2019 SouthWest: Tucson & new friends

We headed towards Tucson and the Gilbert Ray Campground with a bit of anxiousness, as the campground is non-reservable and filled on a ‘first come/first served’ basis. Knowing this, we made the plan to arrive on a Sunday, and around check-out time of 11:00am.

It was a nice drive from Scottsdale, along the secondary highways of 79 & 77. We were able to snag a spot, and as I was checking in, Dale ran into fellow Alto owner Kathy who happened to be walking by and caught sight of our trailer. We met Kathy and her husband Rich at the Stone Mountain Rally, and from the Alto Facebook group. It was a huge surprise that we met up.  We found out where their site was, and were able to grab the one behind them. Always fun to run into people you know, makes the time at a campground that much more enjoyable.

Gilbert Ray is a big campground, and perhaps not quite as spacious as Usery, but the landscape is fabulous, and the sheer numbers of saguaros lining the hills is amazing. They literally look like trees from afar, and get more interesting as you get closer. The drive through Gates Pass, a scenic mountain pass shortcut into Tuscon, gives you a real good look at just how many of these giant cacti are all around you.

We found out from Kathy and Rich that two other Alto owners had just left, we actually passed one of them on the way out, but did not see who it was. It was Linda R. whom we have met at past Alto rallies and since she was only moving to another campground a short distance from our camp, Kathy texted her and she came back for a visit in the late afternoon. The five of us sat under our awning, had some snacks and beverages, and got caught up on everyone’s travels.

And an added bonus, the next day new Alto owners Gerry and Vonnie arrived with their new Alto they picked up in Dec. Both evenings we had fun visits back and forth.

We spent Monday wandering the downtown. The city core is compact, so we parked the car and hoofed it around. We covered a lot of area, and especially enjoyed 4th Ave. It was full of funky shops and bars, perfect for wandering and checking out the Barrio, which still has some of the original adobe homes.

Tucson has strong Mexican influences, and this is reflected in the architecture, housing and the retail shops.

love the liberal use of colour...so vibrant!

inside the adobe

Lots of micro breweries and funky independent coffee shops, our local favourite was Cartel Coffee Lab.  It is not a crazy busy city, easy to get around and had a nice comfortable vibe to it.

lots of great murals all over the place

The classic Fox Theatre

an amazing guy...

Back at the campsite, a young couple strolled by and were curious about the Alto. Turns out they are from British Columbia, and on an extended cross-country America tour. Megan & Danny dropped by after the sunset, and we sat outside and had a great visit, each of us recounting bits of our travel adventures. They are travelling with a nifty Australian inspired tent trailer, and have done a lot of the fit-up themselves. They also have a four legged companion, a beautiful Leonberger dog, a mix of Bernese Mountain dog and Newfoundland. She was big, but perhaps a lot of her size was her amazing fluffy furry coat. It was so nice to chat and visit with such an adventuresome fun young couple.

The next day we went back into the downtown, our main goal was to get into the University of Arizona’s Centre for Creative Photography. They have two interesting exhibits underway, a Richard Avedon exhibit, and an Ansel Adams exhibit. Two classic photographers that both heavily influenced photography during their times.

The Avedon collection focussed on two aspects, the relationship between Avedon and his subject, in particular when he had photographed the same person over an extended time, and the second aspect, how his style later evolved from using multiple subjects down to single subjects, showing fine details.

His photo backgrounds also changed over time, moving from an ‘on location’ style, to one where he eventually used only a blank white background. Being able to compare these styles, beside each other in the exhibit, really helps to see the impact of his change in techniques.  As well, because he photographed in mostly large format, the stark clarity and sharpness allows the viewer to really absorb the details of the subject.

Rolling Stone covers

Jacques Cousteau...prepare the mini sub Phillipe!

The Ansel Adams exhibit was selected from the Centre’s archived collection of Adam’s work. In 1974, Adams collaborated with the University to create a place that would collect not only the works of a photographer, but also all the background information and supporting documents on that went into the creation of the images. As well, the Ansel Adams exhibit has associated large flat drawers that display these documents, such as notes, letters, commissions, negatives, and even darkroom tools; which all added to the understanding of why and how an image was captured. I found it a fascinating addition that really complemented the exhibit. And of course...the Adams images were spectacular. Not hard to tell that I have been a long time admirer of his work.

Georgia O'Keefe

Alfred Stieglitz 

tools of the trade

lots of stories told in here

a letter from Georgia

hell of a mailing address

Our last day before leaving Tucson we went to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, to gain a better understanding of the  desert plant and animal life surrounding us. Well worth the visit, and most of the exhibits are live and outside.  Also with not being fans of rattlesnakes (but then who would be???), it was helpful to see most of the 7 types to help us recognize them if one crossed our path. Frankly, regardless of markings, we will run from anything that looks remotely like a snake.

blends in deadly well

bobcat

grey fox chillin'

behind glass...thankfully. an Arizona diamondback

Lastly before leaving, we had a couple of evening visits with our next door neighbours, Mike and Betty from Michigan. They are Airstreamers, and have been taking long distance trips for many years. They shared with us lots of helpful tips and we had plenty of laughs hearing about their past adventures.

Other than seeing Tucson, which we really like, the highlight was meeting up with amazing old and new camping friends, whom we hope to keep in touch with and to meet again in our future travels.