Dude ranch dudes and dudettes (photo by Margaret Taylor)
Lori Anderson
The SaddleBrooke Singles Club visited the historic Tanque Verde Ranch in Eastern Tucson on Nov. 17. According to its website, Tanque Verde Ranch was established as a cattle ranch in 1868. It is situated adjacent to Saguaro National Park East and Coronado National Forest and comprises 640 acres owned by the ranch and approximately 60,000 acres leased from the U.S. Forest Service. Lodging in adobe structures is available. Activities offered are too numerous to list and include hiking, fishing, horseback riding, and mountain biking—and don’t forget eating.
We arrived in time for lunch, and most of us opted for the buffet. The buffet held fixings for salads, tacos, and burritos, as well as other morsels, and an assortment of deserts. We ate lunch beneath a ceiling of saguaro ribs and clay.
After filling our bellies, we enjoyed petting horses and walking the grounds. One club member noted that Paul McCartney’s ranch is next door, but there were no reported Beatles sightings. An area used for cowboy barbeques contains a horseshoe pit that we couldn’t resist. Some tosses were interesting, but a couple of them were not so bad. The trip was a great way to enjoy good food and perfect weather and to introduce those of us who are fairly new to Tucson what is in the area.
If you’re single and looking for friends and fun, the SaddleBrooke Singles Club is the place for you. We meet regularly to play bocce, take trips to area attractions and restaurants, and have a Saturday night trivia group and Friday happy hours. Happy hours (drinks and dinner) are generally held at 4 p.m. at the clubhouse restaurants—SaddleBrooke One during odd months, MountainView during even months, and The Preserve all months (time/venues subject to change). For more information or to join the SaddleBrooke Singles Club, contact Susan Williams at [email protected].