Just a short one hour drive from Phoenix, Arizona lies the quintessential cowboy town of Wickenburg, Arizona.
After the 1848 Mexican American war, a great deal of the southwest became a part of the United States, and the lure of “gold in them thar hills” became a magnet for adventurers to the area. One such gold seeker was Henry Wickenburg who struck gold with his Vulture mine, and together with other miners formed the town of Wickenburg, Arizona in 1863.
Today, Wickenburg, with is close proximity to Phoenix, has become a very popular tourist destination. We made our most recent trip to Wickenburg during their 61st Annual Gold Rush Days, which featured gold panning, a mucking and drilling contest, a classic car show, and the National Senior Pro Rodeo Tour.
We decided, having never been to a rodeo, that a rodeo might be a lot of fun. When we arrived, we were amazed to see these 40, 50, and even 60 year old men willingly riding bucking broncos, and most amazingly, torturing themselves on the back of a raging bull!
Wickenburg, Arizona is a worthwhile day trip from the Phoenix area, and I am certain that Carol and I will be back to do even more exploring. One of the things that perked my ears, during our most recent trip , is that Wickenburg is also the Dude Ranch Capitol of the World! Not that sounds like another fine reason to plan another visit to Wickenburg, Arizona.
Tubac, Arizona makes for a wonderful day trip from Phoenix, Arizona.
Tubac is 45 minutes south of Tucson, sits on a beautiful valley floor that peers onto 10,000 ft peaks, and also boasts a healthy, and growing artist colony.
We left for Tubac at 7:00, on a Saturday morning, and arrived at our destination at 10:00. The drive is a fairly flat drive, with quite a number of majestic mountain to gaze upon. We made the trip in February, and were rewarded with beautiful snow covered peaks in Tucson, and again as we approached Tubac.
We made our journey during Tubac’s 51st Annual Festival of the Arts, but you will be rewarded with a great many artist boutiques regardless of what time of the year you venture Tubac’s way.
If you are a lover of art, and desire to find a collection of artists in one location, Tubac just might be your ticket. We greatly enjoyed our visit, and we are sure you will too.
Tubac is a popular Arizona destination because of its quaint, beautiful setting with 10,000 foot mountain views in the background, and its reputation for having a large collection of unique artist boutiques. But that is for another story.
The Tumacacori Mission was founded by the Jesuits in 1691, and over the course of the next 100 years became the regions most powerful social and economic force. In 1848 the mission was abandoned as a result of political problems between Spain, Mexico, and the United States.
Tumacacori is a short 10-minute drive from Tubac, and is a worthy diversion from shopping in the art boutiques.
Here are a few of my photographs from Tumacacori National Historical Park:
This Thursday, The Roaming Boomers will be visiting the Phoenix Symphony for a performance of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf set to the 2008 Oscar winning annimated short film. This will be great fun, and we look forward to sharing it with you.
We have had a lot of rain this winter. That means glorious beauty in the Sonoran Desert. Here is a photograph of mine, from a few years ago, after another wet winter. We will be bringing you photographs that will likely motivate you to come visit Scottsdale right now!