Double R Guest Ranch: A Place for Horseback Riding Enthusiasts
If you are looking for the perfect Horseback Riding experience that takes you away from it all, out to the country, you will find it at the Double R Guest Ranch. This is the Old West, largely untouched since the days of Cochise and Geronimo. Ron Sirota called me one day in late 2019 and wanted to know how his Double R Guest Ranch could get a listing on our Southern Arizona Guide. I told him that if he would like, we would come to his ranch and write a story about it for the Guide. So, on a cold morning in early January 2020, Ms. Karen and I drove to Benson to visit with Ron and his lovely wife, Trina at the Double R. The road from Benson to the ranch is mostly paved, but when the pavement ends it’s a good dirt road the rest of the way except for the last mile or so. It is approximately 1.5 hours from Tucson and 25 miles north of Benson, the closest Post Office. Once at the ranch, Ron greeted us cheerfully and began showing us around the place. The first place we visited was the one-bedroom cabin they built … read on..
Endeavor Gallery, Benson AZ: Stop, Take a Look
We occasionally ask guest writers to pen their experiences in Southern Arizona. In this article, RJ Brenner finds a gem of a gallery; the Endeavor Gallery in Benson, AZ. Benson, AZ – A whistle blasted behind me. I jumped and instinctively tightened my grip on the steering wheel. Not a hundred yards outside my window, a Southern Pacific Railroad engine streamed past click-clacking along its perfectly parallel iron rails. Mighty rivers and ‘iron horse’ lines were once the primary means of travel in the US. Now, rivers of concrete crisscross the landscape and Southern Arizona’s panoramic vistas tease and beckon me until I take that road just to see where it leads. Its horn blaring, I watched the train glide past the historic train station alongside the two-lane 4th Street, a main thoroughfare through town. Located about 45 miles southeast of Tucson, Benson is one of those town’s that it’s easy to spend more time passing through than to spend time in. Known as the gateway to places like Kartchner Caverns State Park, Tombstone, and Bisbee, it’s also the jumping off point for many of the area’s ghost towns and other hidden gems, like Gammon’s Gulch, the Forever Home Donkey Rescue, and … read on..
Cascabel Community Fair and Oasis Sanctuary – A Slideshow
Ms. Karen “discovered” the Cascabel Community Fair and thought we should attend and include it on our Southern Arizona Guide events calendar. I, not paying much attention, assumed that Cascabel is a small town serving a farming / ranching area north of Benson. I mean, “Cascabel’ is on the map. But come to find out, there is no town of Cascabel. And besides, what kind of name is “Cascabel” anyway? One important “discovery” at the Cascabel Community Fair was that, in Spanish, a “cascabel” is a small bell or rattle. More specifically, the rattle of a rattlesnake, of which Cascabel has more than its fair share. On a pleasant Sunday in December 2015, when the rattlesnakes were less likely to be out, Ms. Karen, Ms. Rosemary & I headed east from Tucson to Benson, then north on Pomerene Road (Exit 306). Pomerene becomes Cascabel Road. The fair and Oasis Sanctuary are about 23 miles north of the I-10 immediately east of Benson. The drive was slightly less than 1.5 hours from Tucson. Do we recommend you attend the Cascabel Community Fair next year. We do. Pure rural Arizona with many pleasant surprises. Always the first weekend in December.
read on..Muleshoe Ranch Preserve: Great Southern Arizona Bird Watching
Muleshoe Ranch, a preserve of the Nature Conservancy, is one of the five best conservation areas for bird watching in Southern Arizona. Over 200 species of birds either live here year-round or pause here along the streams on their seasonal migration.
read on..Kartchner Caverns Review
If you have the time, on your way from Tucson to Tombstone and Bisbee, stop at Kartchner Caverns State Park for a guided tour. Very worthwhile but you will need reservations.
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