The landscape has changed since coming to Southern Arizona but there are still mountains in the background. Although desert is a feature of northern and southern Arizona it is not exactly the same. As we travelled south we noticed many saguara cacti (sounds like sworrow). Those are the ones that can get quite tall and have curved arms. In some places it was like a forest of them. Road signs warned of dust clouds as we passed through very flat dry sandy areas with some vegetation. We saw some cattle grazing, though not as many as in the north, and wonder what they are actually eating. Apparently grazing has endangered Arizona grasslands since the 1800's and is now prohibited in some areas.
Today we saw a bird or maybe a bug sucking from a flower. Honestly...we weren't sure if it was a very small humming bird or a very large bug!! It's going to take a while to figure this place out.
We are about 7 miles north of Tubac a town that is Arizona's oldest European Community. It was established as a Presidio (fort) in 1752 and has an interesting history that I haven't quite grasped yet. I want to tour the ruins and museum while we are here and learn more about it. Arizona did not become a State until 1912 and Tubac has played a big role in it's development. Tubac now has more than 100 shops and many art galleries and studios as well as the Historic State Park. "Where Art and History Meet" is their motto. On touring some of the galleries today it is obvious that it has attracted artists of every medium. Similar to Sedona, but not as busy, Tubac's art is beautiful but beyond our pocket books!
Our campground, De Anza Trails, is in Amado which is a very small town. It's hard to call it a town really but it does have a couple of strange restaurants like the "Longhorn Grill" which apparently has been featured in some movies. Nearby is a place called Amado Territory Ranch which we have finally figured out is a private enterprise that caters to weddings and events but also has a few shops, salon, restaurant and a couple of artists galleries. The grounds are quite lush for being in the desert! Maybe we will go to the steakhouse one night.
De Anza campground is under construction as they are adding more RV sites as well as developing park models. The bulldozers start fairly early in the morning but it is not really bothering us. The park used to be a Greyhound Dog racing track! As with all the campgrounds we have stayed in since coming to Arizona, the background is dominated by mountains (hills?) that change colour as daylight changes. Very pretty.
Between Tubac and Amado we have to go through a border check point and there are also cameras scanning the desert. We are not far from Nogales a Mexican border town about half an hour south of here. Even if you haven't been to Mexico you can't avoid this. We don't have to show passports at the check point but sometimes I.D. So far the guards have been more friendly than the ones at Port Huron! Dogs sniff the truck. We came out clean. Whew! The effort to stop illegals and drugs coming into Arizona is in full swing but as Canadian travellers we have been treated well.
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