Joani & David's Travels: Thursday, January 23, 2014, Saguaro National Park, Kitt Peak Observatory, Tucson, AZ

I really wanted to visit Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, AZ, but had no idea that there was a National Park on the way. Good thing we had the whole day and nothing else planned. The Saguaro National Park included some very desolate areas with lots of interesting cactus. They had an excellent Visitor's Center that included some short walks with the different cacti labeled so we could learn the difference between the Ocotillo and the Cholla. I think the park was remote enough that it might have had really dark skies for astronomy, but I will have to find out on another visit.

The drive up to the observatory complex at 6,875 feet was significantly less stressful than the drive to Lick or Palomar. Of course, the lack of hairpin turns was great, and the lack of falling rocks and bicyclers helped, too. At the top, we enjoyed a picnic just outside the visitor center (jackets were needed since it was a bit cooler at altitude) before we joined a tour of the facilities.

The entire Kitt Peak complex is located on an Indian reservation, so the gift shop included some interesting, original Indian horse hair miniature weaving. They were pricey but tempting since they were nicely sized for our limited living space. We ultimately left empty-handed.

The large basket in the middle is only 1 1/2 inches tall.

The rationale for an observation deck, three stories above the ground and one flight of stairs below the telescope, was never explained, but we did enjoy the view.

The 4-meter telescope design was essentially copied from the Hale telescope on Mt. Palomar. Apparently, it will be used for the next few years to search for "dark energy," according to our docent.

Since the Saguaro National Park was on the way home and the sky was starting to get interesting, we decided to stop in again for some more exploration. We drove a loop road recommended by the park ranger. It was beautiful and scenic, but he should have mentioned it was an unpaved road that limited us to about 5 mph. We started to worry about getting out of the park before the gates were locked at sunset.