Green Valley, Saguaro NP & Ajo, AZ

Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Green Valley to Ajo, Arizona
via Saguaro National Park and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Shadow Ridge RV Park
Distance: 187 miles
Cost: $18 per night (Passport America and AAA)
Duration: 2 nights
Weather: Hot (80) and sunny

After a delicious breakfast and our final hugs and goodbyes, we were back on the road shortly after 9:00. We gassed up south of Tuscon and headed west on Hwy 86 (Ajo Highway).

Our wonderful hosts, Maggie & Dick

Our first stop was at the Saguaro National Park (west entrance) where I spent some time in the Visitor Center before heading out to walk the Desert Loop Trail.

Visitor Center

Saguaro National Park

Ocotillo

Fishhook Barrel Cactus

Cholla

It was beginning to get hot, so we decided to head down the road to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which is really more of a zoo, botanical garden and natural history museum all-in-one.  In spite of the rising temperature, I still enjoyed the winding trails around the park, stopping to watch the javelinas napping in the shade. I enjoyed the hummingbird aviary and spent quite a bit of time watching the hummingbirds, chatting with the volunteers, and wishing I had thought to bring my good camera with the zoom lens. Click here to read more about the Desert Museum.

Peccaries (also known as Javelinas) 

Little did I know that I would have an

encounter with some of these guys a few days later!

Back on the road, heading west to Ajo, the highway was very bumpy at times. We passed Kitt Peak Observatory, but didn't have time to stop, but we definitely want to plan for it next time! We arrived at the Shadow Ridge RV Park in Ajo right at 5:00. With our Passport America and AA memberships, we wound up only paying $18 per night. The sites were fairly level (gravel) with full hook-ups, a concrete pad with a picnic table, and oleander shrubs provided some privacy between sites. We had a good Verizon signal, as well as WiFi. It began to cool down as the evening wore on and we heard coyotes in the distance, but other than that, it was a peaceful evening.

Green Valley & Mission San Xavier del Bac, AZ

Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Green Valley, Arizona
Maggie & Dick's Hacienda

We enjoyed a quiet morning with our friends, who like to greet the day very much like we do --slowly and quietly.

Rod was busy with an editing job and Dick also had work to do (so much for retired life!), so Maggie and I took off to explore the Mission San Xavier del Bac, which is about 10 miles south of Tuscon.

From Wikipedia:

... [located] on the Tohono O'odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. The mission was founded in 1692 by Padre Eusebio Kino in the center of a centuries-old Indian settlement of the Sobaipuri O'odham who were a branch of the Akimel or River O'odham, located along the banks of the Santa Cruz River. The mission was named for Francis Xavier, a Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order) in Europe. The original church was built to the north of the present Franciscan church. This northern church or churches served the mission until being razed during an Apache raid in 1770.

Today's Mission was built between 1783-1797; it is the oldest European structure in Arizona; the labor was provided by the O'odham. An outstanding example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States, it hosts some 200,000 visitors each year. It makes a cameo appearance in Cather's novel, Death Comes for the Archbishop when it's described by Fr Vaillant as "the most beautiful church on the continent, though it had been neglected for more than two hundred years."

The site is also known in the O'odham language as "goes in" or comes in: meaning "where the water goes in", as the water in the Santa Cruz came up to the surface a couple of miles south of Martinez Hill and then submerged again near Los Reales Wash. The Santa Cruz River that used to run year round in this section, once critical to the community's survival, now runs only part of the year.

The Mission is a pilgrimage site, with thousands visiting each year on foot and on horseback, some among ceremonial cavalcades, or cabalgatas in Spanish.

Unlike the other Spanish missions in Arizona, San Xavier is still actively run by Franciscans, and continues to serve the Native community by which it was built. Widely considered to be the finest example of Spanish Colonial architecture in the United States, the Mission hosts some 200,000 visitors each year. It is open to the public daily, except when being used for church services.

The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, who have taught at the school since 1872, continue with their work and reside in the Mission convent.

Love the contrast of white stucco against that blue sky!

Beautiful architecture!

Desert Garden

We headed back down to Tubac for a delicious lunch at Shelby's Bistro, then wandered around the shops as we chatted. I'm pretty sure we spent the majority of time talking about books! Maggie is a voracious reader and I always like to hear about the books she's enjoyed, as well as give her my recent recommendations.

Our good friends from Nebraska!

I fell in love with Maggie's rooster.

Investigating the rattlesnake situation...

We returned to the house and had drinks out on the patio with the guys before dinner. One of the landscapers told Dick that there was a large rattlesnake underneath a bougainvillea bush, which made me just a bit nervous! Definitely not uncommon for them to find rattlers around their house (and in their garage!).

After a delicious Italian meal at Melio's Trattoria, we headed home and were ready to call it a night by 10:00. Such party animals! ;)

Green Valley, AZ

Monday, October 8, 2018
Willcox to Green Valley, Arizona
Maggie & Dick's Hacienda
Distance: 113 miles
Duration: 2 nights

In addition to exploring the country (camping in state and national parks or boondocking on BLM land), one of the big factors in purchasing an RV was the ability to visit friends and family without having to travel by plane. We have done so much flying over the years and we would much rather enjoy the scenery from the ground, on our own schedule, rather than be at the mercy of the airlines. After our fun-filled visit with our Texas friends (whom we knew when we all lived in Lincoln), we were looking forward to spending some time with some more friends from Lincoln. 

We probably could've skipped our night in Willcox, but after boondocking for a few days we both wanted to get hot showers before arriving in Green Valley. Our drive was uneventful (and not terribly windy) and we made good time, arriving in time for a delicious lunch at Maggie & Dick's. Green Valley is an unincorporated retirement community 20 miles south of Tuscon. Our friends have a lovely home with a great view of the Santa Rita Mountains

The Santa Rita Mountains

After lunch and relaxing for a bit, we drove down to Tubac (an artists' colony 20 miles south of Green Valley) where we had the most excellent margaritas at Wisdom's DOS. The tacos smelled great, but we already had plans for dinner. Next time!

My pictures don't do this sunset justice. It was spectacular!

October is a great time to visit Green Valley. The monsoon season has passed and the temps are no longer above 110! We enjoyed drinks on the patio, followed by a delicious meal prepared by our wonderful hosts. It may sound like all we did was eat and drink, but we had a great day reconnecting with our dear friends from Nebraska.