Tucson, Arizona, Part 2: December 19 - 21, 2025

View of Thimble Rock from Windy Point on Mt Lemmon Scenic Byway

Mt. Lemmon's summit is 9,157 ft/2,791m high. It is the tallest peak in the Santa Catalina mountain range. Forest Service information says, "Because the road (Mount Lemmon Scenic Byway) starts in the Lower Sonoran vegetative life zone and climbs to the high forests of the Canadian zone, it offers the biological equivalent of driving from the deserts of Mexico to the forests of Canada in a short stretch of 27 miles." Above 4,000 feet elevation we didn't see any saguaro cacti. The vegetation changed to oaks, conifers, and aspens.

Along the 27 miles there are many viewpoints--we stopped at all of them. Some are viewpoints with explainer signs, some have short hikes, and my favorite stop--Windy Point with Hoodoos and spectacular views. We drove to Summerhaven where beyond the road beyond was closed for repairs. We had lunch at a Summerhaven cafe.

The canyon to the left of Thimble Rock is Bear Canyon

We went to the Winterhaven Festival of Lights. Winterhaven is a mid-century neighborhood, and this was their 76th year of decorating with lights. The streets of the several block neighborhood are blocked off from traffic. Parking is available outside the neighborhood at churches, shops, and parking lots. There is no cost to enter the neighborhood but the purpose of the event is to raise money for the Tucson Community Food Bank so donations of food and/or money are encouraged. Thousands of people visit during the two-week period of the festival although it didn't feel at all crowded.

On Friday, we took in two national parks: Sabino Canyon and Saguaro National Park East.

Sabino Canyon was highly recommended by Sue and by Linda at Alamo car rental. It is a great place to visit. There is no vehicular traffic allowed in the canyon. We booked two tickets on the electric shuttle that takes you on a narrated audio tour 3.7 miles from the Visitor Center to where the paved road ends. It makes eight brief stops along the way to allow riders a longer look. At stop nine, riders can explore for 10 minutes before returning to the shuttle to return to the Visitor Center or you can choose to walk back all or part of the way back to the start. We decided to walk the 3.7 miles mostly downhill. Near the Visitor Center we had a brief glimpse of a roadrunner. Despite the long, hot summer and some drought, Sabino Canyon still has running water in the stream along the roadway. Fall color was just beginning.

We ended our day with the eight-mile Cactus Forest Loop Drive at Saguaro National Park East. The road is open until 8:00 pm, unlike many of the other area parks, allowing visitors to see the sunset over the cactus forest.

And last but not least, Saturday the 20th was Dan's birthday.

Saturday morning we met up with Scott, owner of Strolls and Stories Tours, for a tour of the Presidio and Downtown area. Although not a native Arizonan, Scott is interesting and verknowledgeable about Tucson history. The two plus hours flew by. We heard the fascinating history of several buildings and the persons who lived in them.

Tucson has wonderful murals. We saw several by artist Joe Pagac who created the two in the photos below. The mural of the Saguaro "Desert Colossus" is the tallest mural in Arizona, climbing 153 feet on an 11-story building. Tucson has over 100 murals. The ice rink was busy mostly with people who were trying to skate by holding on to the sidewalls. I would have been in that category. When we stopped to watch it was 81 ℉/ 27 ℃, and there were pools of melted water in the low spots and slush in the shadier spots. Everyone seemed to be enjoying "spring" ice skating.

Our last stop on the tour was the historic City Hall and Courthouse for the purpose of seeing the courtroom where after being captured in Tucson January 1934, John Dillinger and his gang were ordered back to the prisons they escaped from. While in the courtroom an audio tape from an historic radio show tells the story of their capture and extradition. Dillinger and his gang had escaped many times. While standing in the jury box chained together, they tried to shield their faces from photographers. Dillinger was sent back to Indiana where after being held for just over a month in a county jail, he escaped once again. In July 1934 the FBI caught up with him in Chicago where he was fatally shot.

Several hours later after lunch, walking around Barrio Viejo, and visiting a couple of art galleries, we celebrated Dan's birthday at El Charro Cafe. El Charro was first opened in 1922 by Tia Monica. Monica came to Tucson from France with her father, a stone mason, who was commissioned to build the city's St. Augustine Cathedral. He also built the family's residence in 1896. The restaurant is housed in the family's former home. Monica created/invented the chimichanga.

It was a very fun week. We flew home the next day.