Cactus League Baseball

Rockies playing Diamondbacks at Hy Corbett Field

Several times we have used the Cactus League Spring Training games as a reason/excuse to leave the unpredictable yo-yo weather of Denver for the warm dry sunny weather of Tucson Arizona. It's a lovely town with great ambiance and much to do--if you have the time.  This trip was spontaneous and not well-researched.  Without kids in school we were clueless that we were traveling stand-by during Spring Break. We're retired and flexible so we charged into the fray.  We had no problem getting to Tucson, though we had to abandon stand-by plans and purchase tickets on Cheap Tickets for the last leg of our trip.  The return trip was chaotic as Spring Break collided with the cancellation of over 600 flights of MD-80 airplanes (130 passengers) and attempt to reschedule all the paid standbys onto RJ's (50 or 70 passengers.) 

After testing our flying motto, "Be patient, be flexible," by standing by for 5 flights in Salt Lake City, we finally got a hotel there and were able to get out the next morning on the COD (crack-of-dawn) flight to Denver. We were tired but had happy memories--and way too many photos of cacti-- to remind us of our quick 3-day dash to Tucson.

My husband found a too-good-to-be-true car/hotel combo deal on Expedia and luckily it was most definitely a true deal.  It also acquainted us with a wonderful historic lodge located just a few blocks from the continuous free shuttle to the games. 

Mid-morning outside our room at Lodge In The Desert

Before we saw the restaurant at our motel we had wondered where we would eat the first night in Tucson.  We picked up our car at the airport, checked in at the motel, changed our winter clothers for sunshine clothes and made it to the game in time to see the first pitch.

When we checked in we walked past the restaurant and immediately decided to eat there after the game.

Lodge in the Desert Restaurant in Tucson Arizona