Rest & Relaxation

One of the key points to a sabbatical is taking the time to 'recharge.' For some time, I have wanted to visit the Sonoran Desert (read: Tuscon & Saguaro National Park) in winter. As I had been telling a colleague at clinic for years 'I want to hug one of these [puts arms up like a field goal post] cacti. This sabbatical (and a slightly better covid outlook at the time) seemed the perfect opportunity to go.

So I made a short, three day trip to the desert.

And it was wonderful.

First of all, I picked a great time to go. Minnesota had a nice little cold snap while I was gone, with temperatures barely hitting positive digits. Tucson, was mid-70s every day and mid 50s at night. And apparently I missed some icky, rainy days in Tucson as well.

One the first day, I visited the Tucson Mountain District (west) of Saguaro NP, mostly because it was more well-known for its Saguaro cacti. And yes, I hugged a cactus! (No cacti or Anns were harmed).

I also visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which, let's be honest, had waaay too many snakes for my liking (I know, I know, it was a desert museum). Unfortunately since I went during the day, most of the animals were hiding. I did get to see the Javelina, and entered the reptile house long enough to snap a picture of the Gila Monster (IYKYK).

Day 2 I went to Rincon Mountain District (West), and I probably preferred this side. It was a little more desert-like, with a lot of desert foliage. There's a main driving loop, with way stops, which was just gorgeous. I also went on a 2 mile hike on the Mica Valley Trail and Cactus Forest Trail. It wasn't strenuous by any means, but it was 2 miles in the desert.

Day 3 I went to a couple market-like places in Tucson as well as a couple breweries. :) I flew home that night. All in all it was a great trip and I look forward to more trips this semester!