San Xavier del Bac Mission

Local Legends, p. 20-21
Players: Beth and Josh - June 2010
Directions: 1950 West San Xavier Road
Tucson, AZ 85746-7409
Entrance Fee: $0

This was mission number 6 (see the first 5 under July) on Beth and Josh's fabulous Tucson trip. Ironically all the sites we saw this trip were not actually in Tucson... This church was beautiful and one of my favorite stops during our trip. The views, the culture, the entire spirit of the place I thought had a magical element to it. We visited the site during the week and it was quite busy! The mission attracts nearly 200,000 visitors a year that enjoy the architecture and ambiance of the site. This mission still holds regular mass and also has a small catholic school attached to it.

This church was constructed by Spanish settlers in the late 18th century. The Spanish claimed this land as their own and built this mission to bring Christianity to the Apache. They considered this land New Spain, but unfortunately the Apache had no plans of giving up their plot of soil. They attacked and destroyed the structure. The Spanish decided to rebuilt two miles away. The building has forever remained incomplete because of a missing dome that should adorn the top of one of the two 80 foot towers. Rumor has it that the structure was left incomplete because property taxes where exempt for buildings under construction.

Above the front doorway of the a stone mouse is perched in a swirl on the outer construction. On the other side of the entryway is a stone cat. They say if the cat ever catches the mouse Armageddon is surly upon us...

In the mission a mummy like carving of St. Francis Xavier lays in the church's west transept. If you rub his head you are supposed to be blessed with good luck. I rubbed it...but I couldn't quite tell if I was blessed with luck...People have left hair, pictures, and charms on the carving hoping that St. Francis will relieve their afflictions.

See my shutterfly site for more pics!

Titan Missile Museum, Sahuarita

Roadside Oddities, p. 152-154
Players: Beth and Josh - June 2010
Directions: 1580 W. Duval Mine Rd.
Sahuarita, Arizona
Entrance Fee: $8

The theme for this mission was "peace through deterrence..." To commemorate Arizona's role in keeping the peace during the Cold War (by having missiles designed for massive destruction) the Titan II silo was allowed to be preserved and toured. In its hay day a visitor here would have been shot for trespassing. Now, the elderly provide tours for the curious.

During your tour an elderly guide leads you through three stories underground. There, you can see all the procedures for destruction...you can even sit in the control seat and push one of the three buttons that would "kill some commies!" To this day, the location of the three missile destinations are still kept confidential.

The Titan II carried the most powerful nuclear weapon ever deployed. The warhead that topped each of the rockets had about thirty times the destructive energy of the deadliest warhead in service today. " Weird Arizona" puts this into perspective for us "...if a nuclear explosion on the order of only one megaton (the warheads that topped each of the rockets had 9 megatons...)were to occur about Tucson's city hall, it would produce a crater one thousand feet in diameter, obliterate nearly everything in a circle reaching Grant Road to 29th Street, and whisk away any residential buildings for another mile beyond that. Plus, given the right wind conditions, radiation would kill everyone from Tucson to Nogales within two weeks." (Treat, "Weird Arizona" p154)

I am posting more pictures from this location on my shutterfly account!

Longhorn Grill - Steer on Over

Roadside Oddities, 145
Players: Beth and Josh - June 2010
Directions: 28851 South Nogales Highway, Amado, AZ
Entrance Fee: $0.

After The Domes, Josh and I were hungry so we headed down to the Longhorn Grill in Amado, AZ, just south of Tucson.

This restaurant has the largest bovine skull in the world measuring 15 feet tall with the horns spanning 45 feet from tip to tip! To enter the bar here just walk through the longhorn's nasal cavity. Supposedly, no one in Amado knows who built the skull, which dates back as early as the 60s or 70s. According to "Weird Arizona," throughout the years the building has served as a bar, produce stand, tackle shop, graphic design studio, and a boat rental with man made ponds. It has also appeared in the movies " Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" and "Boys on the Side." Since I am "pretty much a rock star" myself, Josh and I found it a very fitting place to enjoy some margaritas and nachos! Hmmmmmmm!

Startled at The Domes

Abandoned in Arizona, pgs 244-245
Players: Beth and Josh - June 2010
Directions: In Casa Grande, just northwest of I-10 meeting I-8, take the Thornton Rd exit off of I-8. Take a left. You can't miss it.
Entrance Fee: $0

The Domes of Casa Grande were the third stop that Josh and I made on trip to Tucson. Since I have not made a detailed strategic plan pinpointing all the locations in my "Weird Arizona" book (like Mallery has done with her "Weird Michigan" book. But lets note that she apparently has way to much time on her hands...) I had to rely on Google to tell me the location of the elusive Domes. Unfortunately, Google really let me down this time and Josh was thrilled at my navigation skills! For about a 45 minutes we questioned why we were even doing the challenge...but we reminded each other that though finding The Domes was a bit painful, we can't let Mallery win! Muahhahahaah

Once we located The Domes, we had to marvel at how crappy they truly were! Built in the middle of the desert, they are a good place to bury a body or have a raging party (which, seeing the smashed bottles everywhere, it seems that maybe someone might have had that idea before me...). From the outside they resemble a weird village of caterpillars but the inside gives a much more welcoming feel. Covered in graffiti, broken glass, abandoned cupboards and appliances, and heck, it even included a small plank labeled "stairway to hell." I was kind of thinking this could be a destination campground. Maybe Mallery's parents might want to invest here...

Apparently these domes were built by a technology company about 30 years ago but they went bankrupt before production could begin. Now "The Domes" can be enjoyed for Satan worship and animal sacrifice.

Almost Family Fun World

Abandoned in Arizona, p.234
Players: Beth and Josh - June 2010
Directions: Along I10 in the town of Eloy. Take exit 208 and go to the right to get closer.
Entrance Fee: $0. You are actually not allowed to enter. Bring a camera with zzooooomm!

This property was purchased by Richard Songers in 1995 with the intent of creating an amusement park, zoo, race track and concert arena,this extravaganza was to be called Family Fun World. But after several years of development Songers was forced to give up the Family Fun World dream for lack of funds. In 2001 tried to auction off some of the oddities he had collected for the park but to our delight many did not sell and still remain on the property!

Supposedly the property is patrolled by guard dogs and a shirtless man in a golf cart. I was actually excited to see the shirtless man guarding his treasures but unfortunately he must have been off the day I visited. Josh and I did spot a trailer on the property where we imagine the man might have been napping with a shotgun, just waiting for us to step foot onto the property...

Casa Grande, Coolidge

Ancient Arizona, pgs 28-29
Players: Beth and Josh - June 2010
Directions: Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
1100 West Ruins Drive
Coolidge, AZ 85128
Entrance fee: $5


Warning! Casa Grande ruins are not in Casa Grande, AZ!

One might think that the above warning is a joke considering the title of this mission. However, being the navigator that I am, I may have gotten slightly confused about the location of this archaeological gem before trying to sneak in a nap with my wonderful new travel pillow (which had saved my life a few days earlier when I acquired it during my 12 hours in the Detroit metro airport. It deserved a few more naps for the being such a good friend to me there...) Thankfully Josh was more alert than I, considering he was the driver and all, and saw signs for the ruins on the freeway!

The Casa Grande ruins were the first archaeological site to be preserved by the federal government. Today it is a national monument, museum, picnic area, and place for the curious to ponder ancient civilizations.

Built by the Hokokam Indians, the purpose for the construction of the Casa Grande ruins is unknown. The building was constructed of caliche(a sedimentary rock) and originally stood 4 feet tall! Doorways had to be accessed by ladder and the lower walls were 4 feet thick. The building was once protected by a 7 foot high barrier.

The ruins are covered by an enormous roof that shades it. The roof was built in 1932 and it stands 69 feet high and cover 8,000 square feet. The roof is being considered for the National Register of Historic Places. It is constructed with steel, has an integrated water-drainage system, a grounded lightning rod, and can withstand hurricane-force winds"...the roof should outlast the ruins themselves. Perhaps someday, millennia from now, the caliche will have eroded away and future explorers will ponder the ancient purpose of this Umbrella Grande (Treat, 'Weird Arizona' p28)."

The greatest competition among friends!

Today Mallery Moo and I (hopefully Stephanie too) are embarking on the most challenging of challenges... the "Weird Arizona" vs. the "Weird Michigan" challenge.

Lets task analyze how we are performing this amazing...weird...bizarre...awesome...competition.

1. Buy the book "Weird Arizona" or "Weird Michigan."
2. Create a blog.
3. Hit the ground running folks. Go to all the weird places in the book and take a picture at the sight.
4. Blog about your travels and post pictures so everyone can get jealous about how cool your life really is.
5. Whoever goes to all the places in their book first (with complete blog postings and pictures to accompany EVERY sight) wins.

AND THE GRAND PRIZE IS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Winner picks the destination of the next friend trip from the places in the "Weird USA" book.

It's on like Donkey Kong!