The sun sets on another one

 

After five weeks on the road, it was time to return home to the heat and humidity.  Also home to fresh tomatoes, sweet corn, squash, snap beans and other assorted home grown produce.

From New Mexico, we made a couple of stops in Texas, and one in Louisiana. 

We visited with more friends in the Belton, TX area, and had a final night in Natchez with the kids.  We’ll be home for a time getting doctors and dentists satisfied, then have plans to escape the heat once again in August.  We’ll see how those plans work out.

Till then we’ll be cooling our heels in the air conditioning, and eating really well…jc

Pie Town

 

About forty miles into New Mexico from the Arizona border on Hwy 60 you will enter Pie Town.  A wide place in the road that you could miss on a dark night; it is known throughout the modern World as the location of pie(s).

Pie Town is without many of todays modern conveniences such as cell phone service.  When was the last time you saw a working one of these?

What it does have is pies of many variations.  Pecan/oat, apple/red chili, and many other flavors.  All warm from the oven, as the kitchen was visable and they were working hard to keep up with the demand.  One of the owners was constantly calling back telling them what kind to start next.

We tried both of those mentioned and they were fine.  Not cheap, but a piece of pie and a cup of good coffee really helped the boring miles go by.

Just another one of life’s little surprises…..jc

A Ride Across New Mexico

 

As we traveled Hwy’s 60 and 380 across New Mexico we came across many interesting places.  One of the first was this sign alongside the highway.  The actual site is located within White Sands Missle Range.

Next was the Very Large Array.  The VLA is a radio astronomy observatory consisting of 27 huge radio telescopes.  It’s located right along highway 60.

It’s used by astronomers to study deep space and things such as black holes and young stars.

After a night in Carrizozo, NM at Valley of Fire BLM campground, we continued our journey.  It wasn’t long till we arrived in Capitan, the home of Smokey Bear.

And then there’s Lincoln Historic Site.  An entire town practically frozen in time.  Made famous by the Lincoln County war and characters such as Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett.  I could have spent hours there, but only walked the streets and took a few pictures.

Still in use.

Check out the thickness of those doors. Peeking through the windows showed shelves full of things just like they were in 1870.

Interior of another old store.  Walls over a foot thick.

We weren’t looking for any of these places.  Just stumbled upon them.  That’s what makes them special….jc

Show Low, and Anniversary

 

We departed Payson, heading Eastward and upward.  Show Low, AZ sits up on top of the Mogollon Rim.  The Mogollon Rim is a geographical anomoly that rises 1200 feet in a steep ascent from the valley below it.  The landscape goes from grass and shrubs to Ponderosa Pine in minutes.  We were heading for Fool Hollow State Park in Show Low.

A few days of just chillaxing (chilling out and relaxing, according to our SIL).

We did have Casita friends that lived in town.  We visited at their home for a delicious dinner, and they visited us at the park one afternoon for snacks and a few beverages.

While in Show Low, another anniversary rolled around.  Number forty nine.  We invited our friends to join us for dinner, so they dressed for the occasion.

They also presented us with some great gifts for the occasion.  Moon Pies and RC cola.  We were thrilled.

  After all the fun, we had a delicious dinner together at one of their favorite restaurants.

More great times, with great friends.  All brought together by a little white trailer…..jc

Last of Payson

 

Our last full day in Payson, AZ was filled with lots of activity.  First off we went to the gun range and popped a few caps.  Our hostess carried a number of pistols, as well as two rifles, to the range.  We were the only ones there, and had a great time.  I even hit the target most times, but had only one bullseye.

After lunch at a local cafe, we visited the Rim Country museum.  This statue was outside, a memorial to the firefighters that had lost their lives fighting forest fires.

Though the museum wasn’t dedicated to Zane Grey, most of the displays had something to do with him.  He lived and wrote many of his novels near the Rim Country.  That was before he got in a dispute with the local wildlife officials.  Apparently he asked to film a hunt outside of hunting season, but was refused permission.  He got mad, left the area, and never returned.

I snapped a few pictures before the docent told me photos weren’t allowed inside.  She was nice enough to tell me I could use those I had already taken. The museum still held him in high regard.

Hand written manuscripts, which were then typed by his secretary.

A few movie posters.

There were many more interesting displays regarding the area known as Rim Country.  A great exhibit on the early Indians, as well as this working model of the sawmill that operated in the area.

And this diorama of a cabin workshop.  The box was approximately 24”X16”.  Everything was to scale.  The ceiling fan turned, and the shotgun shells on the table fit the gun beside them.  Just take a moment and look at all the things in this room.  What craftsmanship!

After the museum we headed home for the evening.  The next morning we departed payson for the Mogollon(Muggy-un) Rim.  It was with regrets we said goodbye to our wonderful host, and her beautiful home which we had the privilege to enjoy while parked in her front yard.

…….jc

Montezuma’s Castle

 

We were on our way to Payson, AZ from Cottonwood when we spotted a sign announcing Montezuma’s Castle National Monument.  It was near Camp Verde, AZ, and not too far off our route, so we headed out to find it.  I figured it was some ruins of some kind, but didn’t know what.  Imagine my surprise when walking down a path and seeing this up on the cliff above me.

Created in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt, it was quite a ruin to see, perched high up on the cliff face.  A twenty room apartment, inhabitated for 400 years. Sorry that I wasn’t able to spend more time there, but it was a bit warm.

We were on our way to visit friends that have a home in Payson.  While on a hike in the national forest with them, we stumbled upon a ruin site that was being excavated.

I spent quite some time talking with the volunteers.  They only work the site a few weeks in the Spring and Fall.

A partial pot, along with a burned timber which appeared to be part of a doorway.

There were pottery shards everywhere.

The sifter.  He told me he had recovered enough of the pieces like he was holding to partially reconstruct the pot it came from.  What a puzzle that must be.

Payson is a great little town in East Central, Arizona.  I could definitely live in the area, and spend some of my spare time digging in the dirt alongside those volunteers….jc

Jerome, my kind of town.

 

While Sedona didn’t do anything for me, I loved the little mining town of Jerome.

Stuck up high on the side of a mountain just outside of Cottonwood, AZ; it is loaded with the remains of his historic past.

Headframe of the Audrey shaft. 

Imagine a shaft about six feet square and 1900 feet deep.  There were mirrors that reflected light down the shaft.  It gave you a creepy feeling just standing above it.

Old buildings and mining relics were everywhere.

Local theater, and old 35 mm carbon arc projector. Helped run one of those projectors way back in the day.  You had to mindful of the bell, and its rhythm.

There was an water powered electrical plant that was in service until 2004. The water powered turbine.

And, the generator.

I’ll bet you can’t purchase one of these at the local hardware store.

Every storefront had a story to tell.

The English Kitchen was owned by a Chinese lady.

The economy was one of tokens, rather than cash.

Old tin ceilings, and artifacts from the past. I could spend all day just poking around all the “stuff”.

The town boomed, died, and is enjoying a nice reincarnation.  Sure, it wants the tourist dollar, but it has something to offer for nothing, if one only looks around.

My kind of place….jc