Tucson with friends!

 

Roger here....  We were staying at beautiful Catalina State Park in Oro Valley, Arizona.  The opening picture portrays Mount Lemmon from our campsite. 

The main purpose of our visit was reconnecting with our good friends, Greg and Barb, who live in a large  retirement community very near the state park.  After setting up camp and a short hike, we all (dogs included) hopped in the SUV and negotiated a five-minute drive to their home.  Barb and Greg had arranged for us to have dinner with them at their clubhouse and then attend a 50s dance.  We dropped the dogs off (including their dog, Izzy) at Carol's house, their dog-loving neighbor, and hopped into their neighbor's electric golf cart.  (Carol is a lot like me - the more doggies, the better.   Thanks to her we had a carefree evening out and the dogs had a great time at her house! -- D.)

A live musician provided outstanding music while we enjoyed appetizers and wine.  A small dance floor was filled with dancers.  (At one point, there was even a conga line which we took part in; what a fun group! -- D.) 

 The picture below is of Barb and Greg.  Their very outgoing neighbor, Gary (in the green shirt), joined us at the table and urged us onto the dance floor.  Gary was a dancing fool - so fun to watch and to be around.  (Gary is one of those charismatic people who you instantly like -- D.) After eating we golf-carted to the nearby 50s dance where more fun ensued.  Since we are fully vaccinated, we could enjoy these events with little concern.

WINE TASTING....

The next morning we drove back to Barb and Greg's with our dogs.  We left them at their house while we left for a very tasty brunch.  I had a Mexican omelet with avocados. So good.  

We paused before brunch to take a selfie.   One of the best things about RVing is that it's easy to stay in touch with friends who have moved.   Barb and Greg were once neighbors in Texas before they moved to Oro Valley.   We have visited them in Tucson before, and before that we met up in Boise, Idaho five years ago and in North Carolina once too.   With good friends it's easy to just pick up where you left off! -- D.

We enjoyed riding in our first totally electric car, Greg's Leaf.  

After brunch Barb and Greg took us to a wine-tasting in a brand new winery - Old Pueblo. 

We walked through the landscaped garden to the wine tasting room.

 Barb had made an appointment for us to linger in the tasting room and get to know the sommelier. 

 The wine was good.  We bought two bottles - a sangiovese (Dianne's favorite) and a petit sirah.

The bottles were unique - opaque pottery.

After the tasting we returned to Greg and Barb's.  We watched @travelingrobert, a travel podcast, on their tv, and then laughed at some old Saturday Night Live sketches.  Barb prepared an excellent Italian meal followed by homemade Strawberry/Rhubarb pie.  Yum.

Barb and Greg were leaving the next morning for their own camping trip in the White Mountains, so we did not linger too long after dinner.  

However, we did take a photo of Bandido and his girlfriend, Izzy.

These two have been best friends for years.  When they were younger there was romping and chasing.  They clearly remember each other, even though the romping time was shorter (likely an age thing).  It is sad that they no longer see each other often.   Clearly, sweet Izzy still remembers Dianne and me.  Her eyes are so expressive - one of my favorite dogs of all time.  

HIKING AT CATALINA STATE PARK

Dianne and I (and the dogs) did a lot of early morning and evening hiking when the temperature was a bit cooler.  Access to the hiking trails was conveniently located at the back of our site.

Bandido says, "Hey Mom! SLOW DOWN!"

We especially enjoyed the gigantic cacti, often laden with fruit.

One morning we ventured to an archeological site - the Romero Ruins.  

More than enough steps were involved to reach the plateau where the ruins were located.

A well-placed bench  welcomed us at the end of our climb.  The views from the bench made the effort worthwhile.

An invigorated Bandido led us to the ruins.

A good imagination was required to reconstruct the remains of the older native American ruins.  The placards were helpful.  One of the evident remnants from a later time frame show the foundation of the Franciscan priest Romero, who established a ranch at the site.

One of my favorite photos from Catalina State Park was taken during one of our evening dog walks around the campground, of the sun setting on the Catalina mountains.  As you can see, because of the time of year, we had the campground almost to ourselves.  There were several other hardy souls there, but not very many.

SAN XAVIER MISSION

One morning we left the dogs in the Airstream and drove 20 miles to this well-known mission that appeared to sit in the middle of nowhere south of Tucson.  The San Xavier Mission is an iconic site that we had not seen before.  Thanks go to Barb and Greg for suggesting it.

The right tower is under renovation.  Thankfully, the mission is being well-preserved.

This mission is located on the native American reservation that it serves.  An active mission school sits on a nearby location.  The workers who admit visitors and run the gift shop are native American.

The next photos were obviously taken outside.

This prayer greeted visitors to the mission:

Words to live by....

We loved the peaceful and beautiful atmosphere of the sanctuary.  The visitors all demonstrated an appropriate reverence in the midst of the architectural and artistic features.

The crenelated domed ceiling was so interesting.

Dianne really like this faux door.

This shot accentuates the artwork on the ceiling.

A walk through a side door took us to an outdoor chapel.  We are not Catholic so I am not sure of the proper name.

The chapel was full of lit candles.

Our last view as we left San Xavier Mission was  this rocky hill with a white cross at the top.  We were told that this was not part of the mission grounds.

THE ROAD AHEAD...

We have four days of driving before we reach our next destination at Morro Bay, California.  Other than a few nights in Desert Hot Springs, CA to catch up on laundry, cleaning, blog writing, etc. all the stops are for one night.

We spent our last night in Arizona on the Colorado River in Ehrenburg.  Bandido waded in the river.

We appropriately watched Nomadland early that evening.  After the movie, in somewhat cooler temperatures, we took the dogs to the dog park and watched a glorious sunset.  We crossed the river into California the next morning.

 

Dianne here:  The pet picture of the day is a nostalgic one from May of 2015, showing Izzy frolicking in our backyard with Bandido and our dear Tequila.   They all had so much fun!