only a few minutes after the 1^st pitch.  Along with baseball, we enjoyed some of our favorite restaurants around Apache Junction along with a splurge at one of the top Phoenix restaurant, LONS’s at The Hermosa Inn.

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale, AZ

After what seemed like a very quick 2 weeks, we’re on the road again, headed to Tucson.  We’ll be joining friends for the next 2 weeks at Rincon West RV Resort just south of Tucson.  Rincon is huge, with nearly 1200 sites, mostly park-models, this resort offers something for everyone.  A very unique feature is the “G-gage” model railroad just outside the main office and clubhouse.  Model railroaders were cleaning and working on the exhibit almost every day as well as watching their trains chug around the endless loops through model villages and mountain passes.  Other amenities include a beautiful pool area, tennis, pickleball, a woodworking shop, pottery studio, card room, billiards, several laundry facilities and of course pet parks!

Rincon West RV Resort, Tucson, AZ

Rincon West RV Resort, Tucson, AZ

With a lot of friends in the area, we saw much more of Tucson than we have on past trips.  Just after our arrival we spent an evening star gazing at the nearby Kitt Peak National Observatory.  Kitt Peak does an excellent job of their nighttime program which include learning to read star charts, viewing celestial objects in their small telescopes and the one we enjoy the most, laser pointer “mapping” of the constellations and planets overhead.  Another highlight was a beautiful and relaxing tram ride into Sabino Canyon.  And, we spent an afternoon at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  This place is huge, with both indoor and outdoor displays – much more than can be seen in a single visit!

Kitt Peak National Observatory

Sabino Canyon, Tucson, AZ

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ

After spending an afternoon wandering through the stalls at the Forth Avenue Street Fair, we returned a few nights later to check out restaurants.  We started at the unique Boxyard, a collection of stacked shipping containers with 3 pop-up type restaurants and a large outdoor bar area.  From the Boxyard, we moved onto appetizers at Ermano’s Bar, a beautifully remodeled historic building just down 4^th Ave.  For dinner we enjoyed BOCA, by Chef Maria Mazon who prepares modern Mexican fare on a comfortable outdoor courtyard.  After dinner we found Corbett’s – self-proclaimed “restaurant with a beer garden, pickleball courts, live music and great provisions”.  Returning a few night later we agree – Corbett’s is loads of fun, great food with fun live music in the beer garden.

Ermano’s Bar, Tucson, AZ

 

We also enjoyed Oregano’s, “your neighborhood Italian joint” for pizza, and the Bashful Bandit Barbeque – with a welcoming outdoor patio where you can watch the smoke-masters in action. Their interesting  “Smoked Crack Pie” is an delicious gooey desert that might make you skip your entrée.   But, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend their sliced brisket, green chili pulled pork, or chili relleno sausage, either by the pound, plate or  sandwiches.

From Tucson we’re off to the Texas Hill Country for the great solar eclipse of 2024.  More from Bandera, TX!

A Week in Tucson

It’s been 4 years since we last stayed at Western Way RV park on the outskirts of Tucson.  This time we’re in site #19, very near the main gate and directly across from the office.  Friends are in site #43.  These first two rows are still exclusively RVs (#12-32)  In the next two rows only sites 39-44 will have RVs beside, all other sites will be between park models on one or both sides.  Beyond, park models are pretty much the rule with only a few in-between spots for RVs.  The facilities are very well maintained.  And, the WiFi system has been upgraded since our last visit.  There’s free service available, or higher speed service for $20/week or $40/month.  We opted for the higher speed option and were pleased with good performance including Roku streaming.

Western Way is along Kinney Road, where you’ll also find Tucson Mountain Park with over 65 miles of desert trails, the Old Tucson movie set, Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum and Saguaro National Park.  We also enjoyed walking The Presidio Trail, a self-guided discovery of the historic sites of modern downtown.  And we visited the San Xavier Mission about 20 minutes south of the park. This is the oldest intact European structure in Arizona.

San Xavier Mission

After a week in Tucson, we’re headed back north to Apache Junction, in the east Phoenix area.  More from the Valley of the Sun.

Tucson, Cactus Country RV Park

While last in Tucson in 2017 we enjoyed an afternoon at the Pima Air and Space Museum, but missed the boneyard tour conducted at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. This year we reserved early and are looking forward to “completing” the tour we started 3 years ago.  The AMARG as it’s properly called is the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group.  Unlike it’s informal name, the facility is more storage than scrapping.  While there are some planes in various states of tear-down, most of the planes and helicopters are sealed and preserved for later use.

309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Tucson

The AMARG at Davis-Monthan is the largest storage facility in the world, currently with about 4400 aircraft.  Of unique interest are the many B-52 Stratofortress that have been cut into pieces.  Under the 2010 START treaty, AMARG was tasked with the destruction of some of the 365 B-52’s to be eliminated.  Initially wings and tails were separated from fuselage.  Later, to provide a quicker and safer method, a huge saw blade was used to sever the tail section from the fuselage.  The remains of these planes still lay at Davis-Monthan in strategic positioning making it easy for Russian spy satellites to unmistakably determine that the planes have been destroyed.

B-52’s ready for Russian spy satellite viewing

We’re parked at the Cactus Country RV park in site #198. As is normal for Arizona parks, this one is a mixture of park models, single wide mobile homes and RV’s.  Located about 15 miles east of downtown Tucson, this park is a close enough to be convenient to most shopping and far enough out to be quiet and dark.  Site #198 is a nice end site, and provides a bit more space than some of the other sites.  The shower rooms are showing their age, but spotless, and the laundry gets good reviews.  We’d stay here again.  From here we’re headed to Bisbee, AZ – noted by Travel Advisor as a “Great American Small City to Visit”.  More from there…

Cactus Country RV site #198

Cactus Country RV

Kitt Peak National Observatory

On Saturday we’re booked on a VIP tour of Kitt Peak.  Normally these tours only operate with a minimum of 4 guests.  In this particular tour we’re with 1 other guest and 3 new tour leaders.  The nearly 5 hour tour includes several of the 25 or so telescopes in the complex.  We see areas that the public normally sees (behind glass windows) as well as more back-stage areas such as the control rooms and out on the floor of the domes.  This mountain top complex is huge, the largest, most diverse collection of space instruments in the world.  Most impressive it the solar observation telescope and the 4 meter Mayall telescope.  Also impressive, but not included in the tour, is the 3.5 meter WIYN telescope and the 12 meter ARO radio telescope.

On Sunday we’re back out to Kitt Peak for their Night Observation Program.  In a larger group of about 60 guests and 3 astronomers we spent time watching the beautiful sunset and the equally impressive moon rise. Then it’s off to the telescopes for viewing of a several celestial objects.  In between telescope and binocular viewing sessions we’re welcomed in the visitor center for hot chocolate and coffee.  While it’s not cold on the mountain, it’s still a least 20 degrees cooler than Tucson, a welcome relief during the 90+ degree days and a little chilly as nighttime temps drop into the 50’s.  Program notes from our binocular viewing.

Kitt Peak National Observatory

Kitt Peak National Observatory

Kitt Peak National Observatory

Kitt Peak National Observatory

Tucson, Western Way RV Resort

Western Way RV Resort, Tucson

We’ve just arrived in Tucson where we’ll  spend 4 nights at Western Way RV Resort in SW Tucson.  Western Way is a very mature RV park of about 300 sites, with 90% or so of these converted to park model sites.  Our site #127 is sandwiched between two park models, but these larger sites don’t seem too tight.  We have plenty of room for the RV, a nice cement patio pad and room for the truck beside that.  Most of the park models include the “tiny-home”, an Arizona room and carport parking area completely covering the entire lot.  Located about 20 minutes from downtown Tucson, this RV park turned out to be very quiet, very well run and full of friendly folks.

Spending 4 nights will even gave an opportunity to use the $1.00 washers and dryers in the spotlessly clean laundry room – a real bargain! The outdoor pool and BBQ area is very nice as is the clubhouse that seemed to stay very busy with pancake breakfast, coffee club, concerts and movie nights.  We also happened to be there just in time for the Friday morning parade of decorated golf carts.

After being here in Tucson last year, we had two items our to-do list.  The first was to check out Kitt Peak National Observatory which is located about 45 minutes SW of the RV park.  The other item is to see the Pima Air and Space Museum, home of one of the best collections of civil and military aircraft outside of the Smithsonian.  This museum is also the only way to access the “boneyard”, acres and acres of retired aircraft on the Davis-Monthan Air Force base.  Unfortunately the boneyard tours sell out fast, generally by 9AM each morning – so that’s still an item for the next trip.  However, we had a great time exploring the 8 hangers of aircraft plus the shuttle ride around the outside exhibits, seeing everything from old Air Force One’s that transported the Kennedys and Johnsons to a current day Boing 787, a test unit with serial number 2.

Western Way RV Resort, Tucson

Western Way RV Resort, Tucson

Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson

Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson

Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson

Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson

Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson

Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson

Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson

Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson

Desert Trails RV Park, Tucson

Desert Trails RV Park, Tucson, AZ

We’ve arrived in Tucson, and perhaps one of the most disappointing RV sites we’ve been in since leaving Colorado.  With good to excellent reviews, this park appears to be perfect for those who will spend a few winter months in Tucson, but not necessarily for those of us who are just passing through.  Winding roads and small gardens abound, and make for a eclectic and somewhat disorganized look to the park.  Trailers, coaches and even a few park models seem to be stuck in every nook and cranny.  But, the very full park schedule, the 7 activity buildings, a large recreation hall, pool hall, nature trails into the adjoining Tucson Mountain Park and Saguaro National Park tell the real tale of this park.  This is somewhere that active 40 and 50-somethings come to enjoy the warmth of Tucson during the winter months and to have activities besides shuffleboard and bridge.

For those that want to take advantage of a very full program, the $29/night, or $510/month is probably a great value.  Unfortunately for us, it’s all about the convenience and appeal of the site.  We’re in WE5 (I think that’s West End) crowded between a large motor coach and a long travel trailer.  There’s just enough room for our slides to extend and provide a narrow walkway before bumping into the small fence that demark each site.  The 30AMP electric socket doesn’t have a breaker, so you’re forced to plug in “hot”.  The water is convenient enough, and the dump port is all the way to the rear of the site.  None of this is terrible, we’ve been in small, cozy sites before.  The problem is directly behind us, not 10 feet from the rear of the trailer is South San Joaquin Road and directly across the road, a few houses with loud, large barking dogs that obviously spent the night outside.  And, the touted free Wi-Fi is like many parks, basically non-existent, at least in these out of the way sites.  Noisy nights, and that cramped feeling will make it easy to move on from here after 2 nights.  More from our next stop in New Mexico!

Pretty Tight at Desert Trails RV Park, Tuscon, AZ

Every Nook and Cranny used at Desert Trails RV Park, Tucson, AZ