After a night in
Mexico City, Mike and Kathy picked us up from the Phoenix airport and whisked
us through the pouring rain (yes, that is correct … a rain storm in the desert),
to our condo in Scottsdale. We
spent the afternoon provisioning the condo and keeping an eye to the sky as the
raindrops were eventually replaced by blue sky.
The next morning we
were on the road to Tucson for an overnighter. First up was the Pima Air and Space Museum. We met friends Shawn and Jerry, and the
six of us joined a trolley ride through the outside exhibits. Highlights were the Presidential jet
from the Kennedy era, the Guppy (worst looking air plane ever), all types of helicopters,
and fighter jets covering all eras.
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Due to a Recent B'Day - Someone got in as a Senior!
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Full Size Replica of the Kitty Hawk
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First TWA Passenger Liner
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The Guppy
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DC3
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After the trolley we
made our way inside the first of three hangers depicting aircraft used in WWII,
the Korean Conflict, Vietnam and the first war in Iraq.
We saw a perfectly
preserved B29 used in the bombing of Japan and while it was not the one that
dropped the first atomic bomb it was there for the fly by show of power when MacArthur
signed the treaty for Japan’s surrender.
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B29 - Sister Plane Dropped Atomic Bomb
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B25 - Led Bombing Raids of Germany - WWII
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As well, was an actual
buzz bomb identical to the ones used in the bombing of London.
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Buzz Bomb
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We ended the day with
a meal at the Poca Cosa in downtown Tucson.
Day two in Tucson was
dedicated with the first desert ride of the season. Some biking folks consider Tucson to be the most bicycle
friendly city in the United States.
In the very near future they will complete a 130-mile loop of the
city. We were fortunate to ride a 35-kilometre
section of the River Path under blue sky.
Our course also took us through the University of Arizona campus and we
stopped for coffee and pizza at the Time Market. It took about two hours and was a good start to the biking
season.
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First Ride of the Season
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Bicycle Tool Station Along the Way
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Through the U of Arizona
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Lunch Spot
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After a relaxing two
hour drive back to Phoenix it was time to plan the next days activities and the
logistics of attending the Vancouver Canucks game in Glendale, just outside of
Phoenix.
