Have I ever told you how much I enjoy being retired? I love it! I loved being a teacher but I love being retired even more! Because I am able to come and go! And that’s exactly what we do! We love to EXPLORE. And living in this beautiful state of Arizona is the perfect place to EXPLORE because of all the incredible Sights!
EXPLORING
We just got back from a fabulous adventure of EXPLORING …that Sweet Man put together with some of our friends. When we Jeep in the desert we like to go with others. The more the merrier but also because there is Safety in numbers. We have seen some spectacular sights with these fun friends!
We traveled south of Tucson and met up in the cute little town of Tubac. If you have never been…try to go to Tubac… it’s full of art galleries, boutiques and the famous restaurant Elviras! Elviras is a lovely place with great food! And they’re famous for their .50 cent tequila shot! (One per customer.) I searched high and low in my my archives but only found this collage of having lunch at Elviras with friends.
How about all those beautiful icicle lights hanging from the ceiling of Elviras! It’s even better in person!
When the Wagons all gathered (meaning when our friends all came together) we started our Adventure! We headed for “The Road to Arivaca” which is better known as Ruby Road. It was named that because of the once popular Ruby Mine that is located on this road. Ruby Mine is now a Ghost Town.
Ruby Road which is mostly unpaved is 56 miles south of Tucson in the Pajarito Mountains of the Coronado National Forest. Beautiful rolling hills are in your view as you travel this winding road. I could just imagine how the ole westerns were made in some areas like this!
The total loop is about 55 miles and takes about 2-3 hours depending on how often you stop. There is beautiful scenery around every bend.
In no time we came to Peña Blanca Lake. A beautiful reservoir built in 1957.
The following picture is of our fun friends who chose to do the ride with us!
This sign did not discourage us. We felt quite safe.
We saw Border Patrol often.
There is a Ghost town called Ruby. We stopped by and took a look. We have been to several Ghost towns and this one was definitely not worth the $15 per person to see it. The caretaker never approached us or asked us if we wanted to tour. Thank goodness we did not buy tickets online beforehand! Seeing this truck made the quick peek worth it. But back on the road we went… thank goodness!
The ride was beautiful! And we highly recommend it!
When we were done we headed to our Bed and Breakfast called Amado Territory Inn. We were welcomed with opened arms! The following photo is from my friend Susan.
We loved our stay here. Rooms were large, cute and clean! After the ride we all gathered in their dining room for some munchies that we brought along with us. The Inn Keepers provided wine! How nice was that! Thank you Susan for this photo of our Fun friends!
There was a restaurant next door that everyone highly recommended for lunch and dinner. The following morning a delicious breakfast (which was included for free) was made for us by the Inn Keepers. They served us individually with happy smiles!
After breakfast we headed north to Tucson and went to the famous Tucson Rock and Gem Show.
On the way we saw the moon rising…
The Tucson Rock and Gem Show never disappoints!
Thanks to Sweet Man for planning another fabulous ride! We loved it and had so much fun!
And many THANKS to ALL of you for coming along on our amazing Get Away!
We’ll have to see if we can manage the Southwest [AZ, NV, UT] this autumn. We’d really like to do then what we couldn’t last September because of Mary’s bum knee. I’d love to see a ghost town. Last September I was disappointed about Jerome: nothing ghostly there. But if it takes a dirt road to, e.g. Ruby, it depends on what our 2-wheel driver SUV [Ford Escape] can manage.
Ruby Road is not a bad road… and a SUV can tolerate it as long as it does not rain terribly.
As far as seeing a pretty good Ghost town I highly recommend Vulture City in Wickenburg, AZ. They give great tours! They also have refurbished some of the buildings so they do not go to ruin. I did a blog post on it. You can find it here.
https://twotrailsoneroad.com/2018/04/05/vulture-city-ghost-mining-town/
If link does not work… please go to my search bar and type in Vulture City.
Glad you stopped in for a visit and hope your plans go well for a SW visit!
Thanks, Nancy, for the advice and the link!
My pleasure! 🙂
🙂
What a fun getaway!
It sure was! Thanks for the visit!
Sweet Man plans wonderful adventures for you and I believe retirement looks good on you. I don’t remember that you were a teacher, maybe I have read that and just forgot it. Arizona does have a lot to offer and you all take advantage of it. We should spend more time in our own backyard, Alabama is beautiful. I enjoyed the scenery, truly breathtaking and thank you for letting me join you. Happy Tuesday my friend!
I enjoyed having coffee with you this morning!
Yes, I was an early childhood teacher for 20+ years! I had the perfect job and enjoyed going to work. Sure there were tough days… but the good days outweighed the bad.
Thank you for coming along with us!
We must have been ships passing in the night. We were in Tubac for 6 days doing the big art show there. I’ve often wondered about the ruby ghost town.
It’s in serious disrepair. And I read the caretaker is trying to fix it up.
I highly recommend Vulture City Ghost town in Wickenburg.
Glad you did the Art Show in Tubac! A perfect place for an Art Show.
What an adorable avatar!!
These are fantastic, Nancy! I will be glad when we can go on our Thelma, Louise and Louise adventure again 🙂
Looking forward to it! Thanks for the love!
What a great adventure, Nancy. Loved the photos and those crystals!! Hugs to you both. <3 Xx
Those crystals are Amethyst. Aren’t they beautiful!
Thanks for stopping by! 😊
I thought they were, Nancy. They flow such a beautiful energy. Just like you. <3
Sounds like a super fun excursion. When we visited Patagonia State Park several years ago, we were surprised by the beautiful terrain in that part of AZ. This state never ceases to amaze in her diverse landscape.
Diverse is the perfect word! Just yesterday we were in Prescott’s Lynx Lake and saw snow!
This excursion was fun… filled with laughter and views!
When we spent our summers in Prescott, Lynx Lake was always one of my faves to visit on a hot day.
It’s a lovely respite!
I’d like to visit Arizona, again. I was there a long time ago when Alabama played Louisville in the Fiesta Bowl. We (the band) stayed near Tempe at Westcourt in the Buttes. Too bad we were working to hard to be able to enjoy it like we wanted to. As a grown-up, I’d like my husband, teenager, and I to visit Grand Canyon. It’s something every America should see, don’t you think? 🙂
I agree! The Grand Canyon is just that… Grand. Remember in the winter it snows and is cold at the Grand Canyon as it is at a higher elevation.
I sure hope you get to make it to our beloved state sometime soon! 🙂
Thank you for the visit! 🙂
My pleasure! Thank you for stopping by and commenting on Sweetgum Life. 🙂
Fantastic trip! I’m sure it took a lot of planning to organize the itinerary and the friends. Kudos for that and the great pictures.
Group Emails back and forth is how we do it! And Sweet Man does a lot of research along with some of our friends!
Thanks for the visit!
Sure looks like a beautiful adventure. We just love those Jeep roads.
I know you do! They are always so fun!
This ride did not disappoint. Beautiful scenery the whole ride.
You really have a fantastic retirement, Nance. We are better for it!
Thanks Mr. Mark! 😊
Looks like a lot of fun. It’s good to get out and enjoy
It sure is!
A beautiful place to visit, Nancy! These photos are beautiful. Love the moon shot with your phone. 🙂
Thank you Amy! Arizona is quite the place to photograph!
And that moon setting was really something to see! 😊
What a sweet thing for you man to do! This looks like a great getaway. I can’t believe you took that photo of the moon with your phone while going 70 mph! It’s amazing!
It’s pretty cool that moon! It was beautiful to see in person!
Hope your Valentine’s Day was wonderful for you.
Happy Week to you my friend!
Your photos are gorgeous!
Thank you Angela! It’s a beautiful area!