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Our B and B on the San Pedro River Lends Support To The Tucson Audubon

June 23rd, 2013 by Mike Hug

Our B and B on the San Pedro River Supports The Tucson Audubon’s Big Day for Birders

American Avocet walking in the Twin Lakes birding area.

Birders have all heard of the “Big Year” and our B and B on the San Pedro River has had some birders from New Jersey who stayed atDown By The River while working on their Big Year. For those of you that don’t know what “The Big Year” is, rent the movie by the same name with Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. This shows you what real avid birders will do to find birds. The Tucson Audubon’s “Big Day” is a scaled down version of the Big Year. The Big Day, named the Sky Islands Birding Cup, begins at the start of the Tucson Bird and Wildlife Festival which is held from Aug 14 th through the 18th. The money raised from the Festival goes to the conservation efforts of the Tucson Audubon.

On August 14 th, from 12 AM for a 24 hour period there is team competition to find the most birds within a prescribed geographic area. The record for the most birds seen during this particular event is 199. Last year the winners spotted 174. That total is almost a quarter of the over 700 species spotted during a Big Year. If you are doing a big year this area is one you would want to make sure you hit. One of the requirements is that the birders only are allowed in Pima County and any abutting counties with the exception of Yuma County. This rule allows Cochise County to become a part of the search area. Our B and B on the San Pedro River is located in Cochise County at the Northern End of The San Pedro National Riparian Area. That is just south of Saint David, Arizona and is perfect for finding resident birds and those that may be migrating through the area at that time. There are an estimated 200 plus birds that can be found during the days search and the lists from the last 2 years can be found at this link.

Vermillion Flycatchers are found in the San Pedro River area and on the property of Down By The River B and B in St.. David.

Now there are rules that must be followed and there is a required sign up that needs to be done to compete in the Audubon’s Big Day. The link here will give you all the important information that you need for the competition. There is no requirement that states where you start your competition but there is one for turning in your list. It can be done at the official station or it can be emailed in to the Audubon official email address. There is an official clock and you need to be synchronized to the clock. There are 6 different categories of teams and I am sure there is one just for you. So if you are inclined to participate, then start scouting areas for those birds. The scouting prior to the event is allowed. And if you decide to take time scouting and don’t want to spend time driving from Tucson or other locations to get where you are going Then consider our B and B on the San Pedro River for your lodging. We did a blog about our central location to many birding areas throughout Cochise County. We have a list of over 50 birds that have been spotted on the property or in the adjacent San Pedro River. Good luck if you decide to try this fun filled event out.

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Spend Some Time At A Cochise County Stargazing B and B

June 16th, 2013 by Mike Hug

Enjoy the dark skies in Cochise County at a stargazing b and b

Cochise County is known for the dark skies we enjoy at night and our stargazing b and b is in one of the better parts of the County with easy highway access. We are away from the light sources in Sierra Vista, Douglas and Tucson. Part of the reason that Cochise County is so dark is the strict light ordinance that has been enacted to prevent light pollution, thus enhancing the efficiency of the large observatories in the area. It also benefits stargazing b and b inns and allows us to offer another attraction for our guests. When we first opened Down By The River B and B, another stargazing b and b was located not far away in Benson. The world famous Skywatchers Inn was started and run by the Vegas for many years. It was finally sold around 2007 when Mrs. Vega finally retired. We still have guests ask about this inn. The b and b then became the Astronomers Inn and when that stargazing b and b finally closed in 2008 it sat unused for over a year. In 2010, the San Pedro Valley Observatory began business strictly as an astronomical observatory, research and teaching center. I wrote a blog about this in October of 2010. Down By The River has partnered with the owners of SPVO and if you make a reservation with them for star viewing, we offer a 10% discount of off the room rate when you stay at our San Pedro River B and B. Because stargazers have late hours, we work around their schedule for breakfast.

Our Stargazing B and B has a 13″ mirror Dobsonian Telescope

As a stargazing b and b, Down By The River is set up more for the novice astronomer who wishes to view the stars and planets but not for the serious astronomer into astrophotography. We can see deep space objects but with the higher magnification your viewing time is diminished because of the smaller field of view. A Dobsonian telescope isn’t motorized and there is no computer to do the sighting for you although we do have a finder on the scope. A Dobsonian telescope is manual in all respects and you have to aim it at what you are going to view. That doesn’t mean at our stargazing b and b you won’t see neat things but you can’t spend a long time looking at an object without readjusting the location of the telescope to view the object. It also depends on the area of the sky that you are viewing. Closer to the equator the view changes faster than when you view toward the pole star.

In April of this year, we did see the PanStarr comet just after sunset and we set the telescope for our guests and let them view it. We also showed them Jupiter with 3 moons on one night and 4 the next, open star clusters, globular clusters, some nebulae and the Andromeda Galaxy. The moon is another object to look at when it is a crescent. Full moons do not have the details of the craters visible because of the brightness. Viewing of the heavens is also dependent upon the phase of the moon. When the moon is approaching full phase the sky gets washed out with light and only some of the planets that are up and some stars will be available for viewing. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto can be seen only with dark skies.

This is the first attempt with filming on a digital camera and done at the B and B on the back patio using starstax program.

But I have talked enough of the telescopes, so on with a different part of the story. You can see many things with binoculars because of the dark skies. We had a gentleman here from Hamilton, Ontario Canada who is an amateur astronomer and a camera buff. He was here at a conference and then took time to vacation in Arizona. He originally was looking for the Astronomers Inn stargazing b and b but as I said they no longer exists, He found SPVO and found that they weren’t a b and b anymore but they did refer him to us. Our guest David Galbraith introduced Angie and myself to night star photography using a tripod. David did a short star track photograph with his digital camera that included about 30 different pictures at the rear patio area. Each picture was exposed for a few seconds with a 30 second delay and then another shot. After repeatedly doing this he ended up with a collection of photos where each shot was at the same focal point but the stars moved slightly. He had a software program that would stack each photo and make it into a single photo. The program would then connect the star streaks and fill in the blackness with the appropriate starlight color. The result was a sweeping star track across the sky with the b and b in the background. You can also see some other streaks in the pictures and those are airplanes that are flying through the picture. This gives some interesting things to look at. You will also see an instance where a satellite is seen in one of the pictures.

Over 100 pictures ere taken in over an hour and put together to produce this image. Not that the B and B lights do not wash out the picture.

The old 35 mm film cameras would not be able to do this is such a spectacular fashion if you had some external light sources in view. Film cameras would open the shutter continuously and stationary light sources, such as inside lighting from the b and b, would have increased over time and would have become very bright. The program averages the light at fixed sources between each frame. This keeps the picture from over exposing the brighter lights in that area. After he showed me the beginning shots and the final product, I was hooked on trying it myself. He showed me the program and how it worked. He told me it was a free program that you can download from the internet. It is called Starstax. I think it could be used for other things also, such as street scenes with cars driving through the city, lightning storms or on a whimsy tracking fireflies. While he was here he gave me copies of 3 pictures that he took around the B and B. I have included them on this blog and we thank David for his generosity for sharing them with us.

This picture is of the three planets in alignment – Mercury, Jupiter and Venus

We also spent some time to take some pictures of Mercury, Venus and Jupiter just after sunset. For future reference, I played with the aperture, exposure time and speed to see which was better with my camera and these conditions. Some pictures came out brighter and some darker than others so I was pleased with the experiment. The planets were all aligned at this time and you could get the picture in a single frame. Venus became visible first and then Jupiter closely followed by Mercury. Venus was very bright and you could not really notice with the naked eye that it was waning. When I enlarged the photo on the computer, it did show the shadow side of the planet Venus. We are glad we have the opportunity to be a stargazing b and b, it adds one more dimension to all the activities that guest can enjoy here along the San Pedro River at our B and B, the Lodging Hub of Cochise County. Consider joining us to see what we have to offer with the quiet solitude of our b and bs location.

The picture is focused on the north star and shows that Polaris, the bright streak near the center, is not really due north but is offset slightly.

Tags: stargazing b and b
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Our San Pedro River B and B Pinterest Project

June 11th, 2013 by Mike Hug

Our San Pedro River B and B Pinterest Project is going strong.

Mike asked me if I would do a blog for Our San Pedro River B and B on the Pinterest Project that I have undertaken. “Who Me?” I protested. Since I am the one that has developed it and since I am taking time and effort to keep it updated, I guess I am the best one to talk about it. So I will share my pinning experience with you. To see our San Pedro River B and B Pinterest website, click on the picture or here. If you do go to the Pinterest site to see what is there you will be able follow me, if you wish.

This is a view of the Down By The River Pinterest Project that Angie has started.

As many of you know social media is becoming another way to market your business. Facebook, twitter, MySpace, linked in and now Pinterest all are ways to let potential guests know what you are doing and what you have to offer. Mike has been working on the Facebook website for about a year with some contributions from me, but Pinterest has been my project. I wanted this to be something different and when we got our website to link to Pinterest, the tech at our web hosting company, Inside Out, said that my concept was interesting and appealing. So far so good.

Initially it was fun to create the boards that reflect my likes; boards for food that we create, serve and food we would like to try; more boards to display the interior and exterior of our San Pedro River B and B; other boards to show the reasons to visit the area and the attractions that are near to us. I like to believe that I am a creative thinker. Board titles came to mind such as “ Starry , starry nights”, “Sights for sore eyes” and “ Make your tongue dance.” “Let us take you to your chamber” was another name I liked. Each board has a theme and purpose but the Chamber board main purpose is to show off the b and b with pictures of our rooms. Then it hit me – Pictures! Now what do I do? Where do I get the pictures and how do I upload them.

I did some uploading from the website and other locations but then I decided I could use the photos Mike had already taken. Oh but even better, another idea hit me. I have the ability to take pictures with my Kindle. (Handy item that Kindle!) After Mike emailed me pictures, I found I could upload them to my various Pinterest boards or in “Pinterest Speak” I could pin them! Since I could also pin my own pictures in the same way, I felt good and knew that I was on a roll! I found that I could also add a web link to Down By The River, our San Pedro River B and B. I am hoping that potential guests will see my pins and go to our website to see more about us and what we have to offer.

I am always open to ways to improve my pinning process and make the time I spend on the Pinterest Project easier. If you have some tips to make this more efficient and easier, let me know by commenting here on the blog or email us by clicking on the “Contact us” button. If you would prefer you can always go and reserve a room so that we can have the face to face contact and we can exchange ideas over the fine breakfast that we serve after your great nights sleep in our comfortable beds. It is so much nicer to share in person don’t you think? Just call Angie at the b and b to make that reservation.

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Wild West Car and Truck Show Near Our Tombstone B and B

June 6th, 2013 by Mike Hug

Our Tombstone B and B is the lodging choice

Although we are located in St. David on the San Pedro River, we still let our guests know that we are a Tombstone B and B. On the weekend of June 15^th Tombstone will feature the 2^nd Annual Wild West Car and Truck Show in Tombstone. The show also allows motorcycles to be entered. The show starts at 9 AM on Saturday the 15^th and goes until 3:45 PM when trophies will be given out. It is a free sign up to enter and that is a real deal. The event is sponsored by the Dragoon Saloon and the registration sign up is at the Saloon on 5^th and Toughnut Streets.

2nd Annual Wild West Car Show will be held on June 15, 2013

The entrants will receive a free barbeque lunch with their entry. Besides touring Tombstone, there are other things things to do during the show; including a 50/50 drawing, raffle prizes and door prizes. It should be a fun time to look at the old cars and trucks and how they are tricked out. During the show there will be live music by the group Song of Songs. Last year there were 65 entrants and the first prize went to a 1947 Buick Super, owned by Russ Oesterling from Safford, Arizona. All the benefits for the show go to the Cancer Society. This is a cause close to my heart because my wife Barb, who established this Tombstone B and B with me, died of cancer almost 4 years ago.

During the year, there are other events in the area that also provide proceeds to cancer charities. The Knights of Columbus have a fund raising golf tournament in late February. Down By The River B and B helps with the tournament and is a sponsor. In October, Tombstone also hosts the Corvette and Ghost Riders car show. This event has drawn up to 250 entrants over the two day show. The proceeds there also go to a charity, in this case the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Cancer Center. Mark your calendar for that event and watch our events page on the website for upcoming things to do in Cochise County.

When you decide to come to one of these events, look up Down By The River, our San Pedro River B and B, as a lodging alternative to other Tombstone B and B s. You will find us to be a memory making experience.

Tags: San Pedro River B and B, Tombstone B and B
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Cochise County Birding at Twin Lakes

May 31st, 2013 by Mike Hug

Twin Lakes birding is a place that is great for the many waterfowl

Cochise County birding is ranked as one of the best bird watching locations in the United States. During one of his visits, Wezil Walraven told about the Twin Lakes birding location near Willcox and how good it was. Wezil is a bird guide that has taken some of our guests around Cochise County birding. He said that he takes his clients to see water birds at Twin Lakes. Since we were in the area for the Willcox Wine Festival, we decided to go and find out for ourselves what Twin Lakes was like. If you want to see a panorama of the entire lake, Click Here.

The lake is near the golf course on the southwest side of Willcox, in wide open country. The lake is nice size, my guess is that it may be 75 acres and it is kept filled with treated water. There is a wide unpaved road that encircles the entire lake, allowing you to pull off to the side so that you don’t block traffic. There is a sign in book location at the parking lot as you enter. Most of the lake appears to be shallow, although there is some places where water fowl can dive below the surface. You get to the lake by taking AZ 186, which takes you to The Chiricahua National Monument, and turning onto Rex Allen Jr. Drive. A sign for the golf course indicates the way to Twin Lakes.

Blinds are located on the shoreline at Twin Lakes Birding Area.

The lake is large enough to allow viewing room with scopes or cameras and you need not be shoulder to shoulder with other birders. At various locations along the shore, blinds have been erected. The blinds allow you to enter unseen and are near to the shoreline for photography or viewing. It is a nice feature and there is a roof to shade you and viewing slots at various heights. We stopped at a couple of places along the lake to see what it was like at different locations. At one location we saw American Avocets wading in the water with the upturned bills filtering the bottom for some morsels. They wouldn’t let me approach very close as I walked along the shore. I did have a chance for a closer look when we finally were able to get to a blind. At that point, I took a couple of good pictures.

American Avocet walking in the Twin Lakes birding area.

Other birds were there, including some ducks and smaller water fowl but without my binoculars and books I couldn’t properly identify them. We did see Northern Shovelers and Mallards, along with a snipe. Being mid May, I was surprised that there were so many birds still around. I thought that many would have flown north by now. The birds appear to like the area and were quite at home. We did stop at one end of the lake and I got out to take another picture at that location. I didn’t realize it at the time but I spooked a Northern Shoveler with some other birds as I was walking toward the lake while taking a photo. I got the birds just as they were lifting off the lake. When I got home and looked at the pictures, I realized that I had taken a great shot. It is hard to tell with the small digital screen whether you have a good shot or not. Luckily I found that my timing was very good at least once on the trip.

Since Cochise County birding is so good at most times of the year, you need to plan where to go. Down By The River has a list of Cochise County Birding areas to visit. Also part of your plan may include finding a place to lay your head. Take a look at Down By The River B and B, “The Lodging Hub of Cochise County”. We have been hosts to many Cochise County birding enthusiasts and we are the San Pedro River B and B which is centrally located to all of the area attractions. If you look at the Hub Map that we have, you can see the advantages of our location. Hope to see you soon.

Northern Shoveler taking flight at Twin Lakes Birding Area

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The Willcox Wine Festival

May 26th, 2013 by Mike Hug

The Flags at the Willcox Wine Festival sign greeted you as you entered Railroad Park

The Willcox Wine Festival was held on May 18^th and 19^th, 2013 at Railroad Park in downtown Willcox. For $15 you received a commemorative glass and eight tickers to allow you to sample wines of your choice. There were 16 wineries represented and they came from different parts of the state. We got to catch up with some of our friends from the wineries and also met some people that may become future guests at Down By The River B and B. The casual atmosphere at the wine festival allows you ample time to have some wine, listen to entertainment and enjoy the outdoors. The venue’s only drawback is that Railroad Park is, you guessed it, next to the Union Pacific main line and trains rumble by tooting their horn at the crossings. Fortunately this isn’t continuous nor does it last long.

In addition to the wine tasting there are other local vendors that feature their wares at the Willcox Wine Festival. There were a variety of booths for you to visit and make purchases including, food, chocolate (chocolate goes good with red wine), nuts, art, jewelry to name a few. During both days of the festival there was live music by some good bands. So you can have a great day in the park doing different things. Bring a chair like we did. Then you can sit in the shade listen to the music and sip some wine that you can purchased from your favorite vintner. It can’t get much better than this!

The Willcox Wine Festival sold tickets and a commemorative wine glass for $15.

Angie and I were able to talk with Terry from Coronado and she told us that the new Cab would be bottled, hopefully in June. We were invited to do a barrel tasting of this wine in 2012 and it was excellent even then. It should be fantastic when bottled and be exceptional with a good steak. We also spent some time with Curt and Peggy from Laurence Dunaham Vineyards and with Kief from Kief Joshua. Rhona from Zapara Vineyards was in a booth next to Golden Rule and Coronado so we were able to talk with her a little before moving on to other tasting booths.

There is always something different at the Willcox Wine Festival and this year was no exception. There were two new wineries represented and we made sure to stop by. We always stop to check out wineries that are new to get an idea of what they have to offer. One vintner was Rolling View / Saeculum Cellars. Dan had some nice wine and we did buy a bottle. The other is Flying Leap Vineyards. Flying Leap bought Canelo Hills in Sonoita from the Muellers. They are carrying the Canelo Hills wines but they do have some of their own. We only had one ticket left and so we didn’t get to sample all their offering. They have a tasting room in Sonoita and they also have just opened one in Willcox on Railroad Ave so we will get to know them a little better on our next trip.

One of the wineries we visited was Coronado Vineyards at the Willcox Wine Festival

We also made a stop by Gallifant Cellars to touch base with Gavin, but he wasn’t there. He had misplaced his credit card slider for his phone and he was out looking for it. We didn’t get back there to find out if he found it. The only other winery from Sonoita, other than Kief Joshua and Flying Leap, was Dos Cabezas WineWorks. We do like their wine but with limited tickets we wanted to sample ones we hadn’t tasted in a while. The Willcox area is where many of the vintners from the Cottonwood have their vineyards. Arizona Stronghold, Pillsbury Wine Company and Page Springs had booths and we don’t get much of a chance to sample their wines unless we head up toward the Flagstaff and Sedona locations. The other Willcox wineries were Carlson Creek (with their great T-Shirt design), Keeling Schaefer and Sand-Reckoner. Kokopelli Winery from Chandler was also at the festival.

The Ticket booth is located at he main entry to the Willcox Wine Festival.

After doing our tastings, we wandered across the street to Rodney’s, our old standby restaurant. Although there was food in the park, we like to visit with Rodney since he makes the best catfish poor boys in Willcox. His gumbo is always good and it can be a tossup for me to choose which I want. This is good Southern Cooking and you can sit in the shade on the back patio to enjoy the food or take it back to the park. Rodney is always there, greets us with a smile and joke. The rail car on the corner of Railroad and Maley Streets is a restaurant for Big Tex BBQ but it is not open on Sundays. If you want to stay around the park, you are limited to food vendors at the festival, Big Tex or Rodney’s. There are other restaurants a short drive away.

The Willcox Wine Festival booths of Arizona Stronghold, Kief Joshua and Gallifant were represented.

I have done blogs on the wineries in Willcox and Sonoita and you can read these if you wish. There will be another Willcox Wine Festival in October, on the 19^th and 20^th. This is the same weekend as Helldorado Days in Tombstone. It is also near the end of the bird migration through the San Pedro River Valley. This will also be the first weekend that Kartchner Caverns will have The Big Room open for tours. So it will be a jam packed weekend of activities in Cochise County and there will many reasons for people to visit. It ought to be a great weekend for you to join in on the fun and then to stay at Down By The River B and B, the Lodging Hub of Cochise County and have one of our outstanding breakfasts. You can take time to visit different events and stay at our centrally located B and B for the night. This lodging throughout Cochise County fills up quickly so make your plans now to make sure you are able to get your reservation before your chances are gone.

The giant cottonwood tree shade Railroad park during the Willcox Wine Festival

Live music is a feature at the Willcox Wine Festival held in May and October

Railroad Park has a statue of Rex Allen and is the location of the Willcox Wine Festival

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Canadian Travel Writer Highlights Down By The River

May 20th, 2013 by Mike Hug

In April, Angie and I hosted a Canadian travel writer Bruce Penton and his wife Barbara at Down By The River B and B. Bruce has owned and run papers but now he is free to be away from the day to day at times and be a travel writer as he tours different locales. After his visit to Southeastern Arizona, our San Pedro River B&B got a rave review by Bruce on Trip Advisor and then he followed that up with an article in the Kamloops This Week travel section. The article can be seen at their website, although I don’t know for how long. In case the article disappears into the archives we have a PDF of the article here.

Bruce stated that they had “a one-night stay at what must be one of the most spectacular bed and breakfasts in the States.” We have had other guests write in our book that Down By The River was one of the best or the best B and Bs that they have ever stayed in. However we have never had that put in public print before. We feel humbled by what has been said about our B and B and we thank Bruce for the kind praise he has given to our efforts to provide a great B and B experience to our guests.

Down By The River B and B offers world class breakfasts and a quiet ambiance not found in many places. Some guests state that we are off the beaten track but we say in return that this is where Memories are Made. Come for a visit to our St. David, AZ bed and breakfast and find out why this is the place to relax and enjoy.

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San Pedro River History

May 15th, 2013 by Mike Hug

The headwaters of the San Pedro River start in the foothill of the Sierra Madre Mountains 30 miles south of the US border in Mexico.

Today the San Pedro River is the major source of water sustaining the wildlife in Southeastern Arizona and Cochise County. In Arizona it is unusual to find a greenbelt as lush as you see along the San Pedro River. The river starts in the Sierra Manzanal as a spring about 30 miles south of the American border near the City of Cananea. The San Pedro River is about 140 miles long and flows north into the US terminating at the Gila River. Because of the water source provided by The San Pedro River, there are approximately 400 species of birds that can be found in the area at different times of the year. The San Pedro River Valley is one of the five best birding migration routes in the US. To protect this valuable resource, The San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area was set aside by The US Congress in 1988. The area covers nearly 57,000 acres and runs from the border to just south of our San Pedro River B & B in the town of Saint David, AZ.

The San Pedro is formed by a rift valley with mountain sky islands having peaks from 8,000 to 10,000 feet in elevation along the river valley. In the 1890s there was a seismic event, or earthquake, about 60 miles south of the border in Senora Mexico that actually changed the flow of the river. The area that is now the Town of St. David was once an ancient lake bed. During that time alluvial and clay deposits at the bottom of the lake gave St. David the artesian springs that add to the vitality of the area. These ponds and streams flow continuously to supplement the water sources for animals in the area. The San Pedro River Valley has been home to people for at least 13,000 years. There are many Clovis sites along the river and the prehistoric peoples hunted mammoths and bison in the area. Some sites along the river valley have been excavated for artifacts. A map that is on the Friends of the San Pedro Website show the San Pedro River Riparian Area features.

Charleston Narrows restricts the San Pedro River. Te hawks fly over looking for prey.

The Spanish first entered this area around 1539. Fray Marcos de Niza and his companion Esteban traveled in the San Pedro Valley in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola – The Cities of Gold. Coronado, believing the rumors, decided to lead an expedition up the San Pedro River Valley to the Gila one year later. He continued on to the Zuni Villages in New Mexico and probably ventured into present day Kansas before turning back without finding anything. There is a very interesting book written by Douglas Preston called the Lost Cities of Gold that traces Coronado’s route and recaps the contrast of the area found then and now. After Coronado failed, Father Kino worked his way up the Santa Cruz River Valley and established missions all the way to Tucson. In 1776, The Spanish started building The Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate along the western bank of the San Pedro River just north of where Highway 82 is today. Because of the Apache attacks and the tough life, the fort was abandoned in 1780.

Fur trappers lead by James Ohio Pattie followed the San Pedro River in the 1820s and called it the Beaver River because of all the beaver that were in the area. The beaver dammed the river and created swamps or cienegas which are permanently saturated wetlands. The beavers were trapped out over the years and beaver dams were dynamited to remove mosquitoes that caused malaria. With the removal of the dams, much of the river swamps and cienegas disappeared. Beavers were reintroduced around the San Pedro House in the 2000s.

Northern Harrier searching for prey.

In 1877, a year before the silver discovery in Tombstone, Saint David was founded by Mormon Settlers. Saint David has the distinction of being the oldest continuously inhabited community in Cochise County. There are many descendants of the original families still living in the area. After Tombstone was established, there were many towns that sprung up along the San Pedro River including Charleston, Contention and Fairbank, all of which are now ghost towns. Ranches were established along the San Pedro including the Clanton Ranch, and the Boquillas Ranch. There is a petroglyph trail that is located just north of Charleston Crossing on the San Pedro River.

Down By The River Bed and Breakfast lies just to the north of the San Pedro National Riparian Conservation Area on the banks of the San Pedro River. There is easy access to the San Pedro River from the property for birding enthusiasts. Our San Pedro River B&B is open all year and allows birders the luxury of lodging close to the San Pedro River. Birding in the area is good at all times of the year. During the spring and summer, flycatchers live off the insects that are found around the San Pedro. Tent caterpillars are found feeding on the leaves of the cottonwood trees that grow along the river. Harks, eagles and vultures are flying overhead during the day looking for prey or carrion. The area is home to as many as 84 species of mammals, 100 plus species of birds that make the valley their year-round home and numerous reptiles and amphibians. During the migration periods there are over 250 species of birds that use the San Pedro River as a flight corridor. Approximately 100 butterflies also migrate through the San Pedro Valley. We have seen raccoons, skunks, coatimundi, mule deer, white tail deer, javelina, grey fox, coyote, bobcats, squirrels and even a small bear. Neighbors have seen cougar many years ago.

The San Pedro River flooding can be so strong that trees are uprooted and flow down the river during the monsoon season.

After non-Arizonans see the San Pedro River, some have told us that from where they come from this is only a creek or crick. Most of the year, the San Pedro is a quiet river without a large flow. In some places the San Pedro appears to disappear and people think that it dried up. That is not the case. The San Pedro goes underground in some areas but is still flowing. If you dig down a short depth in the river channel, you will find water. We built the Lodging Hub of Cochise County, Down By The River BnB along the San Pedro, the river has never stopped flowing. In July and August, there are times that the river is flowing bank to bank and is at least 10 feet deep. During heavy monsoon storms the river can be heard roaring. In some cases even the washes are flowing and there is a roar that can also be heard from that direction.

The San Pedro River during most of the year is s slow moving river that allows the migratory birds to have food and water.

The San Pedro River flooding occurs during the summer rainy season. with the river reaching 10 feet depths.

Water is the life blood of the desert and supports the animals that live within the area. We do have people that come to this part of Arizona just to see the monsoons and to photograph the lightning storms. If you would like to have a little adventure and experience vivid sunsets after watching and hearing a Southeastern Arizona afternoon thunderstorm, then come on down to Saint David in July and August. With a little luck you might even be blessed to see a double rainbow. They do happen here and we have the wide open spaces to take it all in. We are at 3800 feet in elevation, generally 20 degrees cooler than Phoenix and a lot wetter. The smell of the desert when the rains come is something that I have always loved. You can experience all of this when you stay at Down By The River and watch an Arizona rain storm during the summer.

A monsoon sunset in Southeastern Arizona can be spectacular.

A double rainbow is on display during a monsoon storm just at sunset.

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Our B&B Berry Nut French Toast Recipe

May 11th, 2013 by Mike Hug

Berry Nut French Toast cooks up golden brown before you place it in the oven.

At Down By The River, our B&B Berry Nut French Toast recipe is a real hit with our guests. It isn’t your normal French Toast since we have added a little twist to the recipe. We serve this as a side dish to one of our main entrees such as the egg cup or one of our quiches. When we serve this we also include a berry syrup such as Boysenberry or blueberry. This syrup really sets it off. The longer you let your bread soak the better it is for holding the cereal on the French Toast. We actually will use a spoon to dip on the cereal and press it into the bread. This recipe make four serving. Adjust the quantities as needed for other serving amounts.

Our B&B Berry Nut French Toast Recipe

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Ingredients
2 cup               Post Cranberry Almond Crunch Cereal
4                      Large Eggs
4 Slices            ¾ inch cut diagonally Ecce Panis Bread (Shepherds Bread or                      large French Bread may be substituted)
3/4 cup            Half and Half
1/4 cup            Heavy Cream
1/2 tsp             Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp             Nutmeg
1/4 tsp             Salt
1/2 tsp             Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp                Vanilla Extract
2 tbsp              Butter

Directions

Coarsely crush the cereal and place in a shallow dish. Set aside.

In a bowl large enough for the bread slices; beat the eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, heavy cream and half and half.

Preheat oven to 350^o F.

Dip the bread into the egg mixture until moistened, turning to coat both sides.

Place the slices of bread onto the cereal and turn over, coating both sides.

In a skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bread slices and cook about 5 minutes on each side or until golden and crisp.

Place slices on non greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until bread rises.

Being the Lodging Hub of Cochise County where guest can stay and take short day trips, we want to make sure that the Guests at our San Pedro River BnB praise the breakfasts that we serve. We don’t want our guests to have the normal eggs and bacon dishes that are served up in a chain restaurant. That is why we go out of our way to make sure that you have a morning breakfast you will not forget. Many guest ask for the recipes and we freely give them out. But before we serve a new recipe to our guests, we try them ourselves to make sure that they meet the standard that we have established. Sometimes we have to tweak the recipe just to make it better.

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Egg Cup with Ham and Cheddar Cheese

May 6th, 2013 by Mike Hug

Egg Cup with Berry Nut French Toast Side

/Down By The River has had a lot of requests asking for our BnB recipe for egg cups. Down By The River B&B has many recipes in our rotation and we don’t serve the standard Restaurant fare. This is really a versatile dish and allows us to provide a similar meal for most dietary restrictions, with the exception of vegans. We are adding it to the blog for all of our guests so that they can try it out if they wish. Next to the souffle and crepe breakfast, this is one of those most loved by us.

Here are some ideas for changing up the recipe. If you have a vegetarian leave the meat out and add peppers, onions, mushrooms or other items. For lactose intolerant persons substitute soy milk or silk and use the soy cheeses. For gluten intolerant persons you can use potatoes or gluten free dough for the crust. For types of meat restrictions or just to change up the recipe, the ham can be substituted with any of the following: bacon, chicken, turkey, sausage or other items to your taste. Other cheeses can be used instead of cheddar. You can let your imagination run wild with items in this recipe. We do at times when we run short of a particular item.

As a side with the egg cups, we provide different types of French Toasts, pancakes, waffles or fruit plates with yogurt. Again versatility is the best part of this recipe. You can visit us and you will enjoy what we do for breakfast at our San Pedro River B&B. We never want to serve a breakfast that you can find in a chain restaurant. Our commitment is to make sure we will give you the best breakfast that we can provide and one that you will remember! We also endeavor to give you a different breakfast every time you are here. Of course this doesn’t work for guest that have been here more times than we have recipes. One of the reasons we always look for something new.

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Ingredients:

11 oz. – Pie Dough Crust
6 oz. – Cooked Ham (you can substitute Canadian Bacon or regular bacon)
1 cup – Shredded Cheddar Cheese (you can substitute other types of cheese)
6 – Large Eggs
4 Tbsp – Half and Half
Ground Nutmeg
Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Use 4 – 6 oz. ramekins and coat with butter. Place the crust in the ramekin and cook for 10 minutes at 400^o F. Take out and let cool. If you like, you can do this the day before.

Preheat oven to 350^o F.
Cut the ham into 1/4” to 3/8” square pieces and place one half at the bottom of the crust.
Add the cheddar cheese and make a depression in the center.
Add the rest of the ham over the cheddar cheese.
Break the egg shell and place one egg into the depression. Don’t break the yolk.
In a bowl place the other two eggs and the half and half. Mix well until everything is blended.
Equally divide and pour the mixture over each egg in the ramekins.
Sprinkle nutmeg and black pepper, to taste, on the egg yolk.

Place ramekins on a cookie sheet and put into oven for 30 minutes or until the whites are no longer clear. This will yield a runny yolk egg. If you want the egg harder cook for longer.

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