Tucson

Our original journey back east was supposed to include Yuma. I decided to skip Yuma and head straight to Tucson. I knew when we headed out that it was going to be a long haul. Day turned into night and we were still driving. Of course, one reason is because we lost an hour due to the time zone change. The other was simply because we had a lot of hours to cover

We had a slight mishap that I noticed when we pulled in to gas up somewhere past San Diego. The blue umbilical cord that connects the lights on Perl to the toad was severed in half. It didn’t come out of the socket at either end, it simply was broken in two. 

The new umbilical cord

I stood there scratching my head for a little bit trying to figure out how in the world it happened. It hadn’t been dragged and this was our first stop so no one had a chance to cut it. I finally realized that I must have bottomed out and the hitch cut it in half. 

You see, when I started pulling the toad four down, I was taught to run all my wires under the hitch. I’m not sure why I was instructed to do this but I won’t be doing it again. I also noticed that one of the safety cables was nearly severed as well. 

And wouldn’t you know it, this is the one and only time since leaving Ohio that we’ve needed the lights. We’ve moved from one location to another so many times I’ve lost count. But the one time when we’re actually traveling in the dark and the umbilical cord gets cut……….ah! 

We ended up unhitching the car about an hour from Tucson. My brother followed behind and we pulled into Prince of Tucson RV Park around 8:30 pm. It was a long day, dinner was extremely late as was our bedtime. 

So what have we been up to since we’ve been here?  We visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. It received five-star ratings online and it came highly recommended by folks at the RV park. So we decided to check it out. 

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

As with most places we’ve explored, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. But we were pleasantly surprised after visiting this place. It was a very nice museum and it was clear after visiting why it received such high ratings. 

It’s actually not much of a museum. It’s more a combination of a zoo/gardens, etc. There were cactus gardens and plants dotting the landscape. I had no idea there were so many different types of cacti. There were bird and hummingbird aviaries, the later being my favorite. 

We were able to see many different types of gems. They had an entire display in a ‘mining’ cave. After you exited the cave, you could become a paleontologist and dig for dinosaur fossils. There were reptiles and amphibians to check out. 

Do you see the hummingbird in the nest?

Another highlight of the museum is a raptor free flight. It happens twice a day. They do a demonstration of various raptors in flight while providing information about them. I’m not quite sure how they pull this off as it looks like they’re calling them from the wild. And it’s all outside with no netting, etc. 

Love this pic I was able to get

There were also several other animals. They had coyotes, wolves, javelinas, deer, bears, bobcats, and more. They were in nicely done outdoor enclosures. There were also two restaurants, a gift shop and snack bar. It was very educational, especially if you’re not familiar with desert environments. All in all, a very nice place that I’d like to visit again sometime. 

We’ve really been enjoying the RV park. Everyone here is very nice. This is the first place we’ve come to where you feel like you actually belong to a community. People stop by and chat when you’re outside bbq’ing. The kids have met other kids to play with. I talked with a woman tonight who I have something in common with, we both have adopted children. 

And the yearly rent here is super, duper cheap. One year is $3,000 + electric. I keep fantasizing how much money we could save if my husband was able to work remotely and we lived here, even just for a year. Most people will go to cooler climates from May-October and come back every fall. 

Another nice bonus is the bike path we discovered right outside the RV park. It’s actually part of the Tucson Park Authority. It goes on for miles and miles in both directions. The kids and I went there the other day to check it out. The only disappointment I have is that we didn’t find it sooner. 

A display that shows kids what it’s like to be a ‘crevice dweller’ a.k.a. snake, lizard, etc.

Guess what guys? My contact lens finally arrived today!! After about a month of being a one-eyed bandit, I can finally see again. Thank goodness for the technology that allows me to be able to see. I cannot imagine my life without my contact lenses.

Well that about wraps it up for now.  I’ve extended our stay here in Tucson as I’m awaiting a package. I also have a little time to kill as I don’t need to be in Galveston, TX now until after Easter. Not sure what else we’ll be up to before we leave. Come back and check in with us again soon!

{HUGS} from the Crew!

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Eeeek, look at these animals I found in the desert!