A Weekend in the Desert

Frankly, being a lover of getaways to the tropics, I was less than enamored with the desert. I just couldn’t get used to seeing dirt, rocks, cacti and snakes everywhere instead of grass, trees and flowers. I do realize that many people find beauty in the dessert; I’m just warning other tropics-lovers out there.

Even though I would not choose to visit Tucson again, it did provide what we were looking for: a chance to view the night sky at Kitt Peak Observatory without humidity and light pollution getting in the way. And we found a couple other treasures along the way, such as the Desert Sonora Museum, and some excellent Mexican food. In addition, we got to learn about an area of the country we are very unfamiliar with, and it's always good to learn and experience new things.

Quick Tips:

Prior to the trip, I did plenty of research on accommodations, restaurants, and things to do. I found the reviews in Frommer’s Arizona and on Trip Advisor to be dead on in terms of what was recommended and what was not. I also found helpful reviews on Igougo. Tucson is one of those cities that has some very nice areas and some not-so-nice areas, so it’s worth your time to do your research in order to avoid a vacation nightmare.

You’ll read it everywhere, but do remember to bring a hat, sunscreen (don’t forget sunscreen lip balm), sturdy walking shoes and plan to carry water with you at all times. In Minnesota, we think the air is really dry at 30% humidity – imagine how 1% humidity felt! My nose and throat were dry all the time. An upside of low humidity: you can hike around outside all day and not get very sweaty because it evaporates right away!

Definitely consider getting the Tucson Attractions Passport. For 2007-2008, the cost is , and it grants you 2-for-1 or discounted admission to many of the tourist attractions. For example, admission to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is /adult and the Passport is good for 2-for-1 admission there, so with one excursion, you’ve already almost covered the cost of the Passport. Go to www.visittucson.org and click on Tucson Attractions Passport, and you’ll see a list of all of the deals it offers. Be sure to click on the link for “full details” though. Some of the deals are not for admission, but for a discount in the gift shop of the attraction. Just compare the list to the list of things you are planning to do to see if it’s a good deal for you.

Best Way To Get Around:

You will need a car if you are planning to see the main sights of Tucson, because they are all away from town. (For example, Kitt Peak is 90 minutes from town. The Arizona-Sonora Museum – a must-see – is about 15 miles from town.) Getting around town is harder than I would have thought for a small city. Traffic can be fairly congested, and the roads are not laid out in a typical grid pattern. All of the sudden, the road will curve away from where you were trying to go or just dead-end into another road. Carry a good road map with you.

La Quinta is a brand I have always avoided, thinking it was on par with Super 8. However, the Tucson La Quinta airport is fantastic and I would definitely recommend it. Being right near the airport certainly appeals to business travelers, and they are definitely set up to accommodate them. Rooms have a large desk with comfy desk chair and data ports. The lobby has a computer with internet and a printer. The free (and substantial) continental breakfast starts at 5:00 AM. There is also an outdoor pool and indoor fitness center.

All of these business accommodations worked out well for us as vacationers! Having less than a 5 minute drive from the airport to the hotel was nice after traveling all day. There was no noise from airplanes despite the proximity to the airport. The airport area is in the southwest part of town, and since the main attractions we were there for (Desert Sonora Museum, Saguaro National Park, and Kitt Peak Observatory) are all on the west side, it made travel to those things very convenient. (I highly recommend you stay in the area of Tucson where you are planning to spend the most time. Getting through town is a pain.) Having a computer with a printer in the lobby allowed us to check in for our return flight and print boarding passes, so we were able to avoid the long check-in lines. The early breakfast was great for us, because we had plenty of outdoor activity planned and wanted to get up and out before it got too hot.


We paid $90 a night and were very pleased at the upscale nature of this budget hotel.
The outside of the building is very attractive; it’s a southwestern style building with palm trees dotting the landscape. The lobby is beautiful with white tile floors and a fountain in the center. From the lobby, French doors lead to the pool area, which gives the lobby a lot of light and openness. The breakfast area is on one side of the lobby, and there are chairs and tables outside by the pool if you’d like to have breakfast out there. (Which we did!) The pool area has a gazebo with some comfy chairs, plenty of pool chairs and towels provided. (I love it when hotels do that, and you don’t have to bring towels from the room.) The rooms are not the typical rectangular-shaped box you usually have at a budget hotel. The walls are set at angles, and even the door to the bathroom is a French door. Everything was very clean and well-maintained. The staff members we met were very friendly.

Being 40 miles from the Mexican border, we wanted to make sure we had some Mexican food while in town. We decided to try a place called La Fuente because it was recommended. As we drove through the neighborhood with bars on the windows and razor wire on top of chain link fences, we weren’t too sure this is where we wanted to be. When we saw the hot pink building that is La Fuente, we almost kept going. But, we decided to give it a try and we were glad we did. The inside is full of life – murals and strings of lights decorate the walls, plants are everywhere and the food and service are excellent. Add to that the live, strolling mariachi band and you’ve got a winning combination!

You’re started out with a basket of warm, homemade chips and salsa. Both are great. We were tempted by the opportunity to have fresh guacamole made at our table (for, I think $2.75 per person), but passed on it for fear we’d get too full. We ate fairly traditional fare – enchiladas, tostadas – although I was considering the dish with prickly pear cactus in it. They have a very large and varied menu. We were also happy to see Mexican beer choices on the bar menu. If you are are 40 miles from Mexico, why drink Bud or Miller?? The place filled up quickly – it’s obviously quite popular. (This was also evident by the fact that they had someone outside waving a flag and helping to direct cars to parking spots.) If I were a local, I’d probably eat here often.

The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is highly recommended by all guide books and review sites, so we knew we had to go, and it did not disappoint. We spent 5 hours there, and would have stayed longer, but had to leave to make it to Kitt Peak on time.

The day we were there, the forecast was for 90 degrees, so we made sure to get there early before it got too hot outside. (They open at 7:30 or 8:30, depending on the time of year.) Even though it is called a museum, it is actually a zoo so you will be outside most of the time. Dress appropriately for that, carry water and wear sunscreen. If you forget your sunscreen, they have sunscreen dispensers in the bathrooms. I think that’s a great touch!

The designers of the museum did an excellent job figuring out how to get you up close and personal with the plants and animals. Many of the barriers are well-hidden so you feel almost as though you are walking among the animals. In fact, when you are in the Aviary and the Hummingbird exhibit – you are! The birds are flying around you, landing close to or even on you. It’s amazing.

The ocelot exhibit has the den for the animals built right by the visitor path, and the visitor side of the den is plexiglass. When we walked through, there was the ocelot, sleeping right next to us! The prairie dog exhibit was similar – a large sheet of plexiglass separates visitors from the prairie dogs just on the other side. The exhibit itself is completely natural – except for the netting above the prairie dogs to keep them safe from flying predators. A new exhibit they have called “Life On the Rocks” allows you to glimpse at snakes, scorpions, Gila monsters and more - even as they burrow into underground areas. They can be snug in their underground enclosure, and you can see them through the glass on one side. In some cases, you’ll see a “rock” with a sign that says “Lift.” Do so, and you are gazing at an animal that might naturally be found in the crevice between rocks.

Take advantage of any of the programs that are offered, because the staff is very knowledgeable and engaging. We went to the “Live and, sort-of, On the Loose” program. It was excellent. The keepers presented a live rattlesnake and a Gila monster, and provided all sorts of interesting information about them – including what to do if you are bitten. The program lasts for one hour, is free with admission and takes place in an air-conditioned auditorium so you also get a chance to sit down and cool off! At the end of the program you can go up front to take some close-up pictures and ask any questions you still have.

We hadn’t really planned on eating there, but when our visit just kept stretching out, it became apparent we would need to! You have four options for food. Phoebe’s Coffee Bar is near the entrance and offers, coffee, snacks and ice cream. There is a covered patio just outside of Phoebe’s that a nice place to relax. The Cottonwood is small snack shop. Ocotillo Café and Ironwood Terraces Restaurant are across from each other on the east side of the museum. Ocotillo Café offers fine-dining, and of course, higher prices. We opted for the Ironwood Terraces – a collection of quick-serve grills. You’ll have your choice of burgers, pizza, wraps, salads and the like. You can dine inside or outside. The sandwiches/burgers/wraps ran from about $6-8. I got a huge slice of pizza for $4. It was actually one quarter of the pizza; cut normally it would have been closer to 3 slices.

The main reason we went to Tucson was to participate in the Night Observing Program at Kitt Peak National Observatory, and I highly recommend it.

Kitt Peak is 56 miles southwest of Tucson. Allow 90 minutes to get there from Tucson. It houses 26 different telescopes, which makes it the world’s largest collection. It is open during the day for tours, (guided tours are $4 each, or you can go on a self-guided tour), but if you want a chance to look at objects in the sky with a knowledgeable astronomer through a more powerful telescope than you’ve ever had, take advantage of the Night Observing Program.

You must make a reservation for the NOP, at least 2-4 weeks ahead of time. On the day of your visit, you’ll be called with a time to arrive, which is about 1 hour before sunset. They will also tell you the predicted weather conditions at that time. If the forecast is for cloudy conditions, you’ll be given the option of canceling or participating in the program at a discounted rate. The day we were scheduled to go, we were told there was a 5% chance of clouds that night, and we were given the option of canceling. We decided to stick with it, and when we checked in we were charged the discounted rate ($30 per person instead of $39). It turned out to be a very clear night – a few clouds here and there, but we could see everything very well. I really appreciated that they stuck with the discount even though the sky was so clear.

After checking in, you have some time to look around on your own and you are given a boxed dinner (sandwich, chips, bottle of water, apple, granola bar and cookies for us). They call this a “light meal” but it was more than I could eat! Because it was such a nice evening, everyone decided to eat outside at picnic tables. After dinner, you’re called in to the Visitor Center for an introduction to the evening, and then you’re off to the west side of the mountain to watch the sunset. Beautiful!

Then it was back into the Visitor Center for an introduction to using a star chart (a planisphere) to find things in the sky, an explanation of some of the things we’d see and of the distances in space. With our star charts, powerful binoculars, and small red flashlights (you can’t use any white light on the mountain after sunset or you could mess up the observing done by the scientists that are there), we headed outside. Our guides had very powerful laser pointers that stretched far into the sky, so we were easily able to follow what they were pointing at. We looked at several constellations, stars and nebulae and were amazed at how much we could see just with the binocular.

Back inside for another briefing, and then the group of about 25 split into 2 groups to go into the two visitor center domes to view the night sky through their telescopes. This part lasted much longer than I thought it would from the description, which I was very happy about! We viewed 6 different objects ranging from the moon, to the Orion Nebula to a spiral galaxy that is 35 lightyears away. The guide gets it all set up and then each person gets a chance to go up to the telescope and view for themselves. Everybody walked away saying “Wow, “Amazing,” “Awesome.”

The whole program lasts about 3 to 3.5 hours. Before you leave, they’ll give you a printout of the objects you saw that night. When you get back home, you can go on their website and see other pictures of those objects. One of the more interesting experiences of the night is leaving the mountain. Remember that white lights cannot be used on the mountain when observing is going on, so that means driving the first mile down the mountain without your headlights! It sounded scary, but one of the guides leads you for that first mile, and everyone goes very slowly, so it’s not at bad as it sounds.

You’ll be told this over and over, but do heed the advice to dress warm – or at least to bring layers. It was 90 degrees in Tucson on the day we did the NOP. By the end of the night on the mountain, it was probably about 40 degrees, and you are outside most of the time. We had jeans, sweatshirts and winter coats and were very comfortable.