Archive for the ‘Events and Things To Do’ Category

Lodge at Our B and B near the wineries – Join one of the Wine Clubs

July 4th, 2013 by Mike Hug

Terry and Jacque of Coronado Winery greet all the club members during their visit.

Being a b and b near the wineries in southeastern Arizona has its advantages. Since we are a centrally located Southeastern Arizona B & B, our guest have easy access to both the Sonoita and Willcox wineries while lodging at one location. There have been wineries in Southeastern Arizona have for decades and they provide some excellent wines. These wines are on par with many wines from the larger wine producing areas of the country. With new wineries starting up every year there are many different styles to choose from. Most if not all, the wineries in Arizona have their membership clubs which give their members discounts and allow them special access during private events. This may include a special pairings dinner, possibly a barrel tasting or it may be to let members taste a new release before it is introduced to the public.

A description of the wine is given to let you know what to expect of the sample that you are given to taste.

Club membership privileges varies among the wineries but usually it allows the member free tastings and discounts on wine purchases. Generally the signup is free but there is a requirement that you purchase wine from the winery at designated times during the year. The purchases are generally within a price range and quantity that is agreed upon when you sign up for the club. Shipping can be done from the winery to your home of office or you can pick it up at the winery. This allows you to enjoy the wine and have it shipped to you, without going to the winery.

The new release was set out for all the members to see and look at prior to tasting.

On the 28^th of June, Coronado Winery had a wine release party for all the club members. Angie and I were invited to the event. That night we didn’t have any guests so we decided to attend the evening festivities. When we arrived we were greeted by Jacque Cook, the owner of Coronado Winery. We first met Jacque a week after she had opened Coronado’s tasting room but we hadn’t seen her for a while. It was good to renew old acquaintances again. Behind the scenes Terry, the manager of the tasting room, was in the kitchen making sure all the food was prepared to perfection.

We arrived just as the club event started and took a seat in the dining room on one of the comfortable overstuffed couches. Coronado was featuring 4 new wines which are being released to the public after the 4^th of July. Two wines were whites; one a crisp Chardonnay and the other was a dry Riesling. Both went well with the food pairing of bruschetta topped with a fig jam, brie cheese and a slice of pear.

Bruschetta with fig jam, brie cheese and pear slice is a fantastic combo with the white wine that was served.

Stuffed Date with bacon wrap was paired successfully with the different red wine selections.

The spicy shrimp in the pairning really brought out the flavor of the Two Heads Red wine .

This combination was very tasty and we think that it is something we can offer to our guests when we have our New Years Eve Party this year. The other two wines were Two Heads Red, a blend, and a Sangiovese. Both of these went well with the spicy shrimp and the stuffed dates wrapped in bacon.

When attending one of the club meetings sit back and enjoy the view, the ambiance and the people that you meet.

The best part of a club event is being able to meet other people that enjoy the ambiance, food and wine. We made connections with some people from Safford that we had met at the Grape Stomp last year. We had a good time catching up on things and meeting other people that had decided to come to the club event. We even had time to tell them about Down By The River, our b and b near the wineries. These events are always good for networking and distributing to potential guests our brochures and business cards. We get to talk up our centralized location in Cochise County and even had a few new acquaintances give us “Likes” on our Facebook page. We let them know that we do post offers for special events at our B and B on Facebook.

So when you go wine tasting, take a look at the wineries that you like and evaluate the idea of becoming a club member. There are advantages with membership that the normal wine taster doesn’t have and each winery is different. As for our B and B near the wineries, there are many events which are scheduled in the area besides the winery events. Many of these county events are free to the public and we post them on our website events page – so check that out. We try to keep the events in our general area up to date at least 2 to 3 months in advance. This allows our guests the ability to plan their trips to Cochise County during times that events happen. For those of you that live out of the area and are in need of lodging, consider Down By The River B and B near the wineries. We are “The Lodging Hub of Cochise County”. After you do wine tasting in Southeastern Arizona, it is nice to relax on the patio at our San Pedro River B and B and watch the sunset. You may also use the barbeque as you sample some wine that you purchased at one of the wineries in this part of Southeastern Arizona.

Cheers!

Posted in Events and Things To Do | Comments Off on Lodge at Our B and B near the wineries – Join one of the Wine Clubs

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.

Posted in Events and Things To Do, Nature | Comments Off on Our B and B on the San Pedro River Lends Support To The Tucson Audubon

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
Posted in Events and Things To Do, Nature | Comments Off on Spend Some Time At A Cochise County Stargazing B and B

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
Posted in Events and Things To Do | Comments Off on Wild West Car and Truck Show Near Our Tombstone B and B

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

Posted in Events and Things To Do, Nature, Outdoor Recreation | Comments Off on Cochise County Birding at Twin Lakes

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

Posted in Events and Things To Do, Outdoor Recreation | Comments Off on The Willcox Wine Festival

Fort Huachuca Historical Museum

May 2nd, 2013 by Mike Hug

Museum Sign stands at the Fort Huachuca Museum and Commemorates Geronimos capture in 1888.

The Fort Huachuca Historical Museum was established in 1960 but the Fort itself has a long history of over 135 years in Southeastern Arizona. It tells the story of the Army in the West from 1846 to the present day, with emphasis on SE Arizona. The old portion of the Fort is on the National List of Historic Places and many of the buildings around the museum date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s. The visit to the museum is free but there is a request that you donate $2 in funds to help keep the exhibits and building maintained. The museum covers all aspects of the fort. The original museum shows the history of the fort in the early days up until World War II. The Annex museum is the US Army Intelligence Museum. In addition to the museums there is a self guided walking tour of the old Fort that you can take to see the different buildings.

Cavalry Officer and Apache Display Picture

Cavalry Officer and Apache Display at the Fort Huachuca Museum

The US 6^th Cavalry Column from Tucson, lead by Captain Samuel Whitside, made camp on the northern end of the Huachuca Mountains in March1877. The camp was only temporary to begin with but after assessing the site and the strategic location, a proposal was made to the Army headquarters in Washington to make the site a permanent post. The camp was a perfect spot to block the Chiricahua Apache escape route into Mexico. The location provided a view of the entire San Pedro Valley, over to Mt. Graham, The Dragoon Mountains, The Chiricahua Mountains and the Mule Mountains around Bisbee. General of the Army William T. Sherman personally visited the camp in 1882 and recommended to the Secretary of War that the camp should become a permanent post.

The Apache Indian Scout Statue is on the grounds in from of the Museum Annex at Fort Huachuca.

During the Apache War, the Army recruited some Apaches to be scouts for the Army. These scouts would guide the troops in pursuit of the Apache that were waging war. Fort Huachuca was instrumental in winning the war with the Apache and the final capture of Geronimo. There was proximity to the water from creeks that feed the San Pedro River, timber from the Huachuca Mountains for building material and close support for Fort Bowie. After the Apache war was concluded many of the posts in Arizona were shut down and abandoned but Fort Huachuca survived all the cuts.

This Geronimo Picture is on display at the Fort Huachuca Museum

The Fort was home for the men of the 9^th and 10^th Cavalry, the famed Buffalo Soldiers. The regiments were authorized by Congress in 1866 and were manned by former slaves, black free men and black troops that fought in the Civil War. They originally were led by white officers. The Buffalo Soldiers were assigned throughout the west and served courageously in the Indian wars, Spanish American War, with General Black Jack Pershing in foray into Mexico and in the Philippines. In Fort Bayard, NM, near Silver City, there is a statue of Corporal Greaves, who won the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1879 fighting the Chiricahua Apache. The name Buffalo Soldier is purportedly given by the Cheyenne to the troops because their hair was wooly like the buffalo.

The Statue of Corporal Greaves can be found in Bayard NM. This Buffalo Soldier was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Buffalo Soldier Display at the Fort Huachuca Museum

The exhibits are laid out very well and give you the history of the troops that manned the fort. There is a lot of information to read including quotes from people that have served at the fort. You will find timelines and old photographs of the fort and people that were there. I didn’t know it until I was looking at the exhibit of the baseball player that some of the stars from the Negro Leagues came from the Fort Huachuca Team. Angie and I have met some of the men who do reenactments that are featured at the various functions around Cochise County. We have had some long talks with one man, Willie, and he has told us many stories of the Buffalo Soldiers and their lives. If you have a chance to talk with Willie you will learn from a very well versed person on the historical events surrounding the Buffalo Soldiers.

The Buffalo Soldier Reenacters come to many fuctions in Cochise County. Willie, the man on the right, is very knowledgeable about the history of the Buffalo Soldiers. We enjoy talking with all of these guys.

The museum is open Monday to Saturday 9 to 4. It is closed on Sundays and Federal Holidays. To gain entry to the Fort you must be an American Citizen and show your driver’s license prior to driving onto the fort. The MP at the main gate will give you a map to show you where to go to find the museum. A small map can be opened if you click here. The Fort is only about 45 minutes from Down By The River B and B, the San Pedro River B & B. After seeing the museums there are also some good birding areas that are inside the fort in Huachuca and Garden Canyons. The Elegant Trogan can be found in this area and some of the local birders know exactly where. So come and spend some time at The Lodging Hub of Cochise County and go on a tour of the Fort Huachuca Museum.

Posted in Events and Things To Do | Comments Off on Fort Huachuca Historical Museum

Kartchner Caverns State Park Review

April 26th, 2013 by Mike Hug

Kartchner Caverns State Park is the most pristine live cave in the United States.

Kartchner Caverns State Park is probably the best preserved living cave in the United States. No one has set foot on approximately 85% of the cave floor. It is located south of Benson on State Route 90. I recently wrote a blog on the Good Enough Mine Tour. In that blog, I mentioned that there are 3 underground adventures in Cochise County and Kartchner Caverns was one of these. When we started our Southeastern Arizona B & B, Kartchner had only been opened 5 ½ years. This is one of the best things to see in Cochise County but I am surprised that so many people in Arizona have never heard about it. The tours are limited to about 750 people per day and reservations are recommended although they hold back 100 tickets for walk-ins. There are 2 tours of the caverns. One is the Rotunda/Throne Room Tour featuring a massive 58 foot tall stone flow column called Kubla Khan and the second is the Big Room Tour featuring different types of calcite features and formations. Both take about 1 ½ hours to complete and both tours are totally different. You can do both tours in a day but you can only do the Big room Tour from October 15 until April 15. The Big Room closes due to the approximate 1500 bats that nests there during the spring and summer months.

The history of the cave goes back to 1974 when it was first discovered by two spelunkers, Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts. They were exploring the limestone cliffs of the Whetstone Mountains and found a sink hole with a crack in the earth that led into the cave. They kept their find a secret while exploring the cave over the next 4 years. Then in 1978, they informed the Kartchner Family of their find. They went on to explain how extraordinary the cave was and that there was a need to preserve the exceptional colors and formations. They all agreed to keep the find a secret.

Over the next 10 years, the Kartchner family, Tufts and Tenen worked at coming up with a way to preserve the caverns privately while still keeping the location a secret. If the cavern’s existence had become known to outsiders, it would have been vandalized. Finally the Kartchners approached the State of Arizona Parks Department for help. After the group approached the State they worked with people in the Parks Department along with Governor Babbitt to sell the caverns to the State. The immediate problem for the successful transaction was how do you spend public money and still keep thet secret at the same time. A way was found and the State Legislators and Senators were shown pictures of the caverns in closed session. The legislation to purchase the complex was passed by both houses on the same day and sent to Governor Rose Mofford to sign. On April 29, 1988 the bill was signed into law. That will be 25 years ago next week.

Over the next 11 years, the Parks Department planned how to provide for the toursists while still preserving and maintaining the integrity of the caverns. The Parks Department determined that building a multi-door air lock chamber to seal the humid caverns from the effects of the dry desert air and providing a misting system was necessary for the preservation of the cave. Mining professionals were brought in to excavate the passage though the solid rock that shielded the caverns. The Center was built, paths were made, railings were put up, seating and lighting were installed and a means to wash down the cave at the end of every day was devised. Finally on November 5, 1999 the Rotunda/Throne Room Tour was opened to the public. On November 11, 2003, the Big Room Tour was dedicated. Unfortunately Randy Tufts had passed away in 2002 and wasn’t able to see the Big Room open to the public.

A video has been produced by the Parks Department that shows you some of the special things you will see when you do the tour. Reservations for the tour can be made at this link. I also found a photo gallery online that has pictures of some of the things you will find in the caverns. The Cavern has shields, soda straws over 21 feet long, stalactites, stalagmites, and helictites, formations that defy gravity. There are features such as bacon and fried eggs; looking at them will make you hungry unless you have had one of BnB breakfasts.

The Discovery Center houses the museum, a gift shop, a restaurant and a movie theater that show a short film about the discovery of the caverns. It lasts about 15 minutes and is something you will want to see if you have never visited before. The museum has the bones of an 86,000 year old ground sloth that was found in the cave. You can’t take photographs on the tour nor can you carry purses, backpacks, fanny packs, food, water, nor other items. Check with the park website for other restriction. For those of you that bring a picnic lunch there are picnic areas and shelters for you to have that lunch.

There are two trail heads at the park for those that want to hike. One is the 4.2 mile Guindani trail that climbs from 4750 to 5620 feet. It starts out easy then becomes moderate to difficult and the last bit of it is strenuous. The other trail is the 2.5 mile Foothill Loop trail that is rated moderate to difficult. There is also a little Hummingbird Garden walk that is located at the Center. As always when doing desert hikes, take plenty of water, sunscreen and a hat. Keep on the trails and watch for snakes during the warmer times of the year. Keep an eye out for wildlife. There are 63 different birds that have been sited at the park along with mammals, such as mountain lions, coyote, fox, coatimundi, rabbits, skunks raccoon and deer. There are also many insects and reptiles that can be seen in the area.

When choosing Kartchner Caverns lodging, think of Down By The River B&B. It is about 30 minutes from Kartchner but you can cut 10 to 15 minutes off the time with a desert short cut. Ask us about it. The hours of operation for the park are as follows: When you are lodging at Down By The River B and B, schedule your tour after 10:30 so that you won’t be rushed at breakfast.

Summer Hours (June 1 – Sept. 30): Gate Hours 7 am – 10 pm, Park Hours 8 am – 5 pm, Discovery Center Hours 9 am – 5 pm.

Winter Hours (October 1 – May 31): Gate Hours 7 am – 10 pm, Park Hours 7 am – 6 pm, Discovery Center Hours 8 am – 6 pm. The Discovery Center is closed half-day on Thanksgiving & December 24, and all day on December 25.

Posted in Events and Things To Do, Nature | Comments Off on Kartchner Caverns State Park Review

Tombstone Good Enough Mine Tour

April 16th, 2013 by Mike Hug

Southwestern Arizona offers many experiences to give you the “Old West” feeling. One of the things you can do in Cochise County is to go underground on tours such as Kartchner Caverns in Benson, The Copper Queen Mine in Bisbee and The Good Enough Mine in Tombstone. Each has its own charms and I have experienced them all. Angie and I were in Tombstone prior to the Rose Tree Festival and after touring the Rose Tree we decided to take in the mine tour. We got to the Toughnut Street location 10 minutes before the tour began. Early arrival allows you to look at the old mining equipment that is on the property.

The Good Enough Mine Ticket Office is open for business.

I will give you the short history behind the mining that was done in Tombstone. In 1877, Ed Schieffelin found an ore deposit and filed a claim. He called the mine the Tombstone, because he had been told by his friends that a tombstone was all he would find looking for ore in the Apache wilderness. That is how the town got its name. In 1878, he filed another claim for the Good Enough Mine. Over the years, Ed filed 19 different claims. The mining tunnels from the different mines intersect in places. Ed and his partners also established a lumber mill in the Huachuca Mountains and a stamping plant to process the ore in Contention. Tombstone became the largest town between San Francisco and St. Louis. In the end Ed, his brother Al and a mining engineer, who were partners, sold their mines to Consolidated Mining for $600,000 each, $12 million in today’s dollars. The mines turned out to be one of the richest strike in the southwestern United States.

After the company that owned the mine decided it wasn’t worth anything, The Good Enough Mine was purchased by the ex mayor of

Mining Equipment is available for you to check it out.

Tombstone and his wife for $2000. They wanted to bring back something that made was the reason for Tombstone to exist. After the purchase the real work began. As the mine had been abandoned, the shafts and tunnels were filled with trash and dirt. Over a 6 year period, the debris was removed from the mine, paths were made and the walls were washed down so that visitors could see minerals that were still in the walls. The paths were made smooth and relatively level with the exception of the stairway which takes you down to the main mine trail. In places the roof of the mine tunnels are painted red where the rock hangs down. Head protection is needed and hard hats are available if you don’t have one. Prior to the tour opening, the mine was inspected for safety and there are some areas where additional safety

Ore wagons were pulled by the mule teams to the Contention stamping mill for processing the ore into silver.

screening and shoring have been added to stabilize the rock. The organized tours were started about a year and a half ago and the experience has been improved by the owners over the years.

At the beginning of the tour, our guide introduced himself and gave us a demonstration of what it took to drill holes in the rock walls by hand. The drilling was done so that dynamite could be placed in the rock face. Unlike the western movies where miners were using picks and shovels to get the ore out, miners needed to blast the ore deposit into pieces that could be loaded on to carts and brought out of the mine. The video I made gives a

You can see the copper ore still in the mine. This was a silver mine but copper, gold and lead were also found here.

demonstration of what it took to drill a hole into the rock. After the demonstration, we walked down the slope toward the wash and into the mine entrance.

At the entrance we were told about the debris removal and what we would see during the tour. The mine was worked for many years from the 1880s into the 1930s. Our guide said that he had found an El Paso newspaper down in the mine dated 1908. We were also told that one of the urban legends about the mine being flooded is only partially true. As the miners dug deeper chasing the silver ore, they reached a level where water entered the mine. Pumps were brought in and installed and pumped the water out until the miners reached the 700 foot level. When the pumps failed the water returned to the 500 foot level again covering the pumps. The mine never totally flooded but mining below 500 feet is not feasible.

Shoring the ceiling with big timbers kept the mine roof stabilized.

The mine tour starts with stairs that go down 70 feet to the loop trail that has been made in the mine. The entire trail is lit and there are specific side areas and niches that are lit for people to see different aspects of the mine. Our guide pointed out tunnels and shafts that were roped off. He explained that the entire inner-connecting complex of tunnels goes under the town of Tombstone and out into the surrounding areas. To illustrate his point he showed us one that goes under the wash and comes out at the Toughnut Mine entrance. The mine is a man made hard rock cave and if you are claustrophobic, it isn’t not for you. The miners followed the ore wherever it went, horizontally or vertically. Some passages are low and narrow and other places being are large rooms with 30 tall ceilings.
The miners spent 12 hour shifts in the mine and worked by candlelight at the beginning. Carbide lights were introduced much later in the history of the mine. Unlike coal mines, there was no gasses emitted from the deposits and explosions from a live flame did not happen. The air is fresh in the mine. The complex of tunnels creates a draft that is flowing throughout the mine. We were shown some of the items left by the miners in the tunnels from tools to empty cans of food. The mine structure is sturdy and has some shoring. An earthquake in Sonora Mexico in the 1890s didn’t affect the structure at all. There are some areas of town on Toughnut Street that are collapsing due to the mine. If you go to the Courthouse, there are detail drawings there that show the mine tunnels and the levels of the mines in Tombstone. It gives you some more information on just how big the tunnel complex is.

Near the end of the 1 hour tour, we were shown some ore samples from the mine. Most of the silver from the mine was shipped off to New Orleans and was minted into coins. We were also told of a more extreme tour that is done on Saturdays and it takes about 3 hours. The Toughnut mine tour goes back into areas of the mine that are seldom seen. This tour requires a minimum age of 10 years old, hard hats, lighting and water. It is advisable that you have old clothes, gloves, knee pads and protection for scrapes. When you are making plans to go on any of the Cochise County underground tours, remember that your lodging choice should be Down By The River B and B, “The Lodging Hub of Cochise County.” We are located in St. David about 20 minutes from Tombstone and our San Pedro River BnB is perfect for that quiet relaxing stay in Southeastern Arizona.

Posted in Events and Things To Do | Comments Off on Tombstone Good Enough Mine Tour

Tombstone Rose Tree Museum Update

April 5th, 2013 by Mike Hug

The Rose Tree Museum is located on 4th and Toughnut Street

Recently I did a blog about the Rose Tree Festival which is held in Tombstone, AZ. The Rose Tree is located on 4^th and Toughnut Streets in the back of the Rose Tree Museum. I did the blog prior to the Tombstone Rose Tree Festival to let people know about the festival. I wanted to supplement my collection of pictures of the rose and provide more detail as an update to the previous blog. On April 4, Angie and I had a chance to go to the Rose Tree Museum. Tombstone is a short drive from our San Pedro River BnB. Angie had never been to the museum and I wanted to go while the Lady Banks Rose was in bloom. We were not disappointed with the display of the rose bush. The Tombstone Rose Tree Festival is held when the rose is at the peak of the blooming cycle. We went the day before the festival so that we wouldn’t be fighting the crowds and we could get some pictures without a lot of people blocking the views. The rose tree was at the height of beauty and there are still some buds getting ready to bloom. The rose is about 1 inch in diameter and the blossoms come in a cluster. The smell of the blossoms was a nice scent but not overpowering.

Angie poses at the stock of the Rose Tree

When we arrived, we paid our $5 entrance fee and walked through the museum on our way out onto the patio to look at the roses. We found a little plaque on the east wall that gives a short history of the rose tree. After reading the information, I got Angie to pose at the tree so that there was a reference to the actual size of the stock. The stock is large and really rugged looking. It is amazing that this plant is still alive. It had to be lovingly cared for while growing in the desert for over a century. The rose is growing over part of the Good Enough Mine. There have been some concerns about the ground collapsing near that part of Toughnut St and the adjoining museum grounds. Recently the road has been closed to traffic and part of the property that the rose tree has been fenced off due to these concerns. The mine entrance is just to the west of the Rose Tree and there are daily tours down into the mine.

The Rose Tree History Plaque is posted.

The stock of the rose tree is rough to the touch.

Under the canopy of the rose tree you are shaded and the tree is supported by posts and steel beams.

To show just how large the rose tree is, I wanted to take a single picture from the platform that is provided. It was not possible for me to show the extent of the rosebush in a single photo unless I had a fisheye lens on the camera. A fisheye lens distorts the picture and doesn’t reflect the true size of the subject. Instead I got back as far as I could and then did a panorama shot with 5 separate pictures. I then combined the pictures with a program to join them together and place them in alignment. If you look at the picture, under the arbor you can see a couple of people standing. This will give you some perspective as to the size of this 127 year old bush. It was a cloudy afternoon when I to the picture and the colors are not as vibrant in this photo. On a brighter day the yellow roses would have stood out better but this does give you an idea of what you will see. Click here to see the panorama.

Lady Banks Rose Blossom

After we finished viewing the rose tree, we returned to the small museum and toured the exhibits. There are collections from the past owners of the building and rose. Another section houses mineral displays. There are also old photos of old historical significance which are hung up on the walls in the museum. There is even a neon sign that is on display that was used when the building was known as The Rose Tree Inn. The Museum also has a small bookshop. We did enjoy the Museum and feel that this is a good place for people to visit when they tour Tombstone.

If you go to see the rose tree consider Down By The River B and B for you lodging requirements. We are located in St. David and we are a short drive to Tombstone.

Posted in Events and Things To Do | Comments Off on Tombstone Rose Tree Museum Update