Southwest Roadtrip: Arizona

And we're back in Arizona!

We were up bright and early for our only full day in Tucson!

We stayed in an adorable airbnb right in the middle of downtown, so luckily, we were in walking distance of a ton of great food spots.

We had breakfast at nook. They just celebrated 1 year since opening and I hope they're around for much longer! They've got awesome variations of classic breakfast dishes. Cinnamon roll hot cakes, Eggs Benedict with prosciutto and a bunch of other stuff. Honestly I would have ordered half the menu, but my stomach is not capable of that... so we all just shared.

Then it was on to Saguaro National Park! This place is incredible. As an FYI- the park is split (West and East) on each side of town, we only spent time in the West, but I'm sure the East is just as awesome! First of all, it's right on the edge of town. Then, you drive through about half the park to get to the visitor center. We went on a short hike to an outlook, since it was the middle of the day and therefore the worst time of day for hiking. Even on this short hike we saw about 7 varieties of cactus in bloom! And I almost think it was good to do shorter, smaller excursions because it is easier to focus on how incredible this landscape is, rather than just becoming complacent at seeing giant cacti every 10 feet.

Blending into the landscape with cactus poses

After an afternoon in the sun it was definitely time for a cold treat. So we headed to the HUB Ice Cream Factory. This adorable ice cream parlor is a great mix of old timey factory vibes with a modern twist. Plus they have crazy ice cream flavors! I had oatmeal cookie dough and strawberry passion fruit. Both super good! 

Our dinner choice was based on basically every food network show that has ever been in Tucson: Carne Seca. This beef is dried on the roof in the sun then shredded and mixed with onions and veggies and other stuff. We got take away from El Charro Cafe, which has been in Tucson since 1922, and everyone says it THE PLACE to get this special stuff. However, based on our experience and yelp reviews, interacting with customers may not be their strong suit. We ordered a platter and extra tortillas and ended up with a platter, rolled tacos, a chimichanga and no tortillas... So we did get to try Carne Seca...on chips... It is definitely a special dish and you should try it while here, but I would recommend sitting in, despite the wait, and having low expectations.

Bags of the wrong food

The next morning we visited the Sonoran Desert Museum. Again in the heat of the day, getting an early start wasn't exactly our strong suit, but whatever, we had great breakfasts to eat! The museum is on the same road out of town as Saguaro National Park, and it is impossible to tell where the museum ends and the park begins. Personally I loved it. The area with the animals is so well incorporated into the surrounding habitat that you can almost see how those animals would act if you were lucky enough to see them in the desert. A lot of the large animals were sleeping, but I would be too if it was 90 degrees outside! There were lots of helpful enthusiastic docents around to answer any animal questions. This was a great way to learn about the awesome desert that surrounds this city!

Sleepy Javelina

Saguaro Bloom

Baby Bighorn Sheep!

After the museum we were starving and made a snap decision to have lunch at Penca, a Mexican restaurant downtown that was owned by the husband of our airBnb. It was incredible!! This may have been the best meal of the trip. Cactus Tacos, horchata, beef tongue. Literally everything was delicious. We only ate off their happy hour menu, but I'm sure things would have just gotten better if we went there for a real meal. If you're ever near there, I highly recommend it!

Steak and Cactus tacos

On our way out of town we made, what was meant to be a quick stop, at Bach's Greenhouse and Cactus Nursery. What we thought would be a small area of cacti and a few post, was actually several giant greenhouses or all sizes of cacti and succulents! The women working there were so helpful and enthusiastic about helping us put together pottings and find our favorite cacti. It was such a great experience, creating a unique memory to bring home! I can't wait to watch my cactus babies bloom! We ended up spending about 2 hours wandering around looking at plants and creating combinations. They packaged our cacti up in special carrying cases and gave us their "papers" so that they could go to other states. And it was time to jump on the road again!

Although his trip was less than a week, we managed to fit so much in! Although the large tourist attractions in this area of the country seem to be spread out, there are little gems around every corner, as long as you look!

And as we drove off into the sunset back to California, a roadrunner ran across the highway right in front of us, as if you say... meep meep!