Category Archives: Southeastern Arizona Sidetrips

Black Hills Back Country Byway

Old Safford Bridge built with convict labor over the Gila River on what is now the scenic Black Hills Back Country Byway.

Other than to explore the abandoned old downtown and a few scattered artifacts, there isn’t much to do in Clifton except take photographs and say you’ve been there. But there is a reason to go to Clifton. Clifton is the northern entrance to the Black Hills Back Country Byway, a delightful couple-hours drive through the rugged beauty of Greenlee County that takes you from Clifton to Soloman on Hwy 70 near Safford. In fact, before modern highways, this unpaved 21 mile scenic drive was the only road from Safford to the mines at Clifton. The Byway crosses the Gila River several times and offers travelers many campsites and picnic areas. The campsites are barren places with a ramada, BBQ, and firepit. The picnic areas are completely different. Some offer magnificent vistas. Others are in thick riparian areas along the Gila, particularly at Gila Box. You can see for yourself on … Continue reading

Fort Huachuca Museums at Sierra Vista

Fort Huachuca near Sierra Vista, AZ

Just west of the main route through Sierra Vista is Fort Huachuca, headquarters for the U.S. Army’s Strategic Communications Command and the home of two fine military museums housed in three building on the fort. One museum is dedicated to the history of the U.S. Army in the American Southwest.

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In The Middle of Nowhere: Rattlesnake Crafts & Rocks!

Rattlesnake Shop AZ

One of the stranger places we visited on our tour of Southeastern Arizona is John & Sandy’s Rattlesnake Crafts & Rocks. John makes wallets, belts, and other useful items and souvenirs out of rattlesnake skins and sells them out of an old trailer. He also collects a lot of stuff others have discarded as junk. Here you will find literally tons of Old West artifacts lovingly horded for decades and on display for your amusement. Old signs, bottles, tools, boots, lanterns, you-name-it.

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Send Some Apaches To New York. That’ll Show ‘Em!

Like so many others, I enjoy local histories. Understanding history is how I get a sense of the places and people I visit as I travel around Baja Arizona creating my videos, photographs, stories, and reviews to share with you on my Southern Arizona Guide. Of late, I have been reading extensively about the Apache [...]

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Cochise Stronghold Bed & Breakfast

Cochise Stronghold

I had a pleasant conversation with the proprietor of the Cochise Stronghold Bed & Breakfast, Ms. Nancy Yates. She showed me around the property and her one unoccupied casita – very pleasant. If I am limited to just two words to describe her B&B, they would be serene and isolated. Unless Nancy gives you VERY specific directions, you will never find it, which is actually her marketing strategy. She has a very specific clientele in mind and does not want people just driving around to bop in uninvited. Much of Nancy’s business is hosting retreats and special events, such as weddings. Nancy prepares special, very healthy breakfasts and has them delivered to your casita. Now, that’s service. … Continue reading