Dragoon, Granite Boulders Southern Arizona

We needed some wide open spaces after spending a month at the crowded Western Way Resort in west Tucson. Dragoon is southeast of Tucson and in Cochise County.

 

Dragoon Mountains

The Dragoon Mountains rise to over 7000 feet. They have a maze of granite boulders, steep rock faces, and crevices. A Dragoon was a special group of U.S. Cavalry soldiers. They were able to fight both on foot and on horse back. There are numerous balanced rocks on the steep hillsides. At the base are grasslands and oak trees with sporadic yucca and cholla cactus. Just gorgeous.

Texas Canyon

A Texan settled in the area in the 1880’s. Soon, other Texans followed. The locals called the area Texas Canyon. Descendants still live in the region and raise cattle.

Cochise

Cochise was an Apache leader during the Apache Wars and led an uprising against the U.S. government in the area durning the late 1800s. His group and others including Geronimo fought the European expansion into the area. Cochise and his men held up in the Dragoon Mountains. Geronimo was believed to be an interpreter for Cochise during treaty negotiations.

Triangle T Guest Ranch

They had 50 amp service, 50 psi water pressure, good internet, and sewer. There weren’t many people here during our stay. The roads were dirt and it was difficult to level at our site but the view was amazing.

It was the location of Cochise’s winter camp. Later, it was a cattle ranch and then became popular as a movie set. The original 3:10 to Yuma was shot at the ranch starring Glenn Ford. John Wayne, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Johnny Cash, Gary Cooper, Gregory Peck, Kix Brooks, Steve McQueen, Roy Rogers and Dale Evens were a few who stayed here.

The saloon and restaurant were only open on Saturdays. By 5:30 every seat was taken. Raleigh Jay frequently plays country music there. He has quite a following of locals who showed up for his show and had some fancy country dancing. We liked the huge boulder in the middle of the bar.

Overall, its quirky, a bit rustic and run down, but its what we were looking for. The pool and hot tub were closed for the winter.

Each morning deer walked in front of the motorhome. Jake enjoyed the entertainment and became a good spotter.

There were only a couple other guests at the resort and it was too cold for rattlesnakes to be very active, so Jake enjoyed being off leash and exploring the rocks and views.

Each evening we enjoyed a warm fire and watched the amazing sunsets.

Chiricahua National Monument

Its named after the Chiricahua Apaches that lived in the area. The monument is a mountain range that rises to over 6800 feet. Eons of weathering have created the unique rock formations in the park. The monument was established in 1924 and comprises 12,000 acres.

The views in all directions were amazing.

Willcox, Arizona

We were hungry so we stopped at Rix’s Tavern in Willcox. There was only a bartender, Nicki, working. Since we wanted food, we had to cook it ourselves!

Willcox Wine Country

The Willcox region produces about 75% of the wine grapes in Arizona.

We visited Coronado, Zarpara, and Keeling Schaefer wineries. They were all amazing. It was hard to believe Arizona is producing such incredible wines and at reasonable prices. Willcox’s climate and well drained soil are perfect for grapes. The only downside to the area is the monsoon season, which occurs during harvest, the one time a dry climate is needed so that the grapes dehydrate and intensify their flavors and sugars.

We loved the Dragoon area and were very surprised how stunning it was.