Our main reason for going to Oracle (http://www.oracletown.com/) was to visit the Biosphere 2, get pictures and form an outline for a future story for the In&Out of Anthem magazine. After researching places that we could stay, we decided to be adventurous and stay at one of the historical, Oracle B&Bs. After checking websites, reading limited reviews and googling TripAdvisor we decided to stay at the Triangle L Ranch - http://www.trianglelranch.com/
Having stayed at many, many places around Arizona, we were well aware of the eccentrics of historical buildings including sensitive plumbing and locks that don’t work like they did in the good old days. But, if you are willing to expect the unexpected, there are many charming things about staying in a building that holds a century of stories about people who once lived there trying to eek out a living.
The room we stayed in was comfortably large with a rustic rock fireplace and a nice hardwood floor. As the reviews said, it was very clean and the full size bed was decent. There wasn't any TV or internet and Dick and I were a bit afraid to settle into an evening of "what"? Dick worked on the pictures he had taken that day while I enjoyed some reading that I never have time to do. Any other free moments were spent enjoying watching Gypsy, our new 5 month old Yorkie playing with her toys. The next thing we knew it was bedtime. It is amazing how a person can actually get along without television and the internet. It would also be a great opportunity to play scrabble, dominoes or a game of cards.
It was pretty cool waking up the next morning and listening to the roosters crow and hearing the goats that live on the grounds bleating. Sharon Holnback, the artist that owns and runs this B&B served breakfast, at our convenience, not hers. Our breakfast was served in the love worn kitchen, spruced up with lots of gorgeous flowers, on the table, to welcome us and a hot, delicious breakfast with a wonderful cup of coffee. Sharon is a good cook - simple as that.
At breakfast we met "Kidd Squidd", a key ranch crew member. Kidd Squidd, also known as Dave Squires, is the "resident DJ and musicologist." Kidd has an award winning on-line radio show, the Mystery Jukebox, each Saturday from 2 -5 PM on radio KXCI, 91.3 FM. The Mystery Jukebox is legendary in Tucson and here is the link to a most enjoyable journey through music - http://www.kxci.org/
A morning stroll through the sculpture field, a visit to the newly planted garden, checking out the chicken cage, followed by a gander of the gift shop and then enjoying the ambience of Sharon's art gallery - made for the perfect morning. It's amazing that one woman and her small crew daily completes the overwhelming job of overseeing 50 acres of land, three historical B&B houses and caring for the animals on a daily basis to keep the Triangle L Ranch going. A person can't help but be in awe at how she does it all and also finds time to produce some impressive works of art that are displayed in our favorite building - her gallery.
We can only say that if you can get over having the latest in amenities, keep an open mind, and don't mind accepting the uniqueness of some buildings built in the late 1800's, a person might just appreciate and enjoy a "one of a kind" retreat like the Triangle L Ranch. We were so glad that we took a walk on the adventurous side of our comfort zone, which added a most enriching escapade to our repertoire of Arizona experiences.
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| Gypsy on her 1st Road Trip to Biosphere 2. |
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| Triangle L Ranch B&B |
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| Main gate opens to welcome you! |
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| Walkway to our cabin. |
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| Trowbridge Suite - our Triangle L home. |
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| Sharon's art gallery. |
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| This building was built in the late 1890s of adobe brick. |
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| One example of Sharon's art work. |
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| The Triangle L Gift Shop |
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| One of the many places to just sit and relax. |
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| An outdoor fireplace |
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| "Guardian of the Voiceless" Sculpture |
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| Even the buildings are unique! |
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| Natural sculptured granite in the Oracle area |
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