Old West towns in Cochise County

Gunslingers.  Apaches. Cowboys.  The Calvary and the Indian Wars. All of these are memories of the Old West.
Tombstone is the one of the most memorable towns of the Old West. It’s a legendary Arizona town because of the Hollywood films like Tombstone, starring Kurt Russell (plus Val Kilmer and Sam Elliott), and Wyatt Earp, starring [...]

Bird watchers: 17th Wings Over Willcox festival, January 2010

Wings Over Willcox will be held once again in January (it’s on Martin Luther King weekend each year). This is a great opportunity to connect with other birding fans and to see some birds you can add to your life lists.
The Sandhill Cranes have been in Cochise County for more than a month, and they [...]

Cochise County book store owner receives Humanities award

Winifred Bundy is a woman who thinks outside the box. She embodies the can-do spirit of ranchers who make their own success.
The Arizona Humanities Council recognized Bundy with the 2009 Juliana Yoder Friend of the Humanities Award.
She opened the Singing Wind Bookshop in her home 35 years ago. Most people didn’t think she could make [...]

Cochise County birding news: first brown back solitaire documented

A birding story on NPR caught my “ear” the other day. Scott Simon talked with a camp counselor who, along with his campers, had a wonderful bird sighting. It was a brown-backed solitaire and they used an iPod to document it. Listen to the story and see what you think!
Happy weekend!

Southwest Wings waives registration fee for select programs

This year the 18th Annual Southwest Wings Birding & Nature Festival’s free programs will be open to the public. The festival will be held in Sierra Vista Aug. 5-9.
Any resident or visitor can attend without paying the $15 festival registration fee. Among the 24 free programs are Cochise County’s National Wildlife Refuges with Bill Radke; [...]

Summer and the beauty of fresh veggies

I just came back from vacation visiting my family in southern Indiana. My parents live in the same house I grew up in, and I have fond memories of the summer days when Mom and I would go back to the garden for corn. I held the pan while she plucked the ears from their [...]

June events

Arizona heats up in June, but southeastern Arizona has some very cool spots! Check out these events and see why it’s cool to go south in the summer.
June 12-14, GLBT Pride Weekend, Bisbee
Spend the weekend in Bisbee, and celebrate your pride. Three fun days including a street fair, leather and lace ball, pool party, music, [...]

National Parks will offer 3 free summer weekends

Your vacation doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Want to see some really cool spots for FREE? The National Park Service announced that it will offer three free weekends this summer on June 20-21, July 18-19 and August 15-16.
Three national parks are in Cochise County. Only one charges an entrance fee.  The other [...]

Kartchner Caverns discounts start today

Today’s the day! In June, one of Cochise County’s great attractions reduces its tour prices for the summer. See my earlier post for discount details. The park is offering this price through Sept. 4, 2009.
This is a very popular tour, so you’ll probably want to make reservations. Kartchner Caverns State Park is only 9 miles [...]

Arizona vacation ideas at Arizona Highways travel show

Are you one of those people who have lived in Arizona but haven’t explored our great state? Now you can go to one single location and find out about the whole state!
Head down to the Phoenix Convention Center for the Arizona Highways Travel Show.
It’s 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday, May 20 [...]