Ms. Karen and I are traveling back from our two days around Bisbee having visited the Slaughter Ranch and enjoying a great dinner at the Copper Pig in the Warren district. After driving for a couple of hours, I was getting hungry. But where to dine? We considered a detour to Willcox and decided that would be too far out of our way home. We would be going past Pearce, the old ghost town, but Sandy’s is now closed. Too bad. It had really good food, especially the pie.
About then, I had a thought. “What about the great picnic area at the Amerind in Texas Canyon?” I asked my wife. She seemed to think that sounded pretty good. After all, she had packed a picnic lunch for us before we left home. So following Hwy 191 to where it turns off to head to the I-10 and Tucson, it started to rain. I don’t mean just any ol’ rain either. It poured … heavily. So heavily we could barely make out the white line in the middle of the road.
But, as we turned onto the dirt road that led to the Amerind Museum and its picnic area in Texas Canyon, the rain started to subside. By the time we got to the picnic area, surrounded as it is by huge boulders, the rain had almost completely stopped. How fortuitous.
It didn’t take long to set up our picnic. Ms. Karen got the picnic bag and igloo out of the car and put them on a table shaded by a lovely mesquite tree. The table was still wet from the rain, but she had a blanket we could sit on that would be dry.
The clouds dissipated and the whole scene became quiet and serene. We were the only people there.
I cut slices of the summer sausage, cheese, and a Honey Crisp apple. Along with a few crackers, we thoroughly enjoyed lunch. All this washed down with a bottle of Pinot Grigio, our second favorite wine.
The weather was holding as we packed up for home. It would be good to see Dozer again, our tripod dog, after being gone for two days. Do we recommend the Amerind picnic area to our readers? Indeed we do. One of the very best we have enjoyed in our 20 years of living and picnicking in Southern Arizona.
-kr. Of note here. While we were picnicking, a car drove in, got out of the car, and looked around gobsmacked. He mentioned what a great find it was but he had a meeting. Then he left.
Also of Note, the Amerind just opened a new Texas Canyon Nature Preserve and Trail System where you can enjoy a hike in the rocks and a picnic. Hope it doesn’t get too crowded.Â
If, by chance, you have not visited the Amerind Museum, we also recommend that you do. They have an excellent collection of Indian artifacts and a Western art museum in addition to a lovely picnic area. The Amerind is located about an hour east of Tucson between Benson and Willcox just off I-10.
