May 3rd, 2012 by Mike Hug
This is a yummy side to the morning breakfast at Down By The River B and B
During the fall of the year, the cottonwood trees along the San Pedro River are starting to turn the golden hues that forecast the coming of winter. Down By The River in St. David is the Lodging Hub for Cochise County and so we have many opportunities to treat our guests to breakfasts that use ingredients that fit the season.
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April 21st, 2012 by Mike Hug
On March 9, 2012, the City of Tombstone Archives had their Grand Opening in February and since Down By The River Bed and Breakfast is a member of the
Pat Kelly, Maria Untalan, and Angie at the Tombstone Archives
Tombstone Chamber of Commerce, we were invited to the Open House. The Archives are open Monday through Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM. The Archives is located in the Marlowe House on the corner of 6th and Fremont Streets. The Marlowe House is a very green colored building and is on the National Historical Registry. Catherine Marlowe offered the use of the house for the archives. The building was moved from the original location to the present location after the July 1882 fire that burned in Tombstone.
While we were there, we met two people with the Tombstone Vigilantes, Pat Kelly and Maria Untalan. Pat and Maria were gracious enough to pose with Angie in front of the Archives during the Grand Opening. The Tombstone Vigilantes were formed in 1948 and do reenactments in Tombstone during special events throughout the year and on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Sundays of the month.
Nancy Sosa Tombstone's Archivist
Nancy Sosa, the archivist, was kind enough
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March 17th, 2012 by Mike Hug
At Down By The River we serve a variety of breakfasts. We
Angie's Caramel Souffle French Toast
try to make sure that our repeat guests get to try something new when they return to our Southeast Arizona b and b. To this end we have developed some different styles of French Toast. The caramel souffle French Toast is but one. We are putting this into our blog at the request of a recent guest that wanted the recipe.
This is updated since Sharon found an error in the recipe instructions. We have corrected it . Thanks Sharon.
Hope you all enjoy this as much as we do.
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February 1st, 2012 by Mike Hug
Down By The River B and B is located in Saint David, AZ and offers you a wonderful place to stay within a short drive to many different types of activities. There are historical sites, ghost towns, a movie studio set, museums, national and state parks and monuments, outdoor activities, festivals, stargazing and the Southeastern Arizona wine country. The B and B is located within an hour of the Tucson International Airport and is close to Interstate 10 and the major highways that span the county. This is why we call Down By The River B and B “The Lodging Hub of Cochise County”. The B and B is also a short distance from activities in Santa Cruz County.
Cochise County land area is as big as the States of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined with a total area of 6,218.77 square miles. It is the 38th largest county in the United States. While Cochise County is large and Arizona is the 6th largest state in the union, there are 7 of the 15 counties in Arizona that are larger than Cochise County. To see it all, you want to stay at a location that gives you easy access to the area via simple day trips. Down By The River B and B fits that bill. In looking at the attached map, you can see that the B and B is located in an area that has a variety of things to do and places to go. For your convenience, click this to see the larger map.
Some of the highlights of the county include Parks and Monuments. Many of our guests are here to visit these locations. The Chiricahua National Monument has fantastic rock formations although it did have the Horseshoe 2 fire go through there in June of 2011. I have some past blogs about the Chiricahua N.M., both before and after the fire. Kartchner Caverns State Park contains live wet caves and offers two tours that are both unique. Tours of the Throne (or Rotunda) Room is open all year and the Big Room is only available between October 15 and April 15. Reservations are encouraged for these tours. There are more
1000 year old pictographs can be seen at Council Rocks
parks and monuments in the county that offer fascinating items such as Native American pictographs over 1000 years old, the location where Coronado is thought to have entered into what is now Arizona and more modern history locales.
Birding is also a major activity in the county. The San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area is one of the 5 best migratory birding areas in the United States. The B and B is located on the San Pedro River at the north end of the riparian area boundary with easy access to other birding areas throughout the county. Birding can be done any time during the year since there are birds that live here all year round. In the winter, the area is inhabited by birds that are from the northern climes such as Sandhill Cranes and other water birds. Spring and fall is when migratory birds visit on their way to other areas, while summer has birds that make the area home while nesting.
There are many historical places to visit. Old ghost towns, sites of old forts including a Spanish Presidio that was build in the 1700s, the Butterfield Stage
The Bird Cage Theater is now a museum with many things to see from the late 1800s.
road and way stations and towns like Tombstone and Bisbee. There are museums scattered throughout the county and this year there will be a big celebration for the 100th Anniversary of Arizona Statehood. The events and festivals will be occurring in the area during the entire year, so check out the calendar on the B&B website for upcoming things to do and see.
There is also much that you can do and see if your interest lays in hiking the many trails that are in the county. Many of these hikes will take you into the back country to old mines, ghost towns and ruins. This is also a great way to observe nature here in Cochise County, as it is home to many animals and birds. Many people think of Arizona as a flat desert but here in Cochise County there are peaks almost 10,000 ft in elevation. The mountain trails will lead you through pine forests and, at certain times of the year, these trails are snow covered and inaccessible. If you do much outdoor hiking you will see just how rugged the county is with the many canyons and mountains that are located here. It is easy to imagine why it was so hard to capture the Apache People during the Indian Wars that took place in the county in the late 1800s.
Southeastern Arizona is also where most of the grapes are grown for the wineries in Arizona. There are many tasting rooms available and these are located in two areas. One is in the Sulphur Springs Valley with Willcox as the focal point and the other is in the Elgin/Sonoita area. Both locations have some
Sunsets in Arizona are fantastic to see.
fine vintners featuring a variety of wines for you to choose from. When Down By The River BnB started in 2005, there were only 3 tasting rooms in these locations. Since that time it has grown to include about 15 wineries that feature their products. Some of our guests have come back to the B and B at the end of the day, sat out on the patio to enjoy the wine that they had purchased and watched the sunset.
At night when there is little or no moonlight, the stargazing can be phenomenal. There are a few ways to enjoy the night sky. One is to just sit and look at it. Most people that live in the city have never seen the Milky Way. During the fall and winter this view of the sky is spectacular. Some of the guests have brought their own telescopes and have set them up on the property to do viewing. Down By The River also has a 13” Dobsonian telescope that is available for use by guests. This telescope is not computerized so the user will need to know locations of objects so that these can be found in the sky. Lastly there is an observatory that is in Benson. San Pedro Valley Observatory has many telescopes and rents them out for the evening. I did do a blog on SPVO so you might want to read about what I wrote on that facility.
So when you come to visit Cochise County and all it has to offer, choose Down By The River for a great place to stay while you go about exploring all that makes this a wonderful place to call home.
December 22nd, 2011 by Mike Hug
There were many films shot in the Tucson and Benson areas back in the 1950s and 60s. A John Wayne movie was shot in St. David, not too far from where Down By The River B and B is located. Even today there are movies shot in
The Main Street in Gammons Gulch
Mescal at Tucson Movie Studios. We want to let you know about a little jewel known as Gammons Gulch. This is a movie set that is located between Pomerene and Cascabel, northeast of Benson and surrounded by arroyos and beautiful mountain vistas. Down By The River B and B, the lodging hub of Cochise County, gives you access to this intriguing location with a short drive of about 24 miles along the picturesque San Pedro River.
At the beginning of December, we wandered out to Gammons Gulch with some family to visit the old movie studio set.
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November 21st, 2011 by Mike Hug
Arizona is celebrating the centennial of admission as the 48th State in the Union on February 14, 1912. Arizona official centennial events run for many months and at many different locations in the state. Events can be found on the official website.
New events are being added to the calendar so check back to find out when events are happening and where. There is also a section of fun facts that give you trivia about the state. Some facts are “ All of New England and Pennsylvania would fit inside of Arizona.” and “Arizona is the 6th largest State in the Union having 26 peaks that are over 10,000 feet in elevation.” No Arizona is not just flat with nothing but sand and cactus. In fact as you travel either north or east from Phoenix you actually gain elevation and find some of these peaks.
For a little background history, the New Mexico Territory was established in 1853 and at that time the territory consisted of New Mexico and Arizona. The territory also included the southern part of Nevada. When Nevada became a state during the Civil War this section west of the Colorado River became a part of Nevada. On March 16, 1861, the southern New Mexico Territory around Mesilla and Tucson declared themselves independent from the United States and joined the Confederacy. The Confederacy considered the territory a vital link to the Pacific and would have allowed the Confederates to trade with the rest of the world. This would have caused the Union logistical problems with blockading ports. Additionally around 1860, Southern California was close to becoming a separate territory apart from the State of California. That never happened even though the area was sympathic to the Confederate cause.
On April 15, 1862, the Battle of Picacho Pass was fought in between Tucson and Phoenix, near the present day town of Picacho. The Civil War battle was the furthest west of any battle and is reenacted yearly. The Confederates were driven back to New Mexico by California Volunteers and later withdrew back to Texas. In 1863, the U.S. split up the New Mexico Territory and created the Arizona Territory, which was to become the state of Arizona.
Arizona became known for mining, cattle and railroads.
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October 30th, 2011 by Mike Hug
As you may have heard, Arizona was stricken by many fires. In particular, Southeastern Arizona had a lot of fires. There were many days at Down By The River B and B that the smoke was so bad it covered the area with smoke and made the sun an orange ball. Many people stayed indoors and some in the area with breathing problems left their homes, traveling to locations that weren’t affected by the fires.
Horseshoe 2 Fire In The Chiricahua National Monument
In July, Angie and I were over by the Chiricahua National Monument and the park was closed at that time. During this last week in October, Angie, her friend Mary and I went to the Chiricahua National Monument to see what was burned, what was open and what structures were saved. We had hiked in that area about a year ago and I wrote on the blog what it was like.
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August 13th, 2011 by Mike Hug
In mid July at Down By The River B and B, Angie came running in and told me that I had to see this. Now since she is from Wisconsin has been living here almost a year now, I wonder if she had found something I didn’t want to know about – like a rattlesnake. Having lived on the Arizona and California desert almost all my life, I am familiar with and have seen many plants and animals that survive in the dry climate. Well she found something a little different this time.
I went with her and she pointed at a pot with a tomato plant in it and said “What is that?”, I didn’t see anything at first but then I noticed movement in the mulch. There was a big eye and a head there and as she watered the head a little more a
6 inch Sonoran Toad
6 inch Sonoran Toad jumped out of the pot. I hadn’t really seen many toads until I had more down to St. David. The Phoenix area is pretty much paved over so toads don’t exist there as before. During our first monsoon season in St. David, we had our first encounter with a cacophony of noise at night. We would sit out and watch the rain and lightening and we would see the toads hopping around and croaking. I learned about these amphibians and their unusual lives in the dryness of the desert. I have seen two types of toads here at the B and B.
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July 18th, 2011 by Mike Hug
Sulphur Springs Valley Wineries
Down By The River B and B is a romantic getaway located on the San Pedro River in St. David, Arizona. We are located at one of the best birding areas in the nation and we are between the two wine tasting areas in SE Arizona, the Sonoita/Elgin area and the Sulphur Springs Valley (SSV). We enjoy telling our guests at Down By The River B and B about the wineries in the area and giving them
Down By The River Patio View Of The San Pedro River
directions to the wineries and sharing with them what they have to offer. We have had many guests finish off their day of touring by stopping at a winery and purchasing some wine. Then they come back to the B and B and sit on the porch enjoying their wine while they are barbequing something to eat.
At this time I am going to talk specifically about the SSV vineyards. There are currently 8 wineries and 7 tasting rooms, with one more opening in the future. 5 of the tasting rooms are many located in the town of Willcox. I understand that a winery that was closed has been purchased and may reopen soon. The interesting fact is that some of the wineries in the central part of the State of Arizona around Cottonwood actually grow their grapes here in the Willcox area.
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May 17th, 2011 by Mike Hug
From the kitchen of Down By The River Bed and Breakfast for your enjoyment.
Apple Stuffed French Toast is a favorite at Down By The River in St. David, Arizona, located in southeastern, Arizona (SE AZ). Our bed and breakfast is known for the gourmet breakfasts that we serve our guests and this is one of the many that we have for them.
Apple Stuffed French Toast Fresh From The Oven
If you review some of the guest comments that we have on our webpage you will see that they enjoy the breakfasts that we serve. We have had many guests ask us for this particular recipe. With the Apple Stuffed French Toast, we usually serve the tomato, basil and sweet Italian sausage quiche. We use Granny Smith apples that are always fresh and ripe and they add their own tangy touch to the recipe. This makes it a taste treat for those that want to have something that really gives pizzazz for breakfast. Pecans top the toast but can be left off if so desired.
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