Tucson and the Sonora Desert

Judy. We’ve been taking our 15-year-old grandson Parker traveling with us every other year since he was six years old. It has been eye opening for all three of us, and Ted and I love seeing the world through his eyes. So when five-year-old Cade began talking about his desire to see the Sonora Desert in Arizona, taking him there was a no-brainer.

Blooming cactus

To be honest, Cade’s interest stemmed from a YouTube video Ted showed him last year about jumping cholla, a cactus that, if you brush against it, even slightly, sticks to you. He was convinced that the plant could see you coming and send chunks of spiny cactus into you, and he really wanted to see that.

To say that he was excited is an understatement. The boy was obsessed, and so were we about taking him. We flew from London to Atlanta on a Monday, spent the night at an airport hotel, and the next day Leslie met us at the airport with Cade and his suitcase.

We arrived in Tucson at night, and Cade, who had slept most of the way, was ready. As we stepped outside the airport, he spotted several cacti lining the sidewalk and immediately began naming them. He was very clear we should avoid the jumping cholla.

Some background here:  We lived in Tucson, Arizona, for a couple of years in the early eighties. We truly loved the city, and were both working in jobs we enjoyed. The kids quickly learned about living in the desert, making sure to kick a rock before picking it up (to avoid scorpions), and when to get back into the house to avoid midday sun or sudden lightning strikes. We left to be near my family in the south, but were sure we’d return. This trip was a bit for us as well, even though Cade’s dreams were high priority this time.

Time zones and jet lag woke us each morning about five—just as well, since temps were already in the nineties in April!

On our first morning, after an hour or so of exploring the desert behind our hotel, we rented a car and drove to the Sonora Desert Museum, a great orientation to the life present here. If you EVER come near Tucson, it is a must. Our kids loved it in the eighties and it’s even better now. Well-trained docents are everywhere, some holding

Blooming palo verde

birds or snakes and talking about them, others poised near exhibits to explain desert plants and survival. There are animals from bobcats to river otters to stingrays, as the Sonora Desert encompasses a vast territory in southern Arizona, Baja California, and well into Mexico. Cacti, succulents, and desert trees have their own exhibits. You can

Boy and blooms

stay on close trails that lead to exhibits, or take a longer trail through a small portion of the desert. However much you do, you’ll know and respect more about the desert than you did when you arrived.

Next stop was Aqui Con el Nene (Here With the Baby), a funky and delicious restaurant on the south side of town, known for their Sonora hot dog. Seems that Tucson has been named a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy (first in the country) and one of the recognized foods is the Sonora hot dog, a hot dog wrapped in bacon, on a bolillo with beans, tomatoes, melted cheese, and who knows what else. Not a thing that’s good for you, but absolutely delicious. Ted ate two. Cade stuck with cheese quesadillas.

After all that, it was time for the pool and a nap. And that was the end of day one.

The second day we left early for the Saguaro National Park, and were able to get in a short walk around a “discovery trail” and a very brief hike up the Hugh Norris Trail, where Cade experimented with jumping cholla (no 5-year-olds OR cacti were hurt in this experiment), we explored rocks and saguaro, and I spotted a scorpion. We also

Beautiful desert lizard

heard absolutely beautiful bird songs as well as the buzzing of thousands of bees in the blooms of the desert. It’s a true gift to be here in the spring when the cacti and trees are blooming. Saguaro blossoms are only open for 24 hours, during which time birds and bats feed on the blossoms and digest the seeds. There are few places as lovely as a desert in the spring.

On the way back, we stopped by my favorite place in Tucson, the Mission of San Xavier de Bac, known as the “White Dove of the Desert”. This mission was built for the Todono O’odham tribe in 1783, and is the oldest structure still standing in

San Xavier

Arizona. The beautiful Moorish-style building can be seen from miles away, and truly sits like a white bird in the brown desert. The interior is a fascinating combination of styles, and the statue of Mary is dressed in clothing reminiscent of the Todono O’odham styles, embroidered with the “Man in the Maze” symbol. This deeply spiritual Native American symbol, known world wide, was first discovered here.

Todono O'odham Virgin

In the plaza in front of the church are food stalls and a more permanent crafts market. No visit would be complete without Indian Fry Bread. Cade was not sure at all about that, but we ordered one with honey and one with powdered sugar. One bite. That’s all it took. He announced, “You didn’t tell me it had powdered sugar,” as he devoured his.

Fry bread

Back at the hotel, we took in an Arizona sunset. There is nothing in the world like it. The sky turns the most amazing vivid colors, then settles into a pink and lavender afterglow. We laughed at the Arizona flag when we first moved here thirty-some-odd years ago, till we saw our first sunset. Now it’s absolutely my favorite state flag.

On our final day, we rose early again, and headed to Sabino Canyon, a lush cut through the desert in the Coronado National Forest. At 8:30 AM, it was already hot, so we chose to ride the tram up the canyon and stop at one of the pools of water to play. When we arrived, there was no one else there, so Cade chased fish and we clambered over the rocks to find the hidden

Sabino Canyon

waterfall. This time of year there’s not much water in the canyon, just the leftover runoff from the snowmelt, but after the monsoon season, there will be a rushing river there. As the crowds arrived, we decided we were ready to move on and left for lunch.

Trip Advisor calls Baja Café the number one restaurant in Tucson. There are several of them now, all located in funky locations in strip malls. The one we visited was between a carpet store and a barbershop. It specializes in breakfast foods, especially the “benedicts”. My favorite on the menu is the “Welcome Home Benedict”, a huge breakfast that’s $15.99, unless you’re a returning soldier, in which case, it’s free.  I had the “Wyatt Earp” with a corn cake base, pulled pork and bacon, and a guacamole-type sauce over the poached eggs. Tasty, and too

Wyatt Earp

much. Ted had the “Anomaly 2.0”, whose base was a mac ‘n’ cheese waffle, with brisket and pulled pork, plus eggs. Cade stuck with the chocolate chip pancake, eggs and bacon. Because it’s our first visit, we were given a snickerdoodle pancake. As Cade said, “Oh, snap!”

One more spot remained to visit:  Mt. Lemmon. When we lived here years ago, Mt. Lemmon was our respite in the summer during monsoon season, when the heat was all but unbearable. At over 9,000 feet, it’s an oasis of pine trees and cool air, and the ride up affords views of hoodoos, rock formations, distant

Mountains and desert floor

mountains, and the desert floor. Once we arrived, Cade led us on a chase for adventures over dead trees, rocks and slippery pine straw. No surprise that he slept on the way home.

Mission accomplished. We returned to an area we really enjoyed, and Cade learned to love the Sonora Desert even more after he experienced it. On the day we went to Saguaro National Park, he said, “Guys, this is the best day!” He also announced he's moving here when he's ten.

They say you can’t go home again. In our drive past our old house and Ted’s plant, not much was recognizable. It all looked great, but different. Then again, it’s been a long time, and it is exciting to see this city, which we loved so much, grow, expand, and be recognized for its contribution to our country. No, it’s not the same, but it’s truly wonderful.