Benson/Tucson, Arizona (State #44)-Sentinel Peak RV Park

December 22-January 2, 2017

We spent about 2 1/2 months in Austin and then left again for our southwest adventure just three days before Christmas. It always takes a long time to get out of the house so we didn't make it too far the first day. With daylight disappearing so quickly, we decided to stop at South Llano River State Park. We had never been there before and entered the park after dark. The camp host said that the park was a hidden gem. When we got up the next morning we could tell she was right. It was just the kind of park that we like. Well-groomed with trees and plenty of space in between sites. They also have turkey roosting areas and many birds, deer and other wildlife that would be fun to observe. We headed out pretty early that morning but definitely put it on our list of places to return to.

We thought that perhaps we could make it to Arizona but decided that would be tough and we found something fun to do along the way! We discovered that one of our fellow full-time traveling families were staying right in our path! So we stopped and had lunch with our friends Mike, Debora, Josiah and Angelina at Balmorrhea State Park. The kids immediately began playing together and we checked out the park a little. After a couple hours, it was time move on down the road but sad to say good-bye again. The good news is that we will see them again in about 6 months.

That night we stayed in Las Cruces in an RV park and then journeyed the rest of the way to Benson, AZ to spend Christmas Eve, Christmas day and half of the following day with Aunt Carolyn and her doggie, Beau.

(love this picture because it really shows how both kids feel about dolls right now)

After leaving there, we took the short drive to Tucson for a week of more fun-filled activities. The RV park was essentially a converted lot but it worked out nicely. It even had a little pool but it was too cold for us.

Our first outing was to the Tucson Wildlife Center for a free tour. We saw a couple animals but because it is rehab and release, most of the animals are kept away from human contact. While understandable, it was disappointing for the kiddos. And I enjoyed the tour but for the kids it was too much about the history of the hospital and not enough about the animals. Overall, worth the visit if you have the time.

Next, we visited the Flandrau Science Center on the University of Arizona campus. It was a small museum with some good variety. They had lots of minerals and some great fossils!

This was also really cool. As the kids shifted the sand in this box, the overhead projector would adjust and change the topographical lines and colors.

The following day, we drove to Biosphere 2. This was pretty interesting. In the 90s, eight adults lived inside this habitat in an effort to test out life in such a habitat on another planet. They grew their own food and raised some animals (chickens, goats, pigs and tilapia) and there were some animals and insects that just lived in the habitat. They had rainforest, ocean, swamp, and desert biomes. They lasted nearly 2 years when the oxygen levels began to get too low. Despite that, they learned much from the experiement and the biosphere is still used today for various other environmental experiments.

We were able to see the various living quarters and the different biomes and the “lungs” that were designed to maintain pressure within the closed habitat as the air cooled and heated.

 (the kitchen and dining area)

 (rainforest biome)

(the lung-moves up and down)

The structure covers a little more than 3 acres.

My only disappointment here was that during this particular week, they were not doing their usual tours. It was self-guided with staff positioned at different locations to ask questions. That's okay, but I definitely prefer to have the information presented to me rather than trying to seek it out after standing in a line to ask a question. It's better for my kids too.

Next, was the Asarco Copper Mining Tour just outside of Tucson in Sahuarita. Shaft mining began here in 1895 and then it changed to open pit mining in 1959. The pit is 2 miles by 2.5 miles wide and about a third of a mile deep. It takes one of the HUGE Komatsu trucks an hour round trip to take its load out of the pit to dump.

Here's a picture of one of the Komatsu trucks that they used to use. It wasn't big enough so they had to get larger ones. Even the tire on this one was taller than the bus we were riding in for the tour. The newer ones are brought in disassembled on NINETEEN semi-trucks and then it takes 2-3 weeks for them to reassemble it.

We saw several of the stages in the mining process and the equipment and heard about the plans for reclamation. It was a pretty enjoyable tour.

And one evening, we took a drive up to Mt. Lemmon. Daylight was quickly running out, but we did get a chance to see some of the beauty.

On the first weekend day, Aunt Carolyn joined us all at Kartchner Caverns State Park. We have been in a number of caves in the past but this has been the most beautiful. Discovered in the 1970s, this cave has been well preserved. It was kept a secret by the cave explorers and the Kartchner family for 10 years until the state agreed to make it a state park. It has sooo many beautiful formations. No photography is allowed so I can't share it with you. You must go yourself!

Testing out the bat ears

After the caves, we headed to Tombstone. It was a bit cold that day which dampened the experience but it was fun. We had lunch at the Big Nose Kate Saloon, strolled around the town, and watched a gunfight reenactment. The kids really enjoyed that.

Jordan knew just what to wear for Tombstone:  the new pioneer outfit Grandma made her for Christmas

On our last day, we visited Saguaro National Park. I wasn't totally sure what to expect about the park but really enjoyed it. It was rainy and cold most of the day but the sun did come out for a little while to give us some extra beautiful moments. 

Look closely to see all of the saguaros!

Believe it or not, one of the highlights of this visit for Jacob (and of course, us adults) was the ranger program on cacti!! Maybe it is is age, maybe it was the great presenter or maybe he is just into cactus! I am not sure but he thought it was great. Seriously though, it was very interesting to learn about the saguaros and the other desert cacti and plants.

We did something everyday and really only scratched the surface of all there is to do in Tucson. It was a fun place to visit but be prepared that it takes FOREVER to get anywhere in that town! They have tons of stoplights! Haha

From here, we are heading to San Diego!