Sunday, March 29, 2009

Tanque Verde Guest Ranch, Tucson, Arizona



Tanque Verde Guest Ranch

Dude. Yeah you! Wanna ride a horse or go for a bicycle ride? Well have I got the place for you.

Today my husband and took a ride out to the east end of Speedway in Tucson, AZ to visit a dude ranch. Located on the north most corner of Saguaro National Park, Tanque Verde Guest Ranch is endorsed by Best Western, a part of the the Cote Family Company, on The Historic Hotels of America and a member The Dude Ranch Association. In a nod to the relaxed life style in the Southwest it might be noted that even though we were not guests we would be welcome to dine in the dining room and wander around the grounds. We were just blown away by the beauty of the place.

When we drove into the parking lot, a beautiful lawn greeted us with a stable of horses just across the road. We walked into the lobby of hotel to find the most beautiful Southwestern design I have seen in quite a while. The lobby at the Arizona Inn near the University of Arizona may be close but I haven't been there for a year.
Photo of Arizona Inn
Flickr
See Schmap where
this picture is used
to advertise
Arizona Inn

Activities at the ranch are designed for people that love the outdoors. A bicycle shop sits very close to the activities office that arranges for horse back rides and lessons for young and old riders. I saw a sign up sheet for mountain biking on the bulletin board near the dining room. A pool, dancing, fishing, tennis and hiking trails round out their amenities.

A walk around the grounds reveals cactus of every size and shape. At this time of year many are in bloom. It was a delightful little side trip for us. We have a 50th anniversary coming up...maybe we will include Tanque Verde Guest Ranch in our celebration.

NOTE: Back home at the park model we found a Dove nesting in the palm tree across the street. The branch from the tree had fallen down so she made her nest almost at ground level. Her baby is almost grown and we are hoping that a Road Runner doesn't discover the chick before it can fly. Life in the desert is hard.

Have a wonderful week.

b

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