Showing posts with label free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Downtown Tucson USA





        Since starting my new job--I have not had the time to update any of my blog pages for way to long.  Especially this page!  Because of the job hunt and new job being in Tucson, many of my up coming posts will be from beautiful & amazingly diverse Tucson!  I have a ton of new pictures, ideas, thoughts, and posts to share.  Thank you for your patience.  Once I get used to my new work schedule, and we get a little more cash in our savings account, I hope to Explore much more of Arizona.   Please don't forget to share this new page.  I find it very hard to believe that very soon--my family and I will have lived in the Benson area for a year now.  I have a whole blog post coming up of my favorite pictures from Benson and thoughts on the area.  For much more Exploring and much random rambling and coffee love please also check out my first blog series at www.wyomingjack.blogspot.com      This page just recently hit 31000 + views.   Check it out and find out what all the fuss is about.  Or take a look so you will have something to argue with me about.  

      Today I am going to flash back to about a month ago.  All of the kiddos and I had a quick job in Tucson and than took off to Explore the rich down town area.  Maybe more of the idea of the detour was to give mom some free time alone in the house.  Something she does not get near enough.   Downtown is a great area, but if you have kids it might be better observed in the day time.  Much of the business are bars and the local park is full of home less people that seem very nice, but honestly they don't have much to loose.   I hope do a 2nd report on the night life of the area, and had hoped to snap some pictures at night a few weeks ago, but I was a little nervous about getting mugged for my nice camera to tell you the truth.  Tucson is fun to visit, and play-but the local evening news always starts out with very negative reports for the first ten minutes, every night.  That said, I hope you enjoy this post and the pictures even half as much as I enjoyed taking the pictures, and checking out the area with my kids. 



Several local mountains have called to me since we have moved here. 
Called to me to climb them--I have not had the time and or opportunity to make it to the top of any of them yet.  
"A Mountain" is one of them for sure.  
I took this picture just off I-10  by the Circle K just across from the Gray Hound station.
A distance for sure, but with the zoom you can see people and cars by the "A."  Sadly none of these people are me.  The Circle K is also were our Exploring started on this day.  
Heading towards downtown on foot. 



In a few steps we came across these old tracks leading off to no were. 
I have lots of such pictures from living in Bellingham, WA but this is the first set of such tracks I have seen here.   All of the tracks I have seen here, including the ones by our house stay very busy.


Information center we chose to skip on this day.


Federal building down by the row of public buildings. 
Across from the huge court house.
We stopped because there was actual water. 
A rare sight -no mater how little water.


Art and beauty frequent the area.





City park.   On this day it was under construction.  This is also home to many a homeless person it seems.  In the corner appeared to be a nice fountain--but it was not working on this day.  





I am always a sucker for old buildings. 
All of these were being worked on and led us to this large church or mission...






Looking up through the dome/event area. 

This is also were we paused for a rest room break. 


We passed a whole row of siloutes of random people on the back of a parking garage. 
Above this girl is like many individuals and happens to have an empty thought bubble. 





Styling old car  -bus stop. 


Coffee shop I need to check out. 
On this afternoon it was much to hot for coffee.


Our Exploring soon took us through the bridge. 
This neat building is a Goodwill. 
Across the street is a great looking hippie shop and a very neat thrift store --filled with every kind of costume you could imagine.  Just watch the new rail lines.  On a different day I tried to push my wife across the rails while she was in a wheel chair--and we got across the street the first time just fine.  But further down the line, near our car--the tracks were raised more, and I was nearly the very bad husband --who launched his wife out of her wheel chair.





Doubling back--I found my sign!







Down by the "Wreck" and those bars.


Seems legit to me!


Retired street car. 





Small oasis across the tracks from the train station.






Getting ever closer to our truck.







The famous and elegant Hotel Congress.



Hello---Yo!



Might have been coffee time if the coffee shop had not moved.  :(





O what a trip!


Thursday, February 27, 2014

Some Tucson Exploring



      Welcome back readers!   This post comes from Northern California were I am busy Exploring and getting new pictures for future posts to this very page.   MANY new posts, Exploring, and pictures in the works.   Please check out MY first page for lots more Exploring and mayhem at :  www.wyomingjack.blogspot.com




      The California posts will appear soon--under a little further down the road headings, today we again roam around beautiful Arizona.  Last week I enjoyed some of the sights in Tucson and of course the full on sunshine.   On Tuesday my wife and I dropped the kids of at school, and than snuck off for Tucson for some shopping and casino time.  We ended up at the Desert Diamond Casino.   If you get a member card there, Tuesday is the day to do so.  Not only do they give you free money to gamble on, but you can enjoy the large buffet for free.   And it only takes one coupon on Tuesdays, because it is "buy" one get one free day.   So on Friday I returned to Tucson to take a hike and use my free food coupon at the casino. 





 My first stop was at the large Flying J truck stop right across from the even larger Triple T truck stop, both on the outskirts of Tucson.  Both offer lots of food and shopping choices including great coffee and more importantly they offer a restroom.   I was trying out a new camera on this trip, and needed to stretch my legs, so ventured around the area to snap a few shots. 



This was still in the parking lot
and it is much harder than it looks to capture a bee in mid flight.




It amazes me how these magnificent plants are so varied.
These are rare in Tucson, simply because they are not spray painted by vandals and taggers.



Before finding a large lunch I decided it was time to Explore.


A local park was my stopping place. 
Just across this great bridge was a paved wonderland of trails to Explore.  






But trails are boring
Mostly because someone has already been were they go
and because they can easily become very crowded. 
So I soon was roaming around the open desert. 
I came across a set of rail road tracks. 
And have found that many of the best sights involve walking on tracks. 
Plus there is not much better than walking on rail road tracks
accented by a bright and sunny day.
The only thing that can make it better, is to do all this with a buddy.


I soon found I was behind the air museum.
Very close to the huge plane bone yard, but slightly less secure.




Many a time I have jumped a fence or three, even on this trip to California.
But not on this day in Tucson.
The warnings backed by the air force and the army keep me on the correct side of the fence. 
So does the massive razor wire.
Some day I wish to Explore the museum more, but thought it would be  a much better trip when I had the kiddos with me. 





I was soon much closer to the fence line.



So much history in one small space. 











Butch asks "Were are you Exploring today ??"



Next post Explores this area just past the caves on the way to Sierra Vista.