Tucson sites to see | Travel USA

May 5, 2020

Tucson, AZ

During the pandemic, we looked for ways to get out of the house now and then. Saguaro National Park was just a few miles away from where we were staying, so we took a couple of trips there. The first day we went, it was overcast, but the wildflowers were in full bloom. There is a nine mile drive through the park where you can stop along the way at the parking turnouts to take photos.

The second time we went, the main park drive was closed for repairs, but we found a trail that was open in another area of the park. The trail was a paved pathway. We only walked a short distance. I love the way the sun back-lighted some of the cacti.

You can see the start of blossoms on the far saguaros.

The saguaro blossom is the state wildflower of Arizona

Saguaro family

Barrel Cactus

Take a look at the fishhook needles on this one.

This large cholla cactus and the prickly pear cacti show the variety of cacti in the park.

I love how the rows of needles are lit by the sunlight.

There are different varieties of cholla (or jumping cactus) seen in this photo.

The yellow blooms of the palo verde tree on the right are just beginning to show.

Prickly Pear Cactus

The beautiful wildflowers were plentiful this day.

The long arms of an ocotillo cactus (on the right side of this photo) is beginning to bloom.

This saguaro has a funny face!

Close up of Saguaro needles

I hope you enjoyed our tour of Saguaro National Park. There are so many beautiful cacti in the park and so many beautiful mountain vistas. It’s really worth a visit, especially in the spring when the cacti and wild flowers are in bloom.

April 23, 2020

Mount Lemmon

One of the side trips we made while in isolation during the pandemic was an excursion to Mount Lemmon near Tucson. This mountain is over 9,000 feet high. Mount Lemmon is named after a woman botanist, Sara Plummer Lemmon, who made it to the top by horse and by foot in 1881.

At the top is Mount Lemmon Observatory which was formerly the site of a USAF radar base of the Air Defense Command. All the military buildings were abandoned and given to the US Forest Service. Summerhaven is a small town at the top with many private residences and cabins. All restaurants and facilities were closed due to the pandemic.

We drove the Catalina Highway or Mount Lemmon Highway as far as Summerhaven. We saw many cyclists along the way. The desert saguaros and other cacti eventually gave way to scrub pines then tall pines at the summit. The temperature change was dramatic–from very warm to cool and breezy. We ate a sack lunch at the top and enjoyed the view and the cool breeze. It’s easy to see why locals like to visit the mountain to escape the summer heat.