Category: Arizona

Two nights in Catalina State Park, AZ–Winter Warmth trip
We were in Catalina in February 2021, as part of our Winter Warmth Trip. Read about our second visit in 2023 here. If you’re anywhere near Tucson, just go to Catalina State Park. Just go! Only about 20 minutes north of Tucson, Catalina is insanely gorgeous, the hikes are (mostly) dog-friendly, and the campground is…
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Four nights in Tucson, AZ (visit #2)–Winter Warmth trip
We were in Tucson in early February 2021, as part of our Winter Warmth Trip. Read about our first visit in 2019 here, our third in 2022 here, and our fourth in 2023 here. And I finally wrote a Tucson Favorites post! It’s a long drive from Marfa to Tucson! We don’t normally like to…
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We went somewhere warm in February
Mostly, anyways. We also ended up in Texas during the end-times freezing temperatures and power and water outages. Other than that, it was a wonderful trip! Here’s your teaser while I start to work on the trip posts. We had extremely spotty campground internet service while traveling, which is my excuse for not posting anything…
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Tarantulas!
All through my formative years, my aunt and uncle had a pet tarantula. A strange choice of pet, no doubt, but Uncle Jim loves the Desert Southwest more than just about anyone else I know, so I guess it made an odd sort of sense. My first tarantula-cousin was a male named Fred who came…
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Four days in Tucson, AZ (visit #1)–Big Trip #2
We were in Tucson at the very end of November 2018, as part of Big Trip #2. Read about our second visit in 2021 here, our third in 2022 here, and our fourth (and fifth?) in 2023/4 here. And I finally wrote a Tucson Favorites post! J and I have a past relationship with Tucson:…
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Saguaro National Park
We visited Saguaro National Park in November 2018 while staying in Tucson during Big Trip #2. Close your eyes and picture a cactus standing in the desert. I’m going to guess your imaginary cactus friend is a saguaro! Am I right? Saguaro (pronounced “sah-WAR-oh”) cacti, standing tall with cartoon arms, are all over pop culture,…
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Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
We visited Organ Pipe in November 2018, during Big Trip #2. This magical land of desert delights is an International Biosphere Reserve, home to virtually all the organ pipe cacti in the US. The organ pipe cactus, with is cluster of upright stems growing from a single low trunk, is named for its resemblance to…
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Four days in Flagstaff, AZ (visit #2)
We visited Flagstaff in late November 2018, as part of Big Trip #2. Read about our first visit in 2016 here during Big Trip #1, and our third in 2023 here during our Tucson for Christmas trip. Flagstaff was one of our favorite cities on Big Trip #1, and we were excited to return for…
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Grand Canyon National Park – South Rim
[FOR GRAND CANYON NORTH RIM, SEE HERE!] [This is the original GCNP post from Big Trip #1 in 2016, updated with details from our 2018 visit on Big Trip #2.] If you’re planning a visit to the Grand Canyon, GET THERE EARLY! Even in late March and mid-November, outside tourist season, the park got crowded quickly.…
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Grand Canyon North Rim
We visited the North Rim in October 2018, as part of Big Trip #2. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is visited by only 10% of all Grand Canyon visitors. It’s a 24-mile hike across rim-to-rim, but driving from the South Rim Visitor Center to the North Rim Visitor Center it’s 212 miles! We…
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