Tucson Revisited
(Skywatcher's Inn and The Kartchner Caverns)
Located outside of Tucson, near Benson Arizona, the Skywatcher's Inn is a must for those who love the night sky. Adults will enjoy the plush "Egyptian Room", complete with Jacuzzi. Put the kids in the "Galaxy Room", which comes with a mini-planetarium and a life-size cutout of Princess Leia.
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| Is this the first outpost on Mars or the roof of the Skywatcher's Inn? You decide. | A digital image we created from their telescope with the 20" lens. Three computers were used to track, capture, and process this picture of the Orion Nebula (the middle "star" on Orion's belt). |
The Kartchner Caverns, located near Benson, is one of the most impressive sights you will ever see. This newly opened cave system is booked for months in advance. Reservations can be made by phone at 520-586-2283 (but good luck getting through). A few walk-on passes can be obtained if you show up at 6:30am and wait with the other cars outside the gate. It's worth it, no question.
Deceptively plain on the outside.
A collection of blood-sucking bats! Don't worry,
they only attack if you go off the path.
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| A large formation that looks like dripping candle wax. | An unusual stalactite. Hmmm, anyone hungry for a BLT? | Perhaps the oddest thing in the caverns. These "soda straws" (immature stalactites) have broken off from the ceiling where they have remained embedded in the mud for millions of years. |
