Our first stop heading east out of Mesa was Bisbee, Arizona. Bisbee was first founded in the late 1800s as a mining town and is now a touristy town with a hip vibe. We stayed at the Copper Queen RV Park with a great view of downtown from our rear window.

Bisbee today

Bisbee 1909

On our first full day we took the Copper Queen Mine Tour. Wow, we can’t imagine the miners that worked underground in those dark, claustrophobic conditions. Our tour guide told us his father had worked at the mine on a 28/10 schedule – yes, he worked 10 hours a day for 28 days straight, then had 2 days off and started over!! Learning about how the miners worked, especially when they used dynamite to blow out new sections was fascinating!

For dinner we went to The Quarry Bisbee which had great reviews. I have to admit that when we first walked in and took a seat we had our doubts and considered leaving. Glad we didn’t, our dinners were excellent.

We also found this cute little wine bar and stopped for a glass of dry Riesling that was really good!

Nearby Erie Street in what used to be Lowell is a reminder of time gone by.