Saturday in Arivaca

Since the Grassland Fair soon after we arrived, we've been looking forward to the Arivaca Home Tour. Ellen has been to several in Cohasset to benefit various charities including the Historical Society and Social Services League. These tours usually involve fancy houses (a show-off opportunity for the owners) and the "ladies who lunch" group. Of course, the Arivaca Home Tour was quite different.

We started the day with the weekly Tucson Audubon bird walk at the Arivaca Cieneca. This week it was led by our friend and fellow volunteer at BANWR, Rob. It started at 8:00, so it was an early start from the outpost, about 15 miles away. It was only the second time that we've made this walk and it was quite crowded, 15 or so, a large number for a good bird walk. By far the highlight of the day was the sighting of a Long-eared Owl, a life bird for many on the walk including us. It was perched about six feet off the ground in a dense tangle of brush and Mesquite trees. A member of Tucson Audubon was able to get the owl in his scope, affording us all reasonable looks. When we return to the Cieneca next Thursday for our hydrology readings, we'll be sure to bring our scope and camera and try for a better look now that we know where the roost is located.

After the walk, we planned to do the house tour. The sponsors were running a shuttle bus from the Cieneca parking to "downtown" Arivaca, less than a half mile away. We decided it might be easier to leave Speedy and take the bus. We asked the bus driver where we could get tickets; he didn't know. When he dropped us at the old schoolhouse (where the Christmas Bird Count held its dinner), we asked there about tickets. They didn't know. Finally someone with a ticket told us we could get them at the art gallery, which we did.

The tour was to benefit Arivaca Human Resources, a social service group, and a visit on the tour. This was where the strange part began ... the majority of stops downtown were local businesses such as the Arivaca Mercantile (a small grocery store where we usually stop for milk) and the Cantina, a bar which attracts motorcycles and beat-up pick-up trucks. There were two downtown houses on the tour, one only had one room open and the other which is under construction only had old photos displayed outside (no entrance allowed). We duly visited all the other stops, bought cookies at a bake sale and used paperbacks at the library book sale. Since we were most of the way back to the Cienega, we walked back to Speedy and were chastised by the shuttle bus drivers as we had been its only takers.

There were five more stops outside of town and we decided we'd do four of them (the fifth being about 25 miles away, another well known bar). First, however, Gadsden Coffee was open and we stopped for lunch. Perhaps not the best choice, the food was so-so but the coffee was good and the motorcycles where thick, it being Saturday and fine weather for a ride.

Our first stop after lunch was at the Rooster House, a rooster rescue group. We peeked into a small modular guest house and visited with the roosters (no entry to the rooster house itself). One volunteer tour leader gave us a somber lecture on the connection between rooster violence and every other kind of violence. We agreed with her and moved on as quickly as we could. Next stop, La Siesta Campgrounds, where the owner collects vintage RVs, renting them out by the night. We were directed to park deep in the campground, causing some anxiety that Speedy might be mistaken for a vintage RV. We looked at a bunch and moved on. Our next stop was the only house on the tour that was similar to other house tours ... large, fancy, great views. It was a bit of a shock after all the other stops and also because we pass it whenever we go to the Quail Facility, down a dusty, beat up dirt road. We made one final and strange stop and decided to call it a day and head back to the outpost and dinner.

Photos