Travel Tips & Adventures

Ever stayed at a haunted house?  We hadn’t, so we decided to book a stay at the Copper Queen Hotel in the Julia Lowell room, reputed to be haunted. (more…)

One of the best parts about Bisbee is how easy it is to visit other, earlier, times.

For instance, want to see an old 1950s style diner? (more…)

Arriving in Bisbee’s historic district, there is an immediate sense of stepping back in time.  Colorful names (Bisbee Bicycle Brothel, etc.) and early 1900s architecture create an appeal you won’t see in the homogenized cities of most of the United States. (more…)

Introduction to Bisbee, Arizona

As you drive into Bisbee from the north, you enter through a tunnel, as if you are going back in time.  To an extent, you are.  The town is nestled into a hillside and the feel is of the 1950s – or before. (more…)

It’s been called the “The town too tough to die” although many early inhabitants did just that!  But their demise usually came from a little too much drinking (actually A LOT of drinking), and then the unfortunate loaded revolvers, rifles, or shotguns.  If you don’t believe me, there’s an historic cemetery just outside of town better known as BOOT HILL. (more…)

Time to travel to smaller cities in Arizona!  This week, we’re heading to Tombstone and Bisbee, Arizona.  Tombstone proclaims itself, “The town too tough to die.”  Bisbee claims bragging rights to the first bar and stock exchange in the State of Arizona.

In general, smaller cities in Arizona have a character and individuality that you won’t find in the medium and large-sized cities.  You might see some familiar stores, but, for the most part, you don’t feel that you could be dropped down in any one of them and see all the same stores and buildings.  There are some unique buildings and a close-knit character to the people who live in these towns.

Leaving the interstate, I10, in Arizona south of Tucson at SR 80, you enter a much different environment than the built up cities in Arizona.  About an hour’s drive from Tucson, the terrain becomes more mountainous, with snow visible on the distant peaks.  Nothing but open land seems to exist for miles and miles.  Traveling with children, they are likely to begin the “Are we there yet?” litany.  There are few houses and what seems like an endless amount of nondescript brush.

Things get interesting as you hit the outskirts of Tombstone.   Suddenly, you see civilization with signs and buildings.  One sign proclaims where the “OK Corral” fight occurred.  We’ll visit Tombstone later this week.

Twenty-eight miles down the road from Tombstone is the quirky, artsy town of Bisbee, formerly a city dominated by copper mining.  We’ll visit a copper mine and show you the shops and sites.

So, join us this week and next for some fun in the Old West.

Also, take a look at our SHOP – see the “SHOP” button above and check out the images we’ve captured you can wear or use.

If you’ve ever had the urge to go hug a cactus – well, that would probably be a painful experience. Some of them do look cute and cuddly – in a rugged, western, prickly kind of way.  If the chance to see cacti up close makes you long for the Old West, Uncle Sam offers the Saguaro National Park, just outside of Tucson, Arizona.

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What do John Wayne, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Gene Wilder, Michael Landon, James Arness and Kenny Rogers have in common?

Yes, some of them are singers, but I don’t ever recall John Wayne belting out a tune in Las Vegas … (more…)

Mexican food is quite available in Arizona, after all, Mexico shares a border.  That shared border can be a bone of contention, but if you want a place, no bones about it, that serves “fine Mexican food,” try Eva’s when you’re in the vicinity of Phoenix.  Actually located south of Phoenix off Interstate 10 in Casa Grande, Eva’s Fine Mexican Food has an appealing setting as well as excellent service. This is the second location for the family restaurant.  The original opened 25 years ago.

Appealing entrance to Eva's

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Although we promised a trip south of the border this week, we’ll be postponing that for a while – Technical glitches in our photo recovery.  Instead, we thought we’d offer some vintage vehicles on view at a car show in the city of Casa Grande, Arizona. (more…)