TUESDAY, FEB.17TH

After arriving at Valley Vista RV resort in Benson, we had dinner followed by Jim & I showing the girls how to play Pegs’n’Jokers. We had a very enjoyable evening and made plans for the next day.

On Monday we were up and headed out in the “Grichmobile” to show Jim & Peggy the area of Tombstone, Bisbee, and Sierra Vista. The winds were blowing pretty heavily and we drove down to Tombstone to walk the streets and check out all the tourist attractions. Tombstone is a town designed for all the folks who would like to think of the Old West as a wild place to live with a bunch of hairy characters that walk around dressed in period clothing and carrying handguns strapped to their legs. Every hour there is a gunfight in the streets where the good guys always win. The actors who portray the characters are all ages and backgrounds and double as sales folks who hawk the gunfights in the enclosed area of Helldorado. Helldorado is a section of town that has been turned into a true “tourist trap”. It has the fake building facades with all the typical Old West decorations. There are several restaurants in town with tourist prices on the menu. Places like Big Nose Kate’s have a bar, restaurant, and curio shop in the same building enclosure. Of course all the cowboy clothing is available for a price, including leather chaps, gun belts, western shirts, hats, and boots. We walked the length of Main St. and decided to move on down to Bisbee for lunch.

We drove south of Tombstone about 35 miles to the mining town of Bisbee. Bisbee was built into the side of a hill and is still occupied by a lot of the “throw-back hippie” residents. The town was in its peak during the heyday of the Copper Queen Mine which is still pulling copper and other minerals out of the ground. Our first stop was the Mine Tour. We walked into the building and looked at the collection of mining equipment that was used back in the 20’s and 30’s. It’s truly amazing to see the engineering that went into the design and manufacture of that old equipment. The mine tours run about $14/person and the Griches opted to pass this time. Dottie & I have been on the tour in the past and enjoyed the education we received from the guides (who worked in the mine during its days of operation). After taking in all the sights in the Mine Tour, we drove about a half mile into Bisbee and searched for a lunch spot. We checked the up-scale restaurant that had a 40 minute wait and decided to seek out another small café. I found a garden café that also offered local microbrews, so we stopped for lunch. We had a meatloaf sundae - a slab of meatloaf topped by a scoop of mashed potatoes and smothered in brown gravy. It was a tasty delight. I opted for the “Buster” - meatloaf smothered in chili and covered with chopped onions and cheese. It’s a favorite of the bicyclists who ride to Bisbee and seek out a carb-filled lunch. We looked at several of the stores and then walked over to the Stock Exchange Bar. Two years ago Don Leith found this bar which was the original link to the New York Stock exchange. It has a full wall that is a tote board with all the major stocks and was updated with a ticker tape link direct to New York. Don, I wished you were with us to savor a cold beer like we did last time!

We then drove along the border to Sierra Vista. This town has grown and is still expanding in population. It is one of my favorite places to visit, as it is comparable to Rapid City in population, available services and big-box stores, and the feeling of a reasonably sized town. We used to go over there annually to spend time at The Caverns RV Resort in Huachuca City. However, the owner of the park decided to sell the park and the new owners didn’t want the membership. Many members were left out in the cold after spending money and over-priced memberships. We drove to Huachuca City and through the park to see the changes. The staff has all changed and the warm feeling that used to be there was gone. We returned to Benson and relaxed before we ate some crock-pot pork chop dinner and a game of P&J.

Tuesday we up early and prepared for a 9AM departure. We decided to drive all the way to Vado, NM, just south of Las Cruces for the night. We got to Deming and stopped at the Super Wally to pick up some needed items. Inside the Wal-Mart is a Subway so we bought some sandwiches for lunch and ate in the coaches. After lunch we drove to the east side of Deming and pulled in to the St. Claire Winery. The parking lot was big enough to facilitate our two coaches and we walked in for the wine tasting. I recall a visit several years ago where we bought a champagne with black currant. It was a delicious, so I was on a mission to find it again. We succeeded and bought two bottles. We also found a tasty peach-flavored wine and a couple of red wines. These will be used for VERY special occasions since I’m already carrying four cases of our favorite Two Buck Chuck red wine from San Diego.

We got back on the road after a short break at St. Claire. By now both Jim and I were feeling the strain of a long day on the road. We continued east to Las Cruces and turned south to Vado. Our destination was Western Sky’s RV Park. Yep, that’s the way it’s spelled. It was recently purchased, but it’s the same park where we stayed two years ago with Leiths and Bahnsons. We arrived about 4PM, got our site assignments, and settled in. It was a long day of driving but was made bearable by the several stops and great company of Jim & Peg. This park has a terrific wi-fi, so I’m able to get some things updated on my computer. Peggy offered chili for supper; Dottie prepared some salad and cornbread. The meal was excellent and we all are ready to spend a quiet evening alone in preparation for an early morning and a long driving day tomorrow. We’ll drive a few miles down the road to the Anthony, TX Flying J for refueling and end up in Ft. Stockton tomorrow afternoon after a 275-mile day. The following day will be 325 miles to Canyon Lake and the Clerc residence.