2017 AIRSTREAM JOURNEYS
We spent a week at the Sentinel Peak RV Park in Tucson, Arizona.
We spent one day at our sister-in-law's home, getting reacquainted with her family. Jan got subs and slushies from Eegee's. Our son, John, and his wife drove down from the valley. It was a fun time renewing family ties.
We toured San Xavier del Bac. The mission is still an active church which is beautiful inside and out. We learned that Father Kino's original name translated to a deragatory word used at the time for China, so he changed it to Kino. The church dates back to the 1700's. It deserves the nickname "White Dove of the Desert".
Another day we visited the University of Arizona Center for Creative Photography. We were disappointed not to see any Ansel Adams photos but there was a display of Wynn Bullock. From there we drove to the De Grazia Gallery of the Sun. The Gallery was designed by Ted De Grazia, a famous Arizona artist known for his somewhat whimsical paintings of southwestern life. De Grazia said he wanted his art work to be happy...I am sure it is.The gallery is a series of rooms with various themes. The mountains above the gallery are beautiful as well.
We enjoyed downtown Tucson with the Presidio, the courthouse and the Barrio neighborhoods. One evening we went to Monterey Court to see Nick McBlain and Log Train. Monterey Court used to be a 50's style motel which is now full of small shops with various arts, a cafe and a music venue.
We hiked in Ramsey Canyon but didn't see any hummingbirds. Later we toured Fort Huachuca's museum. We were surprised to see so much Buffalo Soldier history and also information about the Apache Wars. The biggest surprise is that drones were developed and tested there in the 1950's. Who knew drone technology was so old?
The RV park is near the trolley station so we rode down to Broadway where we took photos of the many murals. We got back on the trolley and got off at the 4th Avenue District. It is filled with quirky, eclectic shops, bars and cafes.
Tucson was our last stop on our summer trip.
TUCSON