Sonoran Desert Surprises

The drive from Gila to Tucson was much longer than we expected. It got hotter and hotter and later and later in the day so that by the time we rolled into Tucson Lazy Days KOA campground on the outskirts of town, we were in a hazy daze.

The scene that we entered upon was a shock to the system after the tranquility and serenity of the remote mountains of New Mexico. We drove off the interstate a couple blocks and fund ourselves in a giant compound of RV bonanza. There were 2 different pools with hot tubs, pickle ball courts, mini golf, game rooms and club houses. Rows upon rows upon rows of RVs of every shape and size imaginable stretched  out under enormous solar panel parking lot covers. This incredible KOA has a store, a bar (that delivers booze in golf carts to the pool or your site), and a BBQ restaurant. You can get Door Dash to deliver to your campsite. The place was exactly as advertised.

Once the shock subsided we decided, when in Rome! We donned our swim suits, lugged our giant pile of laundry to the laundromat on the way to the pool, and ordered dinner to be delivered to the campsite, and drinks to the pool. Our campsite itself was a corner lot, with a giant patio and fireplace. It was way more than we wanted or needed, but we embraced it. We got an order of firewood (again, delivered by the lovely staff in another golf cart), despite the fact that the temperatures were in the nineties and even after the sun set at 7pm, it never went below 80 degrees that evening. We sat out on our deluxe fireplace corner site and people-watched as couples strolled by walking dogs of all breeds, parents wrangled kids on strollers and scooters, kids biked around in little gangs, and the golf carts whizzed around delivering anything and everything any RVer would want or need. It was insanity.

So, bright and early the next morning, we got out of there. We had an early timed entry to the Sonora Desert Museum, so we drove  short distance out of Tucson and back into the serenity of the wilderness. Only this time, we found ourselves in a Hollywood Cowboy Western themed wilderness. The Saguaro National Park and Sonora Desert Museum are in the city of Tucson but seem like they are out in the middle of the quintessential desert. Towering Saguaro cactus, prickly pear, and real live tumble weed are just a fraction of what lives out in the desert surrounding Tucson. Who knew there were so many different types of cactus? Who knew the iconic Saguaro got its trademark arms, if it gets any at all, around 60-75 years old? It was amazing, and we spent hours wandering around learning about all the amazing flora and fauna that inhabit some very inhospitable land. Who knew you could find 40 different types of stingray in the Sonoran Desert? That’s right – the Gulf of California is in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. It was beautiful and surprising. Current favorite desert wildlife of the Cramer crew are javelinas, gray foxes, coyotes, tortoises, and so many birds for Jess, the bird nerd. And a special treat was that it is spring in the desert and everything is in bloom, including all the cacti!

After a wonderful morning spent in the desert, we were ready for a Mexican food feast, and we got a good tip from a reliable source about a place called Guadalajara Grill, where we had table made salsa and guac and enough food for left-overs for everyone! 

We were not spending another night in the KOA, so we headed out to Catalina State Park in the foothills of the mountains of the Coronado National Forest.