January 24, 2010 - Algodones, Mexico

January 21, 2010 - Ajo, AZ

Ajo, a small town situated in southern Arizona, 30 miles from the mexican border, where we visited Paul`s relatives. A fairly large copper mine once thrived in this town between the early 1900`s to 1985. We were very surprised to see a large fleet of border patrol  SUV vehicles, helicopters, ATV`s as well as checkstops. Scouring the vast desert for illegal alliens and drug smuggling, which is a very common occurrence in this area. The agent at a checkstop had told us they had just caught 40 illegal alliens in the desert and 2 Jordainian`s, he had also said that a large amount of drugs are smuggled in this region.  

January 19, 2010 - Kartchner Caverns, Benson, AZ

Between these two peaks is a `live` cave that was discovered by two young cavers in 1974 at the base of the Whetstone Mountains. In the bottom of a sinkhole they found a narrow crack leading into the hillside. Warm, moist air flowed out, signaling the existence of a cave. After several hours of crawling, they entered a pristine cavern. During four years of secret exploration, the discovers realized that the cave`s extraordinary variety of colors and formations must be preserved. In 1978 the discovers told the land owners about their amazing discovery and the cave`s exsistence became public knowledge in 1988 when it was purchased by Arizona State Parks. Extraordinary precautions have been taken during developement and operations to protect the cave`s natural environment. This live cave is host to a wide variety of unique minerals and formations. Water percolates from the surface and calcite formations continue to grow, including stalactites dripping down like icicles and giant stalagmites reaching up from the ground.  

http://www.explorethecaverns.com/cave-tour.html

January 16, 2010 - Tuscon, AZ

The sunsets are so spectacular, the adobe buildings and houses are very unique and the plants beautiful.

January 12, 2010 - Pima Air & Space Museum

Located in Tuscon, AZ, we visited Pima Air & Space Museum the largest aviation and space museum west of the Rockies. Situated on 80 acres of land, this museum features a collection of over 250 aircraft, with four hangers that showcase some of the more rare aircraft in the collection of aviation history. This museum is situated beside Davis Monthan Air Force Base on one side and on the other side an erie aircraft boneyard where they demolish aircraft and turn them into scrape metal. The aircraft boneyard was sprawled out on several hundred acres of land and for miles and miles all you could see were planes. It was an incredible sight! Planes of all types and of all sizes from the Army, Navy, Marines and Airforce. The money, billions upon billions of dollars spent on all of these aircraft, which now sit decomissioned in a graveyard.

January 13, 2010 - Downtown Tuscon, AZ

A walk through Downtown Tuscon, where we were able to see some Spanish history and culture.

January 9, 2010 - Casa Grande Ruins National Monument

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument preserves remains of an ancient Hohokam farming village as well as the Great House. After a long battle with the desert, this ancient building still commands respect. Four stories high and 60 ft long, it is the largest known structure from Hohokam times. Early Spanish explores called it Casa Grande (Great House). Its walls face the four cardinal points of the compass. A circular hole in the upper west wall aligns the setting Sun at the summer solstice. Other openings align with the Sun and Moon at specific times. Knowing the changing positions of the celestial objects meant knowing times for planting, harvest, and celebration. Completed around the 1350s of material in subsoil underfoot: caliche, a concrete-like mix of sand, clay, and calcium carbonate (limestone). Caliche mud was piled in successive courses to form walls four feet thick at the base, tapering toward the top. Open arrangements of pithouses surrounding central plazas gave way to walled compounds and flat-topped earthen sturctures called platform mounds. The Hohokam culture was in place along the Gila and Salt rivers and their tributaries and water was divereted from the rivers through vast irrigation canals. The Hohokam were called ``First Masters of the American Desert``.