Tucson - So Many Memories

It is strange how in the greater scheme of things that when we first thought  of coming to the USA for a stay on a ranch that in a country this size and with thousands of Dude ranches to choose from that we decided on Tanque Verde here in Tucson , Arizona, but I believe it was looking at our criteria-- had to be somewhere that guaranteed warmth, had a reasonable degree of up-marketness, had great alternatives to the horses and was close to great shops.

 

I believe that these were the first two pictures we saw around 10 years ago and I think that these swung it for us both.

 

And great memories it has given us--

 

 

But I am getting ahead of myself. We had nearly 500 miles to drive from Carlsbad in New Mexico down through El Paso in Texas , back through Deming in NM and finally through Benson in Arizona before arriving at Tucson-- phew , makes me tired just thinking about it.

However on this trip I had some great help from my partner, who gave up her camera for some of the drive to be the driver for a couple of hundred miles-- the joy of being able to move around in the seat.

 

A different kind of scenery today with what at first glance is fairly desolate landscape but you know people survive out here-- don't exactly know how but they do.

 

Gotta keep a look-out for those pesci Apaches though -- Cochese was around here somewhere.

Oh and when you see roads stretching out like this one above all you want to do is drive -- however never forget that every SUV that you pass could quite easily be one that -- whilst the gentleman was a very good looking young man -- especially in his uniform -- he was still a policeman and can still issue a ticket for speeding , like this one----

 

Ok , so he was interested to talk to these mad Brits on this road trip and in the end it was a warning -- not a fine -- but I am reluctant to find out whether the data base in Texas can be seen by the police in Arizona or California or Oregon & Washington state for that matter.

 This crossing back in to Texas before going down to El Paso

 

 

Found where Theresa makes her bit on the side and is ready for when she retires- but not yet please.

This absolutely reminded us of Ayers Rock in Australia. It like at Ayers , was stuck out in the middle of very barren country and we have no doubt that the indigenous peoples will have seen this as something special.

Ok , so back in to New Mexico

 

Some great rock formations and so close to the roads

 A different type of Cactus from the Saguaro that we will see at the ranch.

A bigger better sign

The fields of trees below are Pecans and we bought some packaged to take back and bake a pie.

 

Passed through Bowie -- remember him of the long knife in the Alamo.

Don't know if that is the Indians or not but it looked pretty big -- maybe need to chance the speeding ticket and put the foot down.

 Rock canyon is a bit appropriate

 We past by some reminders of some favourite places such as Tombstone -- we have been there around 3 times and seen the gunfight at the OK Corral with a great Doc Holliday -- very like Val Kilmer-- and I know a lad from Durham way, Richard Bishop , who would have been in the town quicker than you can blink.

You know when you are nearing Tucson when you see thousands of planes in mothballs waiting for the day they are needed again-- lets hope it is never.

So above is where we are staying this trip, which just happens to be over the road from the sports bar which we love to go to -- good meal and a Guinness or two

 

I don't recall what it was called when we fist went in here but Rod & Ann would recall the first real lesson we were all given about tipping here in the states from a very disgruntled Maitre D -- lets say that you don't get that anymore as we know the rates and they don't have prats like him in there anymore.

Chicken curry for me and a chicken pie for her

 The picture above is of the Ramada Hotel that we have stayed in 4 previous times which when we tried to book this time we were told it wasn't a hotel any more and we found that it is now a Rehab Centre for drug users and other addictions -- not sure our addiction to travel counts.

 

So that's it for yesterday and we are relaxing before the 15 minute travel to the ranch for lunch and a bit of Yeaha.