Tuscon AZ April 21-22

Doug had a great reunion with a friend from his childhood.  Susie Spencer Marsden and Doug were in the same sunday school class when they were 4.  Susie's husband, Bob, wasn't able to make the dinner.  Susie's Mom and Doug's Mom were best friends and worked together in Dayton during WW2.  They went on a double date and eventually married their dates, our fathers.  I've known her longer than any other friend, 60 years!!

Doug, Susie, Steve

While in Tuscon, we went to Old Tuscon, where 100s of westerns were filmed, like Big Valley. John Wayne made 3 films and they were filming there up until 1992.

One of the coolest sites in Tuscon was the Saguaro National Forest.  The iconic cactus can be 200 years old.  A lot of the forest was killed during a freeze in 1937.

Bisbee AZ, April 19-21

Going to Bisbee is like going to Mecca for Steve.  There is a vintage trailer motel called the Shady Dell which features a variety of vintage trailers and a boat that you can stay in.  They are all furnished in period furniture and accessories.  They even had a little diner call Dot's that was open until a couple of years ago.  The Shady Dell has been here since 2000 and has been featured in the NY Times, Gourmet, etc.

 

Dot's Diner

 

 

You can even stay in a cabin cruiser. 

We stayed at a campground 6 miles outside Bisbee.
It looks desolate, but it was very beautiful.
We had views of the  valley and the mountains.

View from the campground.

Bisbee, itself was a cool town founded because of the copper mines.  The town is built into the mountains with steep roads and turn of the century buildings.

Abandoned Copper mine 1/2 mile deep

Rick, John and Steve at the Queen's Copper Mine

Suited up for our mine tour

Mining cars for transport into the mine.

Selfie with John & Rick @ the Bisbee Brew House.

From Dallas to Marfa, TX April 11-17

You can't go to Dallas without a visit to Southfork, or at least a drive by viewing.  Steve and I didn't see it, but Jon and Ric did on the way to Ric's relatives in NE Dallas.

John and Doug went to the 6th Floor Museum of the School Book Depository at Dealey Plaza.  The corner window of the museum was exactly the way it was when Oswald shot Kennedy.  We weren't allowed cameras, otherwise I could show the museum and views of  the motorcade route.

Doug & Steve and Ric & John were able to visit Darrell & Peter at their house in Westlake.  We had heard about it since they bought it and it was great to finally see it and their new office location in Grapevine.  Sorry, we didn't get pics.

What is Texas without oil?  On the way out of Dallas heading to Marfa, we staid in Midland TX, heart of the oil country.  Between Midland and Odessa it was all about drilling and fracking.

Oil derrick next to our RV Park in Midland

On the way to Marfa in SW Texas, the scenery was stunning as we drove through the prairies with the mountains in the distance.  We've seen this in movies many times.

Marfa is a small town, but it is home to some large art installations on the site of a former army base.  No photos allowed :-(  It also boasts no TV stations and only 1 radio station:  Marfa NPR.  A little scary on both accounts.

The office for check-in at the campground.
Very casual.

Wide-open spaces with big sky.
Dry and dusty.

Another claim to fame is the El Paisano Hotel.  The cast of GIANT stayed here while filming.  Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, etc.  The hotel looks the same today as it did then.

John enjoying a band and a glass of wine
in the courtyard of the El Paisano

The courthouse in the center of Marfa can be seen for miles around.  Visitors may also climb the staircase to the top for 360 degree views.

The jailhouse near the courthouse is just as old and beautiful, but not if you must stay for any length of time.  

Marfa is also a very spiritual place. A place to view the constellations and there is a phenomenon called the Marfa Orbs.  The orbs appear in the night sky and cannot be explained. They sightings are random so it is difficult to know when they will appear.  El Cosmico in Marfa is a "campground" and  has vintage trailers to rent as hotel rooms.

I knew there had to be one.
This is a group of churches in the SW