Back in Tucson

Leaving Laughlin and the flies behind, the next day we headed off to Tucson, Arizona taking a detour via Parker to have breakfast at the Early Bird Café. Although as we didn’t arrive until after 10.00 a.m. we weren’t exactly early birds.  

From there we continued on to Tucson and of course the closer we got the hotter it became, I really don’t know how people ever managed to live in the desert before air conditioning. Even though we picked up the truck and fifth wheel reasonably early the next day, by the time we’d checked into Rincon East and set up we were absolutely exhausted it was so hot.

We had planned on heading to New Mexico, but as DB was having knee problems, we decided to stay in Tucson instead.  The weather was gorgeous and usually temperatures are in the mid 80’s at that time of the year (October), but they were having a heatwave and most days it was pushing 100F, quite a lot hotter than we expected!  

One day we drove over to San Xavier Del Bac Mission, known as ‘The White Dove of the Desert’ it’s a beautiful place.  Although the original mission was built in 1692 by a Spanish Missionary, Father Eusebio Kino, construction of the current church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797.

It’s the oldest intact European structure in Arizona and the inside of the church is full of original murals and statues.

While we were there we watched as a conservator worked on the altar rails slowly uncovering colourful paintwork hidden underneath years of muck and brown varnish.

Outside on the plaza some of the Tohono O'odham sell Indian Fry bread, it’s flat like a pancake and tastes a bit like a deep fried Yorkshire pudding, delicious! You can eat it with lots of different things, but we usually eat ours with honey and cinnamon sugar, scrumptious and I’m sure they’re absolutely totally fat and sugar free, not!

Have fun, we are!