L to M to N: Benson, AZ to Las Cienegas NCA, AZ via Tucson, AZ

After our morning routine, we left Benson and started towards Tucson to the Bureau of Land Management's office. We knew that we wanted to dry camp as much as possible while in Arizona, so we figured they could help us out with some good maps and information we couldn't find on the Internet. Their office is next to Saguaro National Park (east), giving us our first glimpse of the giant, ancient cacti. The BLM staff member helped us find appropriate information and maps for possible camping spots along our route and recommended that we stay at Las Cienegas National Conservation Area that night. Despite it being out of the way (and practically backtracking), the photos and her description made it sound quite appealing. She also warned us that we were traveling through areas that were know as routes for illegal aliens and drug smugglers. We took the emergency contact information card, but were a bit skeptical about the likelihood of us running into any trouble.Before leaving New Orleans, Emily had picked up the NY Times Travel section that had its "36 Hours" article on Tucson. The University of Arizona's Center for Creative Photography stood out as an interesting (and free) activity, and we had just enough time to make a quick visit. There was a fantastic temporary exhibit of John Guttman's photography on display, and we learned that they house over 60 complete archives of many well known photographers (including Ansel Adams). You can make appointments to browse through their prints, something we might have to make a special trip to Tucson to do in the future.We stopped for dinner making supplies and made it out of Tucson with plenty of time to make it to Las Cienegas before dark. We found an idyllic spot under a giant oak tree. Buzz took a little walk as the sun began to set and we started to think about what to make for dinner. We then heard the yips and howls of what sounded like many many coyotes really close by. We convinced Buzz to get back in the van, decided that cooking smells might draw them over and ended up eating cold chicken salad and cut veggies for dinner instead. Coyotes were one element that we hadn't really accounted for (but really should have) in our plan of camping out in the desert.

Links: BLM Arizona, Center for Creative Photography, Las Cienegas National Recreation Area

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