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Hector the Loneliest Saguaro

Hola from Arizona! 
Today, our ABST team was lucky to spend the day with John Lohse, our alumni guide for the trip, who was gracious enough to show us some of Tucson’s finest sights. We started with an early morning stop at Gate’s Pass, a beautiful overlook where we could see miles and miles of Arizona’s natural, cactus-filled landscape. Then, we drove through some windy and bumpy terrain to reach our next destination: The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum. 
John led us around the museum, pointing out some of the larger wildlife exhibits as well as some key aspects of the vegetation native to the area. The javelinas and river otter as well as the lush cactus garden were definitely some crowd favorites! 
Next, we headed for the Mission San Xavier del Bac, nicknamed the “White Dove of the Desert.” Here, we took the time to explore the gorgeous mission started by Father Kino, and even climbed up to a cross overlooking the mission grounds (and surprisingly, no one was injured in the process). 
We ended our day with an Alumni Dinner at El Molinito, one of John’s favorite Mexican restaurants in the area. We had a full dinner table that included our group members as well as Gannon alumni local to the area, including John, Phil, Sharon, and Sabrina. It was really special to end the day experiencing some of the fellow Gannon family, as well as sharing in some great conversation!
All in all, it was an amazing, fun start to what we are sure will be an incredible week of service!
XOXO,
AZ ABST



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