Suggestions for a Brit please for Arizona

[CharlieB]

Greetings one and all, my wife & I may have the opportunity to visit Phoenix in September and am thinking of driving down to Tucson & Tombstone. I've seen the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson which looks a good place for us to visit, and of course there seems to be plenty of Cowboy related items in & around the Tombstone area we could go to, (sure they're touristy but hey, we'll be tourists!).

We'd look to drive from Phoenix, down to Tucson, then on to Tombstone and back in a loop hopefully to Phoenix. Just wondered if anyone could help us out with:-

a) Other Towns/places of interest en route

b) Things to see n' do along the way

As ever, always grateful for your help & local knowledge.

Charlie

[Southwest Dave]

Hi CharlieB, nice to see you back and planning another trip !

A good chance that Buck will jump in with some local knowledge of the area, but it's going to help if we know how long you have for the loop or is it just a [long] day trip ?

[CharlieB]

D'oh!

Should've mentioned we'd be looking at about 8 to 10 days trip. (Plenty of time for the mileage, hence my wondering what/where else we could do or go).

[AZBuck]

With that much time you can see quite a lot of southeastern Arizona, Let me just list a number of sites that you should be considering. On the Way down to Tucson: Casa Grande National Monument and Picacho Peak State Park. In Tucson: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Saguaro National Park, Pima Air and Space Museum, San Xavier Mission, Mount Lemon. On the way to Tombstone: Kartchner Cavern State Park, San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. In Tombstone: Boot Hill, the Courthouse and the Birdcage (All are real despite the fact that all the tombstones in Boot Hill have been 'restored' - the rest of Tombstone's attractions are reconstructions and/or re-enactments). Now going farther afield than you intended, but if you still have a few days after all that... West of Tombstone: Chiricahua National Monument and Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Heading north: the Coronado Trail (US-191). And back to Phoenix through the Salt River Canyon.

AZBuck

[Southwest Dave]

In case Buck hasn't offered enough suggestions [yeah right !!] you could head East a little longer through Las Cruces where just beyond is White sands National Monument and Carlsbad caverns. For an "out of this world experience" you could try the UFO museum in Roswell and head up to Albuquerque and possibly Santa Fe. Along I40 is Acoma pueblo [Sky City] and the Petrified forest and if you fancied a night in a Wig-Wam you could stop the night in Holbrook.

[CharlieB]

Chaps,

As ever, many thanks for the suggestions. Plenty to be going on with. I've also found the 'Old Tucson Studios' which looks like it could be a bit of a laugh. One other thought, are there any Drag strips or Raceways around?

[CharlieB]

Whatto me old American cousins, just a quickie I'm posing here before I nip orf to the jolly old pub for a small libation, (getting in practice for the forthcoming Royal nuptials dontchaknow:-

I've been reading about the Apache Trail in Arizona & rather fancy a trip around it, but I see it's only partly paved. Is it 'doable' on a motorbike at all? (I'm thinking Harley not an off roader). I've seen that RV's can do it so I would have thought it is but as ever a little local knowledge would be spiffing.

Toodle pip.

CharlieB

[AZBuck]

There is a section of about 20 miles south from Roosevelt Lake towards, but not all the way to, Tortilla Flats that is not paved. It is graded dirt. But it is a state highway, AZ-88, and eminently drivable.

AZBuck

[CharlieB]

Cheers me dears

[CharlieB]

Greetings one and all. I'm trying to sort a trip to Tucson in 2012 to include a few days (5?) bike rental and am looking for accomodation. I certainly like the look of some of the places on the VRBO website, but don't understand the different districts. I fancy somewhere perhaps on the outskirts, but close enough to ameneties and the like. Anyone out there know of anything/anywhere or just give a few simple pointers?