Tag: photography
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Mount Lemmon – A Sweet Spot
Despite being described as a “fun hike” by our AllTrails app, we were content to leave the 2,332 foot climb up Thimble Peak outside of Tucson to more determined thrill-seekers. Driving up to Mt. Lemmon along the 27-mile Sky Island Parkway, part of the U.S. National Scenic Byway system, we found plenty of pullouts, and…
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Desert Waterfall Walks
Saguaro National Park East The trail to Bridal Wreath Falls was a bit of a challenge, but the idea of seeing a waterfall in the desert was a novelty for us. Located in the eastern side of Saguaro National Park, the 7.75-mile trek rises 1,200 feet above the valley floor, eventually leading to the base…
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Old Tucson Roundup
What do you get when you combine the spirit of the Old West with a little movie magic history? The answer, we discovered, is Old Tucson, a film set and family theme park set against a backdrop of rugged Arizona mountains and saguaro cactus. Definitely cowboy country. To be honest, we weren’t sure this was…
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Fledgling Snowbirds
We are one month into our first-time snowbird experience, having ditched the cold, gray Oregon sky in exchange for brighter, warmer winter days in Tucson, Arizona. We spent three nights here last March, which is when we decided to reserve the same site for our 2-month stay this year. We liked the lemon tree – the roots…
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Stirring Up Trouble
Historic Tombstone was named a National Historic Landmark District in 1961, and work continues to retain the old west flavor and historical designation. Visiting is a bit like walking onto the set of your favorite western, complete with dusty streets and questionable-looking cowboys. Home to the O.K. Corral and nearby Boot Hill, there’s plenty to see…
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Beautiful Memories
We’ve enjoyed a week-long visit with friends Chris and Judy. Before they hitched up their trailer for the drive home, we had one last adventure in Saguaro National Park East. There’s a beautiful loop drive through the park with ample pull-outs for an up-close look at the desert vegetation. Our first stop allowed Chris, who in his younger…
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Do Horse Steps make Horse Sense?
The trail description warned there would be no “warmup” when starting the Hugh Norris Trail, one of the many trails found in Saguaro National Park West. One grumpy AllTrails reviewer complained the “1,000 horse steps were senseless for hiking trails.” I’ve never heard of horse steps and I’m pretty sure 1,000 was an exaggeration, although I didn’t…
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Our Fragile World
Even in Arizona we knew we couldn’t dodge all the bad weather, so on a rainy Sunday (and boy was it raining!) we took the short drive south to visit the Titan Missile Museum. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1994, it houses the last remaining Titan II missile (now deactivated) in the country. From 1963…
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