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| Christmas in Arizona. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
Even when an RBG has travelled to a destination numerous times, it’s inevitable that she’ll make new discoveries. Today I’m flying to Tucson, Arizona. I’ve traveled there numerous times, and even lived there for a handful of months. The Mexican food is amazing–the tortillas, sublime. The saguaro wave to passersby from the rocky roadside, like prickly relatives you see too seldom to embrace. One day on a bike ride along a wash, I encountered four roadrunners, who darted nervously about, unsuccessfully trying to conceal themselves behind the palo verde, and too curious to flee.
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| One of my favorite destinations in Tucson is the mission San Xavier del Bac, Here vendors sell freshly-made fry bread tacos outside the mission’s entrance. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
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| There is rarely water in the Santa Cruz River in Tucson. But, take the bike path and you can watch for roadrunners, prairie dogs, snakes and other varmints. Good times. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
Yet every time I travel, even when it’s to a place with which I’m well familiar, I look forward to the stripped-bare experience of newness. That’s where the wow rests, tucked in the corners as yet unexplored. While visiting old favorites is comfortable and tempting, somehow the experience of travel is muted when you lock yourself into routine. It’s the branching out that makes travel a vibrant personal journey, whether everything goes as planned, or the road is rocky.
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| A Sonoran hot dog vendor prepares food for the hungry late-night crowd on 4th Avenue in Tucson. Photo by Charish Badzinski. |
What’s your approach to travel when you visit favorite destinations? What hangouts, restaurants and experiences would you recommend in Tucson, Arizona?
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