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RV parks aren’t for everyone, but this park is perfect for anybody wanting a trip back to the days of beatniks and blue highways.
By Robert Stieve
Jack Kerouac never slept here. Well, maybe he did, but there’s no record of it. Still, it’s the kind of place he would have been drawn to when he was out on the road. Nearby Bisbee and its mixed bag of colorful characters would have caught his eye as well.
Located along State Route 80 — at one time a main artery between Savannah, Georgia, and San Diego — the Shady Dell RV Park is about as far away from high-end luxury as you can get. It’s low-key, as most things are in rural Arizona, and it’s a step back in time, to the days of beatniks and blue highways.
Of course, there are a few modern-day amenities at the park. In particular, full hookups for RVs and campers. If you’ve blown the kids’ inheritance on a fifth-wheeler, you might as well use it, but that’s not the best way to spend a night at the Shady Dell. The better option is to shack up in one of the park’s vintage aluminum travel trailers. There are several to choose from, including a 1949 Airstream, a 1950 Spartan Manor, a 1954 Crown and a 1951 Royal Mansion.
Take your pick. They’re all cool. The Airstream is the most photographed, for whatever that’s worth. The Manor, however, might be the closest you’ll ever come to time travel. The polished blond wood on the walls and ceiling is original, as are the appliances and furniture. There’s even a vintage television — no remote, no TiVo, no nothing, which is how it should be when you’re flashing back to the 1950s.
The best of the bunch, arguably, is the Royal Mansion. Built in 1951, this 33-footer has a full-sized bed and a small bathroom. In addition, there’s a breakfast booth in the kitchen and leopard carpeting in the living room, which adds volumes to the exotic feel of this trailer. Imagine the Jungle Room at Graceland, but without Elvis. By the way, he never slept here either.
In all, there are nine trailers at the Shady Dell, eight of which are immaculately restored and used for sleeping. The ninth, a 1957 Valentine, houses Dot’s Diner, a 10-stool eatery that’s been featured in Gourmet magazine and National Geographic Traveler. CNN and CBS This Morning have dropped by as well.
When John Hart bought the Valentine in the mid-1950s, he parked it on the corner of Ventura and Topanga Canyon boulevards in L.A. — it was “Burger Bar No. 3” in his chain of Los Angeles hamburger joints. Development eventually forced Hart to move it to the middle of nowhere, and after decades of neglect, it was shipped to the Shady Dell on a flatbed truck. That was 1996. Six months later, it was opened as Dot’s Diner, in honor of Dot Bozeman, the restaurant’s first cook and bottle washer.
Dot retired a few years ago, but her namesake diner is still going strong. Check it out, and when you do, think about the ’50s. You won’t see Kerouac at the end of the counter, but if you squint your eyes a little, you might be able to picture him there, hip and cool in a tattered sweatshirt, milking a cup of coffee.
The Shady Dell is located at 1 Old Douglas Road in Bisbe. Information: 520-432-3567 or www.theshadydell.com.
Hotel Congress
Cozy rooms, great bar, ghosts, gangsters … there are plenty of reasons to spend a night in Tucson’s classic old hotel.
By Edie Jarolim
When it opened its doors in 1919, Tucson’s Hotel Congress was regaled for its grandeur and praised for its modern comforts. Its fame didn’t extend far beyond Arizona, however. Located across the road from the Southern Pacific depot, it was just one of the many upscale lodgings in the West that rode the railroad boom into existence. Not until January 23, 1934, when a fire led to the capture of John Dillinger, did the hotel and the sleepy city it was in grab the nation’s attention.
John Dillinger, America’s “most wanted,” never slept at the Congress, but two members of his gang, Charles Makely and Russell Clark, had registered there under false names. Forced to evacuate the burning building, the pair tried to return to their rooms to grab their valises, but were forbidden access. Distraught, Makely and Clark offered two firemen a reward to retrieve their bags. The firefighters complied, hauling down the gangsters’ heavy luggage — later found to contain $23,816 in cash and several Tommy guns.
In the process, the jittery out-of-towners aroused the suspicions of the firemen, who decided to do some sleuthing. Combing through photos in True Detective magazine, one of them recognized Clark. The hunt was on — and quickly over. Without firing a shot, the cops in the “hick town” of Tucson had accomplished what several state police forces and the FBI had failed to do: Put the cuffs on Dillinger.
In the hallway behind the Cup Café, today’s visitors to the downtown landmark can view photos of the players in this cops-and-robbers drama.
But the Hotel Congress had far more going for it than the occasional gangster guest. In the 1930s and ’40s, for example, its Tap Room was the favorite haunt of rodeo cowboy and artist Pete Martinez. His nationally renowned Western scenes — New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia was among his early celebrity collectors — still hang on the walls of this atmospheric watering hole. Contrary to rumor, however, Martinez didn’t settle his booze tab with his art; he donated the pieces because he liked the bar and enjoyed his drinking partners. The hotel inspired generosity in later artists, too. In 1989, Larry Boyce arrived on a bicycle from San Francisco and volunteered to paint the lobby with the distinctive Southwest Deco designs that are still there today.
The Congress pays homage to its history in many ways. The rooms still boast many pieces of their original furniture, as well as vintage radios, windows that open and steam heat in winter. A handout available at the front desk — behind which you can glimpse the same switchboard used to alert guests to the 1934 fire — notes that four of the rooms also offer a different type of blast from the past: ghosts, several of whom are described in rather specific detail. Room 214, for example, often plays host to a “little man, nicely dressed in a seersucker suit.” And the annual Dillinger Days in January celebrate the hotel’s claim to fame with re-enactments of the capture.
Nevertheless, the Congress is far from living in the past. The Cup Café, a popular Tucson gathering spot, dishes up delicious contemporary fare. And Club Congress, dubbed one of the top 10 rock venues in the country, is a hub for hipsters of all ages. Today’s outlaws might carry guitars, not guns, and the heat might be generated by dancing, not a conflagration, but the hotel still gets pretty fired up.
Hotel Congress is located at 311 E. Congress Street in Tucson. Information: 520-798-1618 or www.hotelcongress.com.
Catch the Stars
Most people head to Malibu to catch a glimpse of the stars; however, your best bet is a B&B in Southern Arizona.
By Lauren Proper
Isolated from major cities and bright lights, the Astronomers Inn, a unique B&B in Benson, houses the one-of-a-kind Vega-Bray Observatory. The inn’s location makes it possible because the jet streams over Southern Arizona provide ideal conditions for stargazing, allowing visitors some of the most beautiful views in the world. Anytime is a good time to visit, but according to Christina Pease and Dean Salman, who lead some of the private stargazing lessons, October is best because of the cooler weather and clearer skies.
Guests can hire Pease and Salman, as well as other guides, for a four-hour lesson, which can be geared to any level of interest. In addition, a new session teaches guests how to take photographs using telescopes.
Although an evening spent under a blanket of stars in a mysterious pitch-black sky sounds like something out of a Robert Frost poem, Patricia Vega’s first night at the Astronomers Inn was much different than what guests experience today.
Back then, it wasn’t the Astronomers Inn, or even the Sky Watcher’s Inn, its original name; it was a 57-acre plot of land that Patricia had saved for and purchased on her own.
On New Year’s Eve 1987, at exactly midnight, she took possession of the property and started walking the perimeter. Along the banks of the San Pedro River, the ground gave way and she fell into the freezing water. After struggling for nearly an hour, she finally made it out of the river and found herself chest-deep in quicksand. She managed to escape, but her shoes and pants did not. She tied her shirt around her waist and trudged back to her car, caked with mud and leaves.
She was driving back to Tucson to see her husband, astronomy enthusiast Eduardo Vega, when a police officer on DUI patrol pulled her over.
“Please step out of the car.” It wasn’t a question.
Patricia explained to the man why she couldn’t get out of her car, recounting her incredible evening. He was reluctant to believe her story, but followed her all the way back to her house to make sure she arrived safely.
From that night on, until recently, Patricia ran the Sky Watcher’s Inn. However, in 2006, she sold the property to the current owners, who renamed it. Fortunately for astronomy lovers, not much has changed.
The inn still has three themed rooms and a studio, including the Garden Room, the Egyptian Room and the Galaxy Room, which is decorated in a Star Wars theme and has a 10-foot dome. Breakfast is served in the solarium, overlooking the lake and surrounding property. Outside its large picture windows, lavishly colored birds hover nearby and squirrels seek shelter under the patio.
It seems peaceful, and it is. Despite the occasional rattlesnake or Gila monster, visitors to the Astronomers Inn don’t have much more to worry about — other than a cloudy evening.
The Astronomers Inn is located at 1311 S. Astronomers Road, just outside of Benson off Interstate 10. Information: 520-586-7906 or www.astronomersinn.com.
Old School Accommodations
What began in 1930 as an elite college prep is now one of the most luxurious places in Tucson to pull an all-nighter.
By JoBeth Jamison
Hacienda del Sol offers pure, old school accommodations. Really.
Tucked into the south-facing toes of the Santa Catalina Mountains, this easily overlooked resort (at least geographically speaking) was built in 1929 and opened in 1930 as an all-girls school. To the few people who actually saw it, this Spanish Colonial-style ranch, spread out on 34 acres of the Sonoran Desert, may well have been mistaken for a mud hut in the middle of nowhere. In truth, it was one of the most elite college preparatory schools this side of the Mississippi — intended primarily for young women who’d spent the majority of their lives on the other side of it.
Advertised nationally in Vogue magazine, the educational complex/debutante dude ranch accommodated up to 28 girls at a time, many of whom made the school’s attendance rosters look like a coming-of-age “Who’s Who?” with names including Campbell (as in soup), Maxwell (as in House) and Pillsbury (as in lots of dough).
By 1948, the role of Hacienda del Sol had changed from school to guest ranch, but the privileged caliber of guests that flocked there never tarnished. Not only was it frequented by the likes of John Wayne and Clark Gable, it became a favorite of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, whose preferred casita was ultimately named for them and is still enjoyed today.
In fact, Hacienda del Sol recently received official recognition as a Historic Hotel of America. While its horse stables make it a guest ranch and help maintain its Old West air, the resort’s predominant feel is upscale and fresh. The once-rustic dorms are now colorful, boutique guest quarters. The outer-lying luxury casitas have become ideal accommodations for intimate getaways, as well as group gatherings. The impeccably landscaped gardens and grounds, which are personally overseen and maintained by one of the owners, are as breathtaking as the surrounding desert and mountain views.
Recent additions of a spa and fine-wine shop have ushered the resort into a new age, but well-placed vintage furnishings, photographs and memorabilia from Hacienda del Sol’s academic beginnings keep it steeped in historic charm. Combine all of that with the ambience and cuisine of the resort’s acclaimed on-site restaurant, The Grill (home to one of Arizona’s best Sunday brunches), and it’s possible to conjure a memory that your senses will beg you to recall again and again.
Whether you just happen upon it, or you’re actively seeking unique, luxury lodging and dining, Hacienda del Sol is worth studying up on.
Hacienda del Sol is located at 5601 N. Hacienda del Sol Road in Tucson. Information: 800-728-6514 or www.haciendadelsol.com.
Not Just for the Birds
Considering the area attracts 335 species of birds, you could visit Casa de San Pedro for no other reason. But there’s more, including lush gardens, a comfortable patio and some of the best food in Southern Arizona.
By JoBeth Jamison
Casa de San Pedro Bed and Breakfast has just 10 guestrooms, but the place is usually hopping with more visitors than owners Karl Schmitt and Patrick Dome have the time or fingers to count. That’s because the majority of the guests that flock to this remote getaway are not people, they’re birds.
Nestled on 10 acres along the San Pedro River, 28 miles southeast of Sierra Vista, Casa de San Pedro is the place for birders to see and be seen. The area’s dense canopies of cottonwoods, willows and vital riparian habitats make it one of the most important avian migratory corridors in the western United States, attracting more than 335 species of resident and migrating birds each year, and countless humans as a result. Season after season, they all land here for a little pampering, relaxation and keen observation.
Built in the budding tradition of eco-tourism in 1996, the Spanish-Moorish-style B&B was conceived as a place where travelers could “take only pictures and leave only footprints.” Schmitt and Dome, who bought the inn in 2002, have not only honored the concept, they’ve continually strengthened the B&B’s environmentally friendly foundation by making eco upgrades throughout the property.
Such changes include converting to all-native, low-water xeriscaping, which still produces plenty of flowers for area pollinators, and switching to energy-efficient appliances. All the while, the two have maintained a sophisticated yet comfortable mix of Spanish and Mexican décor, along with a laundry list of activities that would appeal to just about anybody. Visitors can spend the day exploring the terrain of the neighboring San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area and Huachuca Mountains, wearing out their binoculars on a yellow-billed cuckoo, roaming through the Casa’s labyrinth or butterfly garden, or kicking back on the patio or by the pool.
But it’s not the feathered friends, eco amenities and outdoor activities alone that draw people to Casa de San Pedro. It’s the food. And it’s not just the award-winning full breakfasts made each morning, or the renowned freshly home-baked pies, cookies and brownies that warm the senses each afternoon. It’s also the creations of “Cooking Light with Lark Beaugureau” classes that turn the Casa into a gastronomic delight. On the fourth Saturday of each month, Lark, an aptly named cookbook author and local caterer, presides over themed, multicourse dinners that guests prepare and enjoy together in the Casa’s kitchen and window-studded dining room.
Whether you’re looking for rare birds, romance, memorable meals, or simply a diamond in the Southern Arizona lodging rough, Casa de San Pedro is the perfect place to land.
Casa de San Pedro is located at 8933 S. Yell Lane, just off State Route 92, in Hereford. Information: 520-366-1300 or www.casadesanpedro.com.
