We left Benson, AZ (near Tucson) and visited a decommissioned Titan II missile silo. It was a pretty fascinating visit. There is a short movie that talks about the site & the security that was in place when it was active. Then a short tour walks above ground briefly, then to the control room (where they simulate the lights and sounds that would accompany a launch), then across a looooong hallway to the silo site. They point out that this was a “single-use” facility, meaning once the missile was launched, they weren’t going to reload this silo to fire again. So the power of this rocket (that was used to put men and satellites into space) would have destroyed the launch portion of the facility.
Then we drove through Saguaro National Park. We were pretty underwhelmed, but they had just repaved the road!
Finally, we drove on to SURPRISE!!, Arizona, where Diana’s cousin & her family live. We had a really good time. They have delightful kids (and they are great cooks). They were generous enough to let us stay the night with them.