I love pulling into Rincon Country East RV Resort in Tucson. On October 22, 2019, the towering palm trees planted throughout the resort became visible from about a ½ mile away. After stopping at the security kiosk, we drove to the office where the “Welcome Home” banner greeted us, making us feel like we belonged.

Only a few winter visitors had arrived so there were plenty of sites the office could have assigned to us. Lucky us, we got a special one. We were almost set up when, Yikes! Ants! Not again!

The ant infestation we had battled for three weeks after leaving San Diego had ceased only two days before arriving in Tucson. Within a few minutes of my complaint, a maintenance person drove up in his cart and sprinkled ant poison around. As a safeguard, Jon used Comet around the jack stands and anywhere a cable or hose touched the ground. Those precautions did the trick and we enjoyed an ant-free trip for the rest of our travels.

Although we have visited Tucson before, we still found plenty of places to go and things to do. First up, I twisted Jon’s arm to take over the blog for the next section.

Pima Air & Space Museum

Hi, Jon here with a few words about the Pima Air & Space Museum. While in Tucson and having driven right by the Monthan Air Force Base and the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group many times, I often wanted to check out the area a bit closer. It is amazing to see row after row of the mothballed C-130 military transport aircraft for as far as the eye can see. Since Linda wasn’t that interested in the aircraft, I headed out to the southern end of the Base for a look at the Pima Air & Space Museum.

There are two ways to see the museum with its five hangers, the surrounding flight lines, and other buildings: The docent-led tours on a tram and self-guided walking tours. I chose the self-guided tour. This place is massive and I was only able to cover about half of it.

A few aircraft there brought back memories for me. In Vietnam, we used to follow, in our tanks and ACAV (armored cavalry assault vehicle), and were directed into contact with the enemy by our squadron commander who flew at treetop level in one of these “Loaches.”

Many times we called for air support from a Cobra.  It was awesome to watch a Cobra work out with a mini-gun and rockets.

The F-4 Phantoms were the next level of close air support and frightening to see how much damage they could unleash with their various high explosives or napalm drops.

These were just a few of the aircraft that I witnessed being used when I was in Vietnam.

There are also aircraft from WWII Army and Navy as well as Air Force too. One of the highlights for me was the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane. It was impossible to get the whole thing in the photo, but I did manage to at least squeeze the nose, cockpit, and a portion of one engine. Sitting on the yellow lift is a drone.

The information that is posted with all the aircraft is very complete and if there’s anything that you don’t understand there are docents close by that are happy to explain.

One building that I will need to return to is the 390th Memorial Museum.  This entire building is dedicated to WWII history presented through the deeply personal stories of the 390th Bomb Group personnel.  These are the aviators that flew hundreds of bombing missions in B-17 flying fortresses over Germany.

I spent the better part of a day and realized I would need to return someday to see the rest of the museum. Back to Linda.

Linda here. It sounds like another stop in Tucson is definitely in our future. Until then, here is another place we explored. The Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block encompasses an entire block in historic downtown Tucson.

Established in 1924 as the Tucson Fine Arts Association, it was renamed the Tucson Art Center in 1954 to more align with its new mission dedicated to education and exhibition of art. A final name change in 1975 further defined the museum’s collecting activities.

As with most museums, the building itself is a work of art. The concrete structure switchbacks its way from the lower levels to the upper.

Current exhibitions include Art of Latin America, Art of the American West, Modern and Contemporary Art, Folk Art, and Asian Art, to name a few. Visitors can take advantage of tours, educational programs, studio art classes, and a museum store.

Construction of a 6,000 square-foot gallery was underway during our visit. This new wing will house the Kasser family’s extensive Latin American art collection, some of which are works of pre-Columbian art. I. Michael Kasser, a Tucson business leader and trustee of the museum, donated $2.5 million toward the capital fundraising campaign.

Here are a few pieces that caught my eye while wandering through the museum:

The museum is also the caretaker of five historic properties: La Casa Cordova, Romero House, Edward Nye Fish House, Stevens/Duffield House, and J. Knox Corbett House. Visitors can tour the Corbett House with a docent.

When we finished exploring the museum it was well past lunch so we ducked into La Cocina Cantina, which was offering a Sunday Brunch complete with DJ on hand to entertain the patrons.

Coming up after New Year’s are other places we visited during our 2019 adventures in Tuscon when we’ll be back to feature the Tubac Presidio Historic State Park and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.

From our house to yours, we wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and a new year filled with safe travels, hiking, and exploring these United States and throughout the rest of the world.

Jon and Linda Todd