Varied Skies

Like alien beings, saguaro cacti rise from the Earth, sentinels of the Sonoran Desert.

Saguaro NP, just outside Tucson, harbors thousands, many of them multi-limbed giants weighing over 7 tons. They exude a magical quality, inducing a smile from even the most hardened of characters.

A roadrunner sighting stirs similar feelings.

Throughout the Tucson area, man-made spectacles share desert space with the wonders of nature. Built in the 1790’s, Mission San Xavier del Bac soars like a white dove above the harsh landscape. That something so ornate could be built in such a remote location 220 years ago defies the imagination. The Mission stands as testament to the convictions of the Franciscan Order and the extensive wealth of 18th Century Spain.

On the north side of town stands Biosphere 2, a 20th cathedral erected in the name of scientific advancement.

Operated as a closed environment in the early 1990’s, Biosphere 2 housed eight Biospherians for two years. No outside air, water, or food. Only several biomes (rainforest, ocean, desert, grassland, and marsh) designed to mimic Biosphere 1 (the Earth), recycling water and converting CO2 to oxygen, and farmland to grow crops. They survived, but managed only to produce enough food to satisfy 83 percent of their caloric needs.

Inside one of two “lungs,” a giant rubber diaphragm used to regulate pressure in the closed system as temperatures fluctuated.

Southeast of town, Tombstone clings to its history, a living monument to the Old West.

The rather morbid entreaty to “walk where they fell” entices thousands to walk the streets made famous by the Earps, Doc Holliday, and the rogue Cowboy gang.

Three Cowboys died at the OK Corral, gunned down by the Earps and Holliday.

Today, locals pay tribute with a thrice-daily, lighthearted reenactment of the bloody event. Only Wyatt Earp survived unscathed, furthering his legacy as a darling of Hollywood westerns.

Eventually, the time came to say goodbye. We packed our bags, bypassed Boot Hill, and proceeded down the dusty trail of life, Tombstone fading in the distance. Tom Mix wept.