Biosphere 2
Cults, pseudoscience, and an oil fortune meet in the Arizona desert of Oracle, outside Tucson, with Biosphere 2—a money pit turned research facility.
Category Arizona
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Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Leaving the Superstition Mountains, we made a not-so-bee-line for Tucson, Arizona. In an effort to avoid tiresome highways, we happened across Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. This collection of ancient structures is remarkable for the size of the titular, free standing "Great House."
Superstition Mountains Adventure
The morning broke with fire in the sky. This is certainly one of the upsides of nomadic life. If I spend too much time indoors, I gradually approach a nocturnal sleeping schedule. On the road, we often rise in anticipation of the sun.
Buckskin Mountain State Park
Now for some more camping but of the free variety. We are headed back to Arizona and the Kofa Wilderness Refuge for some dry camping and some hot cooking. I'm picking up steaks to cook in the wild.
Kofa National Wildlife Refuge
We were looking for a place to sleep. There is no shortage of options along the California/Arizona border. Snowbirds flock to expansive RV parks for the warm weather. But we weren't interested in parking in a lot, staring into the windows of neighbors right next to us. No, we wanted something rugged and beautiful. We wanted the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.
Painted Rock Petroglyph Site
Some stops we plan. Others we do not. We were speeding along highway 8 to the California border so it was not as if we were anticipating any stops. Then I saw the sign for the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site and we had to stop.
Tombstone, Arizona
We hadn't planned a stop in Tombstone but it just so happened that we were driving right through. It is almost as if the town itself were saying "I'm Your Huckleberry." At the very least, it offered tasty steak and locals dressed in period garb. As much of a tourist trap as it was, it was that fun kind of tourist trap and we handled it the way we handle all such draws: by remaining out of the gift shops.
Bisbee
I hear that Sunset magazine is going to try to say it, so let me say it first: Bisbee is the best little town to live in. It has a ton of history, quirky community, artists, a micro brewery, and amazing scenery. Originally a mining mecca of rich copper deposits, Bisbee only barely survived the closing of the mines. Yet, as real estate prices slumped, the artists took notice. Cheap land and scenic views drew artists looking for a place to work and revived the area into its artsy, touristy present. While we only stayed two days, a return is definitely in order.
Tucson, Arizona
After a night outside of Phoenix with friends and some excellent Mexican food, we moved on to Tuscon, where the gem show continued but we had already had out fill of gem shows in Quartzsite. Instead, we rediscovered the wonder of the local library and its open internet connection, taking a few days in Tucson to see more friends and get work done. We may need to start reviewing libraries. Some of these are truly superb, with gorgeous views along with useful tools. Libraries are now, officially, added to our list of digital nomad's core tools, along with truck stops, Walmarts, and Denny's.
Quartzsite, Arizona
Quartzsite is the snowbird's nest. Every year, the tiny Arizona town swells as RVs and campers flood the trailer parks and BLM land and a two month long gem show commences. While the main street does offer some restaurants and a few hotels, the action is in these popup towns where venders sell quartz, antiques, pizza, and beer. If we hadn't already made plans in Phoenix, we would have spent a few days enjoying the warm weather and Beer Belly's Adult Day Care.