Bisbee, Arizona: Just a beautiful warm day in the southern Arizona desert! Not a cloud in the sky. No wind. Lovely. This morning I changed my bandage. What I found under the gauze is a disgusting mess. Still too gross for a photo. No pain in my thumb, but that tetanus injection in my arm is worse today. What a wimp!
DT and I hitched-up the Honda behind the Magna Peregrinus and headed about 50 miles south to Bisbee, Arizona - home of one of our friends from college. We are about four miles north of the US-Mexico border. Bisbee is an old mining town, built into steep hills at 5300 feet. It was truly an Adventure in RVing to maneuver our massive bus into the Queen Mine RV Park, which sits on the edge of the abyss that is the Copper Queen Mine.
On advice from the campground host a few days ago on the phone, we stopped about a mile north of town and unhitched the Honda and I led the way to the RV park in the car. I drew the green line on the above photo to show the route My Driver had to cover in order to make the sharp, steep turn - through the Copper Queen Mine Tour parking lot. If Dave could take a 45-foot motorcoach up that turn, pretty-much any RV can make the corner.
DT isn't exactly sure we can get out of here though. We may end up living in Bisbee.
But once our RV reached the top of the hill - look at all the room we had to back our RV into the assigned campsite. We were helped into our spot by Louise, the friendly camp host... which meant DT had two women telling him what to do at the same time.
And what a view! We can see all of Bisbee below - and the gorgeous red hills above the town.
After settling-in, we went for a walk around town - just a few steps from our campsite. Most of Bisbee burned to the ground in 1908, and was rebuilt with only brick or stone buildings and all of these buildings are still standing. Pretty brick buildings line the curvy streets. I took a few photos, which I will post below for your (I hope) viewing pleasure.
Bisbee, Arizona
Old school building (left). The brick building was the YMCA and is now a hotel
Another view of the old YMCA building
A pig, sitting in a window in Bisbee, Arizona
Pretty entry to a hillside home in Bisbee
Alley in Bisbee
In the afternoon, we went to the home of our old friend (Margaret and I worked on the student newspaper at the University of Oregon in the mid-70's together) and her husband, Darrell. Margaret has lived all over the world and for some reason settled into teeny Bisbee in her career as a chef. What an interesting life. Margaret now works in community health and in her spare time caters parties and cures olives from her trees and sells the olive medleys at the farmers market and to local restaurants! Tonight we dined at Cafe Roka (see the sign above) in Bisbee and guess what is featured in their appetizer offerings?
That's right!Tomorrow - we tour the mine!
Until my next update, I remain, your "loving Bisbee" correspondent.
RV Park: Queen Mine RV Park - Only 25 sites, all gravel back-ins with water, sewer and 30 amp electric. Completely open, no trees to block your satellite or shade your RV. Bathhouse and laundry. Walk to town. Free wifi and cable. Quiet. Cash or check only. (Tricky entry and don't follow your GPS directions. Enter the Queen Mine Tour parking lot and proceed up the hill to the campground.) We paid $28.