Mexico Road Trip Part 3

About 9 or 10 miles south of Tucson on Highway 19 the lands of the Tohono O'odham Nation begin. These Native Americans were once referred to as Papagayo's but in 1980 they officially changed their tribal name. On their land not to far off of Highway 19 stands a remarkable structure, The Mission San Xavier del Bac. This Mission was started by Father Kino in 1692 and has been continuously administered by Franciscan Fathers since the beginning. The construction of the present cathedral began in 1783 and was completed in 1797. Today it is still the fully functional spiritual locus of the local Catholic Parish community. Catholic Masses are celebrated seven days a week.
This structure is included in the National Register of Historic Places. If you are ever around Tucson, take a couple of hours and drive out into the beautiful Sonoran Desert and visit this wonderful place. 
The following is a picture tour of the mission. Tana and I took all the exterior shots. We were not allowed to take pictures inside so the interior photos were taken from the Internet. Please remember one thing as you look at these photos........there is no mention in the historical record of any designers, architects, engineers, or professional builders employed in the construction of this magnificent edifice......the local Indigenous People did everything inside and out under the direction of the good Fathers and, I'm sure you will agree, Divine Intervention.....!! 

The main entrance.....impressive, I'd say....

I think this structure might have been the parish mortuary.......

The choir loft............

This panorama shot off the Internet is really fuzzy but it gives you an idea of the beauty and magnificence of this place..!!!

Well, that's the tour of our visit in Tucson.....next stop Mexico...hope you'll come along with us...

until then....take care my friends....

Mexico Road Trip Part 2..........

From the Arizona-New Mexico border to Tucson is an easy 150 or so mile run.....no sweat! We blew into town late morning on Sunday August 3, 2014 and checked into the historic Congress  Hotel in downtown Tucson right across from the old Amtrak railroad station that was built by Southern Pacific in 1907. The hotel itself was constructed in 1919 in conjunction with the Rialto Theater which is still located across the street. Probably the greatest claim to fame for this hotel is that in 1934 John Dillinger in his gang were hiding out in 3rd floor rooms under aliases. A fire started in the basement and when it reached the 3rd floor, somehow the gangs identity was found out. The FEDS rushed in and surrounded the place in an attempt to capture them.....but, alas, the fugitives all escaped via aerial ladders. It is local lore that the firemen fighting the blaze retrieved the gangs luggage and returned it to them! During this period of American history John Dillinger was regarded by many to be somewhat of a Zorro-Robin Hood-Jesse James outlaw folk hero. The restaurant is excellent, the bar not-so, the tiny, tiny rooms are just like they were in the 1920's except they are air conditioned and have WIFI. Small, double bed, minuscule bathroom, no TV, and yes there are ghosts in the place. Tana sensed their presence. She is a ghost whisperer or whatever you call them. The only ghost I know is Casper! But I believe....yes sir, we have ghosts in our Mexican place ....but that's another story.....
The live entertainment on the Hotel patio on this trip was terrific....! A local Bluegrass group. The lead guitarist told me that he and his pals have been playing the Congress every week for over 20 years.... 

This place exudes coolness....doesn't it?

 Awesome group with a fantastic Bluegrass sound...

Mandolin player was one of the best we have ever heard....!

..I'm guzzling the Negra Modelo's and Tana is elegantly quaffing the Cabernet....It's all good...!

We didn't take too much time to sight see in Tucson because we were anxious to get our business done and head into Mexico. We did, however, stop at two awesomely fabulous places that I would recommend to anyone visiting Tucson.

The first place we visited was the very old and elegant Pima County Courthouse. This Mission Revival-Spanish Colonial architectural masterpiece was constructed in  1928 and is still in operation today. 

Some things are beautiful forever......

This is a must see if you ever go to Tucson....

 This is incredible....if you ask me....go ahead ask....OK OK..."Rich, what do you think of this dome?" you ask. "It's Incredible I say!

That's all I can do for now, gotta run down to the OXXO and get some beer and something for dinner. Next time we'll visit a place thats on the way into Mexico and is even more awesome than the courthouse....just wait! you'll agree......until then ....

peace to you my friends....

On The Road To Mexico

We blew out of Houston around 8am on Saturday August 2, 2014 and headed West on I-10. The truck was a packed up with our stuff, full of gas, oil change, new tires and a thumbs up from the Ford guy....so off we went. 

See the little bin on the left side up front by the KOLBALT toolbox? ....that's my stuff....all the rest is Tana's!!

Goodbye Houston Freeways....!

One good thing about this trip is that no GPS was needed. Once on I-10 there is only one left turn necessary to get to our destination and that turn is 1300 miles down the road. 
I don't know how long we were on the road but the temperature gauge was still reading cold when Tana commented "I gotta pee...pull over at the next place." "What!!" "I gotta pee...you don't want me to go in my pants do you?" "Pee in that empty paper coffee cup" I said. "You don't love me" was the retort. "Ahhhh crap" I thought and pulled over at the next Shell. A little while later we're on the road again...then I hear "I'm hungry pull over at the next  clean looking place." "Can you wait until we get to the Bucee's?" I ask. "How far is it."  "161 miles" I reply. "You don't love me" comes whimpering from her lips. "Ahhhh crap" crossed my mind again. We pulled into an Arby's at a truck stop and snagged a couple of breakfast biscuits and some coffee.. Its now 10 am. We've been on the road 2 hours and we're about 20 miles outta Houston.
Finally we got rolling down the highway.

Houston countryside about 70 miles from downtown....

Moving through the Texas Hill Country....Home to Willie Nelson ...many people say that this is the most beautiful part of Texas...don't know if I agree with that but it is very beautiful..

Still in the Hill Country West of San Antonio near Junction heading towards Kerrville, Texas. About 250 miles from Houston....

Out of the Texas Hill Country rolling onto the vast desert of far West Texas. We are around Ozona, Texas with still 350 miles to 

El Paso and the state line.

Davis Mountains in far far West Texas near Balmorea. Two years ago Tana and I spent a week hiking in them and swimming in the crystal clear, freezing cold natural springs that this part of Texas is known for. About 200 miles on the  other side of those mountains is the Texas Big Bend Country which many people argue is the most beautiful part of Texas. I agree. 200 miles to El Paso.

Finally....!! The Land Of Enchantment....New Mexico.....

New Mexico about 20 miles from El Paso....

Shortly after getting into New Mexico we picked up this summer thunderstorm that followed us for a couple of hours....

You can't see it but this was a double rainbow that was with us for about an hour after the thunderstorm....

The Grand Canyon State....Arizona...

Still on I-10 entering Arizona from New Mexico heading for the first rest stop a few miles in....

Tana stretching her legs at the first Arizona rest stop heading West on I-10......

Well guys, the first leg of our trip to Mexico is over with no problems or issues.....As they say "went smooth as a baby's behind"

Thanks for riding along with us and I'll catch up with you again in a few days........

Peace to you all my friends....