bet - you also need to orient yourself to the desert. The best place, hands down, is to visit the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. Get on Speedway, headed west, and drive into the mountains following the signs. Plan to give yourself at least a half day there, and be sure to take a hat and sunglasses. Mornings are best for cooler temperatures. It's a great introduction to the region and what lives there. I took my son out on a trip before he accepted a scholarship to attend the U of Arizona (he's a junior this year) and the desert museum was part of the crash course on getting the feel of Arizona.

A drive south of town to the mission of San Xavier del Bac is always a delightful excursion. Take lunch and have a picnic there. I don't practice any religion, but I thoroughly enjoy visiting that spot, it has had such a sustained amount of human activity for so many years. Father Kino was one of the few catholic priests of his day who opposed enslaving the native populations of the area.

The best thrift store I have ever visited, bar none, is in Green Valley, about 20 miles south of Tucson. It is the White Elephant and is open only from 9am till noon Monday - Saturday. It has become a tourist destination since it has such great stuff and prices. (Think prosperous retirement community here - the donations come from people who are moving, from people entering assisted living, and from estates.) That's where we got a good variety of items for my son when he moved into a house this year (instead of the dorm). Take cash or a checkbook, no cards accepted. And if you're looking for good volunteer activities, they have 500 volunteers a week there. There are also a lot of immigrant/illegal alien support groups who do excellent work in the desert north of the border and in Mexico right across the border. If you're interested in this I'll PM the name of my friend who is so active with the groups. Age isn't a limitation - my friend who does this is 78.

SRS