Pima Air and Space Museum (Tucson, Arizona)

I find myself conflicted about visiting places like the Pima Air and Space Museum because I assume the emphasis of the exhibits will be all about war. I don’t understand war, don’t support war, and don’t like being subjected to war propaganda. I also understand that most people don’t relish the thought of war, and that despite our deepest desire to not see any countries in conflict, the possibility will always exist that at the very least we may have to defend lives on our own turf. (I try to keep this thought first and foremost when walking through museums of this type.) And while the Pima Air and Space Museum did have its share of war related and military machinery, it also had many other displays that I found quite fascinating.

There was the airplane once recognized as the world’s smallest aircraft, known as The Bumblebee; mechanical displays of intricate engine design; home-built airplanes made from “kits”; space travel; aircraft depicted in the movies; a huge exhibit devoted to Women in Flight; and brightly painted planes of all imaginable shapes and sizes.

There were many examples of “nose art”, paintings on the fuselage of airplanes during World War II, a form of aircraft graffiti. At first I was slightly uncomfortable with what seemed to me the trivialization of something that should be somber and entered into regretfully. But after reading some of the history of this custom I had a greater understanding of how this practice provided an outlet for military personnel to express individuality, evoke memories of home and peacetime life, and as a kind of psychological protection against the stresses of war and the probability of death.

Another kind of graffiti was also on display in the Round Trip: Art From The Boneyard Project, which resurrects disused airplanes from America’s military history and puts them into the hands of contemporary graffiti and street artists from around the world. Here, entire airplanes were painted with colorful and imaginative scenes by thirty different artists.

We concluded our visit with the hour long bus tour of The Boneyard, where an on-board docent narrated our drive through more than 4000 aircraft from the Air Force, Navy-Marine Corps, Army, Coast Guard, and NASA. These craft, resting on over 80-acres, are in varying degrees of storage, regeneration, or preparing to be recycled.

Chiricahua National Monument (Arizona)

One hundred miles east of Tucson, near the border of New Mexico, is the Chiricahua National Monument, aptly dubbed a “Wonderland of Rocks”. Nothing could have prepared me for the impact of hiking right into the center of some of the most amazing rock formations I’ve ever seen. The park spans 11,985 acres accessible to visitors via an 8-mile paved scenic drive, or 17-miles of hiking trails, and contains large expanses of volcanic rocks which have eroded into dramatic pinnacles and spires. Known as “hoodoos”, these stacked rock formations are other-worldly in appearance, and it’s hard to fathom how they stay put! Formed from a huge volcanic eruption around 27 million years ago, I guess these rocks, composed of compacted pumice and ash, aren’t going anywhere soon, despite the fact that many of them appear so precariously balanced that it seems a high wind should send them tumbling down.

From the Visitor Center, Dan and I hiked the 7-mile Rhyolite Canyon trail that culminated in the 1.1-mile Heart of Rocks Loop, a route that winds through some of the most impressive rock groups in the park, and includes several examples of these impossibly balanced pillars. Fanciful names have been assigned to many of the formations such as Kissing Rocks (this one begged for a photo pose from us!), Punch and Judy, Thor’s Hammer, Camel’s Head, and Duck on a Rock. It isn’t hard at all to see where these names came from! I am so grateful to have the opportunity to visit places like this, to have access to the natural treasures preserved by our National Parks system. Chiricahua National Monument is truly one of these treasures, and I hope someday I’ll get the chance for a return visit.

We did have one unexpected encounter with a Black-Tailed Rattlesnake, about ¼ mile from the parking lot on our return trip. This snake was coiled, hissing, and shaking it’s rattles, so Dan kept a careful distance while taking the pictures I included below. We also saw several Mexican Jay, birds that didn’t seem very put off by people, allowing us to get pictures of them as well.