Vacation in Tucson

Its rodeo time in Tucson

 

   It was time for me to take a vacation. Usually my boyfriend and I go camping. However, this time I felt it was time to do something different. We live in Phoenix and my boyfriend is a native of Tucson and it is February, this means rodeo time. I have never seen a rodeo so we booked a hotel and off we went. From Phoenix to Tucson, it is an easy hour and half drive. We left on Wednesday around 3pm and had very little traffic upon entering Tucson. One thing I cannot say enough of this part of Arizona, the mountains in Tucson are beautiful. We found our hotel and had a light dinner at Denny’s.  One thing I really wanted to make sure we did was try to eat at as many local restaurants as possible. I feel it is very important to keep the locals open and working, without them we have no real economy. Denny’s was just easy and it was a little late.

  The rodeo start was on Thursday with a parade. The morning was a little bit colder than we had planned for and we did not come prepared, but that did not stop the entertainment and the fun of seeing all of locals come out. One of the best parts of these kinds of events is the people watching and there was plenty of that. The TUCSON’S LA FIESTA DE LOS VAQUEROS has a very interesting history and like everything else in Tucson, the flavor of Mexico is a huge part of this wonderful event. Before the parade made its way to the grandstands where we were, there is a very cute show and again, the flavor and history of Tucson stand out during this time. You will see a Mariachi Band along with the traditional dancers in there beautifully colored costumes. Then there was a shoot out between two long legged gunslingers. Of course one was the bad-guy, and one was the good guy along with the all the crazy antics that go along with it, and it was very cute. There were a few other entertainers as well and then the parade makes its way to the grandstands.

  The parade starts on another side of town and it takes about an hour for it to reach the grandstand but it is worth the wait. It is known as “THE WORLD’S LONGEST NON-MOTORIZED PARADE”. What this means is it is the only horse drawn carriage along with wagons, parade in the country and it is truly a site to see. Most of the carriages and wagons are as old or maybe older then Tucson itself. The horses, decorated with headdresses, feathers, and some have their mains and tails colored to match some of the costumes worn by the people in the parade. Every entry is a representative of the Old Pueblo and their pride shows. This link http://www.tucsonrodeo.com/ has the history of the rodeo and information about the events and the participants of this fun filled show.

   After the parade, we walked over to the rodeo grounds and the activities were getting started. I have never been to a rodeo and I think it would be fun to go again.  We are thinking of going to 100^th anniversary of the rodeo in 3 years. The rodeo starts with the junior divisions, and it is very cute and fun to watch. Some of the contestants were as young as 4 years old and judged for their skills. The clown, who is young and he is in the ring doing all the things a rodeo clown does. He is very involved with the activities and obviously on his way to clown stardom alongside his older clown friends. The kids start with an event called mutton bustin. Little kids come out of the gate on a sheep and the goal is to stay on for as long as possible. Some just make it out of the gate and one stayed on for about 2 minutes. What is funny is these kids are young and as funny as it seems, come out with all the confidence of an adult and some just do not want to come out at all. No matter, they are all brave just to enter and try. Seems dangerous, but the little ones doing it, do not seem to care. They want to be rodeo cowboys and this is their ride to stardom. I enjoy watching the barrel races. This is an event that only the girls seem to enter and they are all good as well as brave. They are fun to watch. There are a few other events and this takes up a lot of the morning.  After an intermission, the adult riders take to the stadium. This part starts with a very patriotic commencement. There is announcement of each flag and what each flag stands for while brought out by a rider carrying it. Then after riding around the ring, the rider will go to the middle taking a spot to settle in. After each flag takes its place in the middle of the ring, a local singer comes out to sing the national anthem and then the horses will do a small circle around the center and canter out. This was very powerful and I found it to be very emotional. The rodeo may be all fun and games but this reminds us we live in a country that allows us to take time off to enjoy ourselves. Then the fun really begins with riders doing some amazing things. The main objective is to catch the steer. They do it different ways. Sometimes they catch the steer then tie it down. I do not know if I should feel sorry the steer or not but it is fun to watch. I realize there are groups that will protest these events. You can tell they are cared for. Every animal was fat and ready for a good run. Bull riding is at the end of the day and seems to be the most watched. The clown is in the ring the entire time. He is a local entertainer and everyone seems to enjoy watching his antics. He is in constant conversation with the MC.  No matter what is going on there is plenty to see and enjoy.

  Like any fair, carnival or rodeo, there is tons of things to buy from food to cars, donations, clothes, jewelry and so on. If you want, you can take a picture with a bull or a horse. There are plenty of things to do and see.

    After spending the day at the rodeo, we were ready for some dinner. We had lots to choose from so we went to Little Mexico Restaurant on West Irvington. http://www.littlemexico-tucson.com  The food is excellent. The salsa and chips are fresh, and serving of food covers the entire plate and the plate is large. I loved the decorations and wall hanging inside the restaurant. Again, the pride of the family is present in the spice and flavors of the food and the decorations on the walls of the restaurant.

   The next day I wanted to do something I truly enjoy, normally I will look for a monastery or a local church. I have passed through Tucson a few times and there are a couple of churches and monasteries; so I hit pay dirt as they say and found that Tucson has the oldest Jewish Synagogue in Arizona. It opens at 10am and we had some time to kill so keeping on the religious theme we went to the Garden of Gethsemane. http://wikimapia.org/2462385/Garden-of-Gethsemane/. This is a beautiful site. A WW1 war veteran by the name of Felix Lucero is wounded and dying.  As he lay on the battlefield, he prayed to the Virgin Mary to live and in return, he would spend his life creating Christian Art. The Garden of Gethsemane is one of his pieces and it truly a beautiful site to see. It is very sad the sites’ been vandalized a few times, but thanks to the residents of Tucson, it is still here. The site is on Congress St and the Santa Cruz riverbed runs alongside it. There is also a nice walk path. Worth the drive is all I can say. I love religious artifacts and this so impressive. Thank you Mary for hearing Felix Lucero’s pray.

  We still had time so we drove to A Mountain of which is on Sentinel Peak. Know this will sound funny but as many times as I have passed through Tucson, I could never figure out where is Tucson. I saw it at the top on Sentinel Peak. Wow is all I can say. I am more impressed with the mountains that surround Tucson. They are higher than the mountains that surround Phoenix. The way the mountain sits gives reason to the name, Sentinel Peak. From the top, you can see the entire area that surrounds Tucson. There are also plenty of trails for anyone who likes to hike.

  I have always believed the mountains to be a place for spiritual reflection and after spending a little time walking around and being one with the mountain; it is time to go off to the Synagogue to have another religious experience. https://www.jewishhistorymuseum.org/  There is a small fee for the tour but it is well worth it. The women who work here are truly dedicated to preserving and educating anyone and everyone who comes in. The ironic part of this site is where it sits. The neighborhood is in the Barrio in a small corner called Five Points.  There are a few other places of worship and as different as they all believe, they all get along. Most of this building has the original structure, a few changes, because of the city code reasons, but all the glass, and the floor and the pews are original. You can almost imagine living in Tucson in 1910 and listen to the Rabi remind us that next week we will celebrate a Bar Mitzvah. The building has many pieces of memorabilia from times past thanks to the people who prayed here. The Synagogue even has a small gift shop if you want to make purchase of a book or item to remember your visit. After this tour, the women will walk you next door to the Holocaust History Center. I have been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC and I think this building can place its rank alongside it.  A truly sad time in history but this is a very important and powerful building. Teaching us and reminding us that in the end, we are one race and need to learn to live side by side.

  It is dinnertime so we decided to change it up a little. Instead of Mexican, we decided on Greek. We went to Athens on 4^th Avenue. http://athenson4thave.com/  This Greek restaurant I believe to be one of the best Mediterranean restaurants I have ever eaten at. The food is wonderful and the server even said the name of the dish’s we choose correctly. Not like, I can, but in my ear, it sounded right.  The neighborhood the building is in a historic district. After you eat, you can walk around and explore the shops.

  The next day we had to be real tourists and go to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. http://www.desertmuseum.org/  It is a short drive out of town but again, you see the mountains as a beautiful backdrop to the desert. Since we have had so much rain this year the desert has so much more color in it and with spring around the corner, the flowers will be blooming soon. I love botanical gardens this was quite the site. I have been to the Phoenix botanical garden a couple of times, and I have been to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum; this rates up there, maybe at the top. The way the landscapers created the habitats for the animals is great because you do not see the fences or the barriers. Makes the experience more real, also, you learn to respect the land and the animals. This was their home long before we came here. There are many exhibits to see. We spent about three hours and I do not think we saw everything. Since it is the desert, make sure to bring a hat to cover your head. The sun will get strong and we came in February. The garden uses the desert as a backdrop to teach us about the beauty and the dangers. The plants all have plaques so we can understand what they are and if there is a danger that we may need to know about. There are a few different areas with things to touch and do so if children come, they can see what the desert was like and the animals and plants that lived here before us. There are a few rooms, where you enter into a room and you look through windows to see what kind of life lives on the desert floor. This is very a great way of understanding the importance of looking around and paying attention. Inside these rooms, we learned about the different kinds of critters that roam the ground of the desert. Since living in the desert, some of these critters live in my backyard and my respect for them has jumped up a notch. The drive to the desert museum, there are a few turn offs with parking and tables. So if you brought a picnic, or want to hike or just sit and enjoy the beauty of the desert, you can.

  We decided to do a little exploring around the neighborhood he grew up in; he wanted to reminisce a little. We went up and down streets and his memories came rushing back. As much as some of the old buildings are still standing, he felt some sadness to see how with time and change of population, things change.

  After driving around the Barrio and understanding that, Tucson is historical in many ways. It is not just cowboys and Indians; the city has a texture that attracts many artisans and gemstone shops and it is easy to see why people visit here. Hunger always sets in, and we were on Cushing St and          El Minuto Restaurant is in our sites. https://www.elminutotucson.com/  Again this little corner spot has been here a very long time. This location opened in 1944. The same family still owns and runs the place. The food is delicious and the service is great.  The time was between lunch and dinner; I could not believe how busy it was. Good food with good atmosphere will always draw people, no matter what time it is

 The next day was Sunday and being the last day of our stay in Tucson, we decided to go visit Agua Caliente Park. [email protected]/ The park was mentioned to us a few days before and since my boy friend lived in the area when he was in high school. He had fond memories how the park looked and the different activities that went on there. It is sad to see how the passing of time and county interaction changed way the park looks. There were a few improvements. His memories came flooding back while walking and he enjoyed reliving the past. He told me many stories of things he and his friends did at this park. His friend lived on the property and they were able to enjoy the wonders of the landscape. He has many tails about the time and I have encouraged him to look for pictures to send to the historical society to keep these memories going.  Again, as always it is time for a snack so we decided The Lucky Wishbone would fit the bill. This restaurant is a local chain and even though most of the food is fried, it is very good. There are restaurants is all over town and it seems to be popular with everyone. We saw many families and small groups of friends meeting for the same reason we had.  http://luckywishbone.com/ 

  We decided to do something we do not usually do, walk around the mall and do a little people watching. We went to Park Place Mall. https://www.parkplacemall.com I usually work on the weekends so going to the mall was an experience for me. All the different stores and restaurants, beside a movie theater, you can spend a day there easy. It is a good place for walking if you need to get some exercise. We spent a few hours there so of course it is time dinner. We headed to El Molinitos.  http://www.elmolinitos.com/  This family owned restaurant has a few locations. The food is very good, and the server was very friendly. We shared an appetizer. We also had margaritas; I think mine may have been a little strong. I do not drink normally but it was very tasty. I was again amazed at how busy this restaurant was. It was just a little over the dinner hour and the place was hopping. I always say, good food, good service always will bring good customers.

   The next day we started to head home and I realized how living in Arizona, we have so many things to do and see. I love living in Phoenix but after exploring Tucson, the southwest has more wealth in the beautiful landscape and the colorful sky. In a short hour, you can be in another part of the state that is not like anything in the part you live.