Green Valley & Tubac, AZ.

12/6/09


After we left Tombstone Territories RV Park, we headed north on Hwy 80, through Benson and then on Interstate 10 back to Doc Justin's Diamond J RV Park in Tucson. We had spent a week there using our Passport membership for the seven day 1/2 price allotment. Joe called and asked if we could come back and stay at the 1/2 price for two days, at first they said no. Then the women said she would ask her husband and he said since they were not full they would take us at the discount price. Sometimes you just need to ask! After setting up we headed down south on Interstate 19 for a day trip in the Honda to Green Valley. We have some friends who recently bought their winter home there and thought we would like to check the town out. We had hoped that we could see them and their new home, but I forgot to email them until last night before I went to bed. Before we left in the late morning, I checked my emails but had not heard from them. When we got to Green Valley, we drove around some of the neighborhoods and tried to find a couple of stores with the GPS. It kept taking us into neighborhoods where no stores were located. We could not live without a GPS, but sometimes for reasons we don't understand it takes us to places that are wild goose chases. Green Valley is a fairly large town of at least 25,000, I would guess. The elevation is at 2900 ft. So it would have cooler summers than Phoenix but cooler winters. After our visit to Green Valley we headed south about 20 miles to Tubac. I found an article online of "America's Coolest Small Towns". Tubac was one of the 10, so naturally we had to go see it. Tubac's population is about 2,000, with elevation at 3200 ft, and 40 miles south of Tucson. The town has this magnificent shopping center full of art galleries and fun stuff. This is the shop where I finally found the perfect funky cross pendant, I've been looking for, with turquoise and coral in it to remind me of the Southeast. The pendant was made by a Southwest artist, who has been making jewelry for 40 years named Rocki Gorman. After shopping we visited a historic mission just 3 miles south of Tubac in Tumacacori. Tumacacori National Historic Park. We got in free with our annual National Park pass. Yeah! The mission was built 1757. Not sure what this building was used for. Inside of the church. Shot from alter looking out the front door. Window up by ceiling. The walls are very thick. Walls range from 5 to 7 feet thick. Another view of thickness of walls. Behind the church. Graveyard and mortuary chapel. Courtyard and grave sites. Door going out of courtyard. Inside mortuary chapel. View of mortuary chapel and back of church.
Food storage building. Recreated Indian Kiva's(home of the Prima or O'odham Indians). Another shot of kiva. The San Jose' de Tumaca'cori. The bell tower was never finished. View from another courtyard. Picture of a model of the original mission church finish with all it color and decor. After our visit to the mission, we headed back to Tubac and stopped at a housing district in Tubac. As we pass a home Joe said look at that; He backed the car up to show me what he saw walking behind the homes we just passed. A bull another several other cows strolling behind the homes. Another neighborhood in Tubac. And viewing that neighborhood from the highway as we head back up the road to Green Valley and then Tucson. Tubac and Green Valley have a great view of the Santa Rita Mountains. On the way to Tucson we go through a border check point for illegal aliens. Another view of the Santa Rita's.