First on the agenda was a visit to the San Xavier del Bac Mission south of Tucson. We took a short cut through the Tohono O'Odoham Indian reservation and came in the back way. It was a beautiful clear, sunny day perfect for taking pictures and we managed to take a number of them.
First picture up was of Vivian & Patrick standing in front of the Mission with a beautiful sky in the background. We lucked out and were able to take the photo without a horde of people in the picture.
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| Early image of the Mission |
We had to dodge two large tour groups in the church and patiently waited for the altar to be clear to take the photo below. The outside entrance of the church is a replica of the backdrop of the altar. The church is still in use after being completed in 1797. Over the years they have added a courtyard and wall around the church and are still in the process of renovating the church.
Vivian, Patrick and Gerry checked out the nice museum at the mission and caught up with the history of the mission.
After leaving the Mission we continued south on I-19 to the Titan Missile site in Green Valley, AZ. When the US and Russia reached an agreement to dismantle inter-continental missiles all the sites were closed down and many were destroyed. The site at Green Valley was left as it was at the time of the closing, minus the warhead, and is open for tours. Gerry and I have been on the tour a number of times and waited while Vivian & Patrick took the hour long tour. They both seemed impressed with the site and were happy they had the opportunity to see it up close.
Then it was back toward Tucson and a visit to Saguaro West National Park. We stopped in the visitor center so they would have an idea what was there and to read up on the park's history. There are hundreds of 100+ year old saguaro cacti in the park and there is a dirt road leading through the area.
Upon leaving the park we decided it was time to have an early dinner and I chose the Guadalajara Cafe for dinner. We wanted them to have a typical Mexican dinner with salsa prepared right at the table and to be serenaded by a Mariachi Band. Since it was also "happy hour", we enjoyed some adult beverages. Flan was the dessert of choice and the three of them shared a large portion.
Since we were in downtown Tucson, we took them on a short tour of the area. There has been a lot of road construction in the area and I had to keep my eyes on the road. By this time everyone was on overload and we went back to their hotel and dropped them off. All of us were worn out and needed to get to bed early.
It was a long day, but we had nonstop conversation on a variety of subjects. Vivian and Patrick have traveled extensively and it was interesting hearing their views of the various places they have been. We also were brought up to speed on family matters and daily life in Australia. What a treat it has been to meet family from "Down Under"!
That was our fun day, how was yours?
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