We chose to fly direct from MKE to PHX rather than connect and land in Tucson. We thought for our first experience it would be fun to make the drive from Phoenix down to Tucson to see the mountains and desert and if there's anything interesting in between.

The best part about our decision? Upon getting to our hotel in Phoenix there was a waffle house in our parking lot. It brought back memories of when we went to the Kentucky Derby with Stacey and Jason in 2010 and there was a waffle house in that hotel parking lot as well. We didn't actually check in to our hotel until late, but we dropped our bags and headed right over for a late night snack. Or in Erik's case, a full waffle house meal. I took this picture in the morning on our way out of the hotel. 

Erik needed a haircut so we drove over to a local strip mall so that he could get one before making the drive. Waffle House and haircuts. We sure know how to live it up when we don't have our kids with us. On our way I saw this sign and thought it was funny. I told Erik if we move at least getting a divorce will be cheap! 

We made the drive from Phoenix to Tucson and had been told by many that there was not much to see. Although its mostly uninhabited and there's really not much in terms of real estate or commercial area, it was a beautiful drive with lots of desert landscape and the mountains. So, all in all, I was pleased that we decided to do it. It's also nice to know it's an easy drive since Milwaukee offers direct flights to Phoenix. Right now, if you want to fly direct into Tucson you have to do so out of Chicago. I'd much rather make the drive between Phoenix and Tucson than sit in Chicago traffic getting out of O'Hare. Obviously making a stop on the way is also an option but whenever I can fly direct I will so that I don't have to worry about lost luggage, delays, etc. 

Our first stop in Tucson to start our weekend? Tucson Food Tours.... a walking food tour of historic downtown Tucson. 

Our group made 7 total stops along the way. The tour is offered a couple times a week and the owner/tour guide changes up the tour as often as possible in order to feature new restaurants that are in the area or new menu items available.

It was a pleasant surprise that the owner/tour guide Brad actually has family from WI so we chatted with him a bit while on the tour in addition to sampling the awesome food along the way and seeing the city.

Here are some of the restaurants we visited:

Hub Restaurant and Ice Creamery

Reilly Craft Pizza and Drink

La Cocina

Batch Cafe & Bar

I was very impressed with the tour, the sizes of the "samples" we were given and the group we toured with was really great. We tried cheese curds, specialty ice creams, coffee, pizza, Italian and ended at Batch Cafe & Bar, known for their whiskey, donuts and Boozy cereals.

If you're going to be in Tucson and are interested in doing the tour, book as soon as possible. It's only offered 1 - 2 days a week and sells out quickly!

When we arrived in Tucson, the weather was gorgeous. Erik and I were a little concerned that we would be really hot on the walking tour because the car thermometer showed it was nearly 90 degrees! I can honestly say that I've never felt 90 degrees in the desert as compared to 90 degree humidity in WI. It was beautiful. Sure, it got toasty if you stood in the direct sun for a long time. But walking and finding patches of shade and restaurants to duck into along the way made it more than comfortable outside.

 That afternoon we met up with a local realtor and drove to some different communities to get a feel for what Tucson has to offer. We really loved the Vail area, how spread out the homes are and have learned that the schools are very good . However, the commute for Erik could be anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour. We did a brief drive through of Sahuarita area as well (which is south of Tucson proper) and has a lot of great community amenities including pools, waterparks, parks, soccer fields, walking paths, etc. The house sizes are good, but the yards are small and there's not a lot of mountain views offered so it's probably another area we'll stay away from when it comes time to search for a home.

That evening we finally made our way to Cory and Kristin's home, the friends we would spend the next few days with in Tucson. We ate dinner and chatted and caught up on 4 years of life. The last time we saw them Will was just a baby and they were visiting after having just made the move to Tucson with their daughter. Fast forward 4 years and we have each added another little boy to our families who are only about 6 weeks apart! Needless to say, it felt like no time had passed and we all picked up right where we left off. There's something to be said about great friends.

Their hospitality was amazing and they gave us a good, realistic view of what its like to live in Tucson. It was refreshing hearing about the things they enjoy (beautiful weather year round) and the things they don't. Overall they are very happy they relocated and love the area.

After a good night's sleep, we ventured to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum with Cory, Kristin and their 2 kids. It's a combination of an outdoor museum and zoo. Their kids love it there and we really enjoyed exploring and learning about the local wildlife and plants. Plus, the views were beautiful. I can't wait to experience it in the Spring as we've seen pictures of all the Cacti blooming and it's really beautiful.

A tip about walking around on any sort of Tucson excursion... wear a hat, sunglasses and comfortable shoes/sandals. This WI girl isn't used to the direct sunlight beating down and I'm really glad I packed my hat for this trip!

PJ and I checked out our wingspans :)

I know it looks like a picture from a magazine, but don't be mistaken, this is the view from Cory & Kristin's back yard. Eating dinner in the evenings, playing with the kids, drinking coffee in the morning and taking a dip in the hot tub were all parts of this lifestyle I could definitely get used to.

We spent Saturday afternoon with the realtor touring houses and subdivisions again. We really liked the Catalina Foothills (where our friends live) as well as the Oro Valley, Marana and Dove Mountain area. It's nice to know there are so many good options for buying or building when the time comes!

Sunday morning we decided to make the drive on the Catalina Highway up to Mount Lemmon. It is exactly as it sounds, a mountain in the middle of the desert. You make the scenic drive up the mountain to the peak elevation of over 9000 ft. The drive is beautiful, with lots of stopping points along the way. We took our time and stopped at each one in order to learn about the area and enjoy the views.  

We reached Summerhaven, the community on the mountain, and had lunch at The Sawmill Restaurant. Although the drive up was sunny and beautiful and over 80 degrees, once we were outside at lunch I had to go back to the car for my jacket. It was only about 60 degrees and drizzling while we were there. It was amazing to experience 2 totally different climates . This is a frequent winter destination for skiing and sledding as well as for a summer getaway to escape the heat.

 Sunday evening we went back to Cory and Kristin's and went out to dinner at one of their favorite places: a local wine and burger joint called Zinburger. We had a great meal and enjoyed the company of our friends and their little ones.

When we got back to the house we spent time building legos with PJ after Seb was in bed. And then chatting more with Cory and Kristin and enjoying the little time we had left on our trip.

The next morning we packed up and made the drive back to Phoenix for our flight. It was difficult leaving our friends and their kids to return home but we were also very excited to get back to the boys, who were spending their weekend at Grandma & Grandpa's house.

It was a great first experience in Tucson and we are excited to travel back a time or 2 before making the move next year!