While planning for this trip, I had spotted a National Monument with very specific geological formations, and I had made this park one of my personal highlights. So, we decided to make Tucson our home for 2 nights and to discover what else the region had to offer.

What we discovered surpassed our expectations.

Placed in the Sonoran Desert, the Saguaro National Park encompasses a vast variety of cactus. The Park is named after the Saguaro Cactus that is found there by the hundreds. This majestic plant becomes very old, and you can figure out its age by looking at its arms.

They develop their first arm when they reach the age of fifty to seventy years. Many of them have developed several arms, so you can imagine how old they are. Respect! In this hot environment we encountered many small animals ranging from birds to reptiles. All the others were less foolish than us and had remained hidden from the heat in their hideaway.

On the next day, we started a longer journey to the Cochise County and the Chiricahua National Monument. On the road, we could observe how the environment gradually changed and as we gained in altitude, nature got greener.

The Chiricahua National Monument was home to the Chiricahua Apaches. Among them, Cochise and Geronimo, two famous Chiricahua Apache, that Hollywood failed to represent honestly in their numerous Western movies. At the visitor center, we could read about both heroes of their nation. Knowing that they had lived in this region made the visit to Chiricahua National Monument significantly more emotional for me. The destiny of all the Indian tribes in Northern America is just another symbol of our egoistic and short-sighted society.

At first, we drove the Bonita Canyon Scenic Drive to reach Massai Point. On the way we had the opportunity to encounter wild turkeys, squirrels and a deer. We decided to start a long trek of almost four miles departing from Massai Point, along Ed Riggs trail, continuing through Hailstone Trail, and closing the loop on Echo Canyon Trail. Echo Canyon really deserves its name, returning in echo every sound you produce. On this part of the trail you can stop at the Grottoes, semi-closed volumes that are formed by several Rhyolite columns standing very near to each other.

The beauty of the National Monument arises from the alignment of all the Rhyolite columns. This generates fantastic scenery that everyone should see once in their life. We were so blessed to witness Majesty of nature, with a background feeling of marching in the footsteps of individuals, whose grandeur has marked history. Cochise and Geronimo.

We concluded our journey in a more decadent way, stopping over in Tombstone, the place where the OK Corral Showdown took place. Doc Holiday, Wyatt Earp and his brothers. The town is very much in its historical setup and it was fun, enjoying a Margarita while watching a cowboy show and a gun fight.

As we departed from Tucson to head in the direction of Sedona, we made a detour to the San Xavier Indian Reservation to visit the Mission San Xavier del Bac. The smaller church is absolutely gorgeous and the devotion of the visitors makes you believe for a moment, that God lives there, just for them. If you happen to be near Tucson, then don’t miss paying a visit to this sacred place.

We will keep this stopover in the Cochise County, the San Xavier Indian Reservation and in the Saguaro National Park as one very particular highlight of our long trip.