Vacationing in Tucson

Last week Angie announced that as part of Wordful Wednesday she was going to offer a prompt for our posts and photos that we could chose to use if we wanted to.

Hmmm.... I thought. I guess that could be fun.

Then I read the prompt: What is your favorite travel destination? Show & Tell us about it.

My first though was... Well, I guess I will opt out of this week's prompt!

You see, I have never traveled anywhere exotic or interesting. I have never been out of the country... who am I kidding?! I've only been in about 10 states in my entire life (some of them only briefly).

Then as I got thinking about it, I realized that the destination did not have to be somewhere foreign or exotic. It just has to be a place that I love to visit. So I decided to participate in the prompt this week, and my chosen location is Tucson, Arizona.

I met my husband while attending graduate school in Tucson. It was so different from what I was used to! No leafy trees, very little grass, and so many sharp plants! I wasn't sure if I liked Tucson at all. Then I met my Honey Daddy, we were married six months later and I ended up living in Tucson for a couple of years.

Needless to say, my dislike turned into a love for the desert and its unique beauty. Now we live in Utah, but every Christmas we return to Tucson to spend the holidays with my husband's family and I look forward to the trip.

Last year as we traveled to Tucson, my oldest son was excited to see the "funny trees" they have down south. Somehow I know my vacation has started when we see Joshua trees and tall palms:

It is so nice to leave the snow and cold to travel to the city with over 350 sunny days per year. Last year my husband and I brought our bicycles with us so we could get some cycing in while we were on vacation. There are so many great places to ride, and some pretty nice views along the way.

I love to be able to take my boys to the park and play in the middle of the winter. The weather is spectacular, and so are some of the local plants.

These plants command respect, don't they?


Not all the plants are sharp and spiny, see:


I love the sunshine in the middle of the winter. I love to go hiking and biking in and around Tucson. I love to see the saguaros, ocotillo, palo verde trees, prickly pear cactus, and the orange, lemon and grapefruit trees. I love the sounds of the desert and the warm breezes. I love to visit Tucson.

Every year we somewhat reluctantly head home from out vacation loaded with Christmas presents. Inevitably we also bring home a ton of pecans and grapefruit from the trees at my in-laws house. Yummy, huh?

How could I not love to visit Tucson? It is my summer sun in the middle of the cold winter. It is one of my favorite travel destinations. What's yours?

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