WITH COFFEE AND MUFFIN IN HAND FROM THE BISBEE COFFEE COMPANY PHEEBS AND I JEEPED OURSELVES UP INTO THE MULE MOUNTAINS

Sunrise came without a cloud in the sky.  Orange and black were the colors starting our morning with Robins egg blue skies staying for the remainder of the day.

AN ORANGE AND BLACK START TO THE DAY

CACTUS WREN NEST

Kelly decided to spend a relaxing morning around the coach so Pheebs and I loaded ourselves in the Jeep and off we went.  It was our first Jeep ride since before leaving home late last year.  Only place I could think of where we could probably land ourselves a muffin with coffee was The Bisbee Coffee Company right smack down in the heart of Bisbee Arizona and by golly that’s where we went and that’s what we got.  From where we are camped Bisbee is only about a 20 minute drive away.

PHEEBS AND I SLIPPING DOWN THROUGH BISBEE’S TOMBSTONE CANYON

GETTING INTO THE HEART OF BISBEE

We slipped off highway 80 north of town and came all the way down into Bisbee along the Tombstone Canyon. route.  Lots of pleasant old memories going by.  Bisbee has always been our  very much most favoritist funky little artsy southwestern town of ever.  A photographer’s paradise, an artists home, a craft shopper’s delight, a walkers dream and a hiker’s challenge.  Ambience abounds, characters lend themselves to the old west and whether some buildings are architectural marvels or tumble down old mining shacks the Alpine like town built on a series of never ending hills has something for everyone and everyone has something of Bisbee to take away with them.  Memories of what you see and feel are precious.

I knew right where The Bisbee Coffee Company was and sure enough as we rolled downhill into town there it was right in front of me.  Had I kept going straight I would have driven right through the coffee shop’s front door.

NICE OUTDOOR PATIO

One coffee to go with a plunk of cream and a touch of honey.  Grabbed myself a blueberry muffin while I was at it too.  My Aunt Jean gives me an American fifty dollar bill for my birthday each year and I hang onto that fifty for Pheebs and I.  It’s our spending money for coffee, burgs, muffins, subs, etc.  In exchange for a coffee and muffin I left that fifty dollar bill in Bisbee Arizona this morning.

Ate our muffin in front of Bisbee’s library then with coffee in hand we headed up into the narrow twisting little streets of Bisbee proper.  Sure glad we didn’t have a great big honkin pick-up truck.  Many streets are only wide enough for one car and the tight turns and twists can present a real challenge.  We knew what to expect so we were Okay.  Best way to see and appreciate Bisbee is to park your vehicle and hoof it.  There’s so much to see you gotta go slow lest you miss something.  Majority of today’s photos were taken from the driver’s seat.

I TOLD PHEEBS TO GUARD MY BLUEBERRY MUFFIN WHILE I STEPPED OUT OF THE JEEP TO TAKE A PHOTO

 

SHE SAT THEIR LIKE A LITTLE SENTINAL GUARDING THE MUFFIN….THAT PHEEBS IS JUST THE BEST

A LOT OF THESE TWISTING LITTLE STREETS ARE VERY NARROW AND HILLY

WHAT!!!!

KELLY’S FAVORITE BISBEE EATERY AND I IMAGINE WE’LL BE HAULING A PIZZA OUT OF THERE SHORTLY

Without scraping any paint off parked vehicles or knocking any flower pots off road side verandas we  slowly and carefully made our way back up through Tombstone Canyon.   We had another destination in mind and besides, we were both needing a leg stretch.  It was a place we had been to a couple times before over the years with the last time being when we had Aunt Jean with us.

North of the mountain tunnel on highway 80 about a quarter mile is where we made a hard and abrupt right turn onto Old Divide Road.   Went a short distance keeping a careful eye out for a hairpin left turn onto Juniper Flats Road.  Gravel ended and we began our climb up the Mule Mountains through beautiful forested hills with far off views back down into Tombstone Canyon and Bisbee. 

THE BISBEE TUNNEL NORTH OF BISBEE ON HIGHWAY 80

TURNING RIGHT ON ‘OLD DIVIDE ROAD’ THEN LEFT ON JUNIPER FLAST ROAD WE RIGHT AWAY BEGIN GAINING MORE ALTITUDE

BISBEE’S NORTH END WITH HIGHWAY 80 AROUND THE WEST SIDE OF IT

STOPPING FOR A LEG STRETCH PHEEBS MAKES SURE SHE DOESN’T MISS ANY MUFFIN CRUMBS THAT MAY HAVE FALLEN OFF MY LAP WHEN I GOT OUT

YEP THERE’S A PHEEBS IN THE PHOTO

SULPHUR SPRINGS VALLEY IN THE BACKGROUND

DOWNTOWN BISBEE BELOW

SOUTH END OF THE DRAGOON MOUNTAINS IN FOREGROUND WITH THE DOS CABEZA MOUNTAIN ON THE HORIZON

SWISS HELM MOUNTAINS IN THE FOREGROUND AND THE CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND

SADDLE BACK MOUNTAIN ON THE HORIZON NEAR DOUGLAS ARIZONA

Our destination was the first set of communication towers high atop a peak in the Mule Mountains.  Up and up we went until we reached a spot near the towers.  Great views from here so we parked the Jeep and took us a few photos.  Well Okay, quite a few photos,  There are two sets of towers up here and we have been to the second set on another peak before so didn’t go on over there. 

LOOKING BACK FROM WHENCE WE HAD COME

COMMUNICATION TOWERS ATOP THE MULE MOUNTAINS CAN BE SEEN FROM MILES AROUND

HIGHWAY 80 LEADING SOUTH INTO BISBEE

THERE IS SO MUCH BEAUTY OUT HERE IN THE SOUTHWEST

PHEEBS HAS ALWAYS BEEN QUITE THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER

MULE MOUNTAINS IN THE FOREGROUND WITH THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND

PHEEBS CHECKS OUT THE COMMUNICATION TOWERS

ALWAYS LOTS OF NEW SMELLS WHEREVER WE STOP

We stopped at three different places and at one of the three we could probably see 40 miles to the east across the Sulphur Springs Valley.  On the far side of the valley lay the Swiss Helm, Dragoon, and Chiricahua Mountains.  We could see almost all the way to Douglas Arizona.  Turning south and looking at Bisbee way below I knew the many mountain ranges I could see on the hoizon south of Bisbee were all in Mexico.  Oh what a great way to spend a couple of the mornings hours,  Soon it was time to head back to the rig but we’ll be back to Bisbee again in a few days.  Kelly likes some of artsy crafty little boutiques and we know a place with great Pizza.

 

We were back to the rig shortly after 11 and an hour later Kelly and the Jeep slipped into Sierra Vista to check out a few of her favorite stores.  Pheebs and I had a relaxing afternoon as I attempted to fix a broken bin door latch and lock assembly.  Good handy-man friends like Richard, Bruce, Chris, or Montana Mike could have had that latch assembly fixed inside of 5 minutes but I worked on it for forty minutes and it still isn’t fixed.  Guess I’ll just tape the bin door shut with some duct tape.  Assuming I can figure that out of course.  Wish me luck.

A RELAXING AFTERNOON AROUND THE RIG FOR PHEEBS

I THINK SHE WAS TUCKERED OUT FROM OUR ROMP IN THE MULE MOUNTAINS

Kelly was back about 3 this afternoon after picking up a few things from UPS and a drugstore.  Despite having directional problems sometimes she said she did just fine and found all the places she was looking for.  Well at least that’s what she told me.

HEADING BACK DOWN OUT OF THE MULE MOUNTAINS

AND YES THIS SHORT SECTION IS AS STEEP AS IT LOOKS BUT IT’S ALL DOABLE WITH A 2 WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE

ALWAYS LOTS OF GREENERY IN THE MOUNTAINS

Hardly seems possible but we’ve been without television for about 20 days now and neither one of us is missing it.  All’s we have to do is crank our aerial up but we haven’t bothered.  Haven’t even set up our Shaw satellite dish yet.  What a welcome break it has been for me from cable news and I can’t help but repeat to myself each day, ‘no news is good news’.  Of course I don’t really exactly believe that but nevertheless what a nice break it has been from the political 3 ring circus here south of the border.  I do sorta kinda miss my Smithsonian channel though……….

OKAY BUGS WE’RE ALMOST HOME

I don’t think we could have escaped a more severe winter than we just did when we left Bayfield less than a month ago.  We follow the weather back home while here in the southwest and the bone numbing temperatures have been shocking not to mention the huge load of snow this year.  Roller coaster temperature extremes have made for heavy moisture laden snow loads on people’s roofs and of course I always worry about our roof.  I think of my good friend Richard and wonder how he’s coping both mentally and physically with the extremes.  Hang in there buddy.   Coffee, muffins, and dry gravely country roads bathed in warm sunshine are only a few months away.

MANY MOUNTAINS AND CANYONS SOUTHEAST OF BISBEE WITH SOME OF THE FAR ONES BEING IN MEXICO

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A man went to a fancy dress party wearing trousers, a roll-neck sweater, and a balaclava, all light brown. He was carrying a woman,wearing a brown and fawn dress,piggy back style.  His host asked him what he had come as. He answered: "A tortoise.''  The host asked ''What about the woman?"  The man replied ''She's Michelle.''

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When I was young I used to pray for a bike, then I realized that God doesn't work that way, so I stole a bike and prayed for forgiveness.

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What's a baby's motto?
If at first you don't succeed - cry, cry again!

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