Pros:
- Excellent hotel and amenities.
- A walkable area with shops, restaurants, and impressive murals.
- Our full schedule helped me sleep well.
- The USA Rail Pass offered excellent
Cons:
- Google Maps gave confusing directions, so walking with confidence was helpful.
- Attending a dinner theater with only Baxter felt unusual at first, though it became easier.
- Rideshares to both activities were reasonably priced, but the outings required careful planning.
- The USA Rail Pass covers coach travel only, and seats are assigned when passengers
Tucson, AZ: May 6–9, 2026
This was our first coach trip using the USA Rail Pass, which I bought on sale for $299 instead of the regular $499 price. The pass allowed coach travel within 60 days and cost less than booking each segment separately. Our longest upcoming ride would be the roughly 10-hour journey to San Antonio. Baxter seemed puzzled that the terrain and scenery looked much the same throughout the trip.
Home2 Suites was near the station and provided an Amtrak shuttle, which picked us up around 3:30 p.m. Our spacious, clean room included a king-size bed, couch, rolling desk and chair, microwave, kitchen sink, dishes, glasses, utensils, and a full-size refrigerator. Breakfast offered more variety than expected, including breads, muffins, pastries, eggs, fruit, yogurt, cereal, premade breakfast sandwiches, and ingredients for assembling your own. Choices included omelets, bacon, sausage, chorizo, chicken breasts, occasional turkey sausage, assorted breads, and cheeses. The breakfast potatoes—with onions, peppers, and plenty of spice—were especially distinctive. Hot sauce was everywhere.
Tucson, Arizona, affectionately known as “The Old Pueblo,” is the state’s second-largest city. This desert oasis lies in a valley surrounded by five mountain ranges and reflects a rich blend of Native American, Spanish, Mexican, and Anglo traditions. Tucson is known for its sunlit desert landscapes, deep history, and internationally acclaimed food scene.
Thursday, May 7, 2026
We devoted the day to the nine-hour Tombstone & San Xavier: How the West Was Won! tour, an immersive introduction to Arizona’s Spanish colonial heritage and Wild West history. A 10-minute Uber ride took me to the downtown pickup point near Starbucks. Our guide and driver, Ed, was knowledgeable and pleasant.
- Mission San Xavier del Bac: Known as the “White Dove of the Desert,” this historic 18th-century Spanish mission stands just outside Tucson. We toured its ornate church interior and visited the nearby open-air Tohono O’odham shops.
- Tombstone, Arizona: Known as “The Town Too Tough to Die,” this legendary mining camp allowed us to walk the same historic streets as Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Our visit also included:
- Admission to the official K. Corral gunfight reenactment and the Historama show.
- Admission to historic Boothill Graveyard.
- Free time for lunch, a visit to the Tombstone Courthouse State Historic Park museum, or live music at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon.
- Davis-Monthan Air Force Base: On the return trip, we passed the “Boneyard,” the world’s largest storage facility for decommissioned military aircraft.
Tombstone and the Boneyard were especially meaningful because John had wanted to visit both when we planned this trip. We had hoped to stay at the Wells Fargo campground, which looked wonderful. John also wanted me to see the Boneyard because, during his U.S. Air Force service, he helped convert its paper inventory records to a digital system.
Friday, May 8, 2026
Baxter and I explored the area and enjoyed a light lunch at El Minuto Café, the country’s oldest continuously family-owned Mexican restaurant. The taquitos were excellent. We returned to the hotel, where Baxter napped while I relaxed by the pool and went for a swim. At 5 p.m., we left for the Gaslight Theatre.
The theater’s distinctive atmosphere featured vintage memorabilia, fresh popcorn at every table, and dinner service from the on-site restaurant. Musicians performed before the play, License to Thrill, making for a fun evening. Because our Amtrak train to El Paso departed at 7:15 the next morning, I packed as much as possible after we returned and then went to bed.