From Mission to Missile

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There was a bit more going on at the geocaching Mega Event on the Monday after it, including a trip into Mexico for another event, but a friend from Rochester NY was coming out to Tucson to visit some of her relatives and we thought it would be fun to catch up with her. So we had agreed to head to Tucson. Mary Ann's nephew and his wife were currently living in their rig at the KOA next to Lazydays. She reserved a cabin there for a few nights and then would move in with us for a couple nights when the cabins were all booked up. Originally her brother was also going to bring his rig here, but it was in the shop so they just stayed at a nearby motel.

The drive from Yuma to Tucson actually got us to see something other than Interstate 10. Not that Interstate 8 is any better or more scenic, but it was different. We saw several huge livestock yards and an odd looking solar array farm on the way. The KOA was nice but admittedly a bit more expensive than we are used to. It comes with lots of amenities that we tend to not use so we generally don't stay at many KOA campgrounds.
We managed to get together as a group several times, but we sometimes found it difficult to arrange places all seven of us wanted to go to. So sometimes Mary Ann went with us to see things and geocache along the way while other times she went with family members. It was definitely an action packed week. We have become accustomed to a slower pace and not trying to fit in all sorts of activities in a short timeframe. But obviously with Mary Ann being on vacation and only here for a short week, there were lots of things to see and do in the Tucson area. In the end, I think it worked out well.
There were numerous caching trips. One trip took us to the University of Arizona to do a webcam cache. This type of cache is one where there is not a container with a log to sign, but brings you to an area where a webcam located and you need to get a picture of you off of the webcam. Only existing webcam caches are permitted, so there aren't that many remaining. When they first came out, you generally needed to arrange with somebody on a computer to log into the webcam and save off a picture after you arrive there and called them on your dumb phone. With smartphones and tablets, it is usually easy to perform these steps in the field.

The Five of Us By the Bikes in Lower Right

In the same area of the webcam was another cache located on somebody's front yard. We generally don't feel comfortable doing these types of hides but this particular cache had many favorite points and there was a group of 5 of us so we felt fine attempting it. It was easy to spot the house we were heading to from some distance. The whole yard was filled with unique metal sculptures with no real common theme. Some were cute, others were whimsical while a few were downright odd. Many of them were mounted on springs so they would move in the wind or if you gave them a light push. We eventually spotted the cache container hidden amidst all the artwork. While we were signing the log, the home owner came out to chat with us. Turns out he was the metal working artist and has been creating these things for decades. He even invited us to enter his backyard to see more of his creations. There was even an old pickup truck in front of the house with all sorts of bugs and insects welded to the hood, roof and fenders. I suspect the truck hasn't been driven in ages, but would make for an interesting drive.

Old Pickup Truck Attacked by Insects

Horny Dudes

Flowers in Backyard

One morning we drove back across I-10 to allow Mary Ann to get a cache in the state of New Mexico. We were driving on a windy day and were warned about possible dust storms closing the interstate. On our way back, we did see and drive through what was a very minor dust storm but it didn't really impact visibility. After we made it back to Tucson, we met up with her relatives and did a few caches including ones up on Sentinel Peak which gives a great view of the area.

View from Sentinel Peak

Another trip took us to the San Xavier del Bac mission just south of Tucson. Having done ones in the San Antonio area, we sort of knew what to expect, but this one has gone through a very extensive restoration on most of the sculptures and artwork. It is in very nice shape for a church built in the late 1700's. We had walked thru the church and then watched the video describing the restoration efforts. Probably should have seen the video first since we felt the need to go thru the church again to see some of the details we missed in our first pass.

Front of San Xavier del Bac Mission

Inside the Ornate Church

One of the Side Vestibules

Some of Many Dozens of Sculptures

Just a little further south of the mission is the Titan Missile Museum. This place proved to be quite interesting. It is one of many such sites built during the Cold War era and house a 103 foot Titan II missile. We did the hour long tour and found it to be about the right length of time. They have other tours, one 5 hours long, but I doubt we would have enjoyed that one as much. After a 15 minute video telling about the history of the place, we then went out of the visitor's center and entered the below ground area through a set of stairs adjacent to the missile silo.

The Titan Missile Museum

Inside the control center, our tour guide - a volunteer - gave us the rundown on how the missile worked and how the controls would be used. It is rather impressive although I suspect our smart phones have more computing power than the control room does. The whole control center is mounted on giant springs to help it survive a strike had one occurred thus allowing it to hopefully launch a counterattack and make sure the whole planet was wiped clean of life. Supposedly upon the command to launch, the missile would be airborne in 58 seconds. The missile had three preprogrammed targets and one would have been prior to launch. After the tour below ground, you can do the self guided tour of various above ground sights including looking into the half open hatch door. If you are in the area, it is worth the trip.

Our Tour Guide at the Controls

Old Jeep to Patrol the Area

Looking Down the Silo

One other trip with Mary Ann was to the Saguaro National Park West. We didn't spend a lot of time there since we needed to drop her off at the Sonora Desert Museum right after lunch. We checked out the visitor's center and then did a short drive to a trail in order to find a virtual cache that was along the trail. Our lunch spot was very pretty but the winds were quite strong. Another park we stopped at with Mary Ann was one that doesn't seem to have a name associated with it - hmmm? But anyways, what brought us here was a geocache. The hide itself wasn't all that special, but the park had about 20 bronze sculptures of all sorts of animals and not just those found in the desert. We had fun exploring the area and checking them out.

Old Building Along Path at Saguaro National Park West

Shelter Near Parking Lot

Our Lunch Spot was Special

Entrance to Safari Trail

Just Hanging Around with Saguaros in Background

Which Little Piggy Went to the Market?

Setting the alarm clock for 4:30AM wasn't easy, but I was glad the KOA was only about 5 miles from the airport. It was fun to see a familiar face and catch up. Maybe we will see her or somebody else in the future looking to visit an area we are staying as we travel the country.