It rains in the desert, too.

My last day and a half in Arizona was sort of a hodgepodge of all the other things I wanted to do while in town. I went with my sister to try on wedding dresses (it was a success, by the way!), we wandered around the mall, and watched movies. I tried a world-famous Sonoran hot dog, a bacon-wrapped dog covered in beans, grilled and fresh onions, tomatoes, mayo, mustard, and jalapeño sauce, from El Guero Canelo and practically melted into taste bud nirvana. I took some more engagement photos - this time with Ollie - which made things just a bit more difficult. Good thing he's cute.

However, the two main events of the end of my stay were the Tucson Rodeo and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. I'd never been to a rodeo before, so when I found out that the annual event was being held while I was in town, I embraced my inner cowgirl and decided to get tickets. Although the bothersome rain continued into Sunday, we didn't let it stop us from enjoying the show, despite it being held in an outdoor stadium. In fact, the rain might have even benefited us because we were offered free tickets outside of the venue before we stopped at the box office.

We spent the next few hours oohing and ahhing over saddle bronc riding, barrel racing, calf roping, steer wrestling, and of course, bull riding. The incredible mountains in the distance served as the perfect backdrop for the event and we were absolutely blown away by the speed and strength of the animals. In full disclosure, we actually found ourselves wincing quite a bit over how the animals were treated, poked, prodded, and even tackled. I thought I knew what to expect heading into the event, but I definitely left with a much deeper understanding why many rodeos, including this one, are surrounded by animal cruelty protesters.

Although I enjoyed everything, my favorite event was definitely the barrel racing. It was incredible to watch the horses make such sharp turns, then quickly regain full speed. The rodeo clown was entertaining between events and we even got to see a bull ram into the barrel in which he was hiding.

During momentary breaks in the rain, we caught faint glimpses of a beautiful rainbow overhead and I interpreted that as a sign from God that calories didn't count during the rodeo. So, between the three of us, we ordered curly chips, nachos, a turkey leg, a deep-fried Twinkie, and a strawberry cheesecake and cinnamon apple funnel cake. In other words, the rodeo was basically a county fair, except we got to watch cowboys get violently tossed around like rag dolls.

The next morning, we woke up bright and early to fit in the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum before our drive back to Phoenix. I'm so glad we decided to cram it in because the views were absolutely breathtaking and we saved the best weather for last. Although it's called a museum, it's really more of a zoo and outdoor park with miles of desert hiking. The trails, which wind between various cacti and other local flora, make periodic stops at exhibits with creatures indigenous to the area. Over the course of a few hours, we saw a mountain lion, Mexican wolves, coyotes, javelinas, lizards, scorpions, a hummingbird aviary, bobcats, a black bear, and many other desert-dwelling animals.

The highlight for me, however, was the cactus garden. I was absolutely blown away by the gorgeous display of native cacti, succulents, and flowering plants. I honestly could have spent hours meandering along the paths and taking pictures. Much to my dismay, we had to leave well before I was ready and we missed the free-flight raptor show (where falcons, owls, eagles, etc. fly directly above you in the open desert). Again, a reason to go back...

On our way back to Phoenix, we completely lucked out when the GPS directed us through Saguaro National Park. No better way to say farewell to Arizona (and the west) than driving through a maze of the country's largest cacti. My sister and Denny are probably moving to another base sometime next year, so I'm desperately trying to plan one more visit to Arizona before the move.

Serious question: In case I can't make it back, where else can I get a Sonoran hot dog?