Monday, February 11, 2013

We like Bisbee, AZ

Today is our third day of just hanging out.  We’ve gone to Ft. Huachuca’s gym, bought and mailed Valentine Day’s gifts for the grandkids, read, and watched TV.  The weather has kept us from venturing too far; as I write, there's about a half of inch of snow on the ground. Since we’re fair-weather adventurers, when it’s cold we tend to hole up in the rig.  So there’s not a lot to report since last my last post. 
But: on a nice day last week we drove to Bisbee, AZ and had a great time.
Bisbee is about 30 miles southeast of Sierra Vista. In the late 1800s it was known as the “Queen of the Copper Camps” and by1910 was a very rich town with both rough and tumble saloons and elegant Victorian homes.
Today the charming downtown consists of jewelry shops, art galleries, antique stores, restaurants and museums.  I was looking for a pair of earrings and found some as we browsed.  Because Jim is always looking for a good IPA, we went to the Old Bisbee Brewing Company and at first were the only ones there besides the waitress and a man at the bar.  As the brewery is a “drinks only” place, I asked the waitress if she could recommend a restaurant.  Pretty soon the man chimed in with a wealth of ideas and told us about the town too, so I asked him he he was the mayor of Bisbee,  No, but he is a volunteer at the Bisbee Visitors' Center and knows his stuff.  His name was John and he’s been a snowbird to Bisbee for the last seven years. During the summer he returns to his home in Michigan’s upper peninsula where he's a lighthouse keeper. 
After a while the brewery started to fill up, so I moved to the bar to talk to John.  We were joined by a guy whose lived in Bisbee for 34 years; he was a construction worker in Nebraska and one winter quit, sold everything and went south.  Jim was joined by a couple on vacation from Bozeman, MT.  It was fun.  Afterwards, Jim and I went to Santiago, a Sonoran restaurant John recommended to us.
There’s lots more to see in Bisbee and I think we’ll go back next year.
A view down Bisbee's main street.
Bev and her new earrings.
Bisbee's Post Office.
This miner statue is in front of the county courthouse in Bisbee.  Across the street you can see homes going up the hill.
Jim at the Old Bisbee Brewing Company.

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