Saguaros, Sunsets & the Wild, Wild West in Tucson

Although our time here was short, we found Tucson to be a fascinating region, combining spectacular desert scenery and wild-west history. If you've never experienced the diversity of the Sonoran Desert, this is the place to come. The mighty saguaro cactus grows here, along with hundreds of other unique plants, and it's best understood by visiting the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum early in your stay.

The city itself sits in the middle of five mountain ranges, where hiking trails abound inside state and national parks. Botanical gardens, art museums, missions, galleries, and specialty shops fill the streets–-which you'll notice are much darker at night than back home. Ordinances controlling light pollution make it possible to identify constellations from a city street. Just imagine the stars from the desert!

Restaurants are plentiful and creative. Many promote a Southwestern or Mexican flair. One we especially enjoyed was Poca Casas Café, a lively downtown restaurant that serves innovative Mexican cuisine that changes daily–-such as shredded chicken with chocolate-chili mole or creamy verde mole with almonds, piled high with red peppers. Ordering the Chef's Choice will bring three heaping surprise items from the chalkboard menu. Just leave room for the chocolate mousse for dessert.

Unique desert accommodations include B&Bs such as the lovely Casa Tierra, as well as a multitude of guest ranches, which advertise horseback riding, cattle drives, and cookouts.

Quick Tips:

Not too far from town, major attractions are scattered in every direction.
NORTHEAST:
Sabino Canyon (hike among waterfalls, or take a moonlight tram)
Mt. Lemmon (skiing/hiking through five distinct life zones)
Biosphere 2 (remember the eight people locked inside this greenhouse for two years?)

EAST:
Pima Air & Space Museum (over 5,000 military planes)
Saguaro National Park East
Kartchner Caverns (a magnificent limestone cave decorated with all the trimmings)
Chiricahua National Monument (precariously balanced rocks and eroded volcanic spires puts this intriguing park, 1.5 hours away, on my ‘must-see' list next visit)

SOUTHEAST:
Tombstone (where costumed Wild West characters still thrive)
Bisbee (mining town turned artsy)
Ghost Towns of Cochise County

SOUTH:
Whipple Observatory (tours view Smithsonian labs and telescopes)
Pima Titan Missile Museum (the only ballistic missile complex open to the public)
Tubac (artsy community and inexpensive golf)

SOUTHWEST:
Kitt Peak Observatory (watch astronomers at work on stellar, solar, and planetary telescopes)

WEST:
Mission San Xavier (finest mission architecture in the U.S.)
Old Tucson Studios (over 100 western movies were made on this set)
AZ Sonoran Desert Museum (a botanical garden and zoo rolled into one)
Saguaro National Park West

Best Way To Get Around:

You'll need to rent a car unless you're here on business, and don't plan on venturing far from your convention hotel in downtown Tucson. Airport car rentals are a little more expensive but highly convenient (other locations typically close by 5pm).

Enterprise charged us for a mid-size car during the high season (February), comparable to weekly rates at Hertz and Budget, which had the longest lines in the airport. We breezed through the paperwork in 5 minutes (helps to reserve online) and were led to our V8 electric blue dual-cab Nissan in no time. A truck was substituted for our car, which had been given away, as we were 7 hours late picking up our vehicle. (Tip: double your travel time if driving from Mexico!)

Streets were easy to maneuver, and signs were well-marked. Our only difficulty was trying to follow MapQuest, which invented streets that didn't exist.

If you're looking for a convenient, clean hotel after a late flight, plan on staying here.

Knowing we would arrive after midnight and be leaving for Mexico in the morning, I checked the Internet for airport hotels and easily selected the Best Western. The rates were $20 to $80 less than comparable neighboring hotels, and the website, www.freehotelsearch.com, slashed the standard rate of $149 to $109, which was less than any other discount offers, such as the ones from AAA. Other advertised perks were a hot breakfast and free airport shuttle.

In the airport's baggage claim area, a courtesy hone is located on the exit wall under a wall of advertised hotels. Simply call the hotel and a white van appears within minutes. (Good thing we had a reservations, as it was fully booked.)

The hotel is located across from Embassy Suites, LaQuinta, and the Hampton Inn on South Tucson Boulevard leaving the airport. Five two-story buildings surround an outdoor pool on a grassy lawn with palm trees. Our "poolside" room was standard fare–two double beds, a desk, and a dresser–and overlooked the parking lot (granted, it did have small pools of water after a heavy rainfall). But we didn't mind. We were here to crash and be rested for a long drive into Mexico.

A check-out time of noon allows for plenty of sleep, but you won't want to miss the complimentary breakfast, which closes at 9:30am. Piping-hot scrambled eggs, French toast, hash browns, sausage, bacon, fresh fruit, yogurt, bagels, pastries, and assorted juices were a nice surprise, definitely a step above typical breakfast buffets at comparable hotels.

Although we wouldn't be around for dinner, I peeked at the hotel's Inn Place Restaurant menu. Selections of tandori chicken, chicken tikka marsala, chicken fusilli or pesto pasts, catfish, and vegetable curries for around $10 an entrée sounded awfully tempting. The glass dining room faces the poolside and extends to a garden patio.

A fitness center came in handy after breakfast, as it was still raining. The treadmill, stair stepper, and weight machines are located in a converted air-conditioned hotel room.

The distance to downtown Tucson is 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic. The airport is located south of town between Interstates 10 and 19. Keep heading south and you'll reach the Mexican border city, Nogales, in about an hour.

If you want to see saguaro cactuses, you'll not find anywhere else on earth where greater numbers are concentrated than at Saguaro National Park West, ranked second in popularity to the Grand Canyon among Arizona attractions. Located 15 miles from downtown Tucson, the park abuts the AZ Sonoran Desert Museum, making it convenient to visit both during a long day. (If you have kids, you may want to work in a visit to Old Tucson Studios, a Wild West theme park nearby.)

To clear up any confusion, there are two Saguaro National Parks, West and East. Both have hiking trails and loop roads, although the West holds the more impressive stands of saguaro. The Red Hills Visitor Center (West) will provide maps and information about hiking distances and terrain.

We chose the King Benson Trail recommended by our friend Scott. A rather short trail (2 miles round-trip), it was all we could squeeze in before dark after spending most of the day at the AZ Desert Museum. The trail head was easy to find – we basically drove across the street from the museum.

The first section followed an old gravel road at the southern end of the park. Saguaro and ocotillo cactuses grew out of the hills and distant Tucson mountains. We met another couple who were searching for wildflowers and making notes in a book. Locals, they explained that because of the high rains this year, the wildflower show, which was just beginning, was already the most spectacular in 10 years.

To our left, a wash was visible at the bottom of the valley. Judging from the people walking around, it was currently dry, a good thing since that was our destination. We'd learned that petroglyphs existed on the rocks bordering the wash, and we were keen to see them.

At the trail junction for Esperanza near the Mam-A-Gah picnic area, we turned left to explore the wash. Hikers can continue east on the Norris Trail for another 2.2 miles to reach Wasson Peak, the highest point in the Tucson Mountains at 4687 feet.

Climbing down volcanic rocks to reach the sandy floor of the wash, we soon found petroglyphs on both sides of the rock. Geometric shapes and stick figures decorating many of the rocks are thought to be drawn by the Hohokam Indians, who had vanished by the 15th century. Other petroglyphs can be seen at Signal Hill on the very west border of the park, which easily accessed by car.

As we hiked back toward the car, dusk fast approached. Tips of the saguaros gleamed white against the dark shadowy mountains as skies turned pale apricot.

The rugged, purplish mountains on the northern perimeter of Tucson belong to the Santa Catalina range, which reach upwards of 3,000 feet high. Established as a state park, there are several hiking trails to select from leading to canyons, Hohokam ruins, or brilliant springtime wildflower displays in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness. But our buddy Scott, who lives minutes away from the park, led us to one of his favorite places where water cascades into pools of water against a rocky backdrop.

We followed the Romero Canyon Trail to the pools, a 5.5-mile round trip. (At Romero Pass, hikers can join other trails, such as Mt. Lemmon or Cathedral Rock which branch out into a wider web of trails.)

Our first task was crossing a wash. Usually dry, on this particular day it was flooded from high rains, necessitating wading through barefoot. Cold! Back on the trail, the wide dirt path wove through mesquite trees and fields of yellow wildflowers sprinkled with prickly pear and saguaro cactuses. We spotted a bird's nest in an 8-foot cholla cactus–-pretty smart–-the snakes won't risk getting jabbed by cholla's painful spikes to devour the eggs.

Soon the trail ascended a steep path cut into boulders of the volcanic rock and continued through much of the same terrain for the remainder of the trip. Tall saguaro cactuses stood like skinny petrified hikers stranded without water all over the hillsides. Desert flowers shaped like bells and miniature daisies colored the rocky landscape yellow, purple, pink, orange and blue. We passed a few small waterfalls as we continued to climb, reaching an 1,000-foot elevation at the pools.

Rootbeer-colored water flowed down the canyon over irregularly shaped boulders, pooling at differing levels along the way as it passed through natural crevices. A picturesque spot indeed. We climbed over rocks and perched ourselves on mammoth boulders overlooking the falls. A brisk wind invited the warmth of fleece–-which I'd neglected to bring. I shivered while listening to Scott tell stories of swimming and snorkeling in that water and tried to conjure up images of the heat that causes crowds to converge in the pools during summer months. The sun played hide-and-seek through the heavy clouds, keeping Mt. Lemmon and the surrounding mountains under shadowy cover.

Our return hike was even more beautiful. The late afternoon sun illuminated the unusual rock formations and balancing boulders and backlit the spines and tiny leaves of various cactuses along the path. Fuzzy white spines on the Teddy Bear Cholla looked especially soft, but I'd been warned not to touch. Those painful spines are a nuisance to remove. Spindly ocotillos sprouted pointy orange-red blossoms, and the sausage-shaped branches of the "jumping" cholla cactus produced green-olive like fruits that looked good enough to eat.

As we neared the trailhead, we were treated to a magnificent play of light on the landscape. Warm yellows turned rosy, bathing tall grasses, saguaro cactuses, and the rocky mountain face in an eerie light. Another spectacular desert sunset...

"Listen, do you hear that?" I whispered to my husband around midnight. Eerie howls harmonized in the otherwise still night.

"Coyotes," he said, rising to open the patio door so we could hear them better. Abruptly, they stopped, as if on cue. A full moon lit up the prickly pear and cholla cactuses beyond our bedroom patio, where shadowy saguaros froze in differing poses like an army of soldiers caught approaching our camp.

We were staying at Casa Tierra, a unique B&B situated in the Sonoran desert on the fringe of Saguaro National Park West 15 miles west of downtown Tucson. Its prime desert location made this more a destination than an accommodation. We could've easily spent several days here without ever venturing into Tucson.

Which was our intent. We wanted to experience the desert morning, noon, and night. And couldn't have found a more perfect place. During an early morning jog, I saw woodpeckers peek out of their saguaro holes as the sun lit up the surrounding mountains. We spent the better part of the day learning about the desert plants and animals at the incredible Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum before hiking the King Benson Trail to view petroglyphs on a canyon wall, both just 1.4 miles away from the beautiful inn.

Days in the desert are special, but nights are magical. Shapes, sounds, and colors become magnified, and guests here have multiple ways to enjoy nature's spectacular evening show. We decided to walk among the prickly pear, saguaros, and ocotillos as the setting sun turned the distant mountains rosy-pink. As the sky darkened, a brilliant show of stars danced across the expansive sky, joining a full moon. Shadowy forms foreign to our eyes looked intriguing in the moonlight as we sidestepped prickly cholla cactuses on our way back to our private patio entrance. A foot away from our chimenea fireplace, a curved brick path led to a secluded hot tub and outdoor telescope, both perfect for star-gazing.

Nature's perks aside, Casa Tierra is a treat in itself. Built in a traditional hacienda style, the adobe guest rooms and inviting sitting areas grace the portals of this "earth house" which surround a courtyard garden, fountain, and grapefruit tree. A fitness room and den stocked with a television, computer (Internet), movies, and books can be accessed at any time. The three gorgeous guestrooms feature saguaro-ribbed cabinets, Talavera-tiled wet bars complete with microwaves and refrigerators, polished saltillo bricks, and luxurious linens on queen-sized beds.

Barb and Dave Malmquist's attention to detail were apparent the minute we stepped into our room. Tasteful furnishings, Mexican art, fresh flowers in a cowboy boot, thick terry robes, a basket of treats, cold drinks in our fridge, and a heavenly bed were especially welcoming after a long 12-hour car ride through Mexico.

A full three-course vegetarian gourmet breakfast was served in the formal dining room overlooking a cactus garden where a cardinal flitted around a palo verde tree. Dave served us sliced strawberries drizzled with chocolate, followed by a traditional Mexican egg lasagna of tortilla, eggs, cheese, and spices, and a scrumptious blueberry cheesecake-coffee cake dessert. A basket of differing hot sauces, salsa, flavored coffee, and assorted juices were nice touches.

The second morning, our breakfast included succulent grapefruit from their tree, spicy cornbread muffins, and cream cheese-layered french toast layered with prickly pear syrup. The food was delicious, the presentation artful, and the setting divine.

Gracious hosts, the Malmquists strive to please guests in their elegant home. No wonder the Casa Tierra has repeatedly ranked one of Phoenix Magazine's "Best B&Bs in Arizona" and Arrington's Inn Magazine's "Most Unique Inns of America." It certainly has our vote.

For more information, call 800/254-0006 or check out their website: www.casatierratucson.com.

Did you know that 35 species of fish live in the desert? Or that the much-photographed saguaro cactus–-the headless cowboy-looking cactus with upraised arms–-only grows here in the Sonoran Desert? Or that the desert blooms each spring beginning with yellow colors first? Or that the cholla cactus–-which looks like a tangled bush of prickly sausage links–-has a whip-like reaction if you brush up against it, causing cries of surprise when the spines stick into your skin. It's considered the most dangerous cactus in the desert and requires a comb to remove the spines, as attempting to pull them out simply transfers them to your fingers.

Such are the details visitors learn at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, ranked as one of the top 10 museums in the U.S. And rightfully so. Certainly not your typical museum, this 21-acre outdoor park highlights 300 animals, 1,200 plants, two aviaries of birds, and a cave.

Sue, our docent guide, led us through half of the park. In the Desert Grassland, Sue pointed out the birch-like peeling green palo verde tree, which makes its food in the branches instead of the leaves. Ocotillas were sprouting pointed orange blossoms at the tips of their long, spindley arms. She explained the dangers of the "jumping" cholla plants and identified many different varieties.

Animals have adapted to the prickliness of the desert plants. Birds build nests atop fuzzy teddy bear chollas, knowing their fragile eggs will be protected from snake raids. Woodpeckers burr holes into the waxy pleats of the saguaros, which has a wood fiber interior, and build nests inside the 50-foot-tall cactuses. And when the birds leave, 5-inch owls move into the saguaro holes.

Kids loved watching prairie dogs pop in and out of holes, shaded by Joshua Trees. We passed pink feathery fairy-duster plants and yellow blossoming creosole, turpentine, and brittle bushes on the way to the Mountain Woodland. Here we watched mountain lions, black bear, deer, and wolves wander around in rocky habitats.

In the Riparian Corridor, Sue explained that the Sonoran Desert is far from dry. The sound of rushing water represented the many streams that run freely. River otters, fish, and coati curled up in tree branches live in the riparian regions of the desert thick with palms. The Sabrino Canyon on the northeast side of Tucson is one such example of a lush riparian region.

Our orientation over, we roamed on our own photographing hummingbirds in the Aviary, and coyotes, bobcats and bighorn sheep along the Desert Loop Trail. A fascinating assortment of over 100 species captured our attention in the landscaped Cactus Garden. But I noticed that the stately, sometimes comical saguaro cactus crept into my photos more than any other.

Interesting to learn that these giants, which live up to 200 years, don't develop their first arm until age 75. The 20 waxy, accordian-like pleats close at the height of summer heat and store water up to two years. In May, saguaros bloom white flowers at nightfall, which wither by the following afternoon. Fruit forms from dried bloom stalks, which is harvested by the Tohono O'odham Indians who turn the red fruit pulp into jams, syrups and wine. When saguaro cactuses die, from old age or too much water, the flesh falls away, revealing the wooden frame which is then used for making furniture or fences.

We escaped the harshest light of the day by dining in the highly acclaimed Ocotillo Café. Ever had a prickly pear margarita? You can try one here. A basket of freshly made bread with pesto sauce was brought to the table while we sipped our drinks. Our gourmet lunches, made with herbs grown on-site, were excellent.

The Gallery was closed during our visit, but we did see native crafts when we shopped for desert related books at the Mountain House Gift Shop. We walked off newly acquired calories for another two hours and still left the park without seeing everything. What an incredible place!

To visit from downtown Tucson, drive 15 miles west on Speedway Blvd. over Gates Pass (stop for great panoramas of the mountains) and follow the signs on Kinney Road. Expect a 30-minute drive. Open from 8:30am to 5pm, the cost is $10 adults, $3 children.

Tombstone, "the town too tough to die," epitomized the Wild, Wild West like no other. Men in this silver mining town lived hard and fast, quick on the draw to settle disputes with guns. So violent was the town's reputation that, in 1882, President Chester Arthur threatened to send in the army. The daily newspaper, Tombstone Epitaph, ran a column called "Death's Doings" that recorded the latest tragedies.

The most notorious 30-second gunfight took place at the O.K. Corral, where US Marshall Wyatt Earp, his two brothers, and Doc Holliday fought against the cow rustlin' Clanton and McLaury gang back in 1881. After the smoke cleared, three of the Clantons lay dead. Months later, assassins killed Morgan Earp and wounded Virgil. Wyatt, taking the law into his own hands, killed three suspects before fleeing Tombstone for good.

Today, the shootout is reenacted for tourists on a daily basis. Visitors can get a multimedia introduction to the town's history at the Historama next door to the O.K. Corral on Allen Street, the main drag closed to traffic. Other attractions include historical artifacts, photos, and memorabilia at the Courthouse Museum ($6); the Crystal Palace saloon; or the authentic, untouched Bird Cage Theatre ($6). Humorous epitaphs describe inhabitants of the Boot Hill Graveyard (out of town on US 80), where the Clanton and McLaury brothers are buried.

Inside the Bird Cage Theatre, reputed to be the "wildest, wickedest night spot from 1881-1889," over 140 bullet holes riddle the walls where Wyatt Earp met his third wife, Sadie. Furnishings are untouched, as owners boarded it up when the mines flooded in 1889. Inside the bar mirror that Doc Holliday stared into reflects the image of Fatima, the bullet-marred painting on the stairwell leading to a cat walk between 14 velvet-draped bird cages where ladies of the night entertained their drunken clients. Below is the room where the longest continual poker game lasted over 8 years. Minimum bids were $1,000 ($30,000 today).

A variety of shows also compete for your attention – and money. One lady, standing while riding her horse, introduced herself as Texas Kate and handed me a flier advertising her Wild West Animal Show. A trick rider on the US Rodeo circuit for 26 years, she wows her audiences by hanging off her galloping horse, Rebel, while her Boston Terrier plays the role of a charging Mexican Fighting Bull.

Such are offerings at Tombstone, where double-takes are common. A man passing on the street muttered, "I wish they'd just all get along." He was walking his dog that had a cat sitting on its back and a mouse on top of the cat! Minutes later, a young girl dressed in western wear held her papa's whiskey bottle while he toyed with his gun as they strutted down main street.

Costumed characters from the Old West are everywhere, from the shops to the street. Shootouts, hangings, and impromptu dramas take place frequently. Friendly locals and retired actors are clearly having a ball. I spoke with a costumed US Marshall who told me about his movie-making days and years of theatre playing Lincoln. He, like so many others, encouraged photographs and hammed it up by posing. It is a great place to come if you want to practice your portrait photography or action shots!

Leaving, I picked up the daily paper, Tombstone Epitaph. The headline read, "Two men held in kidnapping, armed robbery." Guess some things never change.

Back in 1880, copper mining attracted immigrants from Russia, Serbia, Ireland, Mexico, and Italy to this small community, which became the most prosperous settlement in Arizona. Situated just 6 miles from the Mexican border, a conglomeration of architectural styles filled the steep narrow streets built into Tombstone Canyon, south of the Mule Mountains.

Gambling, prostitution, heavy drinking, and fighting were common among the miners who clustered in ethnic neighborhood gangs outside of work. When mining ended in 1975, after producing $6 billion worth of metals, nearly 30,000 residents abandoned their homes. Artists, writers, and hippies moved in, snatching up vacant homes for less than $1,000. World-renown artist Ted Grazia once lived here.

Today, Bisbee generates revenue by promoting tourism. Visitors can ride into an underground mine shaft on the Copper Queen Mine tour or venture to the Lavender Pit, an open-air pit outside of Bisbee on US 80. Trolley buses and jeeps offer daily tours of the town, where Victorian homes and old buildings have been renovated into galleries, restaurants, and B&B's. But I was hoofing it up and down the San Francisco-like hillside stairways, exploring the town on my own. Views from the top were impressive as mountains ringed the canyon's historical buildings crafted with bell towers, gingerbread, and Italianate decor. Limited by time, I couldn't take any of the tours or hike to the very top of the hill on OK Street, where colorful candlelit shrines reward those who tackle the steep, rocky path.

Wandering through one residential area, I spied a sign pointing to the Oliver House. Not knowing what it was, I followed the walkway across a shady creek and stood facing an iron gate. Beyond was an inviting Victorian home with an old-fashioned porch. An older man came up behind me on the bridge. Embarrassed to have been caught snooping around private property, I asked, "What is the Oliver House?"

"A B&B. Go on inside. I'm meeting the owners for lunch. C'mon, I'll introduce you." He wouldn't take no for an answer, even though I was soon leaving. Within minutes, the young owner was showing me around and suggesting "neat shots" when she spied my camera. The home, built in 1908 and supposedly haunted, offers 14 rooms from $55. (Phone: 520/432-1900) Leaving with her business partner and the older man, Kate encouraged me to stay and photograph whatever I wanted.

But I didn't feel right doing that. Instead, I followed her suggestion to explore the back alley through the historic district and photographed gargoyles, copper angel sculptures, and a musical note gate on the way back to the main street where jewelry stores feature minerals mined in the area. (Bisbee Blue is the famous turquoise solely produced and sold at the Lavender Pit.)

I grabbed a miner's sandwich inside the Tourist Complex and met up with hubby before rushing back to Tucson. For those traveling independently (we were touring with American Photo Magazine, and allowed a mere hour), there are 30 ghost towns in Cochise Country.

We arrived before dawn to watch the sun light up the White Dove of the Desert. Even in the dark, the scaffolding was evident around one of the two bell towers, marring our view of what's considered the finest example of mission architecture in the Southwest. Despite its cocoon, there was plenty to photograph as soft rays cast warm brilliance on elegant arches, domes, portals, crosses, and figures built into the adobe structure by Franciscan missionaries between 1783 and 1797. The back parking area was reportedly a favorite spot for Ansel Adams, who enjoyed photographing the white arches against the backdrop of the distant shadowy mountains.

Moorish, Byzantine, and Mexican Renaissance styles weave together in this church that was never completed. Inside the curved mesquite door, murals, frescoes, wooden statues, and religious Mexican baroque art decorate the newly restored interior, which had been vandalized and spray-painted in the 1990s. Thanks to the efforts of the same group, who rejuvenated Rome's Sistine Chapel, the interior gleams beautifully once again.

By 7:30am, residents of the San Xavier Indian Reservation were arriving to attend Sunday morning mass. The wooden pews filled up quickly. I'd poked in for a quick look but soon gave up my spot in the back pew, having had a few glorious moments to admire the art and scalloped windows on the ceiling where shafts of light entered and illuminated a shepherd fresco. Of special interest to Catholics is the statue of St. Francis Xavier. Many make pilgrimages to visit this saint, who answers the prayers of the faithful. The patron saint lies behind a glass sarcophagus beside the main altar. But I didn't venture close enough to see.

My fingers still numb from the cold (yes, cold in February), I wandered back outside, where a group was photographing a road runner on the thatched roof of a food stand near the parking lot. Strange nesting spot. But I bypassed the bird to photograph final images of the mission. Up on a hill, twin crosses shone in the sun where an hour ago they glowed under a full moon.

San Xavier Mission, located 9 miles south of Tucson on I-19 toward Mexico, is a 15-minute drive from downtown. Free admission. Open 7am-5pm daily.