On February 5th, we stopped at Western Way RV Resort outside of Tucson for a couple of days because it seemed to be a good location next to the Saguaro National Park. People at the RV park were very friendly and invited us to both a happy hour and potluck dinner but we decided it was time to spoil ourselves with a nice meal out. Bonnie knows I love beef and she found Daisy Mae’s Steakhouse where we shared a delicious porterhouse steak, baked potato, and salad for dinner. Tucson is known for its beef and this steak was tender and cooked to perfection. We appreciated all of the invitations but really just wanted to enjoy a nice dinner together !!!

The giant saguaro cactus is a well-known symbol of the American west and only grows in certain southwestern regions of our country. The Saguaro National Park spans both eastern and western mountain ranges around Tucson and was created to protect these magnificent cacti and the rare desert mountain habitat that they live in. We were very excited to visit this park as it was amazing to see a forest of enormous cactus dotting the landscape all around us. Each cactus had its own unique size and shape based on the number of arms it had developed over many decades of growth. Check out some examples of the many Saguaros that Bonnie snapped pics of….she added some captions on the ones with personality!

  • A forest of saguaros
  • Perfect specimen
  • Care to Dance?
  • Booty at the disco!
  • Minion want-to-be
  • Octopus Cactus
  • Best buds
  • Will walk out of here any minute!
  • Wow! Didn’t realize how tall these can get

The following day, we hiked the short but interesting Signal Hill trail at Saguaro National Park which led us to a large mound where pre-historic Native Americans, called the Hohokam, carved petroglyphs into the rocks there. The Hohokam were farmers, gatherers, and hunters who lived in the river valleys and deserts of southern Arizona from about 450 to 1450 AD. The petroglyphs were symbols from their language that they left us as a reminder of their culture. Here are some shots from the Signal Hill trail and pics of Hohokam petroglyphs at the western side of Saguaro National Park…

  • If you zoom in you can see our truck
  • Saguaros as far as the eye can see
  • Saguaros in every direction
  • Hohokam petroglyph
  • Watch out for rattlesnakes in this pile
  • Lots of petroglyphs

We also hiked ~5 miles along the Hugh Norris trail and continued to be amazed by the large number of flowering plants such as Ochotillo, Cholla, Prickly Pear, and Barrel Cactus that thrive in the beautiful Sonoran desert. One of my favorites was the abundant Palo Verde tree which has bright green bark to match its small green leaves. This tree is actually able to use its green bark for photosynthesis when it drops leaves during the dry, hot summers. Our national parks are truly a treasure that all of us must support and preserve for future generations of Americans. Check out these additional photos from Saguaro National Park (we loved this place)…

  • Beautiful trail
  • Vista with Palo Verde tree
  • Mountain View’s along the trail
  • We didn’t realize how green the dessert can be!
  • Dork alert (yes This is Bonnie doing the captions)
  • View up the trail
  • Lush desert landscape with lots of Palo Verde trees
  • Trail head for 5 mile hike
  • Large barrel cactus

During this stop, we met up with Bonnie’s childhood girlfriend, Gayle, and her husband, Joe, for lunch. Bonnie hadn’t seen Gayle in almost 40 years so this was a wonderful reunion for them. Joe had grown up in the Tucson area so we decided to spend the afternoon together at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. The museum was really an incredible desert garden, wildlife zoo, and nature park rolled into one big venue. There were several poisonous snakes on exhibit along with captive bobcats, bears, javalinas, and gray foxes. We wish we could have spent more time with Gayle and Joe but the museum closed at 5 pm so we called it a fantastic afternoon and headed back to the RV park for the night. Here are a couple of pics of us at the Sonoran desert museum:

  • Joe, Gayle, Bonnie & Dan
  • Bonnie and Gayle as kids
  • At Arizona – Sonora Desert Museum
  • Close up! Ouch
  • variety of desert plants
  • View of trails in Arizona Sonora Desert Musuem

Our next destination is an RV park in Apache Junction northeast of Phoenix but Bonnie had scheduled a free overnight stop at Windmill Winery which is a Harvest Host site outside of Florence, AZ. The winery was an old farm whose two large red barns had been converted into reception halls. The winery staff was very busy setting up for two wedding events but the manager still found time to welcome us and offer access to their grounds. I This winery had ornate gardens, a lake, and large outdoor patio area where people could taste wine, listen to live music, and eat local BBQ. This place was fantastic !!! We hung out with two other couples camped there and spent the evening talking by a roaring fire. We really enjoyed spending time with Jack & Margaret from Sacramento, CA and Bob & Nancy from St. Mary’s, Canada. Here are a few photos from our visit to the winery….

  • our spot for the night
  • wine!
  • Great outdoor patio
  • Courtyard
  • Outdoor venue area
  • one of the barns set up for a wedding reeception
  • Beautiful sitting area near wine tasting room

Our next stop, Apache Junction…