Joining the Masses at Mass

Thousands of people visit Mission San Xavier del Bac each year and marvel at its Spanish Colonial architecture, centuries old murals and statues, and historical significance in shaping the development of the Southwest. There is, however, another group of visitors who make a pilgrimage to the "White Dove of the Desert" each week to attend Mass. The Mission is more than a national historic landmark. It's a church with a congregation that celebrates its faith each week much in the same way it has for more than 200 years.






Located 10 miles southwest of Tucson on the Tohono O'odham reservation, Mission San Xavier del Bac is the northern most of the Spanish missions established by Padre Kino in 1692. The church you see today is not the original house of worship built by the famous Jesuit missionary and explorer. His was a simple adobe chapel. Work on the Mission church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797.

Other than its brightly painted walls and ceiling, the inside of the church remains modest. There is no heat or air conditioning to provide a comfortable climate-controlled environment in which to pray. God controls the temperature with the weather. There is no electricity either, other than what is connected by extension cords to a few spotlights and oscillating fans. The pews are hard wooden benches designed to keep you alert and awake during Mass. You won't find padded kneelers either. You kneel on the hard concrete floor. It's amazing that the religious followers of Padre Kino were able to convert anyone to Christianity in such an uncomfortable environment.

But religion isn't about the bricks and sticks that make up the church, its in the soul of each parishioner. You can see it in their celebration of Mass and you can hear it in the voices of the choir. An unamplified group of six with two acoustic guitars, there voices echoed in perfect harmony through the rafters of the church and up to heaven.

Whether you are Catholic, or not, celebrating Mass at Mission San Xavier del Bac is a unique experience and should be on your to do list.

Note: You won't find the Rosary Guild selling donuts and other baked goods after Mass at Mission San Xavier del Bac. Instead you'll find members of the Tohono O'odham community in front of the church selling fresh-made Indian Fry Bread. Choose from sweet varieties topped with cinnamon or powdered sugar, or try a meal-size taco topped with beans, red or green shredded beef, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. Thank God for fried food. Yum!

No Whining About Southern Arizona Wine

If you're a wine snob, and I know there are a few of you out there, the thought of a decent bottle of wine coming from Arizona is absurd. However, after tasting a few of our state's best Blancs and Cabernets, I can tell you that they are wrong. Arizona has a burgeoning wine industry with a number of vineyards producing some fine varietals.






So the story goes, a professor at the University of Arizona was hired to study the environment in the Sonoita-Elgin area. He found that the climate and terroir (that's a fancy French word for dirt) was similar to some of the wine making regions in Europe. With that, the seeds were planted -- literally and figuratively -- and the wine business began to grow in Southern Arizona. Today there are 10 wineries in and around Sonoita and Elgin. I visited six of them.

My first stop was the Dos Cabezas WineWorks, which may be one of the most well known wineries in Arizona. Its primary operation is east of Wilcox, but has a cozy tasting room in the town of Sonoita and a small vineyard nearby. At the tasting room I bellied up to the bar and was presented with a wide variety of reds and whites, among them several award winning wines. I won't bore you with tasting notes -- "aromas of blackberry, earth and oak spice with a long chewy finish, blah, blah, blah" -- I don't have any. My motto: if you like the wine drink it. At Dos Cabezas, I liked every one but was able to narrow my selection and chose a few fine souvenirs. The score: Tasted nine wines and purchased two.

Just off a dirt road, tucked behind rows of grapes, is the Wilhelm Family Vineyards. It's tasting room is much different than Dos Cabesas'. It's more like your neighbor's kitchen. I was first greeted by a fluffy orange cat napping at the front door, then by a lively group of people seated around a kitchen counter, eating popcorn and drinking wine. The hostess of this party was the winemaker herself, Karyl Wilhelm. It's a casual environment that may not appeal to fine wine connoisseur, but is perfect for neauveau winos. The wines are also quite unique, with a few special dessert wines with hints of fruit, coffee and chocolate. If you buy a bottle, Karyl will even autograph it for you. The score: Tasted five wines and purchased two.

Along the Elgin Road is Callaghan Vineyards, where you will find Kent Callaghan pouring wine at the vineyard his parents started in the early 1990s. With nearly 20 years of practice, I can assure you he knows his stuff and makes some tasty wine. Callaghan's had a great selection of reds, mostly blends, which are among my favorites. Why enjoy one grape when you can enjoy three or four in perfect harmony? But don't discount their whites. Ann's, a blend of Grenache Blanc, Verdelho and Symphony grapes was among my favorites, with its fruit flavor and aroma and limited oak influence. The score: Tasted nine wines and purchased three.

Next door to Callaghan's is Canelo Hills Vineyard & Winery. Joan and Tim, and one of the Canelo Hills dogs, were greeting visitors and pouring wine. Joan stays at the vineyard, while Tim is only there on weekends. Monday through Friday he's a full-time psychiatrist in Tucson, which may explain his weekend passion for making wine. The atmosphere in their tasting room is quiet and relaxed, allowing you to savor your glass and enjoy each taste. Canelo Hills offered a Riesling that was dry, when compared to the traditional sweet wines of Germany, and more suited to my taste. The score: Tasted five wines and purchased one.

Sonoita Vineyards came recommended to me by a guest at my hotel. Located on rolling, grass covered hills, you can almost imaging the Caballeros who rode through these fields a century ago. Today they would be surprised to find rows of grapes where their cattle once grazed, along with a large tasting room, gift shop and winery, producing premium wines of all varieties. For my taste, I found most were sweet rather than dry, but all were quite good. The gift shop is also a great place to find wine accessories, apparel and unique souvenirs. The score: Tasted nine wines and purchased one.

Last, but not least, I stopped at Lightening Ridge Cellars, a Tuscan-themed winery. One of the newer wineries in the area, it's old world style is being well received. When I arrived the tasting room was packed. It was hard to find a spot at the bar. Once I did, I was pleased to find full-flavored wines made from classical Italian grapes. The Montepuciano was my favorite. All that was lacking was a big bowl of Pasta Bolognese to enjoy it with. The score: Tasted five wines and purchased one.

To wine snobs everywhere, you can have Napa and Sonoma and the wine producing regions of France. I'll take a glass of Arizona wine, anytime. Next time you should give it a try, too.

That Ain't No Bull in Amado

On the west side of Interstate 19 in the town of Amado, located about half way between Tucson and Nogales, you will come across a pair of enormous longhorns towering above the cactus and sagebrush. Don't worry, it's not a mirage or an experiment to solve world hunger with super-sized bovines. It's the entrance to the Longhorn Grill, a long time Southern Arizona watering hole and occasional cinematic backdrop.

Perhaps you recognize the Longhorn Grill. It was featured in the movies, "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," directed by Martin Scorcese and "Boys On The Side," staring Whoopi Goldberg and Drew Barrymore. Despite the fame, the Longhorn never let it go to its head -- pun intended. It's still a neighborhood bar, filled with its share of regular customers.

One loyal customer, Oscar, has been coming to the Longhorn for 30 years. He told me that in the early days there was a bakery next to the bar and a lake out back where children would fish and enjoy paddle boats. Both are gone. The only evidence of the truth to his story is a large impression in the dirt where the lake once was.

Today, a family-style restaurant has been added next door, featuring a wide selection of Italian, Mexican and America food. But the true flavor of the Longhorn is in the bar. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by for a burger and beer and tell Oscar I said, "Hi!"

Seeing Stars Day and Night at Kitt Peak

I'm not an astronomy geek. In fact, if I were lost in the wilderness I'd be hard pressed to find the North Star. But there's one star in our solar system that I'm quite familiar with, and so are you. The sun, which is the main attraction at Kitt Peak National Observatory.


Kitt Peak National Observatory is located southwest of metropolitan Tucson, high on a mountaintop on the Tohono O'odham Reservation. The scenic, 75 minute drive through the Sonoran Desert is highlighted by the spectacular view from the 12 mile stretch of road that climbs 3,000 feet up Kitt Peak to an elevation of nearly 7,000 feet above sea level.

The observatory, which was established in the late 1950s, has a number of notable achievements. It is the location of the first national astronomical observatory in the United State. It is home to the largest collection of research telescopes -- 25 optical and two radio telescopes. However, it's most famous for the National Solar Observatory, the largest in the world.

The National Solar Observatory looks and operates similar to the "pinhole camera" you made as a kid to view a solar eclipse. (My apologies to scientists and astronomers, everywhere. I'm going to dumb this down a bit.) Sunlight comes in through a hole, travels downward and reflects onto another surface. What you get isn't a dot of light coming through a hole, it is an actual image of the sun! Of course, the National Solar Observatory at Kitt Peak has a lot more bells and whistles.

Another interesting fact about the National Solar Observatory is that unlike the other observatories at Kitt Peak, which are active at night, it has astronomers and scientists working during the day. Visitors can tour the facility and watch them up close, as they work. I had the opportunity to view live images of sunspot forming across the surface of the sun. How cool (or should I say, hot) is that?..!

Kitt Peak National Observatory offers three guided tours each day (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years day), but only the 10:00 A.M. tour visits the solar telescope. There's also a free self-guided tour. Whichever tour you take, a visit to Kitt Peak National Observatory is worth the trip, even if you don't know an asteroid from your ass.

Note: Apparently Kitt Peak National Observatory and I have something in common. We're the same age. The National Solar Observatory, which kicked off astronomical exploration at Kitt Peak, came on line in November 1962. I can't say I've accomplished as much in (nearly) 50 years, but I still have a year and nine months to go. Anything is still possible.

Detour: ¿Cómo Decir "Hot Dog?"

There are several varieties of hot dogs made throughout the U.S. Among them, the Coney Island, Chicago-style and Chili dog are well-known. In Arizona, we also have our version of this American classic, it's called the Sonoran hot dog.


Never heard of it? Neither had I. That was until a little more than a year ago when I came across an article in Sunset magazine titled "Western essential No. 6: The Sonoran hot dog." When I saw it again, featured on the Travel Channel's Man v. Food and Food Wars, I knew that I had to come here -- to El Guero Canelo in Tucson, Ariz.



El Guero Canelo is actually located in South Tucson, a one square mile community within metropolitan Tucson. Also called "The Pueblo within a City," South Tucson reflects the culture and traditions of its primarily Hispanic population. In the neighborhood surrounding El Guero Canelo all the storefronts and billboards are in Spanish, and the language spoken on the street is Spanish, too.


While today you will find a brightly colored eatery with plenty of open-air seating, the family-run restaurant had a more humble beginning. El Guero's started as "street food" (a taco stand), which is popular among the Spanish culture. A portion of the family's food truck has been preserved for posterity and is used as the restaurant's pick up window.

Your first visit to El Guero Canelo can be a bit intimidating. Everyone there seems to know the process, but you. Luckily I fell into the right line and placed my order - one Sonoran hot dog with a traditional Mandarin soda, straight from Mexico. The food is prepared quickly and your number is called, in Spanish and (fortunately for me) in English, too.

What you get is a little white box filled with a combination of Mexican and American flavors. The hot dog, which is a bit more plump than the average ball park frank, is nestled inside a soft, sweet roll. Unlike American buns, however, this one is cut though on the top, creating a pocket to hold in all the goodness -- beans, salsa, onions, bacon and sour cream. I topped mine with a little avocado crema. Yum!

It didn't take me long to devour my first Sonoran hot dog. In fact, it was so good that I thought I would order another, but by the size of the crowd that had gathered inside, so did everyone else. Find a crowded restaurant and you'll find good food. When you're in Tucson, you'll find good food, and a great Sonoran hot dog, at El Guero Canelo.