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
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The four of us entered the convention center through the first door we encountered, a back entrance into the lobby: good thing since a long line snaked outside the front entrance where most attendees parked. Admission was sold at booths in the lobby near both entrances; we encountered a very short line. Tickets were only checked at the entrance to the convention hall, so one could enter the lobby through any door and pay at a less-busy register.
The registers were split between cash and credit card; the line was longer for cash, which was fine since we all know I prefer to pay with credit card! I found a $2 off coupon online and had a picture of it on my phone, which I showed to the cashier. Scowling, she said that she would have preferred a print-out, but would accept the image. For future visits, I recommend printing out the coupon, one for everyone in your party.
The show was huge, with all of the big displays on the main floor and smaller outfits populating the side halls.
There were items other than minerals for sale, such as fossils, old coins, cut gems, fine and costume jewelry. There were side halls full of vendors selling costume jewelry. I had a fun time trying on dazzling cubic zirconia rings.
Lunch was offered by food trucks parked in a secure area outside of the main hall. One offered Peruvian cuisine; the bubble gum flavor of
Inca Kola brought back memories of
visiting the Sacred Valley over 8 years ago.
I found many of the fine pieces at the main show had also been on display at Westward Look, so if you want to see quality specimens for free, just go to Westward Look. The main show did have some unique exhibits, such as the fluorescent mineral display (requiring a short wait to get under the dark curtains, not conducive to photo-taking) and live demonstrations of gem faceting tools. Plus, there was a lot of jewelry on display if that suits your fancy.
I noticed pricing varied widely between vendors for a similar piece of mineral, so it was worthwhile to comb the whole floor. I did end up buying a few trinkets, including a small silver
larimar pendant. Kate acquired some nice specimens as well as a lovely piece of jewelry.
After the show, we had an early dinner at
HUB Restaurant and Ice Creamery, located downtown on Congress Street. The menu featured elevated comfort food with a Tucson flair. It was pretty tasty, especially the ice cream.
 | | glory curds |
|  | | pork belly |
|
 | | lobster pot pie |
|  | | homemade ice cream |
|
On Valentine's Day, we drove back out to the
Pima Canyon Trail to pick up where we left off before the rainstorm hit. The weather was perfect today.
The rest of the day was spent exploring
Saguaro National Park. Surprisingly, it was a decent place to play Pokemon Go. However, the Pokemon I left in the gym were stuck there for almost a week as they were located in remote places.
 | | great for Pokemon Go |
|
|
 |
| petroglyphs |
On Saturday, we made our way to the
Titan Missile Museum, half an hour south by car from our Airbnb. Guided tours of the underground silo and support facilities lasted 45 minutes. It started with a short video presentation. Afterwards, visitors 6 feet tall and above were given safety hard hats due to low ceilings within the underground facilities. Once outside, we were led down a long stairwell into the depths. It felt like traveling back in time, similar to our experience visiting
Hospital in the Rock, a former WWII emergency hospital and Cold War nuclear bunker, in Budapest
a few years ago. Everything looked as it did back in the 1960's.
Then we were off to the U.S.-Mexico border to enjoy a late lunch in Nogales. Driving on
I-19 was interesting as the signs listed distances in kilometers.
We parked the car in a lot close to the border crossing, $5 for the day. There were no lines or customs (as we were not declaring anything) to enter Mexico. No one checked or stamped our passports. On the other side of the turnstiles, pharmacies, currency exchanges, and souvenir stalls were some of the many businesses awaiting customers. Thankfully there was no pressure to buy, compared to when we were in Nassau, Bahamas
a few months ago.
We found the entrance to
La Roca Restaurant in the courtyard of a building; the signage became more prominent the closer we got. Kaleb had dined here before when he lived in Arizona. The restaurant had an elegant, yet festive atmosphere, with interesting architecture as it was partially built into the mountainside. Servers had jackets and bow ties, but there was no dress code - both casual and formal attire would fit right in. The handwritten menu was presented on a huge board. We were stuffed from trying so many dishes.
Afterwards, we stopped by a flea market of sorts and purchased some souvenirs. We also went into a convenience store to buy the Mexican-made
Sabritas Ruffles Queso potato chips that I got addicted to when I was in Puerto Vallarta
a couple of years ago. There is a version of it in the U.S. also called
Ruffles Queso, but it isn't the same. The Mexican chips are thinner, crispier, and less oily.
Coming back into the United States wasn't as easy as entering Mexico. We waited in line for about an hour to get through customs and immigration. The border crossing for cars was even worse, with long queues on both sides.
Overall, our experience walking across the border went well, despite the long wait getting back into the U.S.
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