Two More Visits To Tucson, AZ – Here’s What Little We Did

I had such high hopes for our recent visits to Tucson. We spent some time there in February/March 2020 just before – and then right as – COVID hit and wanted to return as there was a lot we hadn’t gotten around to seeing.

We ended up visiting there twice recently – once in April 2021 and once in May 2021 – for reasons I’ll explain in a moment. Unfortunately the way things worked out we didn’t end up doing as many activities on our list as we’d hoped, so another visit to Tucson in the future might be in order!

Here’s a recap of what we did – and didn’t – get up to during our two recent visits there.

Why We Visited Twice

There was an important reason we visited Tucson in April and subsequently returned a month later. Shae and I got our first COVID vaccinations in April, so rather than trying to arrange our second shots in a completely different location a month later (our original plan had been to be in Utah), we decided to change our plans and head back to Tucson for those second shots.

That was no bad thing considering how much we liked Tucson when visiting last year, so we were more than happy to rearrange things that way. It made life much easier vaccination-wise because we were able to schedule both shots at the same time and so could plan around those dates. Here’s a post I wrote about us getting our COVID vaccinations where I shared more about what it was like trying to arrange those shots when traveling full-time, as well as what it’s like having vasovagal syncope. The second shot really took it out of me, so that put paid to me doing anything for most of our second stay in Tucson this year.

Where We Stayed

When visiting in April we stayed at the Country Inn & Suites Tucson Airport. We’d spent a few days there last year right when COVID hit (here’s our original review) and decided to return because a) it was good value when using points and b) we could book straight into a one bedroom suite rather than a studio suite, thereby giving us more room.

The hotel was a perfectly fine place to stay, but I won’t book another stay there because the internet was simply awful. We both work online and so having a poor internet connection – or none at all which was often the case – is a deal breaker.

As a result, we picked somewhere different to stay in May. Well, that and the fact that the previous stay at the Country Inn & Suites had used up most of our Radisson Rewards points. We found a great paid rate for a two bedroom loft suite at the Sonesta ES Suites Tucson (here’s my review).

This was a decent property with much better internet, so it was a comfortable place to stay while resting up after our second COVID shots.

What We Did

This section will be much shorter than I would like it to have been. I had all these grand plans to go hiking at Madera Canyon, Sabino Canyon and more, but that didn’t work out. We did head to Madera Canyon one afternoon, but shortly after setting off Shae remembered that she had a podcast interview to do later that afternoon. We could’ve spent a bit more time on the trail, but to be honest neither of us were really feeling it that day and so we just ate our packed lunch and headed back to the hotel.

We’d had several people recommend Sabino Canyon and so I really wanted to go hiking there. However, work commitments, extreme heat and resting up after our second COVID shots meant all the times I could’ve gone didn’t pan out.

Another hike we did do though was at Tanque Verde Falls. We’d tried hiking to the falls last year, but the water levels were too high at points and we didn’t make it to the falls. This time we had the opposite problem – there was hardly any water at all. Apparently early March has too much water and mid April has virtually none!

It was tricky once again clambering over some of the rocks with our dog Truffles, but we eventually made it.

I think.

The end of the trail seemed to be where there was the teensiest trickle of water which was the location where Google Maps said the falls were. However, having since seen other photos of the falls online it doesn’t look like this was the right place after all, so it seems like once again we missed out! Some other people walking their dog on the trail had disappeared off somewhere, so perhaps the trail extended further and takes you to some actual falls.

With a lot of activities in Tucson being outdoors, I wasn’t overly keen on being outside in 90-100° temperatures. Living in Virginia most of her life, Shae deals with the heat better than my British sensitivities, so she headed out for a few other activities while I worked. That included the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (mostly outdoors), Titan Missile Museum (mostly inside) and the Pima Air & Space Museum (a mix of inside and outside).

I write part time for Frequent Miler and while we were in Tucson the first time this year, Greg and his wife were staying at the Ritz-Carlton. We had a lovely dinner with them there one evening and towards the end of the meal a group of javelina came walking past on the outdoor patio. Unfortunately I missed this as I’d gone to the restroom, but did get to see them on the hotel property later as we headed back to our car.

 

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When visiting Tucson last year we drove through Saguaro National Park East. On our way out of town in April we decided to take a quick drive through Saguaro National Park West. Pets aren’t allowed on most trails, but they are allowed in paved areas, picnic spots, etc., so we stopped for lunch so Truffles could admire the cacti.

Where We Ate

We didn’t eat out much in Tucson or, more accurately, order food to go. One night we got dinner from Filiberto’s Mexican Food; I got a burrito, while Shae got nachos. Both were tasty and had generous portion sizes.

Another night we ordered dinner from Chickenuevo which is a local Tucson chain. I got the family chicken meal so that I’d have leftovers…

..while Shae got their enchiladas combo. We both enjoyed our meals and so I’d be happy eating there again in the future.

What We Still Need To Do

There are still several things on our to-visit list for Tucson, so hopefully we get a chance to do at least a few of those at some point in the future:

• Hiking at Sabino Canyon
• Hiking at Madera Canyon
• Wisdom’s Cafe in Tumacacori-Carmen as they apparently do fruit burritos which sound interesting
• Kartchner Caverns State Park
• Mission San Xavier del Bac
• Hiking at Mt Lemmon