STARGAZE

If you’re a stargazer, you probably know that Tucson was one of the first cities in the U.S. to adopt a Dark Sky ordinance to minimize light pollution. Between that and the high, dry air, there’s no better stargazing in the U.S. or Canada than the high Sonoran desert.

Bring your telescope with you. There’s an excellent dark-sky location one block from our condo, next to the Vistoso Golf Course.

If you crave the company of other stargazers, Tucson’s Astronomy Club is big and booming. They have frequent star parties and educational meetings. Visit them at: http://www.tucsonastronomy.org/

If observatories are your treat, there are three big ones in Arizona. Be sure to visit Kitt Peak National Observatory, a 40 mile drive from our place. Dress warm! It’s over 8,000 feet and can get pretty cold. For information and tours, visit their website at http://www.noao.edu/kpno/

Need astronomical gear while you’re in Tucson? Check out the great little astronomy store at www.starizona.com , or visit them just down Oracle Road, ten minutes from our place.

SHOP TILL YOU DROP

Tucson’s a good shopping town. The Tucson Mall, on Oracle, is a fifteen minute drive from our place and has a very full complement of middle to upper-end stores. The Foothills Mall is funky and full of outlet stores. Oracle – the main north/south artery in Tucson – is well stocked with big-box stores like Home Depot, department stores like Target, and discount places like TJ Maxx.

Downtown Tucson – the old city -- is picturesque and has a cute art district. There’s some nice walking. The downtown is being upgraded to compete with the malls. It’s a work in progress.

HIKE THE DESERT

If you haven’t been to southern Arizona, prepare to be blown away by the desert. This isn’t the flat scrubland you find through much of Nevada. This is a land of mountains and abundant desert vegetation including the strangely humanoid Saguaro cactus, some of them thirty feet high and hundreds of years old. (It's pronounced "sue-where-o", by the way. It's an Indian, not Spanish, word).

The high Sonoran desert (it starts in Mexico) is surprisingly full of life. At our condo, you’ll hear coyotes all night long. A large horned owl appears most nights and perches on the flagpole (honest!) The diversity of birdlife is amazing: the Mourning Doves start cooing before dawn. For an introduction to the extraordinary ecology of the Sonoran Desert, drive to The Desert Museum west of town. Or visit http://www.danheller.com/tucson-desertmuseum.html for a sample of the wildlife in this extraordinary outdoor area.

There are countless desert hiking areas all around Tucson. There are some pretty good ones just up the street from the condo.

RIDE

Arizona is famous for its dude ranches and riding stables and there’s no better place to ride than the desert. We first fell in love with the Tucson area while staying at Tanque Verde, a marvelous guest ranch overlooking the Tucson valley. For an overview of your choices visit http://www.azdra.com/ or http://www.ranchweb.com/az.htm .

RAFT THE RIVERS

Despite being a desert, Arizona is bisected by numerous rivers, starting with the majestic Colorado. River rafting starts at the Grand Canyon, but it doesn’t stop there. See http://www.raftarizona.com/