Week Five: Tucson, AZ

Hey there friends!

This weekend was packed full of experiences for Steve and me. 

Saturday

We started off Saturday by going towards Tombstone.  We wanted to visit the city of Bisbee which is just beyond Tombstone.  We stopped for breakfast in Benson at the historical Horseshoe Cafe.  Then we headed on towards Bisbee.

The city of Bisbee is built on the side of some mountains and all the different houses and shops are connected by alleyways with steep stairs.  You can actually hike or bike the city and the city sponsors Ironman races.  We walked around for a few miles and visited some of the eclectic shops there. 

We came across a Parisian bakery and scored some yummy desserts. 

In and around Bisbee there are old copper mines.  We went on a guided tour of The Queen Copper Mine.  We rode in little cars 1500 feet into a very large mountain!  Then we got off and the tour guide educated us on Copper mining.  He used to work the mines in the 60’s, 70’s, and early 80’s.  He was very interesting and had quite a sense of humor.  We were standing in a big room inside the mountain that had been dynamited out. I was on a wooden landing looking into a big pit and some tunnels that went further out and down. My hard hat fell off and tumbled, down…down…down… there was no way I was retrieving it. The tour guide said not to worry, they lose a hard hat at least once a day into that pit. I really thought I’d be claustrophobic inside the mountain, but the mining areas we went to were pretty blasted out and I actually felt ok. It was cool and dark in there and I just can’t imagine working there as our guide detailed his experiences.

Having relatives who worked (and some who still work) in the coal mines of West Virginia, I was keen on all that we were learning and experiencing. We learned about the different tasks, explosions, fires, safety, “Headless John”, how the miners went to the bathroom, the copper, silver, and even gold that the mine had produced over the years, and more! 

Here is a little video and some photos of our time in Bisbee.

If you ever have the chance to do this tour, or one like it, I’d recommend it.

Riding out of the mine in the little car tram was heavenly. To be in the fresh air and sunshine again was refreshing. I could only imagine what working 10 hour shifts and then coming out would be like as we were only in there for an hour.

We traveled home a different way than the way we came so we could see some other cities and sites on our way back to Tucson. 

Once back we loaded up with groceries for the week and relaxed watching a movie together.

Sunday

Sunday morning was windy and sprinkling out but we put together a picnic and headed for Patagonia Lake State Park. 

On our way we stopped to get some coffee and met a guy who was biking that morning. He and his wife moved here recently from Salt Lake City, but prior to that they had lived in Colorado and prior to that New Hampshire. He and Steve talked “East Coast” stuff while we got our coffees. We parted ways and Steve and I headed to Patagonia. 

The drive is a scenic route and boy was it beautiful!  We went through Sonoita wine country and the rolling hills and rugged terrain was breathtaking.

Patagonia Lake State Park had trails for hiking. So we hit the trails first. We walked along the Sonoita creek which feeds into the lake. There were so many different varieties of birds! Very colorful and bird calls I’ve never heard before.  As we walked we stirred up a very large owl that flew low over our heads.  We came upon some cows from the Circle Z ranch. At first I was nervous, because they were really big, and in the path, and you couldn’t really give them a wide birth when passing. But they were pretty docile and Steve didn’t hesitate so I continued on. There were several calf’s as well.  We walked along the stream until you had to cross it to go further. Then we turned back… as we had on our hiking shoes and it was getting hot and there were a couple other trails we wanted to do.

On our way back Steve stopped at a cow patty. There on top of it was a dung beetle making a perfect ball out of the poop. I have heard about these beetles, but this was the first time I’d seen a live one in action. It was pretty cool, gross I know…but cool to see.

We hiked a couple other little sections and then headed out of the woods to eat our picnic lunch.  We were hungry!

Here is a little video and some photos of our hike along Sonoita Creek.

After lunch we rented a couple kayak and went out on the lake. The lake is much bigger than I thought at first. The marina bay feeds into the lake which goes quite a ways in both directions.  There were speed boats and pontoon boats and fishing boats on the lake with us. We kayaked until our arms and behinds were saying “please stop.”  And then headed back to the Marina.

On our way home from the lake we stopped in a little shop in the town of Patagonia and Steve got some homemade ice cream and oatmeal cookies. I got molasses and peanut butter cookies.

When we arrived back at the Airstream, we went swimming in the pool. You can swim in the Patagonia Lake and lots of folks were doing so…but I’m more of a pool girl than a lake girl when it comes to swimming. So, we decided to get in the pool and hot tub when we got back.

I do really like having that option and know that not all of Steve’s nursing contracts will land us in such a nice RV resort. We are making the most of this opportunity by utilizing the pool/hot tub when we can!  

Monday to Friday

Steve and I have settled into a routine during the week. We get up in the morning and run/walk around the park together before he leaves for work. While he is at his Hospice job I work on writing. When he gets home in the afternoon/evening we eat dinner, attend to tasks, enjoy the resort we are at, and usually take another walk around the campgrounds.

Once a week we do Laundry at the facilities here.

This past Wednesday was Corrin’s Birthday and we enjoyed chatting with her for a few minutes in the evening. 

Thursday evening we had a huge rainstorm, they are called “monsoons” in Arizona. The power even went off. We got 1/2 inch of rain in a matter of minutes and the park was flooded!  Some campsite were 6 inches deep in water, but in a matter of hours the water was all gone. We were fine, just some big puddles. “Airy” looked so shiny and clean after the rains! There was a huge full rainbow after the storm that was just beautiful.

Today is Friday and when Steve is finished with his Hospice job for the day we are going to an area resort for the Fourth of July weekend to celebrate our 30th anniversary. We are excited to go to a swanky place and spend some time together in luxury.

I will update you next week on our time away.

Thank you for journeying this adventure with Steve and I. It feels good to chronicle it through my words and share it with you all.

Blessings,

Chrissy