Cleveland National Forrest

Just outside of San Diego lies a very remote national park (Cleveland National Forrest) with no water or electricity but a great California countryside getaway.  After traveling down a slender, windy road for several miles and contemplating if we were going the right direction we came to the Corral Canyon campgrounds.  Not a sol to be seen until the motor cross bikes rolled in the next morning to hit the trails.  This was a great campsite to overnight before heading to our final destination: San Diego.

Dateland, AZ

Date palms galore! I had never seen a date tree nor did I realize tgey existed in Arizona. The branches of dates were super heavy. Close by was a date everything store...literally. We had date ice cream which was deliscious. There were numerous types and yes, I tried them all.

Hotel Congress

An old historic site in Tucson with lots of character that's sure to bring a good experience no matter what time of day. The Cup Cafe inside the hotel serves a mouth watering brunch (& it's full of vegan options). The patio offers a great place to grab a drink and $5 munchies for a low key evening with friends. Several nights a week you can catch various musicians taking the hotel's theater stage and Tuesday night is trivia. 

Red Rocks

Sedona, AZ-- Surrounded breathtaking views of rusty, red mountains. This place is a must see!  The Airport loop hiking trail offers great views and gives a complete 360 tour of Sedona.  Fay's canyon hiking trail allows you to venture into the red mountains but don't stop once you reach the 'trail end' sign. The best is yet to come! Keep hiking up through the large rocks towards the giant overhang. The views will not disappoint.  The Chapel on the Rocks. This tiny catholic church has spectacular views from the inside and out.  Random info--The large red mansion you pass on the way in is owned by the man who created the laser for Lasix. It was valued at 29mm in 2010.  Here's a few other trails I hope to checkout sometime this summer: Devil's Bridge, Schnebley road and the slide rocks.

Union Public House

This is Tucson's newest gastropub and is located in the St. Philip's Plaza.  So glad a place like this moved into the area....only a short walk away:) It's great for lunch, dinner or their extremely popular 'social hour.' I've been for lunch and social hour a few times.  The tomato soup is outstanding!  On the 'social hour' menu, the mac n' cheese is super creamy and filling and people seem to love the burger.  The patio is wonderful with it's airy and cozy ambiance.  Plus, you can easily see the TVs from patio if you're in the mood to catch a game.

Colossal Caverns

Colossal Caverns are located just outside of Tucson in Vail, AZ.  There are numerous things to do here from camping, horseback riding, hiking and cave tours.

These pictures are from the regular cave tour.  They also offer one called the 'ladder tour' that allows you to take on a real cave adventure as you go crawling on your hand and knees through tiny paths, rock climb through portions and use rope ladders to hoist yourself through the cavern.  After seeing some of the tiny holes I can't decide if I think it would be a blast or a claustrophobic mess.  Colossal is considered a dry cave and therefore, doesn't have the shiny wet appearance on the rocks inside the cave.  Due to the dry appearance, some of the formations within the cave appeared fake although, they were the real deal.

The Alter--people have actually had their wedding inside the cave!

 

The 'living room'

Water in the desert!

Sabino Canyon is part of the Coronado National Forrest located in the foothills of Tucson.  There are several trails that take you throughout the mountains and range in varying levels of difficulty.  These photos are taken from the Sabino Canyon trail which is 3.8 mile paved path leading up into the Santa Catalina mountains.  

The entrance of Sabino Canyon

The creek running alongside the trail

This hike was absolutely beautiful!  I have done this hike one time before but as a night hike when there was a full moon out.  Both were great!  I definitely recommend either for anyone wanting to get outdoors and see a different area of Tucson.