The residents say it’s like the Hotel California: You can check in but you can never leave.
We went to stay one night and ended up staying three – leaving only because of family commitments!
Think of Cheers “where everybody knows your name” and there are characters on every bar stool. Twin Buttes is kind of like that.
The owners, Roger and Beverly, have had the place for fifteen years and have made it into a spacious and comfortable village. They have mobile homes with permanent residents, and large pull through spaces for those of us “just pulling through”. They even have random pieces of junk art and a cactus garden.
While I don’t know for sure, they’ve probably got the best rates in Arizona: for 50 amp full hookups it’s $14/night* and (Shhh – don’t tell everybody) only $185* plus electricity per month. *Rates subject to change and possibly per season, but that was it when we were there.
Located just a couple of miles from the southern border of Arizona (yes that means you can practically see the “wall” from there) and right between Douglas, a bordertown, and Bisbee, an old mining town built in a canyon that seems to be thriving with artists and shoppers.
We got there totally by “accident” yet my motto is “there are no such things as accidents”.
We had planned on staying at Belle Star’s Silverado Ranch, a place we found through free campsites.org. It was the only place listed in the area. But when we got there, it was deserted. Turns out Belle Star passed away. But a mile or so down the road there was an RV Park we passed while deciding what to do. A quick check on the internet, a quick phone call, a not-so-quick u-turn, and we were there. For the night, so we could check out Bisbee before heading North.
Well we were greeted by a sun-tanned guy in a golf cart carrying a cool-cup. He directed us to our spot and said happy hour had just started (4pm) and we were welcome to bring a water or an adult beverage down to the Rec Hall to join them. So we got set up and did!
What a welcoming group. Everyone good-naturedly teased everyone and we got a brief rundown on how David & Susie for instance, came for a week and ended up staying a month. They now come twice a year for a month or more each time. This visit was lasting a little longer because David was getting dental treatment just across the border.
We were invited to go walking/hiking with them twice a day (which we did), and we were included on their weekly trip to town for Thursday Night Pizza Nite, and the guys invited Tom to go golfing with them on Friday morning (which he did).
The group gave us the lowdown on all there is to do in the area, and there is a lot (surprisingly). We toured the history of Bisbee, and took a Jeep run through un-maintained Border Patrol roads, and hiked up one of the near by Buttes.
They are just an hour away from Chiricahua National Monument, with beautiful canyons with the Balancing Rock towers. So we stopped there on our way out and did some exhilarating (aka a lot of huffing and puffing) hiking down (and up!) into one of the canyon trails. We could have spent days exploring there.
We only left the area because we had to get up to Tuscon to see college daughter’s dance performance, and take her home* from college. (*Home to her mother’s house, since father sold his!)
All in all, it was a real highlight of our trip so far: To meet such nice and welcoming people.
We hope to meet up again with some of the people that we met at Twin Buttes that are planning to be in South Dakota in June just as we are.
Happy Travels,
Peace & Love, Joy