Old Tucson Studios

We got up none too early – I think it was around 7:30. Again it’s sunny and warm. We both spent a bit of time reading and just lounging around. I was sitting out on the balcony and I saw a road runner walking just below the balcony on the rocks. I quickly went inside to get the camera but when I got back it was gone. So I went back to reading my book. A few minutes later, I was aware of some kind of movement on the balcony behind me. I was startled and more than a little bit nervous to look and see what was there. Suddenly the road runner came walking along beside my chair, just as brave as can be. It quickly moved to the other end of the balcony and stood there looking at me. I quietly called to Lloyd to bring me a piece of bread. We had some multi grain bread with lots of seeds in it. He brought a piece and slowly handed it to me through the door. I pulled off a small piece and tossed it to the bird, who quickly ate it. Then I continued putting small pieces on the floor but closer and closer to my chair. At one point it came right up to about 2 inches away from my chair to get the bread. Then when it had enough, it just stood looking out the railing for a bit, then flew off to the ground. I left the last piece of bread and the seeds from the bottom of the bread bag on the floor, and surprisingly enough, they were still there on Saturday morning.

After my bath, I went up to the clubhouse to post my blog and wait for Lloyd to come and pick me up. We had thought about the go cart track but when I looked it up on line, it had all kinds of rules – you needed to wear long sleeves and long pants and closed shoes. It was going to be very hot again so we didn’t really feel like spending time in long clothes in the heat. So we headed off, instead, to find the Harley dealership. We’d passed it on the interstate on our way in so we knew where to find it. There’s no helmet law here so it’s odd to see riders on the highway without a helmet on. I know I’ve ridden is states before with no laws, and there is something very exhilarating about riding down the road without a helmet but my gosh, I can’t think what would happen if you fell. Not a risk I’d be willing to take anymore.

On Tuesday when we were going to the park, we passed a place called Old Tucson Studios. We went into the parking lot but there were only about 3 cars there, so we figured it wasn’t much. Turns out it was closed that day. A little more research and we found out that it’s a real movie studio and has been used for over 70 years to film Hollywood movies. Almost every western you can think of was filmed there , as well as numerous TV shows including Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie.
It was originally build in the 1930’s to film one movie. It is a perfect replica of an old west town. Apparently it sat deserted for a good many years before someone decided to take it over and revive it. Since then it has been used for countless movies. It is still a fully functional movie set and when something is being filmed they just close it off to the public until they’re done, but when it’s not being used for filming then it becomes a tourist attraction. It was much more interesting than we had originally thought it might be. We spent the better part of the day
there, taking in little shows that they put on in various venues on site. It closed at 4:00 and we were ushered out at the end. ( There’s a temperature gauge in the car that tells you the outside temperature. When we got into the car the outside temperature was 100 degrees. It had cooled off by the time we got to town – down to 96!)

From there, we headed back into town, about 10 miles through winding mountain roads. I am still amazed at the size of these cacti. The mountain sides are covered with
Fridaythem. I didn’t realize that they have a wooden skeleton of sorts inside. We saw a couple on display somewhere and they have a series of ribs made of wood that run vertically all around the outside shape, but under the covering of the cactus. So in essence, I suppose, they really are a tree of sorts.

Back in town, we stopped at the grocery store again and picked up some milk and bread and some strawberries for nibbling on. We didn’t have a proper meal, just some cheese, grapes, ham cubes, veggies and dip and just sat and picked away as we watched TV. (Well, that was after I had a 3 ½ hour nap). I had a bit of a headache and was very tired when we got back but I suspect it was maybe a little too much sun. So of course I didn’t wind up going to bed till midnight. So I watched some TV, read a book and cleaned up dishes till I felt I could go to sleep again.
All in all, just another relaxing day. But only one more before we head back to Toronto.