Weather

As we left Tuscon to head west there were dark clouds and lightning all around and we noticed the dust starting to lift in the valley. We were soon in the think of it and struggling to see. Traffic slowed down marginally. We saw a news item later that showed a huge dust storm rolling in over Phoenix not far to the north.

Dust limits visibility on International Highway 10 west of Tucson.

Then it started to rain. Heavily. We couldn't see a thing. Traffic slowed down, marginally. It rained for the next 150 miles as we drove west through the desert. There were flash floods in some places I heard, and one person is missing believed drowned.

The desert was awash. 

And then the sunlight lightened the clouds and I could see the sun through the dust that was blowing up again near Yuma on the Californian border. What I had thought would be an uneventful three-hour road trip turned out to be quite dramatic.

Arizona Sonora Desert Museum

Up in the hills west of Tuscon is an excellent desert museum. It's the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum and if you're ever in the area, (late winter or early spring would be best), don't miss it. We went to see it but there were lightning thunderstorms around and it was very hot and muggy so we didn't explore it all by any means but what we saw was excellent. Sonora is a type of desert. Here they've added bird aviaries, reptile houses, live desert animals, plant collections, pollination gardens, bee nesting posts, caves, fish etc etc.

Bee nesting post

Bird nest on cactus

Hummingbird 

Hummingbird

 Hummingbird

San Xavier del Bac Mission

A Spanish Catholic mission in Tucson, the San Xavier del Bac church was finished in 1797. There had been an earlier church but it was destroyed by Apaches.

The exterior is white and Moorish inspired. The interior is intricately decorated and colourful. It's considered by many to be the finest example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States.

Aviation history

The Pima Air and Space Museum is big, showing over 300 planes both in the open air and in big sheds. Phil went on an hour-long trolley tour of the grounds and said it was excellent (I sat in the cafe and used their free wifi) and the museums were also excellent. I would guess that all of the volunteers there are ex military and they're so enthusiastic and knowledgeable.

And for an extra few dollars we did the bus tour of the boneyard a few kilometres way. Since 9/11 the security has been stepped up and we had to show identity before we were allowed on the bus - it's a working base and 800 people work there. I thought it was just a place to store old planes but no. Many of the planes go back into service and many more are used for parts so they all have to be maintained. Certain parts of each plane (windows or instance) are covered in a thick latex to protect the interiors and even the old planes that have been 'robbed' are supported and tidy. It's a very organised base. Our tour guide showed us some of the stars of the show - old champions - and even a plane that was awarded a purple heart for services in Vietnam! Do a search on GoogleEarth, just east of Tuscon, and you'll see the row upon row of helicopters and planes of various sizes. It's a remarkable sight.

Saguaro NP, Tucson

"Sah-wah-ro". That's what the National Park pamphlet says is the correct pronunciation of Saguaro. And it was confirmed by the park's ranger at Saguaro NP east of Tucson ("Toos-on"). 

We arrived late in the afternoon and shared the 8-mile loop road with several groups of bike riders. They obviously enjoy the circuit too, and they were friendly so we didn't mind dodging them (and several times they had to dodge us stopped on the road because I'd spotted something interesting).

I hadn't realised that the cactus deserts (Sonoran desert), and the Saguaro cactus in particular, occupy such a small part of the continent. Tucson is a cactus hot spot. We were too late to see the bulk of the cactus flowering but I found a few.

Desert Cottontail

And now for the Saguaro Cactus itself. Probably the most famous cactus in the world. They are very slow growing so the tall multi-branched specimens are several hundred years old. Their flowers open at night and researchers have discovered that the main pollinators are White-winged Doves (which are still allowed to be hunted in USA and Mexico!). 

A crested (or montrose) saguaro - sometimes a normal plant branches in this unusual way.

A tiny grasshopper amongst the spines.