On our way to Tucson, we stopped in Phoenix to see the Desert Botanic Gardens – it was beautiful! We had a bit of hesitation about going because our excitement about the desert landscape had started to wane but Priscilla had heard really good things about it so we decided to go. So glad we did, it was really cool! Beautiful cactus, succulent, aloe & agave displays! And the evening light was amazing! Only negative was there were four weddings going on since it was a Saturday, so parts were closed.
Our reserved hotel in Tucson was horrible, compared to relatively good pictures online. So we told them we were leaving and they relocated us to their other hotel down the street. Much better!!! Close call.
Tucson is the only UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the USA, so we were pretty excited to eat here. While in Tucson, we had a list of places and things we wanted to try. We had tamales, chicken mole, micheladas, Native American frybread (both sweet and savory), squash dishes and raspados (ice cream + fruit + shaved ice, oh my).
Tucson is definitely an artsy and foodie city! Pretty refreshing to see in the middle of Arizona. Andy especially loved the colorful and well maintained street art around every corner!
We cycled a 10 mile loop on the Santa Cruz River Trail one day. It started at a park with a disc golf course, where some kind of league was playing. We had a grand time watching a bunch of dudes carrying fanny packs of colorful Frisbees while blasting rap from their roll-along speakers.
Saguaro National Park is split into two sections. One section to the east and one to the west of Tucson. We walked the Deer Valley Loop and added on a couple little spur trails in Saguaro National Park East. It was awesome to see all the iconic Saguaro standing out throughout the relatively lush desert. There was denser vegetation and much more bird activity here than we’ve seen in a while! 
Highlights of Tucson, Arizona
- Saguaro National Park East – the scenic loop is definitely worth driving and getting out on a short hike is even better!
- Food! Priscilla’s favorite was frybread and Andy’s was raspados.
- Downtown Tucson. We enjoyed walking along Congress St to 4th, which is laid back and full of unique small businesses to poke around in.
Thanks again for the beautiful pictures and interesting notes. Though we live in Southern California, we have visited Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson many times. You have shown us parts of that area we have not yet visited. Thanks again and enjoy your travels.
Jim and Anita Plumb
So glad you enjoy the pictures! We happened on the base while driving. We’ve never seen so many aircraft in one place, it felt like it took 10 min to drive past all the rows of them!
This is what I’m talking about! Look at that delicious food. Two Plumbs up for this post!
I like what you did there
Tucson is a great place. I have friends less than a city block from the “river” trail. Spent a week with them a couple years ago. Great pictures! Who would have thought cactus could be so beautiful?! Safe travels.