First Week in Tucson
First Week in Tucson | The Road to Nogales | August 24, 2013
Arriving in Arizona | First Week in Tucson
We arrived in Tucson in the late afternoon on Saturday, August 17, 2013. We were able to check in at our new apartment that evening, and started unpacking right away. Curtis had only seen it once before this day, but he did a great job at picking out our home for the next 2 years!
Curtis still had 1 week before school began, so for our first week in Tucson we took some time to settle in, and also go explore the area! We went for a sunset hike on A Mountain — a mountain with a giant A on it. We then walked around the Tucson Mall where we discovered that there is a Cheesecake Factory that is 10 minutes walking distance from our apartment. Boy are we in trouble!
Sonoran Desert Animal Museum
One morning, we drove to Tucson Mountain Park and went to tour the Sonoran Desert Animal Museum. It’s actually more like a zoo, with desert animal exhibits all along a walking path through the desert. As cool as it was, it also freaked me out realizing that all of these animals/reptiles are things we could encounter on the trails!
After walking through the whole museum, we went to a presentation on rattlesnakes and gila monsters. Ok, I’m really not crazy about coming across these on the trails, and was a bit nervous when we went letterboxing right after. Curtis tried to comfort me, telling me he’d never seen ANY wildlife on the trails in the 2 years he’s lived and hiked here.
Sabino Canyon
Well that very night, we went for a sunset walk at Sabino Canyon with Curtis’ friend Mitch. There, we saw a bunch of javelinas (scary hairy pigs) AND a tarantula. A first for both of us, which just goes to show that I can’t trust that I’ll never see anything just because Curtis hasn’t!
Road Trip to Nogales
On our first full weekend in Tucson, we went on a letterboxing adventure down I-19 with Mitch and his cousin, Alex. The day started with the guys trying to convince me that Nico’s is the best Mexican food. Finally, the real fun began when we got on the road. We stopped to hike and find letterboxes on the Anza Trail, at the Sahuarita Mine, and the San Xavier del Blanc Mission.
On the Border
Our final stop was to walk around Nogales and stand next to Mexico! We didn’t cross over today, but it was fun thinking about how just 2 weeks ago Curtis and I were crossing over the Rainbow Bridge from Ontario to New York on our honeymoon! I can’t believe how much we managed to do in our first week in Tucson. Married life is an exciting adventure so far, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us next!
