Sam And Saundra's Year Long Adventure - Part 24

Sam And Saundra’s Year Long Adventure – Part 24

12/13/08-01/16/09  Tucson  - Other Activities

Sam was invited to play poker with the ‘boys’.  He was excited even though you are allowed to lose a total of $5.00.  Sam was the big winner the first time he played, but lost his shirt (T-shirt) the second.  He announced that he had a very good time and enjoyed the company at these games. Privately, he wanted to win both times. 

Cactus Country RV has breakfasts on Saturday’s for very, very reasonable price.  Sam and I went for the Biscuits and Gravy breakfast one morning, and pancakes on another (Thanks Rich and Richard).  These came with all the fixin’s.  We also went to Pizza night, where a man comes in with his portable pizza ovens and makes pizza for all who pay $6.00.  Over a hundred people showed and he made excellent pizza.  We ate all we could and still we loved the smell of pizza.

Coot

We signed up to go with the CCRV group to have lunch at the Tanque Verde Ranch.  This Dude Ranch is located on the other side of the Saguaro National Park, turn right at Speedway, instead of left to our favorite golf course.  When you drive up to the ranch, the first thing you notice is the horses.  Corrals full of horses, people on horses, the smell of horses.  The main restaurant is massive, wood, wood carvings, cactus wood in the ceiling, big, big beautiful.  Lunch was buffet and the salad bar and dessert bar (no, I do not mean desert this time) are famous in the area. I thought the main dishes were awesome too.  We all ate too much, had good conversation and took a look at the facility.  The swimming pools with waterfalls cascading into them were very cool.  The ranch has it’s own very nice museum, as well as it’s own fishing lake.  Wayne said he thought the  price for a one day’s stay for 4 people was $600, but that included everything – food, horseback riding, horse shoeing lessons, whatever.  Sam may have to get a job.

Road Rock Hunting

I need to mention that Sam and I went on a horse drawn wagon ride through Winterhaven, a neighborhood that goes all out putting up Christmas lights and winter themed arrays.  It was very nice – totally different from carriage rides or hay rides.  The draft horses that pulled the wagon were named Ruth and Pam.  They were massive, well cared for and loved and did an excellent job pulling 12 to 16 people around in a wagon without trampling even one of the throngs of walkers going through the area.

San Xavier Mission is right here in Tucson, well on the other side of Tucson.  And guess what street it is on?  Yep, Mission Street!  This mission has been in the process of restoration and apparently will stay that way for some time, having something to do with taxes being waived while in restoration stage.  Anyway, it looked very old, very authentic and as we arrived very shortly before a Mass was scheduled, we did not look too deep into artwork.  The outside of this mission had more statuary then the church in Bisbee.  Worth checking out if you have extra time.