Tucson Old Town Movie Studios

Wednesday 30th


After lunch at the Pima air museum we made our way to the Old Tucson Film Studios. The ride to it was super and the studios were certainly worth the visit. it was amazing to see where the likes of Dean Martin, John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor, Clint Eastwood and many more famous film stars have made their films.
Nigel was made up to visit the set of the High Chaperral and to play sheriff in the prison house!
We met Graeme and Sandra there who had enjoyed a ride on the train around the studios and were checking out the courthouse.
There were a number of really well put on shows around the sets with some hair raising stunts and excellent comedy. Nigel and Graeme seemed to enjoy the CanCan girls a little too much though if you ask me!
In the Saloon Nigel ordered a frozen Margarita but when we discovered it was 80% proof I confiscated it and drank it myself! Needless to say I was a little tiddly by the end of it lol.
Graeme and Sandra had decided to make their way back to the hotel for a dip in the pool and Nigel and I waited for the last show of the day. The escape of Billy the Kid from Lincoln Jail. This included a super shoot out outside the courthouse.
It is the sort of place that you could easily spend all day and not get bored. If you are a Western buff then it would be even better as you would recognise a lot of the scenery.
I had a stroke of one of the horses just to satisfy my need and then we headed back to the hotel and tea at Golden Corral with Graeme and Sandra.
Super day!

Pima Air And Space Museum (Inc Boneyard)

Wednesday 30th

Leaving Graeme and Sandra to have a lie in we went to the Pima air and space museum. It included an hour and a half tour on a coach around the boneyard. it was lead by an ex airman who was full of stories of all the various planes and helicopters. Even if you don't like planes it was really interesting to hear all about them and why they are there. There are 4300 planes parked out on the desert floor.
The rest of the museum was fabulous to walk around, although you could go on a trolley bus tour if you wanted a more leisurely look around.
The Blackbird was our favourite! Then it was lunch in the cafe and I had a blue slush which seriously stained my mouth, much to the amusement of Nigel and the chap beside us.

Las Cruces To Tucson Via Tombstone

Tuesday 29th

Nigel and I left Graeme and Sandra to have a more leisurely morning while we headed off to Tombstone. On the way Nigel decided he just had to go and look for some critters, IE a rattlesnake! Fortunately all he found was a lizard!

While G & S had a nice quiet, gentle ride to Tombstone we took a more 'sceneic' route! it started off very nice heading to a pretty little town called Pearce and then it changed to a 'primitive' road for 25 miles! When they say primitive they really mean primitive!

Unfortunately for us it was one of those roads that sucks you into a false sense of security in that 'yes it was rather rough, but it was rideable with caution'. Then it got narrower and then more bendy....and then steeper...and then more gravelly....and then much steeper and with drops off the mountainside! At points I had to get off while Nigel negotiated the bends on his own, one of which he fell off on nearly going over the edge. Not my idea of fun at all! We actually met another car coming down the opposite way to us going up and they just smiled and drove on....no mention that it was really not a road for a motorbike....especially a 3/4 ton touring bike!

Having reached the point of no return we just had to continue on. Eventually it started to go down and Nigel did really well to control it on the gravelly downhill bends. As we levelled out we passed a New Mexican border guard who we stopped to speak to. He was out looking for an illegal and said there were reported to be nine bandits in the mountain! Thank goodness we only found out afterwards otherwise it would really have added to the scariness! Apparently though they would not bother us and if they spotted us would only have asked for food or water. As we had neither we may have asked them for some instead!

I think we can honestly say that our Electroglide will have been the ONLY Electroglide to ever have ventured or be likely to venture over that mountain.

Relieved to be in Tombstone we were overjoyed to find that it was a really pretty place with a lot of character.

We had an ice cream which I think you can see from the photos was huge. I couldn't actually manage it all which really is a first for me! I dread getting on the scales when I get home...I will need to go to a weigh bridge!

The ride to Tucson was super and I got some lovely video of te sunset over the Catalonian mountains. 

Roswell To Las Cruces (White Sands)

Monday 28th

On leaving \Rosswell Nigel was very uneasy and said he had the distinct impression that we were being watched. I told him to stop being so paranoid and check the mirror to make sure Graeme and Sandra were with us. He let out a girly scream and took this photo, it appears we had picked up a hitchhiker from out of this world!

We had a lovely drive to Whitesands national park. What an absolutely beautiful place. Nigel and I had a quick walk through the dunes and the view just over the top was breathtaking. Just pure white sands for as far as the eye can see. The temperature was well over 90 probably nearer 100 degrees. perfect!

It was a lovely ride through the park then after ice cream we headed off to Las Cruces for the evening.