I 'm sure I would have answered differently had I not lived in Tucson for two years during the early 1980 's and had I not remembered that there was absolutely nothing in the world I loved more than riding -LRB- with my husband , Howie , who does the driving , a skill I 've never entirely mastered -RRB- through the desert in a vehicle high enough off the road to provide the most panoramic view of southern Arizona 's gorgeous mountains , cactuses and sky .