Touring Tucson

[Steven@147]

Well folks Tami and I are touring Tucson. We are staying a Justin's Diamond J Campground west of Tucson, nice place, $35/night. We came here from the Grand Canyon South where the temps were in the 40's-50's a night, highs midday in the upper 70s. Here in Tucson highs 97-99 and the Sonoran desert air and dust has me coughing and hacking a lot. Think I got a cold. We had a great dinner one night at Fred's Arena Bar & Steakhouse, neat experience, reminds me of some of the places in Texas.

Anyway yesterday we toured the PIMA Air and Space Museum, all I can say is wow! We spent 4.5 hours there and didn't see it all so we are going back today for some close up interaction with the outside aircraft, there are a few that I want to get up close and personal with.

Sadly the tours of the boneyard at Davis Monthan AFB are discontinued indefinitely, I really wanted to see that but I understand the security issue. We were told that the Pima Museum is the largest museum display of aircraft, civilian, military, US and international, experimental, oddball - they even have a German V1 Buzz Bomb Rocket on display! Second largest display is Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton Ohio. Well now we have been to both. We used to live near Dayton. If you ever get out this way, and you love aircraft, it is a must experience.

Old Tucson, Saguaro National Park are also on our list,

 

[Soundsailor]

If you haven't been already, check out the Desert Museum.

 

[el Rojo]

Mount Lemon is a nice drive too! Diamond J's is my favorite place. Is Doc still alive?

Red

 

[Steven@147]

Mount Lemon is a nice drive too! Diamond J's is my favorite place. Is Doc still alive?

Red

I don't know about Doc, we have had very little interaction with the staff. Pretty quiet around here, great sunsets.

 

[AZMike]

Welcome to Tucson, Steve and Tami! I've been here 6 years and still have not gotten to the Pima Air and Space Museum, but it is still on our list! I second the Desert Museum and Saguaro as must sees (I like the west side of Saguaro better than the east side). I went to Old Tucson last year after they reopened, and was very disappointed. It is now a tourist trap (I guess it figures since the company that bought them runs amusement parks). They would not even let us bring our water bottles in, made us put then back in the car. What? Tucson is one of the hottest, driest places in the country, and you need to keep yourself hydrated. But, they make you buy their bottled water. I don't know if they changed that policy yet, but I will not be going there anytime soon.

 

[Steven@147]

Welcome to Tucson, Steve and Tami! I've been here 6 years and still have not gotten to the Pima Air and Space Museum, but it is still on our list! I second the Desert Museum and Saguaro as must sees (I like the west side of Saguaro better than the east side). I went to Old Tucson last year after they reopened, and was very disappointed. It is now a tourist trap (I guess it figures since the company that bought them runs amusement parks). They would not even let us bring our water bottles in, made us put then back in the car. What? Tucson is one of the hottest, driest places in the country, and you need to keep yourself hydrated. But, they make you buy their bottled water. I don't know if they changed that policy yet, but I will not be going there anytime soon.

Thanks Mike & Karen, We have really enjoyed Tucson so far, well except for Old Tucson, we didn't even bother to go in, we also were very disappointed. We both have ended up with colds as we came from the Grand Canyon (very cool) to Tucson ( very hot), but we are struggling through it and keep a lot of water with us.

We did go to the Saguaro West yesterday and really enjoyed it while taking the loop drive through the park. We haven't made it to the Desert Museum yet just down the road from the Natl Park.

We spent a day and a half at PIMA Air and Space Museum, and at least I thoroughly enjoyed it. Tami spent much of the time on a park bench in the shade. 400 aircraft, 127 acres,,, I particularly enjoyed seeing the B58 Hustler, very few of them still exist. Actually I read where only 3 exist out of the 116 built, one here at PIMA, One on display at the guard base at Grissom AFB (the old Bunker Hill AFB in Indiana) and it said one still exists in the Davis Monthan boneyard. I grew up in Kokomo Indiana near Bunker Hill / Peru Indiana and remember when in 1964 they had a B58 accident with 5 nuclear bombs on board.
I would have liked to see the boneyard at Davis Monthan AFB but tours of the facility are permanently discontinued.

Tami wants to go to Tombstone and then we'll go see the Desert Museum before we head out on Wednesday to Las Cruces.

 

[AZMike]

Thanks Mike & Karen, We have really enjoyed Tucson so far, well except for Old Tucson, we didn't even bother to go in, we also were very disappointed. We both have ended up with colds as we came from the Grand Canyon (very cool) to Tucson ( very hot), but we are struggling through it and keep a lot of water with us.

We did go to the Saguaro West yesterday and really enjoyed it while taking the loop drive through the park. We haven't made it to the Desert Museum yet just down the road from the Natl Park.

We spent a day and a half at PIMA Air and Space Museum, and at least I thoroughly enjoyed it. Tami spent much of the time on a park bench in the shade. 400 aircraft, 127 acres,,, I particularly enjoyed seeing the B58 Hustler, very few of them still exist. Actually I read where only 3 exist out of the 116 built, one here at PIMA, One on display at the guard base at Grissom AFB (the old Bunker Hill AFB in Indiana) and it said one still exists in the Davis Monthan boneyard. I grew up in Kokomo Indiana near Bunker Hill / Peru Indiana and remember when in 1964 they had a B58 accident with 5 nuclear bombs on board.
I would have liked to see the boneyard at Davis Monthan AFB but tours of the facility are permanently discontinued.

Tami wants to go to Tombstone and then we'll go see the Desert Museum before we head out on Wednesday to Las Cruces.

Tombstone is a good time. If time allows you should also check out the Mescal movie set. Many Western movies and TV shows were filmed there (if you're into westerns). You will be driving past it on I-10 just before Benson, just a mile off the interstate. Check out their website, it's $10 each for a guided tour. We enjoyed it very much.

 

[ajg617]

Spent a few weeks with the family in our old Sportsmen back in 1999. The boneyard tour was great - so was Pima. Went back to Ft Huachuca on business a couple of years later and we drove over to Tombstone after work and were hoping to get dinner - nothing was open except the bars and there were some mean looking characters with six shooters strapped on sitting there Drove back to hotel and had crackers for dinner.

If I took the picture below again now, probably would look more like the two on the left.....

 

[Bungy]

If you have time, check out the Titan missile museum down in Green Valley, very cool. Last time there my grandson got to be the launch commander!

 

[Steven@147]

If you have time, check out the Titan missile museum down in Green Valley, very cool. Last time there my grandson got to be the launch commander!

I would have loved that but Tami can not negotiate the 55 steps. Going down the steps not as big a deal as climbing back up! I might have to stop a couple times climbing back up! Anyway it is closed Tuesday - Wednesday and we leave Tucson Wednesday.