April 26 – May 13, 2024

For our last day in Tucson, we committed to being tourists.  As we’d done much of the town in prior trips, this time around we’d be heading to sights some drive away.  Our first stop would be Kartchner Caverns, about an hour out of town.  We first encountered the caverns on the Arizona Sunsets bike tour I mentioned in a prior post, camping at the park at the end of longish days ride from Bisbee.  We arrived too late in the day to take a tour so promised ourselves that we would return one day for a visit. 

The caverns were discovered in 1974, when cavers Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts found a narrow crack in the bottom of a sinkhole, and followed the source of warm, moist air toward what ended up being more than 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of pristine cave passages.  Hoping to protect the cave from vandalism, they kept the location a secret for 14 years.  After years of thought, they decided that the best way to preserve the cavern, which was near a freeway, was to develop it as a tour cave.  

After gaining the cooperation of the Kartchner family and working with them for ten years, together they approached the Arizona State Parks Board which was instrumental in establishing the funding and resources for protecting the caverns.  The discovery of the cave was finally made public in 1988 when the landowners sold the area to the state for development as a park and show cavern.  Prior to its grand opening in 1999, the state spent $28 million on a high-tech system of air-lock doors, misting machines and other equipment designed to preserve the cave.

We’d secured a reservation for one of the morning tours and to my delight, they had little push carts I could use to walk the cave, taking pressure off my bad hip.  The whole experience is ADA compliant and so we got to enjoy our time in the cave admiring its wonders.  We’ve visited may caves during our travels and most of them are damaged in some fashion because they have interacted with humans.  If you touch the wall, or a protruding ice formation, the oil on your hand will damage it.  Older caves suffered from smoke from torches and other flaming light fixtures.  This cave, given its recent discovery and protected status was pristine and a joy to behold. 

Before leaving the park, we grabbed a sandwich from the snack bar for lunch and then climbed in the car for the drive to Tumacácori National Historic Park.  The park protects the ruins of three Spanish mission communities, two of which are National Historic Landmark sites.  It also contains the landmark 1937 Tumacácori Museum building, also a National Historic Landmark. 

Mission San José de Tumacácori was established in 1691 by Jesuit padre Eusebio Kino in a different nearby location.  After the Pima rebellion of 1751, the mission was moved to the present site on the west side of the Santa Cruz River and renamed San José de Tumacácori.  By 1848, the mission was abandoned and began falling into severe disrepair and In 1854 it became a part of the U.S. Arizona Territory, after the Gadsden Purchase.  Restoration and stabilization efforts began in 1908 when the site was declared Tumacácori National Monument by President Theodore Roosevelt.  In 1990 it became part of the new Tumacácori National Historical Park.

We spent a little time in the museum and then left the park and returned to the house for a quiet evening, making dinner out of leftovers from last night’s meal from Blue Willow.  Our drive the next day would be a simple one, just a five hour straight shot on1-10 and I-8 into Spring Valley, in eastern San Diego County for two nights with my cousin Lindy and her husband Greg.  We ate at the house the first night and as we don’t get to see them too often, enjoyed each other’s company well into the night.  The next day would be low key, starting with a late lunch at Papalo, known for its Sonoran style BBQ.  Joanna and I split a plate of the pork of the day, carnitas, with a side of Mexican saffron Red Rice and Creamy Pinto Beans, more than enough to see us through the rest of the day. 

From there we drove out to Point Loma to Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery to pay our respects to my Mom and Dad.  He served in the Merchant Marines during World War II, and this qualified him for burial as if he had done so in the military.  My brother and I grew up listening to his wild tales of time on board ship, the many pranks and stunts he and his friends pulled, inspiring my brother to enlist in the Navy, although the Vietnam War draft may have had a hand in that as well. 

It’s a beautiful location overlooking the Pacific Ocean and spending some peaceful time there helps us remember how much we were loved by my parents.  Paying respects though does create quite a thirst and so we made our way to Helix Brewing in La Mesa for a beer apiece, sitting outside between the taproom and the barrel house.  It was a fine way to finish out the afternoon and we returned to the house to fill up on unhealthy snacks and a few more adult beverages. 

The rest of our trip would remain in California and include a stop at home before heading up to Oakland.  We’ll finish up our reporting on that in our last installment for this adventure. 

Links

Kartchner Caverns: https://azstateparks.com/kartchner

Tumacácori National Historic Park: https://www.nps.gov/tuma/index.htm

Papalo: https://www.sonoranbbq.com/

Helix Brewing: https://drinkhelix.com/