Tucson was approximately 30–45 minutes from Benson, straight up I‑10, and I found myself making the drive often. Most of my errands took me into Vail, a fast‑growing suburb on the southeast side of Tucson. What I didn’t realize at first was that Vail sits right at the doorstep of the eastern district of Saguaro National Park — the Rincon Mountain District.
And let me confess something:
I may have been the last person alive who didn’t know how to pronounce Saguaro. I had always said sa‑GWAH‑ro. Turns out it’s sa‑WAHR‑o.
Learning that felt like being let in on a secret handshake.
I have always been in awe of these large, ancient cacti. Seeing hillsides full of them — thousands upon thousands — was truly amazing. Saguaro National Park protects the largest concentration of saguaros in the world, and the park itself is split into two districts:
• East (Rincon Mountain District) — where I spent most of my time • West (Tucson Mountain District) — closer to Old Tucson and the Desert Museum
As Tucson grows, development is pushing closer and closer to the park boundary, especially on the east side. It makes the protected land feel even more precious.
Saguaros grow slowly, almost stubbornly:
Some saguaros in the park are believed to be more than 200 years old, meaning they were already growing long before the United States existed. Standing among them, you feel the weight of time.
It was early spring during my visits. On my first trip, a few trees were budding, and some cacti were blooming. When I returned a couple of weeks later, the desert had exploded with more flowers — prickly pear, hedgehog cactus, cholla, and the bright yellow of palo verde trees.
Like all plant species, different cacti thrive at different elevations. What you see at the park entrance is not necessarily what you see higher up in the foothills. But everywhere, the saguaros stood like silent guardians — arms raised, shadows long, older than memory. I am grateful this land has been preserved, and I hope the city’s growth never encroaches in a way that harms these majestic plants.
I’d been offered the chance to join my grandson and his mother on a spring break cruise to the Caribbean — but I needed a passport. I had put it off far too long, and now I was down to the wire. Luckily, Tucson has a regional passport agency, one of only 26 in the entire country. Because I was traveling within 14 days, I qualified for same‑day service. I drove into Tucson, handed over my paperwork, paid the extra $20, and a few hours later, I had a passport in my hand.
With time to kill while I waited, I asked someone in the lobby for a recommendation. They didn’t hesitate:
“Go to Sabino Canyon.”
So I did.
While Saguaro National Park is iconic — and absolutely worth every minute — Sabino Canyon is the place that stole my heart. Sabino Canyon sits in the Santa Catalina Mountains, inside the Coronado National Forest, and it feels like a world apart from the open desert. It’s one of the few places in the Sonoran Desert with a year‑round flowing creek. Sabino Creek runs down from the mountains, creating pockets of shade, riparian vegetation, and cool air that feels like a blessing in the heat.
I took the narrated tram up the canyon, stopping at viewpoints along the way. Our guide pointed out:
• Rock formations shaped by millions of years of erosion • Cottonwoods, sycamores, and willows growing along the creek • Desert wildlife • And stories from the Tohono O’odham and Apache peoples, who used the canyon long before tourists arrived.
The canyon walls rose high above us, glowing gold and red in the afternoon sun. Water trickled over rocks. Birds darted through the trees. It felt peaceful, ancient, and alive.
If Saguaro National Park is the iconic postcard of Tucson, Sabino Canyon is the secret place locals tell you about when you ask!
On one of my drives through Tucson, I passed something that made me slow down and stare —acres and acres of airplanes, wing to wing and nose to tail, stretching across the desert. This was Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, home to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) — better known as “The Boneyard.”
A few facts that make it even more impressive:
• It’s the largest aircraft storage and preservation facility in the world. • Over 4,000 military aircraft are stored there. • The dry desert climate and hard caliche soil make it ideal for long‑term preservation. • Some planes are kept for spare parts, others are mothballed, and some are awaiting disposal. • The facility covers 2,600 acres — a small city of airplanes.
Security is tight, but from the road you can still see rows and rows of aircraft — fighters, bombers, transports — all lined up like silent metal giants. I managed to grab a couple of photos from a distance. I didn’t know the full story at the time — but now that I do, those photos feel like treasures.
It was a chapter I hadn’t planned, but one I’m grateful I experienced. Tucson has layers — history, nature, culture, and surprises — and I barely scratched the surface. When I return, Sabino Canyon will be my first stop.
