Day 7: Phoenix to Green Valley, AZ - 236 Miles
Fairly easy day to Green Valley, where I have a cousin we had scheduled to see on our cancelled 2020 trip down here.
State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL - right next door to the hotel.
Was able to grab breakfast with a couple of fraternity brothers at the Cracker Barrel. Good to catch up. Then 40 miles across Phoenix to Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright's western headquarters. Waited too long to get tour tickets, all sold out. Shit. Off we go.
The landscape has changed. And it's gonna get hot today - upper 90's.
Going to make our way down the east side of I-10, staying off the freeway past Tucson.
Ran into the little farming community of Florence on the way
Pinal County Courthouse
Crossed I-10 heading west and found Saguaro National Park West to look at the big cactus. They're everywhere.
40 miles later we are in Green Valley. Lot of retirees here. Not the hustle and bustle of Phoenix. And way cheaper to live.
Had some time before we met my cousin and her husband for dinner, so why not go see a Cold War missile silo?
The Titan Missile Museum is all that remains of the 54 Titan II missile sites scattered around the United States during the Cold War and were in use between 1963 and 1987. Several 4-man crews were on alert around the clock for almost 25 years to launch nuclear armed warheads in case the Soviets got a little squirrely. If they were ever launched, it surely would have been the end of civilization as we know it. A truly facinating stop.
Getting hot in the 'Zona sun. Man, I really need to get some tints done as soon as I get home.
Off to dinner at a local golf club with the cous and hubby. This was through the window: alpenglow on Mt. Wrightson.
Finally, an easier day tomorrow. So easy, I even get to be driven around.