We live in the foothills of the Tucson Mountains. While walking their dogs or hiking nearby, many of our neighbors have seen, if not the actual big cat, then its impressive paw prints in the sand or mud. And while most of us have hiked Sabino Canyon, a relative few claim to have actually seen [...]
Continue reading
A couple of years ago, our dear Tucson friends, Dan & Wanda, moved to Austin, TX. On a rare visit back to the Old Pueblo, they stayed with Ms. Karen & me for several days recently. We had a lovely time together, as always. That was expected. What wasn’t expected was their “must go to” [...]
Continue reading
The month of April we featured The Friends of the Huachuca Mountains, who open the Carr House seasonally for your education and enjoyment. Watch the Video. Carr House opened April 27th, 2013 and will remain open until October, 2013. See the event calendar for their Sunday Afternoon Programs.
Most Americans know at least a little about Custer’s Last Stand, also known as the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The incident has an epic quality worthy of Homer’s Illiad or Virgil’s Aeneid. The battle took place on June 25th & 26th, 1876 between the combined forces of the Lakoda, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes [...]
Continue reading
Many folks in Tucson don’t consider a day trip or overnight road trip to Patagonia and Patagonia Lake State Park because they think it’s too far.
Continue reading
Take one of the many Tombstone jeep tours offered by Into The West Jeep Tours and Mark and his crew will transport you back in time to the Old West of Cochise, Geronimo, Johnny Ringo, Wyatt Earp, and Doc Holliday.
Continue reading
To orient new visitors to our magnificent Sonoran Desert, we always recommend they spend some time at our Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. This is not a museum in the ordinary sense, but rather a combination botanical garden and zoo. Click on this link to view our four brief videos with several docents at the Desert Museum. Special Events The Desert Museum is a big place, so there’s lots of walking involved. If you are handicapped, they do have wheelchairs and electric scooters available. When you enter, there will be a docent handing out maps and telling visitors the times of special events, such as the incredibly popular Raptor Free Flight program. Behind The Scenes Tours The Desert Museum offers 4 Behind The Scenes Tours that gives visitors a much richer, more in depth experience than general admission. We’ve enjoyed two so far: Walk On The Wild Side and the Warren Aquarium. … Continue reading
Bisbee’s historic district is one of the finest examples of early 20th century American cities anywhere. Just walking around will pull you back in time more than a hundred years.
For reasons I cannot explain, Bisbee has some of the very best restaurants in Southern Arizona. Fortuitously, Bisbee also has a couple of fine old hotels. The Hotel San Ramón is one.
The I-19 corridor south of Tucson is hard to beat for a leisurely day enjoying art, culture, and history. There is so much to see and do between Tucson and the Mexican border that we recommend you start early. When we take guests on this, our Tucson Day Trip #1, we usually drive 50 minutes from Downtown Tucson to the furthest destination south, which is Mission Tumacácori, almost to the Mexican border. The rest of the day is a leisurely drive back toward Tucson with at least 5 worthwhile points of interest along the way. 1. Tumacácori National Historical Park is a picturesque reminder that Southern Arizona was, at one time, the far northern frontier of New Spain. This mission was founded by Father Kino in 1691. Take exit 29, then turn left under the Interstate. At the frontage road, turn left. You can’t miss it. Bring your camera. A … Continue reading
The dozen or so wineries in the little communities of Sonoita & Elgin are about an hour southeast of Tucson via scenic Hwy. 83. The terrain here is very different from Tucson. No saguaros, but miles of rolling hills, tall grass & cattle herds. Empire Ranch More than a century before this was wine country, it was cattle country. The biggest ranch was the 1 million acre Empire Ranch. You can visit what remains of it on your way. Volunteers are working to restore the principle residence & out buildings. Inside the main house are simple exhibits with old photographs of the ranch and its ranchers. Definitely worth an hour’s detour. The Empire Ranch is located in the heart of the 42,000-acre La Cienegas National Conservation Area. Flowing through this preserve is Cienega Creek, a natural riparian zone that shows us what much of this region was like before the … Continue reading
I have been searching for a steakhouse that serves a better ribeye than I can BBQ at home. I almost always purchase my ribeyes from Costco. They are ALWAYS better than any of the big-name grocery stores. If you know what you’re looking for, you can pick up a generous package of prime-cut ribeye’s for the cost of U.S.D.A. choice.
Continue reading
February 2013 Our search for the best hamburger continues. Last year we chose Zinburger #1 & Red Robin at the Tucson Mall #2. This year I’m going to expand that list because almost everyone loves a great burger. Moreover, there seems to be a considerable increase in competition for this category. Recently, and entirely by happenstance, I dined at the new The Lodge Sasquatch Kitchen. I was looking for a particular book at Barnes & Nobles in the Foothills Mall. As I came out with my prize, Jefferson: The Art of Power by John Meacham (highly recommended), and walked to my car, I realized that there is a new restaurant across the parking lot. As I recalled, this used to be a Greek restaurant. As I approached the front entry, it was abundantly clear that this place was no longer Greek. A couple of huge wooden Yeti statues greeted me. I soon learned that … Continue reading
Santa Cruz County is still sparsely populated and remains an excellent destination for bird and wildlife photographers, hikers, ghost town hunters, kayakers, and other outdoor enthusiasts.
Continue reading
On a clear Sunday morning in early February, Neighbor Roy, Ms. Karen, & I arrived at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum for our 2nd Behind The Scenes tour, this time of the new Warden Aquarium. Lacey was our guide for our group of 8, including two little boys who looked to be about 4 and 6 [...]
Continue reading
The Santa Cruz River is about 184 miles long. It begins in the high grasslands of the San Rafael Valley east of Patagonia, AZ. At first, it runs south into Sonora Mexico for several miles before it changes its mind and
Continue reading
An amateur photographer, Francie Hills is a retired teacher from New Hampshire who currently lives in Sierra Vista. We first saw Francie’s photographs at the San Pedro House, the visitor center operated by Friends of the San Pedro River. This 57,000 acre preserve protects one of the last remaining year-round free-flowing rivers in Arizona. People have lived in this area for at least 11,000 years. Here you will find pleasant hiking trails, dozens of bird species, a ghost town, and an archeological site. … Continue reading
The Earp Vendetta Ride is your chance to ride where Doc and Wyatt tracked down the men who wounded Virgil and murdered Morgan following the most famous gunfight in American history.
Continue reading
The Gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone was only the beginning of the murderous conflict between the Earp Brothers and their friends, and the outlaw gang known as ‘The Cowboys’. ‘The Cowboys’ were about two-dozen hard riding, hard drinking ranchers and rustlers, their hired hands and gunslingers. Most notable among them were the Clanton Brothers, Ike and Billy; the McLaury Brothers, Frank and Tom; Johnny Barnes; “Curly Bill” Brocius; Florintino Cruz, aka “Indian Charlie”; Frank Stilwell; and Johnny Ringo. … Continue reading
For all you Ghost Town fanatics. On Sunday, January 27, 2013, the Friends of San Pedro River conducted a Members-only guided hike to Charleston Ruins. Charleston was a town on the west bank of the San Pedro River, directly across from Millville, which processed ore from Tombstone. When the mines in Tombstone were flooded with water, the towns met their demise. Docent Richard Bauer and local author John D. Rose guide the hikes. Mr. Bauer is an expert on local history, while Mr. Rose has recently published two books (available at San Pedro House and Fairbank Schoolhouse) on the history of the San Pedro River Valley and is an authority on Tombstone, Charleston, and other early settlements along the river. Charleston was perhaps the wildest of the local ghost towns. This easy hike is just over four miles, takes around three hours, and entails one river crossing. Non-members can join … Continue reading
Fairbank is a Southern Arizona ghost town, and one of the best preserved, thanks to numerous conservation efforts. It’s located in the San Pedro Riparian Conservation Area about 10 miles west of Tombstone. Here conservation efforts have saved the San Pedro River, a haven for dozens of species of critters and birds.
Continue reading
A brief synopsis of the Cowboys and the Earps and a timeline of the events that led up to the Gunfight at the OK Corral.
Continue reading
The story of the Coronado Expeditions is one of bravery, perseverance, high adventure, faith, and incredible greed. Between hiking trails and scenic back roads, we can retrace their historic route.
Continue reading
Following the Gunfight at the OK Corral, Ike Clanton filed murder charges against the Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, as well as Virgil and Morgan Earp who had been wounded in the gunfight.
Continue reading
After what became the most famous gunfight in history, Wyatt Earp went on what became known as the Earp Vendetta Ride to avenge the ambush that crippled his older brother, Virgil, and the assassination of his younger brother, Morgan, by a gang of outlaws known as “The Cowboys”.
Continue reading