Reminiscing in Tucson

So we basically went to Tucson based on my history.  Davis-Monthan Air Force Base was my first assignment after basic training.  I arrived there originally in June 1983 as a fresh Airman Basic with the 836th Security Police Squadron and had not returned to the scene of the crime since leaving in January 1985 for Germany.  I even have my original issue small badge with me on this trip.

R.P. and I headed back to Tucson from Tombstone and I decided to do a drive around.  We got off the freeway on Valencia and went east past the Pima Air Museum (more in a bit), then north on Kolb west on golf links and back to Valencia.  The place has changed a lot, I saw all of 10 A10’s in revetments and it appears that CBP and Homeland have taken over a big portion of the north end of the base.  I do not have a CAC card, so entry onto the yard was not an option.  But who really wants to walk around a base unless you have to?

My true main interest was in the Pima Air Museum.  As we drove by just before closing time I could see planes that truly interested me.  R.P. and I talked about the agenda for Sunday and we agreed that we wanted to go see the Saguaro National Park first thing in the morning.  Then we would find a place to keep her busy while I went to the museum.

Sunday dawned, we hit the breakfast at the LA Quinta and headed out to Saguaro N.P.

This park is, of course typical of the Sonoran Desert.  Saguaro, barrel, cholla, prickly pear, Ocotillo, this park has it all.  There is a family of Javelinas living behind the visitors center.

We got out the annual pass and proceeded around the 8 mile one way drive to the Mica view area and parked.  R.P. and I donned our walking equipment and headed out into the desert for a couple miles hike to see what the desert had to offer up to us.

We followed horse tracks into the desert along a trail.  About 1/4 miles into the hike another hiker warned us of a rattlesnake near one of the trails (we were not planning on going on that trail, but we took the warning to heart anyway).

The barrel cactus had started blooming so color was starting to pop.

About a mile into the hike, R.P. let’s out an exclamation and I, of course, think she’s come upon a snake.  Nope, she had a big desert jackrabbit jump out in front of her and run down the trail.  Now these suckers are the stuff of legend, the jackalope legend.  These are the rabbits that inspired bugs bunny.  They stand about 2 feet tall when on all fours and are the size of medium dogs.  What a great sight, he let us get close enough for some pictures and then took off in their distinctive loping gate.

We continued on down the trail, nothing near what we experienced as far as difficulty in Prescott, enjoying a beautiful hike through the desert.  We did find the horses, they were ridden by a couple volunteer park rangers.  Eventually we found ourselves back where we parked The Beast.  We finished the drive around the park and then picked up our walking staff medallion before heading back to town.  We got back to the hotel, showered and checked out before noon.

I took R.P. out to the Casino del Solar and dropped her off at the door to the poker room.  Kind of expensive daycare, but she enjoys it more than an airplane park.  I then pointed The Beast at the air museum and hit my target.

It costs $15.50 to gain entry to the museum.  They do have the usual discounts available. You walk in to a hangar and I was a little underwhelmed, having been to a lot of air museums.  However, I came for the birds in the yard.  They have a blackbird and some cool other planes indoors to include a very nostalgic bird.  It reminded me of nights on the flightline in an ART team at Davis-Monthan.

I then headed out into the 98 degree yard to see the planes that really get me going.  The ones that are the workhorses of their age and may not be museum quality.  From helicopters to light civil aviation to the big haulers, bombers, presidential planes, observation birds, foreign fighters, every kind of plane imaginable, including stuff that never made it off the experimental phase.  There are acres of every kind of plane imaginable.  All with stories to tell the person who takes an interest.  One that spoke to me was another DM veteran familiar to those of us who worked the close in security and ART teams.  Straight out of history, the F-106 with 5th FIS “Spittin Kittens” markings.

I spent 4 hours in the displays here and could have stayed longer. But the museum closes at 5 pm and R.P. and I wanted to get up to Phoenix for the night so I wrapped it up and said goodbye to a very nostalgic trip through an airplane graveyard that I hope will inspire generations of future aviators and general airplane nuts.

I will leave you with some images from  an event called back to the boneyard, where they had some artists come in and adorn some planes.  Interesting stuff.

I have a video I am going to upload on my YouTube of these plane.  Bigfokkerdog is my name there as well.

Thanks for reading.

BFD