We made it to Tucson! Of the entire trip, Tucson was the only "have to get there", date specific location. Pat is working for the University of Arizona, helping to run their covid- safe in person commencement, so we will be here for 3.5 weeks. We wanted to have at least a day to get settled before he got consumed with meetings, so we rolled in on the 26th. The drive from Lordsburg to Tucson was an easy 2.5 hour drive, and the closer we got, the bigger the cacti got!
We are staying at the Tucson/Lazydays KOA- the resort is beautiful! KOA has 3 levels of campgrounds- Journeys for quick overnight stays, Holidays for vacations with some amenities and activities, and Resorts as the highest level of amenities. This is a resort, and often listed as one of the top resorts in the KOA brand. I'm so glad that this is where we are doing our extended stay. There are beautiful flowering shrubs throughout, fruit trees at every site (you can pick whatever you want- we've been making fresh squeezed lemonade), paved roads in the entire campground (the kids are thrilled to use their scooters), 2 pools, daily activities, a kids lounge community fire pits, etc. There are also a ton of kids here- all either homeschooling or doing virtual school like us. The kids ride over to the kids lounge and are always able to find someone to play with.
Our first campsite was ok- it was in a great location close to the pool and lounge, but it was a full sun spot. Between the desert sun and our lack of awning, our air conditioner was working overtime. I was able to talk to the office and on Saturday we were able to move to one of their covered spots for the rest of our stay. 3 "blocks" of campsites are covered by huge solar panels. It's really well done, with panels placed in a pattern that allows some sun to sneak through but offers plenty of shade.
Most of this week was school and exploring the campground. The kids are so excited that I have to keep reminding them that we are here for 3 weeks and don't need to do everything in the first 3 days, haha. On Thursday, we rode down near the University for dinner, in search of some great authentic tacos. Pat's co-workers at the university directed us to Boca, and it was delicious! Friday, Pat went for his second covid vaccine, on the UA campus, so the kids and I walked (scooted) around campus while we waited for him. We then hit a really cute Italian place for dinner (Friday is "kid pick dinner night" and they wanted pizza) The place was adorable and the food was amazing, but it took so so long to get a table and then for our food to come out. The kids were troopers, but they almost fell asleep on the way back to the campground. On Saturday, we had big plans for exploring, but after a full week of adjusting to the time change and starting school at 5:30am, we ended up having a pretty lazy day. We went to IHop for breakfast, because Zach's been salivating every time we pass one, which is just about every driving day. We promised to take them once we got here. After breakfast, we threw the rest of the plans out the window and just had a relaxing day. The kids went to the lounge to watch Toy Story and eat popcorn, and Pat and I did some napping and reading. After dinner, we brought the kids to the pool for some night swimming.
On Sunday, we hit Saguaro National Park, which is right in Tucson. There are actually 2 parts of the park and we did the west side, but we will try to hit the east later this month. To get to the west entrance, you drive through Tucson Mountain Park, which is rocky hills with more cacti than you can ever imagine. It was a really pretty drive, and we saw a few roadrunners. Inside the park we first took the Desert Ecology Loop hike, which was an easy paved stroll through the cacti with lots of information plaques about the different plants and animals. Next we drove the scenic loop through the park and took a stop at Signal Hill, which has petroglyphs that were created between 200-1400 AD. I was a bit outside of my comfort zone as I walked past a sign letting me know I was entering a rattlesnake area, but I am happy to report that I didn't run into any slimy, slithering creatures!!!
We may hit the pool later today- there is supposed to be live music- and then it's an early night because school starts at 5:30am tomorrow!
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