When I left to travel the world in 2019, I thought I would be living a different life by now. Unfortunately, the world stopped, and…
When I left to travel the world in 2019, I thought I would be living a different life by now. Unfortunately, the world stopped, and when it started back up again, I had to as well. It has taken me quite a while to build momentum, but I feel that, finally, at the end of this year, I am embracing where I am. I am writing again, enjoying life in Southeast Arizona, and sprinkling in a few trips when I can afford them. Here are the best RaulersonGirlsTravel photos of 2025 and, of course, my year in review.
Two roads diverged in the wood, and I – I took the ones less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. — Robert Frost
Saguaro National Park West
Living or visiting in Arizona, you have to get photos of the iconic Saguaro cactus. And one of the best places to see them is the Saguaro National Park. I spent a fabulous afternoon driving and hiking through the park. If I had a car, I would go up to Tucson more often to photograph the cacti at different times of day, in different seasons, and under varying weather conditions. I remember one photographer who began her career by capturing a cactus, its silhouette lit by lightning in the background. I would love to capture a photo like that someday.
Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch
Visiting this roadside adventure outside of Tucson was such a surprising find. How many of you have seen that sign for the Ostrich Ranch on the way up to Phoenix and wondered what it was? Well, I decided to find out. I pulled in and found a fun way to spend an hour or two feeding all sorts of animals.
I went from feeding miniature donkeys to deer, goats, ostriches, bunnies, chickens, more goats, sheep, ducks, lorikeets, and even stingrays. This was so much fun. I couldn’t help laughing every time an animal nibbled some food out of my hand. Be forewarned not to turn your back on the ostriches; they might reach over the fence toward you.
Pima Air & Space Museum
Whenever I have a chance to explore an airplane museum, I go. It is the one guaranteed place that I have a connection with my dad. The Pima Air & Space Museum was amazing. I had no idea that it was as large as it was. There are several huge hangars, each housing numerous planes and exhibits. Plus, the grounds are massive, where you can walk around and view these aircraft up close. It is so large that you can even get driven around the grounds viewing them from a tram.
What is even more spectacular is that it is next to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, and while I was walking around the planes, a couple of aircraft took off from the base and flew right overhead. The engines’ roar was so loud I felt the vibrations in my bones. Yep, I knew my dad was with me this day. Oh, and if you do go, make sure to check out the Tucson Military Vehicle Museum next door.
Tumacácori National Historical Park
Tumacácori is one of Arizona’s many national parks besides the Grand Canyon. I have really enjoyed exploring Southeast Arizona and finding these hidden gems. I consider them hidden, because many people don’t even know they are here. Walking around the park, you could imagine an entire community living here, with the church as the focal point and the Santa Cruz River nearby. You can also hike the Anza trail that runs next to the river. The highlight of this visit is watching tortillas being made by hand, then trying them with green salsa. Yum!
Sky Island Falconry Experience
I had the most unbelievable adventure in Tucson at my first TravelCon conference, the Sky Island Falconry Experience. We went out to the desert and spent some quality time with a couple of falcons watching them hunt. It was amazing to watch them dive from the top of a Saguaro cactus to catch their prey. Afterwards, we put on the flacon glove and had them fly to us. It was a bit intimidating at first, but once you got used to it, it was so much fun. We were also allowed to hold several other birds, like Otis, the Eastern Screech Owl seen above. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that, if you are in the Tucson area, sign up for one of their falcon adventures.
Tucson Botanical Gardens
In a desert climate, I was surprised to find a botanical garden in downtown Tucson. The Tucson Botanical Gardens is a 5.5-acre accumulation of over 20 unique gardens, including a Cactus and Succulent Garden, a Barrio Garden with heirloom vegetables, a Zen Garden with Japanese design elements, and a Tropical Greenhouse. My favorite place to explore was the Butterfly Pavilion.
It was filled with colorful orchids hanging from the ceiling (reminding me of the orchids I saw in Thailand), along with hundreds of butterflies from Central and South America. I love going into butterfly houses to see if I get chosen for a butterfly to land on me. I didn’t get chosen this time; however, my friend did. What fun to see how long it would stay on him.
Mission San Xavier del Bac
Mission San Xavier del Bac is an iconic Tucson National Historic Landmark about 10 miles south of downtown Tucson. This stunning Catholic church remains in operation, set on the Tohono O’odham Nation’s San Xavier Indian Reservation. If I were closer or had a car, I would be going to Mass here every week.
Although this church lacks air conditioning or heat, be prepared for the weather when visiting. When I visited, it was so hot, I think I finished my bottle of water in the first 30 minutes I was walking around. The grounds, inside the church, the courtyard, and the museum will hold your attention for over an hour as you explore this gem.
Chiricahua National Monument
I had been to the Chiricahua National Monument before, but this was the first time I made a plan to be there to capture the sunrise. It was crazy fun to drive the 8 miles of winding road up the mountain to get there less than 30 minutes before the sun appeared. I was the only person at Massai Point to watch the sun rise over the mountains.
It was the most peaceful morning I have had in a long time. All I heard was birds chirping and maybe some critters moving around while I watched the light add more and more color to the rock columns. It wasn’t nearly as picturesque facing east as the columns on the west side, so I had to wait a bit for more light to capture the cool rock structures.
Titan Missile Museum
What you are looking at is a reflection of the missile at the Titan Missile Museum. Looking down in this mirror lets you see how large the missile is. This is an incredible site to explore. I was able to get on a tour the second time I visited. One thing to note: it is highly recommended to schedule a tour, as tours sell out, and walk-ins are not guaranteed a spot. This was one of 54 Titan II missile sites used during the Cold War, in operation until 1987.
On the tour, you go 35 feet underground to the bunker to experience a simulated launch of the missile. Then they let you walk through the cableway to level 2 of the missile silo to get an up-close look at the Titan II missile itself. Afterward, you can walk around topside and see where the missile would launch out of and other cool exhibits. Definitely a must-see if you are visiting Tucson.
Mescal Movie Set
Have you ever seen the movie “The Quick and the Dead” or “Tombstone”? If you have, then you have seen parts of the Mescal Movie Set. This movie set is also where over 100 other films have been made, including Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Billy the Kid. Paul Newman, Clint Eastwood, and Val Kilmer walked the same streets that I did on this sunset movie set tour in Benson, Arizona.
I did find out why some of the buildings look different than what I remembered seeing in the films. On the tour, they showed us how everything on the site is transient. Walls move, props change, signs are added or removed, basically, it can look like anything you need it to. I was fascinated by how much ingenuity goes into movie sets to achieve the right look for a film.
Ghost Towns and Ghost Tours
This fall, I worked with US Ghost Tours and took several tours in Tombstone, Bisbee, and Tucson. All of these ghost tours and driving through ghost towns in Southeast Arizona were for an article I was writing for Extended Weekend Getaways. I have always enjoyed ghost tours, haunted houses, and scary movies. So, it is no surprise that once I rented a car, I was out exploring as many ghost towns as I could find down here. And you betcha that if I saw an abandoned building, I’d be out exploring it with my camera.
Friends
Another year has gone by, with some friendships changing while others have grown stronger. I have always said that friends come into your life when you need them, and when you no longer need them, they are gone. This year proved it was true: it was a rough one, with me walking away from one of my strongest (or at least I thought it was) and longest relationships. It was hard to reestablish who I was without wanting to talk to that person almost every day and without him talking to me. Although it is quieter now, with only me to keep company when I get home from work, I’m happier, and my mental health has improved.
The bright spot this year is that my friendship with Nick has grown into something more fabulous: we can explore new places, go on ghost tours, and crack up laughing at every noise we hear. Of course, he is laughing at me when I jump because I’m scared. I’ve also built solid friendships with more of my coworkers (love those ladies) and reconnected with my travel friends, Sara and Jonathan, as I’ve started attending travel conferences again. And last but not least, I am so grateful that my friend, Andy, returned safely from her deployment in Jordan and Somalia this past year. Here’s to having more adventures with my friends in 2026! And if anyone is coming down to Southeast Arizona, look me up.
Sonoita Rodeo
The Sonoita Rodeo has been here at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds for 110 years. I have seen bull riding with my Aunt in South Carolina previously, but haven’t attended a full rodeo until this year. I got there early enough to watch the junior rodeo before the main rodeo (part of the Grand Canyon Professional Riding Association).
It was comical to see the little squirts ride goats and baby steers out of the chutes. Don’t worry, there were plenty of handlers, so no little one got hurt. I loved watching the barrel racing, roping, and, of course, bull riding. Now, I want to go to Texas to watch a full professional rodeo, maybe in Fort Worth?
Wichita Art Museum
When I went to the TBEX Summit in Wichita, I was able to recapture some of the photos from my previous trip that had been lost on my hard drive. In addition, I explored many more new places. Wichita is becoming one of my favorite places to visit in Kansas as I keep finding more and more cool things to do there.
When you enter the art museum, look up, and you will see this colorful Chihuly art display (photo above) in the lobby. The museum was fantastic to wander through. I even love the wall colors behind the paintings; they feature beautiful jewel tones that separate the sections, adding to the atmosphere. Some of my favorites were the Abstract Expressionists and the Little Black Dress exhibit, which you have to see.
Fort Hays Historic Site
On the Art & Culture FAM trip after the TBEX conference, I explored many small towns in Kansas. I was pleasantly surprised by how much street art, sculptures, and culture were discovered on this trip throughout Kansas. Our first stop on the tour was exploring Hays. This college town was fascinating, with so much to see in its street murals, Pete Felten’s amazing sculptures, and the delicious food.
The highlight of Hays was seeing the gigantic Monarch of the Plains on the Fort Hays Historic Site. This mammoth Buffalo limestone sculpture is fitting for Kansas, as they were quite plentiful back in the day. There are even some grazing across the street from this statue that we were able to go over and see up close.
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is another college town that is definitely worth visiting. Having Kansas State University right in the downtown area makes it a lively town with tons of great restaurants, breweries, street murals, shopping, and even a speakeasy. I really enjoyed walking around this town and finding all the hidden street murals (you can’t go wrong posing with wings).
Our guide, Marcia, knew the city’s ins and outs, taking us to amazing restaurants like Bootsie’s and Tallgrass Tap House, and exploring the Kansas State University Gardens, among many other places. I love the water’s reflection of the flower below, set in a beautiful water feature in the gardens.
Another great location we explored was the Museum of Art + Light. This art museum has three floors of art, but what sets it apart from traditional art museums is that the works aren’t arranged randomly from floor to floor. Each floor is connected to the next. MoA+L is the first contemporary art museum to blend immersive, digital, and physical artistic experiences under one roof, designed to engage 21st-century technology users.
I have been to a few immersive exhibits and love the complete immersion in the moving art, from floor to ceiling. This one was fascinating: the artist’s paintings and drawings were on another floor, and the museum’s team brought them to life by animating them. I could have easily spent hours moving around the space to capture a different viewpoint of the moving artwork. A definite must-see! I’ll add a link to my YouTube video of this exhibit soon.
Kansas State Capitol
Our last stop on the Kansas FAM trip was the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka. I got to walk around the Capitol Rotunda, see the Pete Felten sculptures, and look up at the dome I would be climbing in a few minutes. See that cupola at the top. That is where I stood in the photo below. I made it up 296 steps to the top without an elevator. And let me tell you, it was a bit nerve-racking. Not so much going up as I kept my eyes on the person in front of me. However, on the way down, I was the first person, and there was nowhere to look but down. Yikes! I was the only one in my group who made it to the top. And when I stepped outside, it was amazing; I could see all of Topeka.
Summary
I am always surprised when I pull these posts together and see how much I managed to do in a single year. It may look like constant travel, but most of these trips happened during a handful of weekends with a rental car and a tight plan. That makes the experiences feel earned, not excessive. In 2026, the goal is simple: get my finances in better shape and open the door to more time on the road, and more stories. What are your plans for 2026? Any big travel plans for this year?
