Panamera's winter US 12,000km adventures. - Part 1

[RDMcG]

One of the things the desert has is the lack of ambient light, so there are great natural contrasts like this gas station:

[RDMcG]

Returning back to the house, the weather was changeable, but there was a different target for the next drive.... the opposite direction....towards the border.



Tucson.


A friend was visiting so made sense to stay at the same hotel, (the Westin) which provided a base for trips to the surrounding area:





Tucson has a very good national park that basically surrounds it. The poor weather provided some dramatic light however:

Edited by RDMcG on Thursday 18th January 23:30

[RDMcG]

Further afield in one direction towards Nogales lie Tubac and Tumacacori. Tubac is a bustling market town with lots of artisanal shops, galleries, restaurants etc.

Tumacacori is the site of a very old Spanish mission:

Edited by RDMcG on Thursday 18th January 23:29

[RDMcG]

This peaceful scene is a bit of a contrast to the next stop.

Tombstone AZ.
Site of the gunfight at the OK Corral ( yes, it really happened). Although the town today is like a recreation it is actually real with a lot of historic buildings. There is a regular gunfight reenactment a couple of times a day. Unfortunately one of the cast accidentally loaded real bullets a few years ago and shot another guy (who did survive).












The original Courthouse does provide a very good history including of the gunfight with contemporary photos of the bodies ( trigger warnings meant a different thing in those days).....











Mining was a very primitive process is those days, and our next stop will be in Bisbee and the centre of what was a giant copper mine......



And so , we head for Bisbee, 20 miles from the Mexican border.

Edited by RDMcG on Friday 19th January 00:00

[ConnectionError]

Wow

Fantastic

Amazing photos

[RDMcG]

Bisbee is perched along a hillside so steep that the real estate listing routinely list the number of steps to the street. It is also on the edge of a giant open pit copper mine, now worked out. In its prime the giant hold expanded and ate part of the town where it was flatter leaving only the hilly side and a tiny vestigial street on the other side of the hole. Today it it a very funky place, with lots of very good stores, great character, hotel and restaurants and is quite LGBT friendly.














The residential streets can be unbelievable steep and narrow with dead ends that have no turnarounds, so reversing is a tad challenging and in these circumstances the Pana feels a touch on the wide side, so did not attempt the most extreme streets.

[RDMcG]

I did come across a Plymouth Barracuda, and oddly saw another one on a Tucson street .....

[RDMcG]

..and then....there was the other side of town.

Cut off by the mine, the single street (Lowell) faded away. Until someone had the idea to revive it. Here it is, all parked up:

Including the Greyhound terminal:


The Harley dealer:
;

The hat shop;


...and numerous other vehicles

[bolidemichael]

Fantastic, thanks so much for documenting and sharing this for us.

Remind me, why did you opt for the very distinct red on red alloys Panamera? It looks good, yet it’s so bold!

Also, amazed that even with winter tyres (tires) you were struggling with the snow on thw way down (though the blizzard looked extreme at some points of the video that you shared).

Edited by bolidemichael on Thursday 18th January 23:22

[RDMcG]

and so, at this stage the first part of this adventure is complete.......



7473 km. I hopped the Triple 7 back to Toronto but will return later. . The Pana will resume its adventure in March when a very different return set of adventures and a different route back is planned. The dog is happy to stay in the warmth of Arizona even if she has now realized she is not the biggest dog on the block.

[RDMcG]

bolidemichael said:

Fantastic, thanks so much for documenting and sharing this for us.

Remind me, why did you opt for the very distinct red on red alloys Panamera? It looks good, yet it’s so bold!

Also, amazed that even with winter tyres (tires) you were struggling with the snow on thw way down (though the blizzard looked extreme at some points of the video that you shared).

Edited by bolidemichael on Thursday 18th January 23:22

Just liked the idea. My dealer was horrified, and many people hate them, which of course is perfectly fine with me. I drive in snow all the time and have done for decades, but ice under snow with no ploughing and no salt is a whole level of pain.

[omniflow]

Hi RDMcG - Yet another interesting post, and apologies for the slight thread hi-jack, but I suspect you're the person on here with the right level of local knowledge to advise me accurately.

I'm in the process of planning a roadtrip for Feb 2025 - 12th - 23rd. Starting in Las Vegas and travelling anti-clockwise roughly according to the route below. The $64,000 question is "What car should I rent for the trip"? My current plan is a V8 convertible Mustang, mainly because I think that roof down you'll get better views and feel a bit more immersed in the surroundings. However, a few things I have read, including parts of this thread, lead me to think that some kind of 4*4 might be a better bet. I have a convertible V8 powered car in the UK, so there is no "itch to scratch", but I definitely don't have any hankering to drive a GMC Yukon, Dodge Durango or any other kind of over specified US 4*4. However, I do want to make sure I choose a car that will allow us to get the most out of the trip, so I am putting all of my personal preferences to one side for the moment. I would be picking up and returning to Las Vegas, so I assume this gives me pretty much free choice?

Any suggestions? TIA

[RDMcG]

That’s a pretty good itinerary and as long as you are not planning any aggressive off-roading the Mustang will be fine on dirt roads though if they suggest 4x4 or high clearance you need to heed that. As always avoid any dirt road if it rains or you will be on a skating rink.

[acer12]

always look forward to these threads, thanks for sharing.

[RDMcG]

acer12 said:

always look forward to these threads, thanks for sharing.

Part 2 in March will be a completely different itinerary and will be new to me,so should be fun-glad you enjoyed it!

[Boxster5]

Another brilliant travelogue - thank you for sharing - always look forward to these and your photos are brilliant.
I’ve done a few myself in Europe but the old US Americana definitely has a charm that is unique.
You should produce a book!

[JustinCredible]

Fabulous write up & incredible photo's! Dog is beautiful, what's her name?

America has never interested me as a holiday destination / place to relocate for work (despite having had opportunities in the past) but it does have incredible appeal for a road trip.

Thank you for taking the time to share, look forward to part 2!

[RDMcG]

JustinCredible said:

Fabulous write up & incredible photo's! Dog is beautiful, what's her name?

America has never interested me as a holiday destination / place to relocate for work (despite having had opportunities in the past) but it does have incredible appeal for a road trip.

Thank you for taking the time to share, look forward to part 2!

Dog's name is Shiloh and she was born in Utah ( was another 12 hour road trip to get her.) She was a bit smaller then!


Pics are almost all on an iPhone 15. I do have proper cameras but in recent times the phone is just very handy.

[V12GT]

Came here via the retirement thread, so knew you wintered in AZ, but some great photos and a lovely travelogue - thanks.

We used to live in MO and have done the Western States in a big circle - a great trip and amazing views, but we didn't get to Monument Valley as someone rear ended us near Bloomfield, NM and the nearest garage was in Durango, so we ended up doing a different route back.

[bolidemichael]

Why did you opt for a Great Dane?