Because of our leisurely pace (and almost running out of gas in the mountains… in the middle of nowhere… in the dark) we didn’t get to our hotel until about 8:30pm local time. We already got a great rate at the Pacific Terrace Hotel, but due to availability we were upgraded to junior suites with ocean views (although we can’t really see much of it in the moonlight).

The room is really plush. And considering the last hotel room I stayed in a couple months ago was in Manhattan, it’s downright gigantic in comparison… and at a fraction of the cost. In addition to the ocean view, large wood beds, marble bathrooms, and a flat-panel TV that I estimate at about 42″, we get free wine! And as if all that wasn’t enough, they actually managed to dig up a charger for my near-dead cell phone since, like an idiot, I left my charger in Tucson.

I have no idea what the plan is for tomorrow but after spending all of Friday afternoon traveling to Tucson and most of today trekking to San Diego, sleeping in and taking it easy are definitely top priorities!

Then Denise and I took a very scenic drive up Mt. Lemmon, an incredibly picturesque mountain north of Tucson. There’s a little village up on top called Summerhaven but unfortunately the gift shop (and more importantly the Cookie Cabin where you can get freshly baked chocolate chip cookies) was closed by the time we got up there. But we weren’t disappointed for long since we managed to time our drive down just as the sun was setting.

The rest of the day was spent back down in Green Valley relaxing with the family and playing a little Phase 10.

Then we made a run for the border. Even though I forgot to bring my birth certificate, we talked to some locals here and heard that you can park on the US side and walk over to Nogales, Mexico, and all you need to get back in is a driver’s license. So we hit I-19 and went about 40 miles south to the border.

This might sound odd, but Nogales actually reminded me a little bit of New York City. Certainly not in size, but it’s essentially filled with dirty little storefronts and persistent street vendors that relentlessly hassle you to check out their knickknacks as you walk past. Oh yeah, and farmacias. Muchos de farmacias! But we did have a lot of fun exploring and buying some souvenirs. We also made friends with one store owner nicknamed “Fish”–he never explained the nickname, only telling us it was “a long story” (see picture at right).

On the way back, we stopped at a pretty famous little spice shop, the Santa Cruz Chili & Spice Co, in Tumacacori. Then we continued north through a little “city” called Tubac. It’s called an “artist colony” down here but it’s basically a bunch of hippies selling arts and crafts stuff. But it was good enough for us to look around and grab a quick bite to tide us over until dinner.

We spent the next few hours beating up the rental car driving through Madera Canyon and Box Canyon where we witnessed a typical (i.e. awesome) Arizona sunset. Afterwards, we picked up my dad (since mom was a little under the weather) for some dinner at an awesome local Mexican place right in Green Valley called Manuel’s. (Every time I come down here, I absolutely have to go to Manuel’s at least once!)

Even though I was tired by this point, Denise somehow talked me into going a few miles up the road to the Desert Diamond Casino where we played some slots for a couple hours. Then it was back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep.

At the rental car place, what was described on Expedia as a “midsize, Toyota Corolla or similar” somehow turned into a PT Cruiser… yeah, no thanks. So after 10 minutes of the saleswoman trying desperately yet fruitlessly to talk me into upgrading to a Dodge Charger, I paid for a small upgrade to a Chrysler Sebring.

The rest of the afternoon was spent having lunch with my mom at the Quail Creek Grill and checking in at the hotel. Later on, we met up with my dad, my brother Ryan and his wife Kate at a pizza place called Sauce up in Tucson.

That was all the excitement we could handle for one day!