Busy in Tucson

This week has flown by! So what have I been up to? Well, Babu and I have spent most of the week exploring the many things that Arizona (and surrounding areas) have to offer. Here's a quick snapshot of what we did:

Tuesday December 6 - Mt. Lemmon. We finally arrived in Tucson (Babu's new home) on Tuesday afternoon. To get an overview of the area, Babu took me on a scenic drive up to the top of a nearby mountain - Mt. Lemmon. It was a beautiful drive. We took a windy road past scenic vistas, rocks, and cactuses and climbed up to over 8,000 feet. A blanket of snow covered rocks and the grounds of a ski resort at the top of the mountain. Babu even had a little trouble with the car and ice - we actually got stuck in a parking lot for a little while! Luckily, folks in Tucson are friendly... a group of visitors to the mountain helped push us out.

Scenic vista on Mt Lemmon

Stuck in snow and ice!

Wednesday, December 7 - Biosphere 2 and Tohono Chul Park. In the morning, we visited the Biosphere 2 - a research facility and laboratory that is managed by the University of Arizona. The facility was built in the 1980's and served as the home base for two missions in 1991-1994 for two groups of Biospherians. Researchers in both missions were sealed in the Biosphere (the first group for 2 years and the second group for a little over 1 year) with the goal of measuring survivability.

Later in the afternoon, we visited Tohono Chul Park. The park has beautiful gardens and walking trails with all sorts of sculptures, cactuses, and other plants native to Arizona.

Babu at the Biosphere

The Biosphere

Posing with a cactus

Thursday, December 8 - Mexico & Tombstone, AZ. Yep, we crossed the border too! On Thursday we drove south, parked the car and walked across the border into Nogales, Mexico. I was surprised by the fence that separates the US from Mexico - it kind of reminded me of a mini Berlin wall. I was also surprised by the number of US Border Patrol that we encountered during our drive. That said, the two hours that we spent in Mexico was fun. We did a little shopping and talked with local artisans.

Later in the afternoon, we drove on to Tombstone, AZ. Tombstone is a historic site best known for the O.K. Corral gunfight. We walked through the town that DocHolliday, Wyatt Earp, Johnny Ringo and a number of other famous Western Legends used to walk through. We saw a gunfight re-enactment, took a tour of the Good Enough Mine, and even visited Boothill Cemetery. (Arizona has pretty lenient gun laws. One is allowed to carry a concealed firearm around without a permit. In Tombstone, it seemed like everyone was packing a piece.)

Babu on the Mexico side at the US/Mexico border

A Tombstone local

Outside the O.K. Corral

Friday, December 9 - Pima Canyon. For my last full day in Tucson, Babu and I went on a 10 mile hike in Pima Canyon. It was a beautiful day! The trail was terrific - it took us through a canyon and up the side of a mountain. Along the way we saw many cactuses and had several spectacular views of Tucson. Lucky Babu... this trail is just minutes from his home and is one of three hiking areas that he has easy access to.

In Pima Canyon

A scenic view of Tucson