We're heading out on our second "real" trip in our new jeep/Alu-Cab camper. This is the route we wanted to take last time, when the weather rerouted us to Death Valley instead. It is much nicer now, so we're giving it a try again. We will be doing a small loop through south east Arizona, with an idea of where we want to go, but no real plans.
We stopped in at Sonoran Rovers in Tucson (where our Alu-Cab was installed) to say "hi", and give them a peek of our jeep build-out. They knew we had been working on it, and wanted to see what we have done. It was fun to talk to Marcus and Kelly again and just catch up. They both were so nice and very interested in what we had done...thank you guys! They were also able to give us a few ideas of things to see on this trip since they explore these parts of Arizona all the time.
After leaving Sonoran Rovers, we headed for a National Historic Landmark that lies about 30 minutes south of Tucson called San Xavier Mission. It was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692, with the current church was constructed from 1783 to 1797 when Southern Arizona was part of New Spain. Following Mexican independence in 1821, San Xavier became part of Mexico, and with the Gadsden of 1854, the mission became part of the United States. It is the oldest intact Spanish Colonial structure in Arizona, and the coolest thing about this mission is that it is still in use today.
We really enjoyed the exterior views of the mission, but the real treasure is the inside. It is filled with ornate original statues and murals, and is truly breath taking. I didn’t take any pictures of the inside out of respect for the people worshiping during our visit, but it is a must see if you are passing through. Entrance to the mission is free with opportunities to leave a donation if you desire. Although mask requirements have been dropped in most of Arizona, masks are still required on most of the reservations because they were hit so hard by the pandemic. Tohono O’odham is no exception, so bring your masks or you’ll miss out on the fun.
The mission resides on the Tohono O’odham reservation, and when we we pulled into the parking, there were locals serving up what looked like some amazing food. We were so disappointed that we had just eaten lunch in Tucson and had to skip this fun experience.
It was truly an honor to visit this incredible mission that has withstood so much history and given its parishioners a place to worship for over 300 years!
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