Standin' on the Corner in....Benson, Arizona

Benson is a small town in Cochise County, Arizona, with a population of about 5200 hardy souls. During the great pioneering migration west, it was the site of the San Pedro station of the Butterfield Overland Mail and a wagon depot. The Southern Emigrant Trail passed through this area, so it was a natural choice for the San Pedro River crossing of the Southern Pacific Railroad. This led to commercial traffic between the mines of Fairbank, Tombstone, and Contention City. Voila...a town named after Judge William Benson, a friend of Charles Crocker, the president of the railroad.

As it is only forty-five miles southeast of Tucson, the city of Benson has not grown much over the years, but has maintained stable largely due to the large influx of snowbirds in the winter. A small selection of restaurants, one good grocery store, and a small Walmart pretty much take care of the attractions. Just outside of town, the 40,000 acre Jay Six cattle ranch has been operating for a hundred years. The Kennedy brothers Joe and Jack were went to work on the ranch in 1936 so that Jack could recover from a recent illness in the dry desert heat. It is reported that they were "worked very hard".

We're staying at CTRV Resort just west of Benson. This very nice park was known as Cochise Terrace RV for many years, but has recently begun to sell rv sites and has changed the name to reflect incorporation protocols. It's a nice park, and our site is number 250.

This picture was taken the day after our arrival, when the sky was clear, the temperature warm and the wind blowing about 30 miles per hour! Wind is a constant here, and the downside to this park is it's location on a hill, so wind is very much park of life here! One major upside here is the availability of high-speed internet. For about $25 a month, it's a real bargain since the free wifi and cell reception is marginal at best.

In the week we've been in Benson, the weather has been the most common subject of conversation. It has been windy and cold. It has been windy and hot. Today it is windy and raining. Some of our anticipated day trips to Tombstone, Bisbee, and Douglas have been put on hold because of the weather, but we continue to enjoy the beautiful mountains of Southern Arizona.

As I write this on Sunday, the 8th, we are expecting about 3/4" of rain. It's pretty well socked in by a storm coming off the Gulf of California. But, GOOD NEWS!....No wind! There's hope for some good weather!

Tucson Two Step

Since our last post, we've spent most of our time eating...or so it seems! What with lunches at the Silver Saddle Steakhouse with Ted and Phyllis, or at the Yard House with Bill and Diane, or El Charro for mexican food with Dave and Sue, or....well, you get the idea.

A variety of weather conditions has prompted us to call the most well regarded rv mobile technician in Tucson, who goes only by "Cameron". Anyone who has been in the southern Arizona rv scene knows Cameron and his wife Rachael. They work together, with Cameron regaling the customer with stories and ..... opinions.... while Rachael does the work! Well it works for them....for some 19 years, anyway. We had developed some water leaks in the roof near an air conditioning unit, so Cameron and Rachael came to the site to reseal the roof and check the mounting of the ac unit. They are reasonable, do good work, and are on time....what more could you want?

Last Saturday evening, we were fortunate to attend a performance at the Gaslight Theater. The melodrama was titled "Showdown in Tucson", and was, as we have found out in the past, a hilarious spoof of old-time westerns! Beginning in 1977, the Gaslight has produced hundreds of performances, along with one-off musical performances by national and local musicians. Generally, the Sons of the Pioneers perform for a day or two each season, reprising the Roy Rogers and Tom Mix era of western music. Can you say "Tumblin' Tumbleweed"?

The performance was sold out, as usual, and a good time was had by all. It's not a dinner theater, but drinks and snacks are available. Try it if you're ever in Tucson! Best $26 show in town!

Many of the performers have been with the Gaslight for years, some going back to the second production in 1978! The heart and soul of the show, however, is Linda Ackermann, the music director and lead pianist. She is a native Tucsonian and has been with the Gaslight since 1996. With a Masters degree in music from the University of Arizona, she combines duties at the Gaslight with Unity of Tucson, a church in Catalina Foothills, and can this woman play the piano! She knows exactly how to coax drama, humor, and pure silliness from her rinky dink piano! And then, during intermission, she plays several tunes and sings Cielito Lindo. A transition into one of the fastest played tunes we've ever heard left us amazed!

She is supported by her son Adam on drums and Derek Norman on bass. What a great crew!

On Sunday we went to Freedom RV here in Tucson for the 19th annual BBQ cookout. Along with looking at some very nice rvs, we had an absolutely wonderful, free, TriTip lunch! Good stuff, and we found our next motorhome....to be delivered in 2045....

For some strange reason, we got a hankering for a Sonoran Dog this morning, and set out to find one. For those of you who don't know, a Sonoran Dog is a hot dog, sometimes wrapped in bacon, sometimes with a bacon wrapped grilled chili pepper on the side, smothered in beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and drizzled with mayo. The bun is special, being a very sweet bun that contrasts well with the dog condiments. Listen to me talking about a hot dog.....yeah...."overtones of chocolate, leaving a hint of fruit on the palate....". Well, it was a great dog, except....

The Sonoran Dog is a Tucson trademark, but do you think we could find one today? Nope. Twenty five miles north to a closed food truck, then ten miles east to a street cart that was closed. Then fifteen miles south to a restaurant at a nonexistent highway intersection, then north again to...finally...
El Sinaloense Hog Dog Cart.

The atmosphere of the "restaurant" wasn't anything to write home about, but the young man cooking on the gas grill was very friendly!

Actually, as you can see, Donna tried everything she could think of to get him to smile...but he wouldn't turn around!

In any case, the dogs were great, and we had to indulge in a couple apiece!

Feel free to rotate your computer....since I didn't do the edit like I should have.

We're in Tucson for another week (yes, with three lunch dates already on the calendar), then we'll leave on Sunday for Benson, AZ, a little farther south and a little smaller town.

We'll be back!

Tucson, Arizona, February 2020

We've been at Mission View RV Park just a bit south of Tucson for two weeks.  While most of our time has been spent taking life easy, we have also been doing a lot of the thing that RV'ers so best: eating good food with good friends! Their are no end of good restaurants in Tucson, in fact, it's known as the city with 100 miles of Mexican restaurants. We've been to El Charro, Little Mexico, and  The Yard House, which is a combo Mexican and American restaurant. Good stuff all around! And we still have two weeks to go...

The weather has been crummy the last few weeks, with the high temp for a few days in the low 40's and the nighttime low in the low 20's. Wow! This is Arizona? During those cold days, we stayed close to home and did some of those chores we've postponing....a thorough cleaning and some minor repairs. The weather is beginning to warm this second week of the month, so we have hopes to get out and enjoy this area.

One of the first excursions we made was south to the little town of Tubac. This is an artsy, fartsy little burg that hosts the Tubac Art Festival every year in February.

Every year for three days, thousands of visitors arrive in Tubac, which usually has a population of a few hundred!

Right off the bat, we spotted some interesting yard art. I see a project in the future...

We've visited the Tubac Festival for several years, but have not noticed some of the art that is placed around the town. Maybe these are new....

We came away from Tubac with only one souvenir!

And a great Arizona picture!

After a week with Minnesota friends Dave and Sue, Michigan friends Bill and Diane, and Tucson friends Ted and Phyllis, we drove to Oro Valley for an annual charity car show at the Oro Valley Marketplace. It was a perfect way to raise money as far as this old gearhead is concerned!

When we arrived, we knew it was going to be fun!

This five seven was the first car we encountered. It is not only a number match restore, it has the most awesome paint job I've ever seen! The owner told us that 27 coats of lacquer paint with hand sanding in between each coat were applied. He wouldn't tell us how much that cost!

An early '60's Corvette with a poster of the original invoice gave us a bit of perspective! Check out the prices! And the whole car sold for less than $6000!

Big engines were the thing today, along with an unusual emblem.

Throw in a genuine Shelby Cobra and a motorcycle, and you have a great sight!

I'm particularly fond of the famous triple Chevys and a clean five six demanded a photo.

1940 Fords were well represented, and we drooled over several, including this one that has an unusual (at least to me) side window treatment: a vent window and a power window without a frame between!

Right next door, another '40 vied for attention:

Along with the five window Chevy pickups and the fully electric drive side by sides (yeah, that's right), we found more '40s....

This pickup was immaculately prepared! From the paint to the engine, it was pristine! And yes, another '40 Ford...

We tried to get away from the Fords by concentrating on this 1968 Pontiac GTO with 463,800 miles on the odometer!

And a couple of genuine California HiBoys!

A 1933 Ford 5 Window Coupe was one of the more unusual exhibits. The suicide doors are cool!

However, we soon found a "real" 1940 Ford pickup! Right off the Iowa farm, dents and all!

As we headed toward the exit, we found ourselves gazing with fond memories at a nice, clean 1955 Chevy Bel Air with a personalized engine!

The last exhibit was this awesome car. Can you believe the detail?

The wood strips in the bed are highly polished and lacquered and imported from Brazil. What a truck!

Ok....I know you want one more Chevy picture....

Under the hood of a '57 Chevy Bel Air:

Enough with the show cars, already! I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!