On The Road To Arivaca

 Our camp site is very near the Tucson Trap & Skeet Club.  We can hear them shooting but it is far enough away so it doesn't bother us at all.  

It is quite a setup with trap & skeet shooting, campground, clubhouse, etc.  I'm a terrible trap shooter and I don't have the proper shotgun for shooting trap or skeet.  The campground has full hookups and very level sites.  You have to be a member to camp there, but it is very reasonable to join the club.  Check the link below for all the information about the club.


Tucson Trap and Skeet Club

 The area around Tucson produces a lot of cotton and we ran across this strip that was leftover from when the field was picked. 

 Gerry and I decided it was time we explored more on the West side of Tucson and set out for Sasabe on the Mexican border.  We took highway 86 from Three Points.  Now we have been on some deserted highways before but this stretch of road took the cake.  We saw numerous border patrol vehicles and only a few other cars and trucks.  It is mostly scrub trees, cacti and arid land out there.  

We got within 12 miles of Sasabe and decided we had seen enough of the area and shortened the trip by detouring through Arivaca, AZ.  It turned out to be a good move since this stretch of road was much more interesting.

Kitt Peak mountain in the dusty haze

Arivaca had a small population until the Trico Electric Cooperative power lines arrived in the valley in 1956. In 1972 the Arivaca Ranch sold 11,000 acres to a land developer who subdivided the property into 40-acre parcels. Four years later, the dirt Arivaca Road was paved.

In the 1980s and 1990s many new residents moved into the area, and a medical clinic, fire department, arts council, human resource office, community center and branch of Pima County Public Library were opened.

In 2012 the Arivaca Schoolhouse, the oldest standing schoolhouse in the state, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. A former nursing home was turned into the Arivaca Action Center with a focus on education, the arts, wellness, hospitality and sustainability. The AAC offers space for meetings, overnight guests, gardening, and physical therapy

Old Gas Station now in use for other purpose

I found a geocache in the brush behind this sign

Local Artisans building next to town's grocery store

Are you ready for a BBQ?

It was Ash Wednesday and Gerry wanted to stop by the local church.  She arrived too late for mass but was told that the group had left and were at the local library.  We stopped there and Gerry got to talking to a couple nice ladies.  They were very informative and positive about the town.

They said there was a campground in the area and we stopped by to check it out.  It would be good for a couple days but there wouldn't be that much to do in the area unless you were into hiking.

There was a pull off along the way back and Gerry noticed a couple deer below us.  Then there were 5 of them, 10 of them and finally about 20 deer running all over the place.  This one was keeping an eye on us and hung around until the others had left. 

We continued on with our drive and stopped in Green Valley for dinner at Manuel's.  There were about 20 people ahead of us but they all were looking for larger tables.  We lucked out and snagged a table for two very fast.  As usual, we enjoyed our meal there and also the cold drinks.  

It wound up with us taking 5+ hours, driving 150 miles and we had a great time.  I even managed to find a couple geocaches along the way, to my enjoyment.

That was our day, how was yours?