MONDAY - Today's travel day consisted of moving about 30-miles due east of where we were camped in the Ironwood Forest National Monument.
At about the halfway point of today's move we crossed under Interstate 10. It has a short north/south travel corridor as it makes it way from Tucson to Phoenix, AZ.
Right at the Interstate there was a Maverik Gas Station and we pulled in to see if they had any Honey Dew flavored Mountain Dew in stock, our last two attempts to acquire the delicious beverage came up empty.
Not this time, they had 5-20oz. bottles in the cooler and we bought 4 of them. The best part was when we found out they were on sale, 2 for $4.
It wasn't much later that we arrived at the entrance gate of Catalina State Park, exactly at the "official" check-in time of 2:00PM.
A few years ago we visited our friends Chris and Melinda here and knew then that on our next pass through this area we would have to camp here for the maximum of 14-days. Which is what we are doing right now!
We are backed into our very spacious site in Campground A. I suspect this to be the "original" campground because Campground B, right next door, is very efficient at packing in as many campsites as possible.
These wonderful saguaros are in full view from the back of our campsite.
Plus we have a view of the Catalina Mountains out our side windows.
This is the view I'm gong to have to put up with for the next 2-weeks. Life on the road is sure hard!
The Oro Valley "Holiday Festival of the Arts" will be held in the shopping center right across the highway during our last few days here. The best part is it's FREE.
THURSDAY -
🏈 🍗 📺 HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE 📺 🍗 🏈
Tricia started off her Thanksgiving Holiday with a 3-mile morning walk around the park. As you can tell from the photos, we are just a dozen or so miles away from Saguaro National Park here outside of Tuscon.
I'm not sure why I'm so captivated by these iconic Southwestern looking cactuses. They seem to be everywhere around here and I'm not just talking about the plant.
Most Arizona automobile tags have a saguaro portrayed on them and most of the businesses around here include it in their logos.
Anyway, back to Thanksgiving!
Just because we didn't make it back to South Florida for Thanksgiving this year to share the meal with friends, we did still celebrate the holiday with a traditional Thanksgiving meal, wonderfully prepared by Tricia right here in THE POD's small galley kitchen.
We weren't missing anything! A 3-lb. turkey breast, dirty mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, stuffing, mashed sweet potatos, green beans, corn, asparagus and carrots. There were also warmed bread rolls and butter, plus a bottle of Sparkling Apple Cider to drink.
Not pictured is the pumpkin pie we had for dessert and the cranberry sauce that Tricia forgot until after the meal was completely over with (like she does every year). Don't worry, we had enough leftovers to make at least three more meals and I guarantee each one of them will include cranberry sauce.
SATURDAY - Well it's time for us to "get out there" and do some proper sightseeing.
We are camped just outside of the Tucson Mountain District (a.k.a. westside) of Saguaro National Park. We've visited the park before, back in January of 2023, so most everything we see today we've seen before.
SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK - WEST TUCSON MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
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The only way to enter the park from the northeast is along Picture Rocks Road.
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You'll quickly become surrounded by the highest density of saguaro cactus in the country.
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Saguaro cactus can be found anywhere from sea level up to 4500', occasionally up to 5000'.
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At the top of the hill is the Contzen Pass, which accesses the western side of the park.
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The western side of the park is where you'll find most of the hiking trails and scenic drives.
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Along the 6-mile long Bajada Loop Drive we were at just the right angle with the sun behind the Saguaros to photograph them with a glow around the edges.
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Our first stop will be at my favorite place in the park, the Signal Hill Picnic Area.
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What do you do when there are horses coming at you on the trail? If you're smart like I am you get the heck out of the way!
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It's not the picnic area I like most at Signal Hill, it's the petroglyphs (and the bathrooms)!
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The trail leading up to the top of Signal Hill has steep and irregular stone stairs.
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From the top you can barely see ROVER hiding behind the bushes.
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Also at the top are more petroglyphs.
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On the way back to the parking lot we saw many more of the saguaros.
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This Barrel Cactus was a little too close to the trail for my comfort.
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Imagine tripping on a rock and stumbling into this mess.
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One last look at Signal Hill before we leave...
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...and of course a few more petroglyph photos.
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Almost back to the parking lot now.
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This is the bathroom building from the early days of the park at Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area.
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Also there is this shaded picnic shelter at the Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area.
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The view out of the left side window.
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The longer range view out of the front window.
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Finally, the view out of the right side window.
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The shade shelter and bathroom buildings were built back in the 1930s by the CCC.
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When you see saguaro arms drouping it is probably due to freeze damage.
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This is Gates Pass Road which is south of the park and leads back over the Tucson Mountains.
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That shelter in the saddle of the mountains is where we are headed next.
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The road up to Gates Pass is steep and scenic.
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A rare photo of the TWO PEAS out in nature.
After our drive through Saguaro National Park we ended up near downtown for lunch at what's rumored to be the "Best Mexican Food" in Tuscon. That's saying a lot, because there must be several hundred places to eat Mexican food in the Greater Tucson area.
This "Original" El Charro restaurant has been at this downtown location since 1922. Without a reservation we waited nearly 45-minutes before we were seated.
There was a party of 24 occupying these two rooms before us.
While the atmosphere and decorations in the room were a little non-authentic Mexican...
...the food was anything but. That's the reason we waited for so long for a meal.
SUNDAY - Today we have something special planned to do.
It was on our list of things to do the last time we were here, but we just never got around to doing it. We want to make sure that doesn't happen again!
Biosphere 2 was constructed between 1987 and 1991. It's original purpose was to test the possibilities of humans living in an enclosed enviroments, such as space, and being able to sustain themselves growing food and maintaining air quality.
From 1991 through 1993 there were 8 human Biospherians encapsulated inside for a 2-year experiment. They no longer conduct those types of experiments, but they do a lot of research using the 7 different biomes that are simulated here. Today it is owned and operated by the University of Arizona.
We spent a little over 2-hours here today, walking over and through a 20,000 sq. ft. rainforest, a 9,100 sq. ft. ocean with a coral reef, a 4,800 sq. ft. mangrove wetlands, a 14,000 sq. ft. savannah grassland, a 15,000 sq. ft. fog desert, a 27,000 sq. ft. agricultural system and a human habitat with living spaces, laboratories and workshops. All together it adds up to a 3.14-acre enclosed research facility.
There is one other similiar facility in Montreal, called the Montreal Biodome, that is open to the public, but it is no where near the size of Biosphere 2.
You may all be wondering, if this is Biosphere 2, where is Biosphere 1? Well, there is no place called Biosphere 1, because there is a very special and unique name for the place, and you've all been there. It's called the planet Earth!
BIOSPHERE 2
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This easily missed flag pole and monument is the only thing located on the highway...
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...but soon enough we realized we were headed in the right direction.
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There's no mistaking this large glass dome building for someone's home.
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Look! They even have a Solar Tree on the property.
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Each small panel has a reflector underneath to catch the sun twice as it passes through.
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These buildings were the living quarters and workstations during the 2-year experiment.
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On the other side of these windows is a living rain forest in Arizona.
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At the end of this long walkway is the entrance to the Biosphere 2 interior.
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One of the three fields where they grew vegetables and other edibles.
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In this area they grow fruit trees. There's even a Key Lime tree in here!
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I liked the way they were "supporting" this tree on the outside patio.
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A side view of one of the three slanted growing fields.
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All three of these domes support a separate and distinct growing enviroment.
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The tubular construction technique was needed to support all the weight.
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The two round buildings off to the left are cooling towers for...
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...the huge generators that are housed in these rounded-top buildings.
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I found this building to be very interesting, it's called The Lung. When the air inside the Biosphere heats up it expands and needs somewhere to go. This building has a large baffle inside that expands and contracts to keep the Biosphere's interior air pressure in check.
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Without "The Lung" these buildings would have either exploded or imploded in a matter of minutes when it was a sealed building.
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Inside of the Biosphere 2.
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This is as close as the self-guided tour allows you to the Ocean biome where they grow a coral reef and also sea kelp for human consumption.
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Once you exit this door the tour is over and there's nothing to do except start the long walk back to the parking lot, by way of the gift shop of course.
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This concludes our self-guided tour of the Biosphere 2.
This also concludes our first of two weeks here at Catalina State Park. Stay tuned to see what we have planned for Week #2.
Looking for our Visited States Map and Data? How about our State by State Bucket Lists or Visited Campgrounds List? If so, click on the sign below to be taken to our other website.
The only way to enter the park from the northeast is along Picture Rocks Road.
You'll quickly become surrounded by the highest density of saguaro cactus in the country.
Saguaro cactus can be found anywhere from sea level up to 4500', occasionally up to 5000'.
At the top of the hill is the Contzen Pass, which accesses the western side of the park.
The western side of the park is where you'll find most of the hiking trails and scenic drives.
Along the 6-mile long Bajada Loop Drive we were at just the right angle with the sun
Our first stop will be at my favorite place in the park, the Signal Hill Picnic Area.
What do you do when there are horses coming at you on the trail?
It's not the picnic area I like most at Signal Hill, it's the petroglyphs (and the bathrooms)!
The trail leading up to the top of Signal Hill has steep and irregular stone stairs.
From the top you can barely see ROVER hiding behind the bushes.
Also at the top are more petroglyphs.
On the way back to the parking lot we saw many more of the saguaros.
This Barrel Cactus was a little too close to the trail for my comfort.
Imagine tripping on a rock and stumbling into this mess.
One last look at Signal Hill before we leave...
...and of course a few more petroglyph photos.
Almost back to the parking lot now.
This is the bathroom building from the early days of the park at Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area.
Also there is this shaded picnic shelter at the Ez-Kim-In-Zin Picnic Area.
The view out of the left side window.
The longer range view out of the front window.
Finally, the view out of the right side window.
The shade shelter and bathroom buildings were built back in the 1930s by the CCC.
When you see saguaro arms drouping it is probably due to freeze damage.
This is Gates Pass Road which is south of the park and leads back over the Tucson Mountains.
That shelter in the saddle of the mountains is where we are headed next.
The road up to Gates Pass is steep and scenic.
A rare photo of the TWO PEAS out in nature.
This easily missed flag pole and monument is the only thing located on the highway...
...but soon enough we realized we were headed in the right direction.
There's no mistaking this large glass dome building for someone's home.
Look! They even have a Solar Tree on the property.
Each small panel has a reflector underneath to catch the sun twice as it passes through.
These buildings were the living quarters and workstations during the 2-year experiment.
On the other side of these windows is a living rain forest in Arizona.
At the end of this long walkway is the entrance to the Biosphere 2 interior.
One of the three fields where they grew vegetables and other edibles.
In this area they grow fruit trees. There's even a Key Lime tree in here!
I liked the way they were "supporting" this tree on the outside patio.
A side view of one of the three slanted growing fields.
All three of these domes support a separate and distinct growing enviroment.
The tubular construction technique was needed to support all the weight.
The two round buildings off to the left are cooling towers for...
...the huge generators that are housed in these rounded-top buildings.
I found this building to be very interesting, it's called The Lung.
Without "The Lung" these buildings would have either exploded or imploded
Inside of the Biosphere 2.
This is as close as the self-guided tour allows you to the Ocean biome
Once you exit this door the tour is over and there's nothing to do except
This concludes our self-guided tour of the Biosphere 2.
