Arizona Adventure Pt.1

Where in the United States is it possibly the hottest place to go in the summer? If you said Arizona, you would probably be right. Connor had a business trip that took him there. Not one to let an opportunity to pass us by, we decided to go a few days before his conference so we could see some sights. We had already decided to drive from Phoenix to Tucson to go to Saguaro National Park. A month before we were to go, I found out that my old housemate from college, Brennan, had recently moved to Tucson. (Brennan has been on the blog before. See 1, 2, 3) We were double lucky that he and his girlfriend, Sydney, could make some time for us. The four of us visited the western section of Saguaro National Park.

This is the only photo I have of Brennan from the trip. Sydney's shadow also made an appearance.

Despite the heat, we chose to do two very short hikes: the Valley View trail and the Signal Hill trail. There were plenty of Saguaro cacti to admire along the Valley View trail. 

The trail is a there and back again, which takes you to a view of, you guessed it, the valley.

This Saguaro looked like a tuning fork to me

The Signal Hill trail was even shorter and rewards you with a view of many petroglyphs.

After Saguaro, we all had lunch before parting. Connor and I headed out to see the Titan Missile Museum.

I'll admit, part of the reason we wanted to visit is because we've been playing lots of Fallout 4. And after seeing all that there was to see, I'm sure that the creators must have toured this facility. 

Look! It's drinking water in a can.

Part of the tour includes a simulation of what would have happened if the missile had really been launched. I wasn't so luck as to be selected to turn the key.

An actual missile is also there. This one has never been filled with fuel. It turned out that all the ones that had been filled couldn't be cleaned enough to prevent toxic off gassing. The warhead on the top is a dummy as well. But what is neat is that there is a treaty with the Russians that allows this museum to exist. Part of the treaty requires that there are blocks so that the silo can only open half way, preventing a missile from ever being launched successfully. It is the last Titan 2 silo as the rest had to be destroyed.

All in all, it was a really neat day.