a florida road trip {part one}: miami

May 25, 2022

We took a road trip to South Florida in March 2022. Our itinerary included Miami, Everglades National Park, the Florida Keys, and Fort Lauderdale. On our way back home, at the northeast corner of Florida, we spent two nights in St. Augustine. This post includes our time in Miami, which was my favorite part of the trip. Part two will include Everglades National Park & The Keys, and part three will include Fort Lauderdale and St. Augustine.

I first stopped at Falls Park on the Reedy in Greenville, South Carolina. I visited my youngest brother Robbie and his partner Rob at their new house in Columbus, Georgia, where we commiserated over politics, ate sushi and chile rellenos, and drank sake and margaritas. I bought beach cover-ups at Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Falls Park on the Reedy in Greenville, SC
Falls Park on the Reedy in Greenville, SC
my brother Rob & me in Columbus, GA
Columbus, GA
Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach, FL

I met Mike at the Miami Airport and we strolled through the Art Deco Historic District on South Beach, saw an adorable pink lifeguard tower, and spent a feisty evening on Calle Ocho in Little Havana among roosters and coffee stores. Mike puffed on a cigar at Guantanamera. We immersed ourselves at Wynwood Walls, an outdoor museum of funky international street art. We wandered among orchids, coral trees, palms, cyads, and a rainforest at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. We spent a barefoot morning lollygagging on South Beach, admiring the colorful art deco lifeguard stands then spent the afternoon basking in the sun at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. We returned to Little Havana for another night of Cuban food and a history lesson on the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 17, 1961) and paid tribute at the Eternal Torch in Honor of the 2506th Brigade, many of whom lost their lives or were incarcerated in horrible conditions in Cuban prisons.

I recommend watching on YouTube for the best experience.

Our top experiences in Miami were:
7) Coconut Grove
6) Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
5) Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
4) Wynwood Walls
3) South Beach – the beach itself and the Art Deco lifeguard stands
2) South Beach Art Deco Historic District
1) Calle Ocho in Little Havana

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three days in boston

May 11, 2022

We spent three days in Boston, Massachusetts from November 10-14, 2021. We’d been to New England a number of times – to Cape Cod, New Hampshire and Vermont – but never to Boston. We very much enjoyed our fall getaway.

In this oldest of towns, the birthplace of American history, we cheered the Cheers bar and danced along with weeping willows and ginkgo trees in Boston Public Garden. We followed the redbrick road known as The Freedom Trail, from the Park Street Church, which played a key role in abolishing slavery, to the Granary Burying Ground, final resting place of Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. We paid tribute to the Old South Meeting House, where arguments in 1773 led to the Boston Tea Party. We walked by Faneuil Hall, where Samuel Adams railed against “taxation without representation.” Finally we saluted Paul Revere’s house, his equestrian statue, and the Old North Church, of “One if by land, two if by sea” fame. We bumped our heads below deck on the U.S.S. Constitution, aka “Old Ironsides,” in Charlestown.

We admired harvest doors in Beacon Hill and circled Fenway park, where we were caught in a sudden deluge. We fought chaotic rain and gale force winds that turned our umbrellas inside out, while making our way to the marvelous Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which we enjoyed despite being soaked through and through. On our final day, we strolled through Cambridge, admiring sculptures and architecture at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and at Harvard. We ate lobster rolls, sushi and bibimbap and toasted autumn in New England with a Southern Tier Pumking Beer with cinnamon on the rim and a Cisco Gray Lady. In a flash, we were on the “T” to the airport and back home in plenty of time for Thanksgiving.

I recommend watching on YouTube for the best experience.

Our top ten experiences in Boston were:
10) Boston Irish Famine Memorial
9) Fenway Park
8) Acorn Street
7) Cambridge: (1) MIT & (2) Harvard
6) The North End, aka “Little Italy”
5) Boston Public Library
4) Beacon Hill (the neighborhood where we stayed)
3) Boston Public Garden
2) The Freedom Trail: (1) the statue of Paul Revere & the Old North Church; (2) Granary Burying Ground; (3) Old State House & Boston Massacre Site; (4) Copp’s Hill Burying Ground
1) Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

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croatia: dalmatia

May 4, 2022

We visited Croatia in October of 2021.  After leaving Plitvice Lakes National Park, we headed to the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, known as Dalmatia, starting in Zadar then working our way south through Šibenik, Primošten, Split (including Hvar and Trogir), and finally Dubrovnik.

After leaving Plitvice Lakes National Park, we drove through tunnels and over mountains to Zadar, where we listened to the Sea Organ and watched the “Greeting to the Sun,” a light show powered by the sun’s energy. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner of John Dory fillet at Restaurant Bruschetta in Zadar and then strolled along the Riva. We climbed up to St. Michael’s Fortress in Šibenik and enjoyed a waterfront lunch. We wandered around the beaches of Primošten. We arrived in Split to cold and blustery weather and stopped for a warm-up with pear brandy at Semafor. We braved a miserable rainy and cold day in Split visiting Diocletian’s Palace, and then visited it again the next day when the sun came out. We climbed the Venetian bell tower at noon and got an earful of clanging bells. We drove to the Marjan Peninsula and visited Kašjuni Beach and then drove to Trogir and strolled the waterfront promenade. We ate one of our best meals of avocado & shrimp salad and stuffed green peppers with mashed potatoes at Semafor. We took the ferry to Hvar, where we zoomed through tunnels and mountain roads over the Island on a quad, with an enjoyable stop at a hidden winery in Jelsa. We took a ferry to the Pelješac Peninsula, saw shellfish cultivation, vineyards, and the Great Wall of Croatia, and imbibed in oysters at Mali Ston. We braved the hair-raising cliff drive into Dubrovnik. We strolled around Dubrovnik and stopped in at Buža I, where concrete stairs led to a beach. We ate delicious grilled calamari at Konoba Jezuite while bundled in a pink blanket against the frigid bura. We took our COVID tests with (luckily) negative results. We walked around the Dubrovnik City Walls and up to the Fort of St. Lawrence, where we had a birds’-eye view of the City Walls. We devoured Bosnian meatballs at the Taj Mahal and, the next morning, took the cable car to Mount Srd, where we had a great view of all of Dubrovnik. We climbed to Park Gradac for views and then ate our final meal at Restaurant Jezuite.

I recommend watching on YouTube for the best experience. 🙂

Our top eight experiences in Dalmatia were:
8) The Pelješac Peninsula and Mali Ston: eating shellfish, drinking wine. Climbing the “Great Wall of Croatia would have been fun, but we didn’t have time.
7) Primošten: the beach is beautiful and would be nice in summer.
6) Trogir: the rich and famous and their yachts.
5) Šibenik: Climbing to St. Michael’s Fortress for amazing views.
4) Dubrovnik: Walking around the City Walls. Otherwise, very touristy.
3) Split: lots to do. We were unlucky with weather but it would be great in warm weather.
2) Zadar: the town, restaurants, Sea Organ and “Greeting to the Sun.” Not so touristy.
1) Hvar: taking a quad and a secret winery at Jelsa. 🙂

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our Polarsteps map of our route in Dalmatia

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croatia: zagreb, istria & plitvice lakes national park

April 27, 2022

We visited Croatia in October of 2021, starting in Zagreb, and working our way west to Istria, where we stopped in Opatija, Motovun, Rovinj and Pula.  Then we continued southeast to Plitvice Lakes National Park where we explored the park in cold, windy and rainy weather. This was our first international trip since the pandemic started.

We also went south to Dalmatia, along the coast, which I’ll feature in an upcoming video.

In Croatia, we strolled among the disheveled and forlorn populace of Zagreb and ate pizza and fluffy pillows of warm bread with beer and rakija. We took a funicular to the Upper Town and visited the Museum of Broken Relationships with its sad tales and detritus of heartbreak. We chatted with the waiter at the Bulldog Café about divisive matters of the world. Later, we walked around the Green Horseshoe and found actors rehearsing an opera on the portico of the Croatian National Theatre. We drove to the Eastern Riviera in Opatija and promenaded down the Lungomare to meet a woman surrounded by seagulls. We enjoyed the vineyard views of Istria from the hill town of Motovun. We immersed ourselves in blue light with harbor views and seafood at Gostionica “La Gondola” in Rovinj. We wandered through the Old Town and to the Church of St. Euphemia after checking out the rock-carved “beaches.” We bicycled on a trail leading to a rocky beach where we swam under the shade of cypresses and Aleppo pines. We visited the Roman amphitheater and strolled through Pula. Finally, we were serenaded by waterfalls as we traipsed through Plitvice National Park in the pouring rain on boardwalks lined with tropical plants and marsh grasses growing out of limestone.

I recommend watching on YouTube for the best experience. 🙂

Our top six experiences in the northern portion of Croatia were:
6) Plitvice Lakes National Park (rainy, cold and miserable, but beautiful)
5) Zagreb, especially the Upper Town (Gradac) and Tkalčićeva Street
4) Motovun
3) Opatija
2) Pula and the Roman ruins
1) Rovinj (our favorite of the entire trip)

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Our northern route in Croatia from Polarsteps

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michigan’s lower peninsula: “the mitten”

April 13, 2022

We explored Michigan as part of our Great Lakes Road Trip in May-June of 2021. Our explorations included Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. This video covers Michigan’s lower peninsula, affectionately referred to as “the Mitten” (see map below).

The Michigan Mitten is all about eclectic folksy inns; tunnels of trees; expansive sand dunes; famous authors like Hemingway, Bruce Catton, and Jim Harrison; lighthouses; weathered fish shanties; cherry orchards and grape vineyards; megachurches and the American Taliban; presidential museums; Henry Ford and the automobile; the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor; and obscure battlefields.

After crossing the Mackinac Bridge over the Straits of Mackinac, we: cruised through the Tunnel of Trees to Petoskey; enjoyed the thatch houses at Charlevoix; hiked the Cottonwood Trail at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore; enjoyed a lovely dinner at The Cove in Leland, with views of weathered shanties on the Fishtown dock. We drove by Jim Harrison’s old home — writer’s cottage and all, and then cruised through cherry orchards and wineries up the slim Old Mission Peninsula, where we found another lighthouse. We came face-to-face with the DeVos evangelical mission in Holland, wandered the grounds of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum (which was sadly closed due to COVID), and endured a bad experience with our Airbnb in Detroit, which turned out to be in the derelict Hamtramck neighborhood, and lost most of our money. We wandered through Ann Arbor and watched In the Heights at the Michigan Theater. We learned about the history of cars and American innovation at The Henry Ford in Dearborn. After dropping Mike at the Detroit airport, I went on to learn about an obscure battle in the War of 1812 at the River Raisin National Battlefield Park: “Remember the Raisin!”

Our top ten experiences in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula were:
10) Cross Village & the Tunnel of Trees
9) Grand Haven and the Tri-Cities Historical Museum
8) Grand Rapids and the grounds of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum
7) Petoskey
6) Charlevoix
5) Dearborn: The Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village
4) Ann Arbor: the charming town & the University of Michigan
3) The Old Mission Peninsula: cherry orchards, wineries, & lighthouses
2) Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
1) Leelanau Peninsula: Leland, Fishtown, and Jim Harrison’s old home

Michigan road trip 2021
“The Mitten”

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michigan’s upper peninsula to mackinac island

April 6, 2022

We explored Michigan as the last part of our Great Lakes Road Trip in May-June of 2021. Our explorations included Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. This video covers the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (see map below).

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac. It is bounded primarily by Lake Superior to the north and flanked by Lake Huron and Lake Michigan along much of its south. Residents are nicknamed Yoopers (derived from “UP-ers”) and have a strong regional identity, enhanced by the perception that the rest of the state neglects them.

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is all about Pictured Rocks, huge ships going at a snail’s pace through the Soo Locks, lighthouses, “yoopers,” waterfalls, shipwrecks, Lake Superior, and pasties.

We visited the Sand Point Lighthouse in Escanaba and the Marquette Harbor Lighthouse in Marquette, watched The Sand Lot on a big screen at the Delft Bistro, and explored Miners Castle, Miners Beach, Sable Falls, and the Au Sable Lighthouse Trail (accompanied by black flies and mosquitoes aplenty) at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. We went on a 2-hour sunset cruise with Pictured Rocks Cruises after eating pasties at Muldoon’s Pasties. We found “Yoosta be a Yooper” bumper stickers in Munising. We visited waterfalls in Munising and Tahquamenon (rhymes with Phenomenon) Falls State Park, the Edmund Fitzgerald and other shipwrecks at Whitefish Point’s Shipwreck Museum and a ship moving glacially through the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie. We enjoyed a leisurely bicycle ride around Mackinac Island and crossed the Straits of Mackinac on the 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge, known as the “Mighty Mac.”

Our top eight experiences in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula were:

8) Crossing the Mackinac Bridge
7) Escanaba
6) Marquette
5) Sault Ste. Marie and the Soo Locks
4) Whitefish Point and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
3) Tahquamenon Falls State Park
2) Bicycling all over Mackinac Island
1) Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising: Pictured Rocks Cruises, Miners Beach, Miners Falls & pasties!

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

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a wisconsin road trip: of apostle islands & cheeseheads

March 23, 2022

We explored Wisconsin as part of our Great Lakes Road Trip in May-June of 2021. Our explorations included Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Wisconsin is all about scenic Rt. 13, the charming town of Bayfield, the murals of Ashland, lakes, freshwater fishing, boating, sandstone formations, maritime history, dairy cows, cheese & cheese curds, beer, bratwurst and fish boils. It is about walks along the Mississippi and the Milwaukee Rivers and Lake Superior. It is about the University of Wisconsin in Madison, locks and dams, charming villages, grottoes and smoked fish.

We cruised through Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on a cold and blustery day, searched for waterfalls at Copper Falls State Park, climbed inside of a giant sturgeon at the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame, stopped for a beer flight at Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. in Chippewa Falls, and paid our respects to veterans at the High Ground on Memorial Day, topped off by an old-fashioned Chinese meal at Shaw Lee in Wisconsin Rapids. We strolled through Witches Gulch and watched a dog jump over an abyss at Stand Rock in Wisconsin Dells. We climbed the steep boulder-strewn trail at Devil’s Lake State Park to the Devil’s Doorway. We enjoyed a Bodega Bowl in the shadow of the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison, and wandered around the stunning University of Wisconsin campus. We meandered down State Street and enjoyed dumplings at Chen’s Noodles & Dumplings. We munched on cheese curds and beer at Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee. We wandered through the “Streets of Old Milwaukee” and the European Village and learned about Nelson Mandela at the Milwaukee Public Museum. We glimpsed all-things-beer including Miller Brewing and the Pabst Mansion, then met “the Fonz” on the Riverwalk. We explored the Public Market and the Historic Third Ward. We learned about maritime history in Sturgeon Bay and walked along limestone bedrock fronting Lake Michigan at Cave Point County Park. We witnessed a conflagration and ate whitefish at a fish boil at Pelletier’s in Fish Creek. We soaked up a stunning sunset at Sunset Beach at Fish Creek. And finally, we donned cheeseheads and did the “Lambeau Leap” at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

Our top ten experiences in Wisconsin were:
10) Green Bay – Lambeau Field
9) Dickeyville Grotto
8) Hayward Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum
7) Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co. in Chippewa Falls
6) Wisconsin Dells
5) Devil’s Lake State Park: The Balanced Rock Trail
4) Milwaukee : Milwaukee Public Museum, Riverwalk, the Historic Third Ward & the Milwaukee Public Market
3) Madison: University of Wisconsin, State Street, & the Wisconsin State Capitol
2) Apostle Island National Lakeshore: Apostle Islands Cruises (The Grand Tour)
1) Door County: Maritime Museum in Sturgeon Bay, Fish Creek & Pelletier’s Nightly Fish Boil, & Cave Point County Park

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Our Wisconsin route

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minnesota {points north}

March 9, 2022

We explored Minnesota as part of our Great Lakes Road Trip in May-June of 2021. Our explorations included Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Northern Minnesota is all about Lake Superior and the shipping, mining, lumber and fur trading industries. It is about voyageurs and outdoorsmen: canoe paddlers, campers and traders. It is about 12,000 lakes, pictographs at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), aerial lift bridges, the charming Stillwater on the St. Croix River, and ruins of a 130-year-old sandstone quarry along the Kettle River. It is about Frank Lloyd Wright gas stations, railroad museums, and famous football players such as Bronko Nagurski. It is about Dorothy Molter, aka the Root Beer Lady.

In Duluth, we watched the James R. Barker, the first 1000-foot class vessel constructed entirely on the Great Lakes in 1976, pass through the Aerial Lift Bridge, which spans the Duluth Ship Canal. The 1,000-ton central span rises 138 feet like an elevator to let ships enter the harbor. We saw a huge collection of rolling stock at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. And returning to Duluth after our exploration of the North Shore, we enjoyed a seaplane ride over the largest and busiest port on the Great Lakes, with views of the Aerial Lift Bridge and the surrounding metro area. To top it all off, we had dinner at Bridgeman’s, a mid-century modern diner complete with a Friday night fish fry and a raspberry hot fudge wonder.

Here are my top ten favorite experiences of northern Minnesota:

10) hiking the Quarry Loop Trail at Banning State Park
9) Split Rock Lighthouse State Park
8) dinner at the iconic Bridgeman’s in Duluth
7) Stillwater, the charming self-proclaimed “Birthplace of Minnesota”
6) Voyageur’s National Park and the Arrowhead Lodge
5) Palisade Head on the North Shore
4) Tettegouche State Park
3) Duluth and the Aerial Lift Bridge: watching the huge cargo ships go through the bridge
2) Canoeing on Hegman Lake in Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW)
1) Seaplane tour of Duluth with Beaver Air

our complete Minnesota road trip
road trip through northern Minnesota (detail)

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minnesota {points south}

February 23, 2022

We explored Minnesota as part of our Great Lakes Road Trip in May-June of 2021. Our explorations included Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Southern Minnesota was all about marine art, the birthplace of waterskiing, and the world’s largest 16-foot-tall work boot. It was about SPAM, the Jolly Green Giant, horizontal landscapes of endless farmland, Blue Mounds, Pipestone quarries and the Indian pipes made from them, Sioux quartzite, and invisible petroglyphs. It was a land of German towns, waterfalls, and the Mississippi River. It was also about reconciliation in Mankato and a bank robbery by the notorious James-Younger gang in Northfield.

In Minneapolis, we strolled through sculpture gardens, across old stone bridges, and under signs for Gold Medal Flour and Pillsbury’s Best Flour. We cruised through the University of Minnesota, bicycled around lakes in Minneapolis, and sang to musical murals. We browsed the Minnesota History Museum and learned about iron ore, lumber, the collapse of Interstate 35 in 2007, Minnesota blizzards & tornadoes, and Sinclair Lewis. We paid our respects to George Floyd, Prince and Bob Dylan, peeked into the On Being studio, and met Charlie Brown and the gang in St. Paul.

Here are my top ten favorites of southern Minnesota (The Twin Cities & south):

10) George Floyd Square in Minneapolis
9)  Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona
8) Pipestone National Monument
7) The charming town of Northfield and the Northfield Historical Society Museum
6) The SPAM Museum in Austin
5) Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
4) Blue Mounds State Park near Luverne
3) Bikeride around Minneapolis lakes
2) Minnesota History Museum in St. Paul
1) Murals of Minneapolis (especially Prince, Bob Dylan & the Music Wall)

Here’s the map of our route in 2021. I’ll cover the northern part of Minnesota in another video.

Our Minnesota Road Trip
Minnesota {points south}

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arizona {points south}

February 9, 2022

In November of 2020, as part of our Canyon & Cactus Road Trip, I: crossed into Arizona and fell in love with chartreuse leaves in Oak Canyon on the way to Sedona; drove south to Montezuma Castle National Monument and Montezuma Well; hiked the Eagles Nest Loop at Red Rock State Park in Sedona; sat quietly under Buddhist prayer flags at Amitabha Stupa & Peace Park in Sedona, turned the prayer wheel, and walked 3x clockwise offering lots of prayers; got a wonderful 90-minute hot stone massage at Namti Spa; spent Election Day nearly getting struck by lightning at Tuzigoot National Monument; spent a day in Phoenix at the Phoenix Art Museum and the Heard Museum; visited Casa Grande Ruins National Monument; met a huge variety of cacti at Desert Botanical Garden and wandered through Old Town Scottsdale; hiked through Saguaro National Park (West and East); avoided rattlesnakes on a climb to see petrogylphs by the Hohokam people at the Signal Hill Trail; wandered through the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, finding javelinas and more cacti: hedgehog, barrel, staghorn, teddy bear cholla, catclaw, dwarf organ pipe cactus, Woolly Jacket prickly pear, Cowboy Whiskers Prickly Pear and ocotillo. Followed a van in Tucson with a bumper sticker: “BIDEN 2020: He won’t inject you with bleach.” Went to Tumacácori National Historical Park and Tubac, where I bought some colorful cactus and coyote yard ornaments; lit a candle for our country and my children at Mission San Xavier del Bac; gobbled down Indian fry bread at Cafe Santa Rosa in Tucson; wandered through the charming but scruffy town of Bisbee, a former copper mining town; missed the shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone; took a fabulous (but freezing) hike at the sky island of Chiricahua National Monument; got a flat tire driving on a dirt road to Fort Bowie, but didn’t even visit there after all that.

Here are my top ten favorites in southern Arizona, with a couple of odds & ends thrown in:

11) Odds & Ends: Old Town Scottsdale, ASU Gammage Auditorium in Phoenix, Casa Ruins National Monument, Tumacácori National Historical Park, & Bisbee
10) Pipe Spring National Monument (northern Arizona)
9) Montezuma Castle & Montezuma Well
8) Tombstone
7) Tuzigoot National Monument
6) Arizona Sonora Desert Museum in Tucson
5) Phoenix: (a) Phoenix Art Museum, (b) Heard Museum, (c) Desert Botanical Garden
4) City of Tucson & Saguaro National Park West & East
3) Tubac & Mission San Xavier del Bac
2) Sedona, Red Rock State Park, & Amitabha Stupa
1) Chiricahua National Monument

Here’s the map of our route in 2020.  The red shows our route in 2018.  Pipestone National Monument is in the north central part of the state, where we dipped down from Utah for a short visit and then returned to Utah.

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Arizona: Brown route = 2020; Red route = 2018

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