Featured Rideout 24 Hours In Old Bisbee: A Short But Sweet Motorcycle Getaway

This past weekend Mr. Sandi and I packed up the motorcycles for an overnighter ride to one of our favorite little towns, Bisbee. Though the ride is short, it's a beautiful route that takes us through Sonoita and the Wine Country of southern Arizona as well as the town of Tombstone. Bisbee was our destination back when I did my first overnight motorcycle trip when I began riding my own bike. Shortly after we did that trip, another rider commented with some disdain to Mr. Sandi that "Bisbee isn't an overnight ride". Mr. Sandi responded back, "It is if you stay overnight!" We had perfect weather both days--sunny, dry, calm winds, and temperatures in the 60ºs and 70ºs F. And we were literally there for 24 hours--we arrived at high noon on Saturday and were heading back up Tombstone Canyon Road on our way home at noon on Sunday.

Bisbee is a former mining town that sits at an altitude of 5538' with a population of 5,209 as of 2018. It's located a mere 12 miles from the Mexican border. It has reinvented itself to be a home to many artists and has become somewhat of a tourist destination. For us it's a perfect day trip destination--or an overnighter if we want to spend a bit more time. In non-COVID times Bisbee is a hopping spot and has a lot of music and a number of weekend festivals such as the Bisbee Blues Festival. They host the annual Coaster Races for kids which we saw a couple of years ago.

This is an aerial photo (no I don't have a drone--yet--internet photo grab) that gives you an idea of the view from inside our helmets as we descend down the Bisbee side of Mule Mountain after emerging from the Mule Pass Tunnel. It's a huge view and a spectacular sight. Old Bisbee is perched on a hillside with the old and inactive Queen Mine viewpoint sitting a couple of miles further down the road.




Bisbee always delights with quirky, interesting sights and art, especially when you take your time and walk around with a camera (or iPhone in my case) in hand. This trip was no exception. One of the first sights we encountered came as we rode into town was this Thanksgiving humor shared by one of the town residents at the top of Tombstone Canyon Road. We walked back up the hill a couple of miles on Sunday morning so I could take a picture of these corralled turkeys.


Our first stop prior to checking in to our hotel was for lunch at the High Desert Market where we've dined before. They have a terrific breakfast and lunch menu and lots of outdoor dining. There's also a market where you can purchase some provisions including wine and beer. The High Desert is quite popular and provides a good view across the street of Bisbee's City Hall and its surroundings. There were tons of motorcyclists in Bisbee on this day--not surprising considering the perfect riding weather.




We stayed at a lovely little place where we'd stayed once before called the Copper City Inn. The inn has only three rooms and is owned by Fred Miller, the head bartender and beverage manager at our favorite Bisbee restaurant, Cafe Roka. Cafe Roka doesn't have outdoor dining so on this trip was closed for dining on the premises but was doing take-out on the weekends. That the word "copper" is part of the hotel name isn't unusual--there are many nods to copper in Bisbee due to its history of copper mining. Here our bikes are parked directly under our room which was named the "Louie de Bisbee".


Our room was small but very tastefully appointed with a great deck overlooking Tombstone Canyon Road which is the primary road through Bisbee and winds it's way for several miles up the canyon. One of the tasteful "appointment" was a delicious bottle of red wine which we enjoyed on the deck at sunset.






More to follow.....

 

Bisbee is known for terrific weather and this weekend didn't disappoint. During the summer the temperatures there are always at least 10-15ºF cooler than those in Tucson because of the altitude at which the town sits. Another reason that it's a good getaway. A few years back Mr. Sandi and I were planning a Bisbee overnighter on the motorcycles for New Year's Eve but the weather forecast was for snow. We nearly rode but in the final analysis elected to drive. Good choice. It snowed about a foot overnight and we could barely drive out of Bisbee and has to wait until the snow on the roads melted to get up the mountain!


Bisbee is also known for its annual race called The Bisbee 1000 which incorporates many of the amazing staircases through the town. Here are some photos of just a few of them. The staircase in the first photo with the cat was directly across from our hotel.








While strolling through Bisbee on Saturday afternoon, we peeked in the window of the Bisbee Bicycle Brothel which had moved from its former location in Brewery Gulch to a smaller space on Tombstone Canyon Road. The "Brothel" is more like a museum than a store and, though everything is supposedly for sale, when push comes to shove, Ken usually says, "Sorry but I'm not selling that". Currently place was open by appointment only due to COVID but Ken Wallace, the proprietor, saw me through the window and came out to chat with us. He's a very interesting guy who has lived in Bisbee for the past 17 years and he shared some fun stories about a few locals one of whom was Connor in "The Terminator" The store is up for sale and Ken and his wife are planning to retire in Italy.

 

Thread glitch--the paragraph below should have been inserted before the photo of the patisserie. And two pics of that pastry shop "glitched" too. Oh well, onward with my report....

Ken said that the almond croissants at the Patisserie Jacqui next door to our hotel were an absolute must. We got there just as they were closing (for the next four days!) and managed to snag the last two delicious pastries which we enjoyed on Sunday morning on our deck.

This building sits directly across the street from our hotel. It was a movie theatre and most recently housed a local radio station. Sadly it is currently for sale. Mr. Sandi and I thought it would make a cool loft home but I suspect the price is well out of reach for us.



On Saturday night after doing a bit of research and reading Fred Miller's helpful e-mail about which restaurants were open for outdoor dining, which were closed, and which offered takeout, we opted to walk up to one of our favorite places called The Screaming Banshee. The Banshee sits across the street from the High Desert Market and primarily offers pizzas and calzone. We found a great spot at "the bar" (outdoor seating only) which was a perfect spot for some wine, a calzone, and some people watching.


Under clear and starry skies and lovely temps.





Mr. Sandi had brought along a great cigar to smoke after dinner but, alas, no smoking is allowed on the premises of The Copper City Inn. In fact, if you smoke you incur a $500 "cleaning fee". Yikes! Not being able to really think of a good spot to sit and smoke, he just saved that special cigar for another day.

Here are just a few of the many photos I took on Saturday of the unique details around every corner than make Bisbee such an interesting and special place.








Check out the image above the door--I didn't notice this until I looked back at my photos when we got home.


Everyone needs a pig in the window to guard your house.

 

More street scenes and some samples of Bisbee's unique architecture..... As you can tell I had a difficult time choosing photos to share with you all this time around! I love Bisbee and if someone told me I had to move to a small town, this one would be at the top of my list. But I also love Tucson and as a "big" city it has more to offer. Like motorcycle dealerships for example. So we'll continue to enjoy Bisbee by bike as a day trip for for a short but sweet overnight destination.

 

Thanks, @Wessa! I appreciate the positive comments. I have to say that Mr. Sandi and I were really glad to get loads out of our trip. We both agreed that even though we were only in Bisbee proper for literally 24 hours, it felt like loads longer....and in a really good way. It was "the pause that refreshes".

 

Thanks, Steve! Hope you got some sun today. It was once again perfect weather here in Tucson today. We are reaping the benefits of putting up with 110ºF temps we had on multiple days this past summer. Didn't get a ride in today but I did go for a long and wonderful (American) Thanksgiving Day walk. We're on the bikes again tomorrow and the weather is predicted to be identical to that of today--sunny and in the 70's.

 

Thanks, @TEZ 217. Bisbee is thoroughly interesting and I could wander around its back streets for hours with camera (or iPhone) in hand. One of these days I may just ride down there for the day on my own so I can take my sweet time looking around and taking photos. I love Mr. Sandi to pieces but he's a bit less patient when we're "wandering" than am I.

 

Thanks, @Pegscraper! Might be fun to have a column in a Bike magazine. But then again it might be too much pressure. But I really do like writing for and sharing photos with you guys--my forum buddies.

 

Thanks, @Beerman. I'll do my best! I think we'll be relegated to the occasional over-nighter trip for the time being due to COVID but Mr. Sandi and I are already discussing where might be our next getaway. Some of the small Arizona towns that we love and that are great ride destinations are in the northern part of the state which actually does get a winter. Not harsh by some standards but plenty cold and snow is always a possibility. But as I said, I'll do my best to help you through the winter. Thanks for your positive and encouraging comments on my ride reports.

 

@joe mc donald
So glad you're back on the forum even if once if awhile, Joe. If my stories uplift you and keep you connected here I'll certainly keep 'em coming! I'm so glad to know that I've done a bit to lift your spirits, my friend.