Tucson: gem shows, hiking, Pima Air and Space Museum, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - February 10-12, 2020

Trip Index

• Pre-lockdown road trip: Palm Springs, Prescott, Phoenix
• Tucson: gem shows, hiking, Pima Air and Space Museum, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
• Tucson Gem and Mineral Main Show, hiking, Titan Missile Museum, Nogales
• Arizona Biltmore Resort, return home, future travel cancellations

***

Monday morning, we awoke to a beautiful warm day in Tucson. Our Airbnb had the comforts of home and unexpected touches like board games, organic toiletries, laundry detergent, a record player with vintage vinyl selections, and even a bottle of wine and gourmet whole bean coffee with grinder and French press. Despite the upgrade to solar power, time seemed to have forgotten this place: the kitchen colors were circa-1950's, the range looked original as the oven had funky wiring inside, and the living and dining room furniture exuded mid-century flair. The only negative was that the driveway was too narrow for full-sized cars, so I had to park on the street. I didn't take pictures of the home as I planned to include a link to the Airbnb listing, but as of this writing (and probably since the pandemic started), the owner had removed it. In the future, you can try searching for "Downtown Solar-Powered Mid-Century Modern Home" hosted by Dan in case you are interested in staying here; he lives in the backyard casita. Surprisingly, we had abundant privacy; in fact, we managed never to bump into each other the entire week.

the only picture I have of the Airbnb

Our plan today was to visit a high-end gem and mineral show called the Westward Look, located in...take a guess...the Westward Look resort. It was a far drive from home so we added a hiking stop in the area to make the outing worthwhile.

Before our trip, Kate recommended this link to useful information about the Tucson gem shows to get up to speed with the format, pricing, content, etc. The Westward Look didn't disappoint. There were so many museum-quality specimens, some that seemed impossible to exist in nature, but there it was in front of your eyes! The really rare ones cost upwards of six to seven figures, but a meticulous search through the hundreds of items on the sale tables can uncover quality finds for a reasonable price. I didn't buy anything, but I admired all of the beauty. I was also amazed by this show's setup. The vendors booked rooms in the resort, moved all of the furniture out of the living space and set up secured glass displays all along the walls. It must take a lot of work and money to ship their showcases from city to city across the US, especially the heavy or delicate specimens. 

I didn't take any pictures of the minerals up close as some of the vendors had "no photography" signs. Not all did, but I didn't want to draw any ire. I only noticed one person taking pictures with a high-end camera, maybe for marketing. But don't worry, I took pictures at the main show so you can see some when we get to that blog entry. Or you can do a Google image search for "westward look mineral show".

taken outside the door

After our visit, we picked up lunch at Tucson Tamale Company. I don't eat corn, so take everyone else's word for it that the tamales were delicious. I had a chorizo and cheese quesadilla instead.

and removed the corn from the salad...

After lunch, we drove to the Pima Canyon trailhead and enjoyed the cactus landscape for about half an hour before turning around, seeing very dark rain clouds headed our way. We got back to the car just before the downpour ensued.

360 spherical image of Pima Canyon trail, taken with the Ricoh Theta S:

Pima Canyon trailhead - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

Afterwards, we went to the grocery store to buy food for the week, then returned to the house. Later in the evening, we went to Mineral City, where a bunch of vendors had set up shop. Night driving through pouring rain in an unfamiliar city felt unsafe, so we decided to take an Uber there. Flooded roads are common in Tucson as there is no drainage built in. Our Uber was slow-going, carefully avoiding deep puddles in the street. Mineral City was located in an industrial part of town where many of the businesses were closed for the day. We and the driver were skeptical of the address until we saw lighted buildings and people walking in and out.

An after-party was going on, open to all as advertised on their Facebook page. We saw a plastic tub full of bottled beer on ice, along with picked-over snack items on a table nearby. Some vendors were serving wine in their spaces. The four of us just had dinner so nothing looked appetizing. Based on the map on their website, we entered through Building C. I am unsure if we ever made it to Building A or B as there were a lot of twists and turns. It was late so many of the vendors had closed. We did have the opportunity to see a large specimen that had thousands of years old water trapped in it - pretty cool. The guy gently shook the translucent slab and you could see and hear the water sloshing inside. I didn't take any pictures that night as no one was doing so.

On Tuesday, we made our way to the Pima Air and Space Museum. This is the place for aviation history enthusiasts. There were so many different kinds of aircraft on display, inside and outside, ranging from warplanes to personal planes. The Women In Flight exhibit was very interesting. I was awed at the size of the "Super Guppy" airplane...how did that thing fly? It used to carry rocket components.

find me in front of the Super Guppy

Pokemon Go friendly

360 spherical image of the outdoor museum, taken with the Ricoh Theta S: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

Afterwards, Kate had a hankering for Navajo fry bread, so we found Cafe Santa Rosa on Yelp and headed there for an early supper. The Indian tacos and sweet popovers were pretty good.

Indian tacos

honey popover

On Wednesday, we got to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum in time to catch the 10am Raptor Free Flight show. I recommend you get there early to snag a good spot next to the cactus and tree roosts in order to get a clear view of the birds when they swoop and land.

13-second clip of "What does the owl say?": (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

19-second video of swoop and poo: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

We explored the rest of the grounds, including the aviary, gardens, and animal areas. There were spectacular minerals on display as well. A quick lunch was had at the Ironwood Terraces food court.

hummingbirds in the aviary

live venomous creatures

cavern replica

the oldest thing I have ever touched

cougar

ocelot

bobcat

Pokemon Go-friendly

wooly jacket prickly pear

rainbow hedgehog

totem pole cactus

purple prickly pear

After browsing the gift shop and enjoying some refreshments, we left the museum and parked a short distance away to enjoy a desert sunset.

360 spherical photo of the desert sunset, taken with the Ricoh Theta S: (click here if you cannot see the preview below)

Sunset near the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

Tomorrow, we attend the main Tucson Gem and Mineral Show...stay tuned! 

(Missed reading about the first part of our road trip, visiting Palm Springs, Prescott and Phoenix? Click here! Don't miss a single update! Click here to have the latest delivered straight into your inbox...opt out anytime.)

***

If you came here from a Facebook or Twitter link, thanks for clicking the "Facebook Like" button at the top of the page or retweeting!

Don't miss a blog entry!  Sign up for updates direct to your inbox here or add the blog to your RSS feed.

Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go?  Contact me at yellowdogtravel at gmail d0t com with your ideas and I can help you plan it!  Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts.  I have lots of happy returning clients - references always available.

Come check out my other blog "What in the world is Kat Kong doing now?", documenting things other than traveling...sign up for blog updates direct to your inbox here!

Another disclaimer:  The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

Previous post: Pre-lockdown road trip: Palm Springs, Prescott, Phoenix

Pre-lockdown road trip: Palm Springs, Prescott, Phoenix - February 6-9, 2020

Trip Index

• Pre-lockdown road trip: Palm Springs, Prescott, Phoenix
• Tucson: gem shows, hiking, Pima Air and Space Museum, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
• Tucson Gem and Mineral Main Show, hiking, Titan Missile Museum, Nogales
• Arizona Biltmore Resort, return home, future travel cancellations

***

In 2019, we were blessed to have opportunities to travel every month of the year. 2020 seemed to continue the trend, having recently returned from Las Vegas in January, Napa earlier this month, and now, a road trip to Arizona for the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show to celebrate Kate's milestone birthday. She and Jarrett would fly out to Phoenix and we would meet them there.

PLANNING

I considered flying to Phoenix or Tucson, but we would need a car to get around all of the smaller gem shows as well as do some sightseeing. Rentals were pretty expensive, so we decided to drive to Arizona. We would schedule overnight pitstops at various places along the way there and back to break up the journey.

We used Kaleb's free night certificate (from having the IHG Select credit card, no longer available for application) at the Kimpton Rowan, a hotel located in downtown Palm Springs. Cash rate would have been around $475 a night or 60k IHG points, a fantastic redemption value for the $49 annual fee. Too bad the certificates were recently devalued down to a 35k point value, eliminating premium hotels such as the Rowan and the Palazzo in Las Vegas, where we stayed back in 2017. It was too good a deal to last.

In Phoenix, we planned to meet up with friends and stay overnight at Frank and Tanya's house. The last time we saw them was in Sedona back in June.

Kate planned a visit to Skyline Type Foundry in Prescott for her letterpress printing hobby. We would head there right after picking them up from the Phoenix airport. Since it was in the opposite direction of Tucson, an overnight stay was planned at SpringHill Suites Prescott. Cash rate was around $300/night for a 2-queen studio, but I was able to use a free night certificate from having the Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business card, providing a substantial discount for the $99 annual fee.

In Tucson, we would stay a week in a quaint 2-bedroom mid-century solar-powered Airbnb home, located within walking distance to downtown and the Tucson Convention Center where the main gem show would be held. The first half of the balance due was paid with discounted Airbnb gift cards and the second half using a credit card that had a 5% off Airbnb offer. It cost less than a hotel room to have a whole house to ourselves. Having a full kitchen and a living room makes an extended stay more enjoyable.

Once the week was over, after dropping off Kate and Jarrett at the Tucson airport, Kaleb and I would make our way back home via Phoenix and Southern California. I redeemed a Hilton Aspire free night certificate at the Arizona Biltmore. Cash rate would have been around $560/night. The annual fee for the Aspire credit card is high at $450; however, you receive the free night certificate, along with a $250 airline credit, a $250 Hilton resort credit, and Hilton Honors Diamond status, which gets you free breakfast and room upgrades. I planned to use the $250 Hilton resort credit for afternoon tea and dinner at Frank & Albert's, with reservations made via OpenTable. I would have preferred to eat at the fancier Wright's restaurant, but it was not open the night of our stay. There happened to be a timely "spend $350, save $60 at Waldorf Astoria hotels" AMEX offer on the Aspire card to offset food costs even more, as the Arizona Biltmore was part of the Waldorf Astoria chain. Now, normally I would balk at paying high prices, but with all the discounts and credits from the Hilton Aspire, we would be indulging ourselves for the price of a mid-tier hotel and restaurant.

In Southern California, we would crash at my brother Ed's house for the night.

Let's get this show on the road...

GOING

Our drive from Northern California to Palm Springs was uneventful. We made it to the Kimpton Rowan as the sun set. Thank goodness for complimentary valet as there was hardly any parking due to the street closure for the VillageFest on Thursday evenings.

While checking in, I mentioned the current Kimpton secret password "Stay Human" to the front desk clerk. He showed us a marker board with superheroes listed on it; we chose Superman and ended up getting coupons for two drinks at the bar...how fun! The Kimpton "secret password" promotion is offered a few times a year. Based on guest reviews, other gifts can include free breakfast, free souvenir, or free wine.

The room was decorated in a contemporary style, with interesting features such as a white noise generator, a window into the shower from the bedroom (there was a blind, but the control is in the bedroom), and a yoga mat. Each Kimpton hotel has a unique feature in the closet; in the Rowan, it was a green camel figurine atop the closet shelf, a funky nod to an obscure (yet still valid) law in Palm Springs that one cannot walk a camel down Palm Canyon Drive between the hours of 4 and 6pm.

crisp comfy king bed

white noise generator

(paid) mini-bar

interesting items in here

shower show

Atelier Bloem bulk toiletries

We left the hotel on foot to Wilma & Frieda, with reservations made on OpenTable. VillageFest was well under way, with vendors set up along the closed-off portion of Palm Canyon Drive. The weather was a bit brisk; thankfully, there was a heating element above our outdoor balcony table. Dinner was okay; I suspect the better reviews were for breakfast and brunch. Eating on the balcony was lively with all the activity below.

funky hotel elevator

VillageFest

duck fat fries

short rib ravioli

fish special

Pokemon Go-friendly

For dessert, we crossed the street to Lappert's. We settled on a date shake, fitting for Palm Springs.

We returned to the Kimpton Rowan and redeemed our drink tickets at the pool bar. As we requested them to-go, the bartender mixed the drinks into plastic glasses to take back to the room. There looked to be comfortable seating next to fire pit tables, but I felt it was too chilly to hang out.

Friday morning, we checked out of the hotel, then texted my ticket number to the valet for pick up - very cool. While waiting for the car, I went to Starbucks next door to grab some breakfast to-go.

view out our room, my car in valet

The weather was bright and sunny on our drive to Phoenix. We made it to Frank and Tanya's house as scheduled. Other friends arrived and we enjoyed a night of Rock Band like old times.

The next morning, we left for the airport to pick up Jarrett and Kate, then grabbed lunch to go from a Subway off the freeway on the outskirts of Phoenix. We made it to Prescott in time for our meeting with the foundry's owner, Sky. He gave us a tour of the facilities. It was very interesting to see the equipment and learn about the type-making process. 

Sky and his wife Johanna were so welcoming - we had an impromptu happy hour in the foundry, and as we were leaving, invited the four of us to dinner at The Palace on Whiskey Row in downtown Prescott. Since we didn't have any plans, we were glad for the company.

Before dinner, we checked into the SpringHill Suites. The room was spacious, typical of the brand. Complimentary breakfast for all guests was served in the morning.

living room area

kitchenette

two queens

standard shower/tub combo

We walked a short distance from the hotel to The Palace, located on Whiskey Row. Sky and Johanna were already there. The restaurant and saloon was historic, the staff dressed in period clothing. The bar was original, dating back to the 1880s.

like the Earps and Doc Holliday

large portion of fish and chips

The atmosphere was lively and the portions were tasty and huge. Our conversation tended towards enticing Kate and Jarrett to move to Prescott and work at the foundry. At the end of the meal, the server came directly to Sky with the check; he slapped a credit card down despite our protests. Thank you for a lovely dinner...I'm sure Kate will remain a loyal customer!

On Sunday morning, I woke to find everyone else had already gotten up, had breakfast and were exploring the area around the hotel. Eventually I made my way to breakfast. The buffet in the lobby served the basics, enough to fill you up.

breakfast buffet setup

Today, we planned to visit the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) and Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix before making our way to the Airbnb in Tucson. 

It was an hour-and-a-half easy drive from Prescott to the MIM. What a fascinating place! Most of the museum was divided up by geography. It was fascinating to see regional variations of the same instrument. The Experience Gallery offered visitors hands-on opportunities. The Mechanical Music Gallery had a huge orchestrion that would be played twice a day. Seeing the different parts of the orchestrion operating together to create rich sound was impressive. For lunch, we enjoyed the food at Cafe Allegro inside the MIM.

air guitar on display :)

from tiny violins to...

...large basses

electric harp-lute

even "garbage" can be made into music

orchestrion

Cafe Allegro

in the Experience Gallery

8-second clip of ringing the gong in the Experience Gallery: (click here if you cannot see the preview below) 

I could have spent a couple more hours here, but with limited time, we headed to our next destination, the Desert Botanical Garden. There were so many different kinds of desert flora to see, ranging from small to large, with varieties of colors, textures and shapes.

great for Pokemon Go

I made OpenTable reservations for dinner at Gertrude's, a casual farm-to-fork restaurant inside the botanical garden. It was pretty tasty.

morsels

duck

tamales

After the garden closed, we drove another two hours to get to our Airbnb in Tucson. We had no trouble following our host's instructions to enter the property and found ourselves feeling right at home.

We will continue hitting the ground running, visiting gem shows and sightseeing around Tucson...stay tuned! 

(Missed reading about our visit to Napa? Click here! Don't miss a single update! Click here to have the latest delivered straight into your inbox...opt out anytime.)

***

If you came here from a Facebook or Twitter link, thanks for clicking the "Facebook Like" button at the top of the page or retweeting!

Don't miss a blog entry!  Sign up for updates direct to your inbox here or add the blog to your RSS feed.

Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go?  Contact me at yellowdogtravel at gmail d0t com with your ideas and I can help you plan it!  Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts.  I have lots of happy returning clients - references always available.

Come check out my other blog "What in the world is Kat Kong doing now?", documenting things other than traveling...sign up for blog updates direct to your inbox here!

Another disclaimer:  The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!

Previous post: Wining and dining in Napa with friends