Adjust Your Elevation

 Bisbee, Arizona has an elevation of about 5500 feet.  Oro Valley has an elevation of about 2620 feet. That doesn't seem like a big difference, but on a 100 degree day in late September, it was the difference between 100 degrees and 82 degrees.  

Most hot days, we are up early here in Oro Valley, taking our morning walk at sunrise, playing pickleball, and then back home by 10 a.m. when it starts getting warmish.  Then we are back outside in the early evening to take advantage of the cooling temperatures, although sunrise is as cool as it gets.

This week, we took a road trip in search of cooler temps in the higher elevations.  The first stop was Tombstone, which is the western equivalent of Wisconsin Dells, mostly a place where the locals extract dollars from the tourists.  

There are all sorts of creative methods to do this:  gunfights in corrals, tours of buildings previously housing bordellos or saloons, stagecoach rides, etc.  

The most interesting one that I saw was to rent a gun (a rig, they called it) to walk around town, armed.  If I recall correctly, that was a $50 extraction.  

We walked up and down the streets for thirty minutes or so while keeping our wallets intact. Then it was on to Bisbee, the planned destination to leave a few dollars behind.

Thuy's Noodle Shop

We were last in Bisbee several years ago. Our favorite Vietnamese “pho” shop was still here and just as good. Then it was a short walk downhill to the brewery where we had spent several afternoons on the patio, looking up at the mountains all around us and enjoying the Bisbee vibe. 

Old Bisbee Brewery

I had a double hopped IPA, not to be confused with the much stronger double IPA. Double hopped simply means introducing a second load of hops after the initial boil (dry hopped). It was malty and well balanced.  My favorite stout here is now seasonal, so it was not available.  That's a good excuse to return in the winter.  

Then there was time for walking around town in the early afternoon when temps were quite pleasant even in the sun.

An interesting truck camper

Bisbee is another place that I could live if granted several lifetimes. A quirkiness is present here  that I enjoy and haven’t experienced in many towns. There’s tourism here but the vibe is real with a dose of wishful thinking and escapism that many of us could use during these "interesting times."

Intermission

That brings us to the end of our Bisbee trip last February.  

 

Bisbee exceeded our expectations and jumped into our top places to live someday in retirement.  Las Cruces fell off that list.  Much to our surprise, on the way home, we stopped at a different New Mexico city on the way home that we liked a lot.  We didn't spend enough time there to check it out fully, so we plan to fix that sometime in the next couple of years with a much longer visit.

I'm going to take a short blogging break before writing the post about the mystery city.  We have some family business to work on; Justin is making some life changes, which will require new housing, new caregivers, and a new city.  And we need to take time to enjoy Wisconsin's brief northern summer.  

Hasta Luego!

 

Bisbee: Side trip to Lowell

I've read about the Bisbee Breakfast Club on other blogger's posts, so we decided to give it a try.  I had low expectations, but breakfast and the service were pretty good.

 

The restaurant is in the Town of Lowell on historic Erie Street.  Lowell was annexed into Bisbee in the early 1900's.  It was worth
strolling around after breakfast.

 

Bisbee: City of Stairs

Bisbee is built into the sides of the mountain, and many of the homes have challenging sets of stairs providing "access."  Rather than complain about it, Bisbee has embraced its stairs, creating an annual race called the Bisbee 1000.

The actual event is in mid-October, but that didn't stop us from walking the 4.5 mile course.  It' a great way to explore this small Arizona city of about 5000 people.  There are a total of nine numbered staircases.

There are all sorts of interesting things to look at along the way.

Unlike most of our walks/hikes, we took our time on this one but eventually finished all of the staircases.  I was proud of Callie for staying out of trouble with several loose dogs around.  There is only one picture at the very end reminding us of her presence.

Bisbee: Whitewater Draw

 From February 2022

Sandhill cranes have made a comeback in Wisconsin and are quite common in the summer.  We have never seen where they winter, until our February trip.  In Albuquerque, we saw a couple of dozen cranes feeding along the side of an urban trail.  Near Bisbee, we saw where thousands of cranes come to winter at Whitewater Draw.  It's only about a half hour from town, so we went twice.  

 

Bisbee: Off-grid Home on North Juniper Flats Road

 From February 2022

The electric company ends service at the bottom of Juniper Flats Road and Old Divide Road.  About two thirds of the way up the mountain, there are several off-grid homes.  The first one is owned by a rock band that apparently has/had concerts on the property.  Warning signs are on the side of the road, letting fans know that those who throw objects during performances will be ejected from the property and subject to arrest.

Around the next bend is a house powered by both wind and solar.  This house is on a fairly small footprint, but has amazing views.  It wasn't just a rich person's fourth home; it was occupied and lived in.

 

Bisbee: Hiking Cochise Stronghold

 From February 2022

On February 18th, we drove north and east from Bisbee for a little over an hour to the Coronado National Forest. The Stronghold Trail has been on my bucket list for a long time, and it did not disappoint.

The four mile dirt road in was heavily rutted.  There is a national forest campground at the trailhead, and I spent some time talking to a Scamp owner before the hike.  Even though it was a weekday, the campground was full.

It was a perfect day for hiking.

The terrain was rugged.  Cochise and his group of 1000, including 250 warriors, were obviously tougher than the day hikers who spend time here now trying to capture some of the spirituality of place.

Cochise was never conquered in battle and lived in the stronghold for about 15 years.  His body was secretly buried somewhere within.  Sounds a lot better to me than a gravestone or a monument.

This is a 9 mile out and back trail.  We just did the eastern half of it to the divide and then came back the way we came.

 

The last picture was where we spent some time.  I like to think that Cochise's people thought this particular spot was special too. 

Bisbee: Hiking Juniper Flats

Just outside of Bisbee, my hike up to the top of Juniper Flats started at the intersection of Old Divide Road and North Juniper Flats Road.  This isn't a trail.  It's a steep, winding gravel road up to the cell phone antennas on top of the mountain.  It's driveable, but it doesn't see much traffic.  

Looking down on Old Divide Road

 

Juniper Flats Road flattens out on top of the mountain.  And it's here that free camping is available to vans, truck campers, and a few brave drivers with Class C's or travel trailers. The gravel road is very, very steep. This is BLM land.  The views on top are incredible.  Most people camp at the fire rings between where the road flattens out and the first antenna tower.  It can get extremely windy up here.  I talked to a shaken older couple who spent a windy night in their truck camper.  One night was enough, they said.  

There is also some partying that happens up here from time to time by locals.  In researching the area, I found that someone had been murdered  only two months before my hike.

For the truly brave and/or stupid, a deeply rutted dirt road continues on for many miles.  There is evidence of jeep or ATV camps in the first mile beyond that I hiked.  Normally, however, I kept going up to the next steep ascent leading to the second  antenna tower, where there are views all the way to Mexico.  This was a go-to hike for me on half a dozen occasions.  

Bisbee: Queen Mine Tour

 From February 2022

Julia went on the Queen Mine Tour in Bisbee, while I hiked up the mountain (next post) on the gravel road behind Darlene's place.  

 

I've been on enough mine and cave tours for the duration of my lifetime, but Julia is a daughter of a geologist/rock guy.  She is always fascinated.

I finished my hike and drove down to Bisbee, meeting at the Old Bisbee Brewing Company.  Due to the pandemic, I usually take advantage of the outdoor spaces of brewpubs and restaurants.  However, I couldn't resist taking a picture of the tasting room here.  The tasting room and the brewing room are the same place.  Very unusual, but it's an old building without a lot of space.

Don't Stay at Darlene's Place

 From February 2022

Darlene is an older woman who rents out her deceased mother's home as an Airbnb outside of Bisbee AZ.  Darlene lives in one of the structures on the grounds.  There's also a converted Airstream and a tiny house with renters.  Several large dogs roam on part of the property.

Pay no attention to the next several photos.

Living Room

Callie in the family room

Water is an issue in that part of the world, so "navy showers" and limited flushing of the toilet is necessary.  Also, the electricity sometimes goes out.  One night, we were forced to light candles and sip wine for several hours until the power came back on.  Drinking water from the tap is not potable.  We were forced to use water jugs of filtered water for cooking and drinking.  Darlene made sure we had ample drinking water each day. There was a full gourmet kitchen.

The worst part of the Airbnb was the outdoor space, where sometimes it was a bit chilly.  The grounds and views were simply stunning.  One day, it even snowed.

 

So if you're looking for a place to stay in the Bisbee area, keep looking.  

I would buy this place in a heartbeat if it was for sale and I could afford it.  Otherwise, I plan on coming back here as often as possible.  It's mine, all mine!

Bisbee: Walking Around and Old Bisbee Brewing Company

 From February 2022

On our first day in Bisbee, we did a lot of walking around the historic part of town and just relaxing.  Bisbee is a different type of tourist town from Hatch.  It definitely has an old hippie vibe.  

There's a downtown park where people congregate.  Sometimes, a street musician will set out a tip jar, singing for supper or beer money. 

Speaking of beer money, there are two brewpubs in the area.  Our favorite was Old Bisbee Brewing Company.   We went often.  Even though the weather was cool, due to Bisbee's 5500' elevation, afternoons were usually warm enough to sit outside and have a beer on the patio.

On the Road: Las Cruces to Bisbee

 From February 2022

Our time was up in the Las Cruces area, and it was time hit the road west.

 We stopped for a late lunch break in Douglas, Arizona. There was a delightful taco truck parked at 10th Street Park.

Bisbee was a big mining town and still has the scars to prove it.

Our airbnb just outside of Bisbee was the best we have ever stayed in and deserves its own post.  This is the view from the front door at sunset after check-in.

Much more to come...