Bisbee, Arizona

Bisbee is an interesting eclectic town southwest of Tombstone.  This was a copper mining community and the old town is located in a canyon.  The temperature during the day averages around 75 F with cooler evenings.

There is a vibrant arts community and the town shops reflects this influence.  Shopping in town would be an interesting afternoon experience.  There are several good restaurants available.  On Monday there is less choice as several establishments were closed when we visited.  We ended up eating at the Table Restaurant located near the Bisbee Coffee Company.  The menu had an excellent variety of American cuisine. Bill had French onion soup and pork ribs, I choose a hamburger.  We both enjoyed our meals and the service was excellent.

If you come to Bisbee you need to visit the Queen Mine.  This copper mine has been closed for several years but now provides tours for visitors.  The guides are former mine employees and are very knowledgeable.  Before entering the mine visitors are dressed in yellow rain coats, hard hats and miners lamps.  Then straddling a narrow gage train car to descend into the mine.  During the tour you learn about the different methods used over the years to mine copper.  You also get an understanding of what it would have been like to work in the mine and how different tasks were completed, like thee use of dynamite to blast rock.  The tour is an excellent introduction to coal mining.  Just around the corner from the Queen Mine you can see the Lavender open pit mine.  This is a huge area that was dug to access the copper.  The pit mine is closed and there has been no restoration. 

If you are interested in birding you can drive southeast to Douglas where there is the San Bernadino National Wildlife Refuge,where the white cranes winter.  To the west is Sierra Vista with numerous canyons that provide excellent bird viewing.  If you are in the area March to June you will be able to see up to 15 species of Hummingbirds in Ramsey Canyon and don't forget to visit the conservatory.

Did you know that Arizona has a growing wine industry?   You can find vineyards located around Elgin and Wilcox.  Most wineries are open for wine tasting on Friday and Saturdays.  Make sure that you have picked up a Sierra Vista Official Visitors Guide to assist in finding the wineries.  Some wineries require reservations.

This area is easily accessed by driving south from Phoenix on the I-10 for about 2-3 hours.  We choose to stay in a charming bed and breakfast called the School House in old town Bisbee.  Check out the reviews on Trip Advisory.  We stayed in the Reading Room and found the accommodation very quiet.  The host is an interesting character and has been doing this for over nine years.

Pheonix Arizona 2015

Winter Break In Arizona

January is a great time to leave the snow and visit the desert.  This year we checked out the Phoenix area to see what would be a good choice for us if we decided to become snow birds in the future.

We want to be able to ballroom and Latin dance, lap swim, hike, golf for a reasonable price, and be close enough to sporting events as well as accessing cultural events.

The following information is what we investigated during our 2015 visit staying in the Buckeye area which is west of Phoenix :

Fitness options if staying for an extended period of time.  We wanted to work out or swim frequently during our stay.  There are only a few outdoor swimming pools heated during the winter months and open. 

• The Valley of the Sun YMCA at Litchfield Road and Thomas Road is a wonderful choice as it offers swimming and exercise classes.  You can purchase a week pass for two people $40.00.  They also have a month pass available, if you are over 60 years of age for two people a month pass costs $72.00.  They have multiple classes at various levels, exercise equipment and either 50 meter or 25 yard lap swimming.  http://valleyymca.org/

Cultural activities experienced this visit:

• Heard Museum Indian Art and History 2301 North Central Avenue Phoenix,  AZ:   This museum was excellent, the displays are beautifully arranged and very informative.  The information presented is about the aboriginal people in Arizona.  The displays represent the past showing clothing, baskets, cooking equipment, musical instruments, game and other items.  There are room displays that represent boarding school life.  You can also learn about aboriginal athletes and their accomplishments. http://heard.org/

•  Desert Botanical Gardens general admission is $25.00 per adult and the gardens are open daily from 8 am to 8 pm at 1201 N. Galvin Parkway,  Phoenix.  You can access more information at http://www.dbg.org/.

• Phoenix Zoo general admission is $20.00 for adults and is open from 9am to 5pm.  For more information check out their website at http://phoenixzoo.org/.

Hiking and Walking options:
There are multiple hiking areas that you can pick to enjoy a hike in the desert.  Maricopa County is the surrounding area around Buckeye.  This includes Estrella Mountain Regional Park, Buckeye Hills Regional Park and White Tank Mountain Regional Park.





Hole in the Rock

• Papago Park,  is located east of Downtown Phoenix  in Tempe where you can find the Phoenix Zoo and the Desert Botanical Gardens.  There are several trails to hike.  A very popular hike is the hole in the rock trail which is only 1/10 of a mile.

https://www.phoenix.gov/parks/trails/locations/papago-park

• South West of Phoenix is the Estrella Mountain Regional Park.  Access to the park is off of the Estrella Parkway south of the I-10.  Information can be accessed from the following website www.maricopa.gov/parks/estrella .  Entrance fee is $6.00 per vehicle.  The park offers programs, hiking trails, picnic area, horse back riding, biking and camping.  Just outside the park is the Tres Riss Golf  Course with reduced fees after 3:00 pm and before 8:00 am.  We spent a couple of hours hiking trails in the hills.  Stop by the Nature Centre for detailed map, information and check out the displays.  They also have information on the plants in the area.  This park offers interpretive programs and guided walks.

• Buckeye Hills Regional Park is a rustic area without many services and no designated trails.  We drove to the last picnic/camping area and just walked into the dessert and up a hill.  The hiking is easy but you need to be careful of your footing and the cactus.  There were several large Saguaro Cactus in the area.  To access this park drive south from Buckeye on highway 85 about 10.5 miles south of the I-10 mile post 144.  Right beside this area is the Robbins Butte Wildlife Area.  A map of the area can be picked up at the Visitors Information Centre in the town of Buckeye.

• Off of the 303 west of Phoenix you can access White Tank Mountain Regional Park.  This park was the busiest of all the parks but it was also on the weekend after two days of rain when we went to the park.  There is a visitors centre with displays and with the entrance fee of $6.00 you get a map of the park.  Facilities include numerous picnic areas, flush toilets and several areas with interpretive signs.  The trails are well marked and some are disability accessible.  We choose to walk to the waterfall and this was very busy trail.  There was hardly any water but the rocks were wet where water had been flowing after the rain.  The park accommodates hiking, biking and horses.  This is a great park to spend the day and it is not too far out of the city.  This park also offers interpretive programs and guided hikes.

One of the things that we noticed is that if you stay in the area that you are located in there is less stress regarding driving in traffic.  During rush hour you are crawling along the freeways and it gets worse closer to downtown of course.

We did visit Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Goodyear, Sun City, Chandler and drove to Tuscan to visit friends and see what they had purchased on the golf course.  There is lots of choice if you wish to purchase property.  From an independent house, villa, condo, park model trailer, doublewide in a 55+ community or just in an area that you would like to spend time.  It's important to decide what you really want as you can certainly get caught up in the emotion of owning something.

Residents may not pay taxes the same as Canadians but everything that we looked at had some taxes and a HOA fee.  The Home Owners Association pays for the landscaping in the community and services.  These fees can be quite high depending on what facilities are included.

If you decide to purchase property make sure that you know the taxation rules that apply to Canadians in the United States.  If the value of your property is over a certain level you will be taxed on your income in Canada.  Buyer Beware!