Our campground isn't far from a small family-owned citrus orchard. They also have pecan trees. It's really nice to buy a bag of fresh oranges every week and the occasional lemon and a grapefruit or two and honey and......
Fruit doesn't get any fresher than this and it's so sweet and good - mnnnn!
A drive into the desert one day brought us to this monument. It's miles from anywhere and is where young military hero Lt. James L. Hart died when his plane crashed in 1975.
How sad to lose this young man in his prime - just 27 years of age. If only ---
Further along that same day we came to this rocky hillside that is covered in petroglyphs.
And finally,late in the afternoon, this grand view.
So often we feel we have discovered the top of the world.
Another day we headed out with a small group to find "Jackhandle", one of the more challenging Jeep trails.
The photographer holds her breath.
We saw this cantilevered bridge and a tunnel beyond that is .25 miles in length and reportedly loaded with bats.
All five ovens were used to reduce mesquite wood to coke which burned hotter. The
coke was then transported for use in the smelters.
Late afternoon light on the mountains.
So often we feel we have discovered the top of the world.
Enroute we spotted this cristate saguaro - #2!
The most difficult obstacle in Jackhandle is near the beginning of the trail. The challenge is how to squeeze safely through this rocky narrows. The guys study it and decide on the best approach.
George has done it before so he set the example.
Here comes Vic!
Whew!
The day ends with layers of mountains in the distance.
Another cristate saguaro - #3 - on yet a different day enroute to the coke ovens.
This was just a neat canopy of trees approaching the Gila River.
Here we ford the Gila River. Vic checked online before we left to make sure the dam wasn't open today. If it had been, crossing would not have been an option.
The beehive coke ovens. They are each 25 feet in diameter and 30 feet high and were built during the mining era.
Note the prickly pear cactus growing out of the structure.
coke was then transported for use in the smelters.
Pictures never do these places justice. Suffice it to say, it wasn't nearly as easy as it looks.
Desert Lavender beginning to bloom
Another day - this miner's cabin is built into the hillside. Everything necessary to sustain life.
What more do you need? Well, indoor plumbing might be nice.
On this side only the roof is exposed.
This square coke oven was our destination. Silver was the ore mined.
The structure on the left was the coke oven with the larger smelter on the right.
The skyline is Phoenix, more than 50 miles away. Imagine being near Whitney Point and being able to see Syracuse?
Isn't this little cactus sweet? It's no more than 3" high. I've found a great Arizona cactus ID book and learned that this is a Corkyseed Fishhook Pincushion - a big name for a wee cactus.
 We heard about this stage stop from someone here at our RV park so went in search. It's so 'old west' that it was the perfect location for b&w photography.  We found the historical information interesting. |
The aged corral is built of mesquite.
Cristate Saguaro #4!
And poor #5, the cristate portion has fallen to the ground.
Coming back up the highway we pass this monument built to commemorate the life of actor Tom Mix who died here in an automobile accident in 1940. Anyone ever see a Tom Mix film? He began in the business while talkies were still unknown and John Wayne was a kid. The cowboy actor was a huge success until his death.
December 30th was our 31st anniversary and we celebrated differently than ever before. Organ Stop Pizza is in Mesa, AZ and is a destination. They have the world's largest theater organ with nearly 6,000 pipes, 4 keyboards and countless stops. The building in which it's housed was designed and built specifically for this purpose.
The bonus is that in addition to sublime music the pizza is really good - and the ice cream! It's open seven days a week and always has a full house.
The history is available online for those interested.
It was a spectacular evening. Who would have known 31 years ago just how blessed we would be.
These pipes are the largest and the tallest of these is 36' and weighs nearly a ton. These tones are the lowest frequencies and the largest is so low that it is more felt than heard.
It's 2011 now. We hope your new year brings you good health and the love of family and friends.
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!
and Vic
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