2008 Road Trip - Tombstone
If we were to describe this year's trip, it would be "Fill in the Gaps". We tossed around several routes. The day before we left, we still hadn't decided. East was experiencing the worst floods of the century - scrap that idea. Karen had driven down the west coast through Los Angeles and she really didn't want to do it again - or at least not with her as the passenger and me driving.
Regardless, the west coast was experiencing torrential downpours and wildfires so scrap that idea too. We were having the worst spring in years in Calgary and "wet" wasn't what we were looking for. The only place not snowing, flooding or pouring cats and dogs was "South".
OK, so South it was. But where? We decided to get to Salt Lake City as fast as possible and then make some more plans.
For many years Karen and I have wanted to go to Tombstone. We've wanted to work Route 66 into our itinerary. We have been forever saying "this is an area we should come back to" especially the ghost towns of Utah and Nevada. We always said we would go back to Ely and explore and stay again in Torrey at the Chuckwagon Motel. Karen, being Karen, searched the maps to find wiggly roads to scare the hell out of us (which seems to be the one steadfast criteria of a great trip).
This was the year we filled all those gaps. And, of course, we found some new wiggly roads to add to the excitement and the tales to tell.
This was also the year that enroute, we adopted "Willie" He would serve as our new mascot and sat up front and centre on the dash.
Friday June 13 - Calgary to Butte
We had some delays getting out of Calgary. Karen picked me up and we loaded the car in the pouring rain. So much for curly hair and dry clothes. Then after two trips back and forth between our houses, we finally hit the road - at least for 3 blocks. Then the windshield wiper flew off. We found a Nissan dealer, fixed the wiper, and finally we were rolling down the road happily singing "On the Road Again".
Friday, June 13, 2008 - Am I Nuts?
It would seem rather strange that I would be hitting the road on the 13th - let alone a Friday. It's hard to say whether 13 is a good number for me or a bad one. I guess it just depends on what happens on that particular day. Regardless, the 13th was the day to head out. Despite our late start, we managed to make it to Butte just at dark.
The bad weather didn't disappear. It was raining in Calgary but it was snowing in Montana. There was frost on the road when we headed out the next morning - not typical middle of June weather. We didn't leave the snow capped mountains behind until we were well into Utah.And then it was "hot".
Saturday June 14 - Butte to Ely, Nevada
Our intention was to make tracks to Salt Lake City and we did. We left I-15 on the north side of Salt Lake City mid-afternoon and took a side trip to Tooele to visit Shirley.
Tooele, Utah
We didn't tell her we were coming - wanting to surprise her. It just about backfired on us as she wasn't home until about two minutes before we arrived.
We had a quick but nice visit. checked out the new pond they just finished building, and continued on our way.
Ely, Nevada
Somewhere along the way, we firmed up our plans to go to Tombstone and travel Hwy 191 north from there. We decided to swing west a bit and stay again in Ely.
We left Tooele travelled south down Hwy 36 to Hwy 6 and connected to Hwy 50 west to Ely. From frost on the road in in the morning to 107° F in Ely in the evening, it seemed like an impossibility but we weren't complaining. We got ourselves settled into the motel and headed over to the Hotel Nevada for supper.
After supper we met a couple just arriving on their motorcycle - hot and tired. Pete and Bonnie were from Vancouver and had just travelled down the west coast through all the rain. They were happy to get into the warm weather too.
Coincidentally, it turned out they were also heading to Tombstone, although via a different route. They were heading up to Sault Lake City first. They needed to get some work done on their motorcycle.
Karen caught me just outside our room with my jammies on. If looks could kill!
Sunday June 15 - Ely to Laughlin, Nevada
Connors Pass
Connors Pass (elevation 7,722 feet) is a pass through the Schell Creek Range southeast of Ely. It is one of only two fractions of Hwy 93 in Nevada that climb above the tree line. Karen keeps trying to get pictures of the golden rocks but either we've been unable to stop or the sun isn't right. Oh well, a good excuse to return to the area.
Karen spotted an "old road" and wanted to investigate. The chopped up, rutty, bumpy, twisty short trail was to say the least a jolting experience.
There were areas that we wondered if the road would simply end leaving us no where to turn around. We managed to get through it and exited just behind Majors Station and Hwy 93 junction.
Bristol Wells Ghost Town
Travelling south on Hwy 93, there is a back road that leads west and south around Dutch John Mtn. and back onto Hwy 93. This is where we came upon this ghost town totally by fluke. Bristol Wells is about 15 miles north of Pioche six miles off of Hwy 93.
Bristol Wells was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 24, 1972 as No 72000765
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| Bristol Wells |
In 1880 the population was about 400. It had a post office from 1878 - 1887. All that remains are two buildings, a windmill, and the three charcoal ovens. The charcoal ovens were used to convert local wood into charcoal for use by the mining industry.
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| Bristol Wells Charcoal Ovens |
After the silver veins ran out and the smelters shut down, they served as shelters for prospectors and stockmen. Rumor has it that local stagecoach bandits also hid in the ovens. At the time, we really didn't know what they were and had to search online to find out.
There is another group of them just off highway 50 at Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park located 7 miles south of Ely then 11 miles SW on Cave Valley Road. We hadn't stopped there and were much happier finding these ovens in a natural setting accidentally.
Pioche
We found our way back to the highway and down the road turned into Pioche to view town. Most of Pioche's mines have been left to ruin. Pioche is a strange mixture between old and new.
In 1864, Native American Paiute led a missionary, William Hamblin, to silver deposits in the vicinity of Pioche. San Francisco financier Francois L.A. Pioche purchased claims in 1868 and formed the Meadow Valley Mining Company.
The mining camp, called "Pioche's City" later became simply Pioche.
In the early 1870's Pioche was one of the largest mining towns in southeastern Nevada with a population of 10,000 people by 1871. Guns were the only law.
Nearly 60 percent of the homicides reported in Nevada during 1871-72 took place around Pioche making Bodie, Tombstone, and other better known towns pale in comparison. It has been reported that seventy-five men were buried in the cemetery before anyone in Pioche had time to die a natural death.
One of the worst fires in the West took place in Pioche in 1871. It began in a restaurant during a celebration commemorating Mexican independence and quickly spread. When it reached a stone fireproof structure where 300 barrels of blasting powder were stored, the subsequent explosion shot nearly 400 feet into the air, blowing a 1,000-pound door clear out of town. The explosion, debris and fire killed thirteen people, injured forty-seven, and left the entire population homeless.
The fortunes of Pioche diminished in the 1880's due to the shutdown of the mines. An economic boom occurred during World War II when Pioche was the second largest lead and zinc producer in the nation. Present day Pioche has little mining activity. It is the county seat and the main focus is now government.
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| Valley of Fire |
Valley of Fire
Valley of Fire is located six miles from Lake Mead and 55 miles northeast of Las Vegas. It is Nevada's oldest and largest state park, dedicated 1935.
The valley derives its name from the red sandstone formations and the stark beauty of the Mojave Desert. Ancient trees and early man are represented throughout the park by areas of petrified wood and 3,000 year-old Indian petroglyphs.
Lake Meade
Construction of Boulder Dam, later named Hoover Dam, began in 1931.The reservoir created by the damming of the Colorado River became Lake Mead, named after Elwood Mead, the Bureau of Reclamation commissioner at the time. Lake Mead is one of the most important water resources in the West. It ensures a steady water supply for Arizona, Nevada, California, and northern Mexico by holding back the flow of the Colorado River behind Hoover Dam.
Lake Meade is one of the largest water reservoirs in the world. When full, the lake contains roughly the same amount of water as would have otherwise flowed through the Colorado River over a two-year period: roughly 9.3 trillion gallons.
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| Lake Meade |
Boulder City
Boulder City was designed to be a model city. It was built by the six companies and U.S. Government to provide homes for the men building Boulder (now Hoover) Dam.
The Federal Government owned the entire town until January, 1960 when the it was turned over to the State of Nevada. Boulder City is still very much a Government town, with many of its residents working for the National Park Service, and various federal and state departments.
Laughlin, Nevada
Laughlin's current location was established in the 1940's called South Pointe due to its proximity to Nevada's southern tip. The settlement consisted of a motel and bar that catered to gold and silver miners, and to the many construction workers who built Davis Dam.
Davis Dam was designed to help regulate the mighty Colorado and to provide electricity to the Southwest.
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| Colorado Belle |
Once the dam was completed, construction workers left and the motel fell into disrepair.
Laughlin's name comes from Don Laughlin who bought the southern tip of Nevada in 1964.
Laughlin, who operated the 101 Club in Las Vegas, opened what would become the Riverside Resort which offered all-you-can-eat chicken dinners for 98 cents, 12 slot machines, 2 gaming tables, and 8 motel rooms.
On a previous visit to Laughlin, Karen and I stopped briefly at the Colorado Belle Hotel and travelled on a boat trip up the river. We decided we would stay there this trip - an old hotel to mark our starting point to Route 66. The Colorado Belle is a fixed building made to look like a six-deck replica of a 19th century Mississippi paddlewheel riverboat. Although the Colorado Belle wasn't constructed until near the end of Route 66, it is one of the older hotels in Laughlin and seemed appropriate for the mood.
Monday June 16 - Laughlin to Seligman, Arizona
Lake Havasu, Arizona
Karen's hubby, Steve, had visited Lake Havasu area and wanted Karen to see it. Before striking out on Route 66, we took a side trip down there to see the sites and find out what all the hype was.
Lake Havasu City, grew around an old mining town established in the early 20th century. In 1964 the property was developed as a planned community. It was incorporated in 1978.
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| London Bridge - Lake Havasu |
London Bridge
A popular tourist attraction in Lake Havasu City is the London Bridge crossing a man-made canal that leads from Lake Havasu, on the Colorado River, to Thompson Bay.
It was purchased from the City of London in 1968. The bridge was disassembled, and the marked stones were shipped to Lake Havasu City. It officially opened in October 1971.
Lake Havasu was formed in 1938 by Parker Dam on the Colorado River. One cannot reach the Grand Canyon from Lake Havasu, however, due to the dams - Davis Dam (Lake Mohave), Hoover Dam (Lake Mead) and Parker Dam.
Route 66
Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Highway, the "Main Street of America" or the "Mother Road", was established on November 11, 1926. However, road signs did not go up until the following year.
The famous highway, encompassing a total of 2448 miles, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, before ending at Los Angeles.
It was recognized in popular culture by both a hit songs and a television shows in the 1950s and 1960s. The famous highway, encompassing a total of 2448 miles, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, before ending at Los Angeles. It was recognized in popular culture by both a hit songs and a television shows in the 1950s and 1960s.
Historic Route 66
Route 66 was replaced by the Interstate Highway System officially decommissioned and removed from the system on June 27, 1985.
Portions of the road through Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, and Arizona have been designated a National Scenic Byway "Historic Route 66". It has begun to return to maps in this form.
Some portions of the road in southern California have been redesignated "State Route 66", and others bear "Historic Route 66" signs and relevant historic information.
Needles
The city was founded in 1883 as a result of the construction of the railroad, which crosses the Colorado River at this point. The name is derived from pointed mountain peaks at the south end of the valley.
Historic Route 66 passes through the city, lined with motels and other shops from that era. Our excitement grew when we hit the "turn here" sign. I had researched Route 66 for many years on the net and finally this as it. Route 66 was now happening!
Oatman
We we progressed slowly along Route 66 stopping around every turn and taking pictures. Viewing the sights around us we just about missed this sign.
I hit the brakes and backed up to get another look. Surfing the net, we already knew there were donkeys in Oatman but this sign struck us as rather unique - unlike anything we had seen before that's for sure.
As we rounded the corner into Oatman, it was everything we expected and more - a truly fascinating place basically out in the middle of nowhere. It is authentic old western town with burros roaming the streets and gunfights staged on weekends. The burros are tame and can be hand fed.
Our first stop was in front of a kiosk selling carrots ($1.00 a bag) and Route Beer 66. We no sooner had a bag of carrots in our hands that the entire herd descended upon us. We had to buy more carrots just to keep them happy.
Brenda, the owner of the kiosk, moved to Oatman 15 years ago from Massachusetts. She knew all the donkeys by name and gave us a bit of history about them. One donkey was off to the side - timidly clinging to the edge of town. Apparently the male stole her from another herd and she was afraid of the town. Brenda said that this happens often - nature's way of keeping the herd from getting too inbred. Brenda assured us that it wouldn't be long before her fears would subside and she would be part of the "in town" group.
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| The Greeting Committee |
One burro, demanding attention (we were out of carrots) walked right up to Brenda's kiosk, latched onto one of her paper posters and tore it off the wall. Time to buy more carrots I guess. One would swear Brenda and the burros were in cahoots.
Oatman's burros are the descendants of the burros brought by the miners in the late 1800's. When the miners no longer needed them, they were turned loose.
Although there are many herds of "wild burros" in the mountains, each morning one particular herd continues to come into town as it has done for over a hundred years. They wander the streets, fascinate the tourists, and eat. Pellets and carrots are for sale at many of the shops. Shortly before the sunset they wander back to the hills for the night.
Oatman Hotel
The Oatman Hotel, built in 1902, is the oldest two-story adobe structure in Mojave County and has housed many miners, movie stars, politicians and scoundrels.
The town was used as the location for several movies such as How The West Was Won, Foxfire and Edge of Eternity.
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| Publicity photo of Clark Gable and Carole Lombard after their honeymoon, 1939. |
Probably the Hotel's most famous claim to fame is that Clark Gable and Carole Lombard honeymooned there on March 18, 1939. Their honeymoon suite is still one of the major attractions at the Hotel. Gable returned there often to play poker with the local miners and enjoy the solitude of the desert.
Unfortunately, there are no tourist accommodations in Oatman, so we were unable to spend the night there. We would have liked to stay longer to visit the shops and of course "feed the donkeys".
Oatman began over 100 years ago as a mining tent camp. In 1915, two miners struck a $10 million gold find, and within a year, the town's population grew to more than 3,500. It was named in honor of Olive Oatman, who was kidnapped as a young girl by Mojave Indians and later rescued in 1857 near the current site of the town. Oatman was served by a narrow gauge rail line between 1903 and 1905 that ran 17 miles to the Colorado river near Needles, California.
Both the population and mining booms were short-lived. In 1921, a fire burned down many of the smaller shacks in town, and three years later, the main mining company shut down operations for good. Oatman survived by catering to travelers on Route 66, but in the 1960s, when Route 66 became what is now Interstate 40, Oatman almost died. With the revival of Route 66, Oatman once again is a very popular tourist stop.
Goldroad, Arizona
Gold was first discovered in the vicinity of Goldroad in the 1860s. Rich silver discoveries in the northern part of the state drew the prospectors away and the gold discoveries were forgotten, not to be rediscovered for four decades.
Gold was once again discovered here in 1899 by prospector Jose Jerez. Jerez sold his claim in 1901 for $50,000 - an impressive amount at the time, but the deposit would go on to produce millions of dollars in gold over the next few decades.The town of Goldroad was considered a company town - built by the owners of the local mines to house the hundreds of miners that lived in the district. Records indicate that a post office operated in Goldroad from 1902-1925 and from 1937-1942.
The Goldroad mine operated on and off until 1931 when the mine closed and the mill was dismantled. It went through several more revivals and shut downs finally closing in 2007.
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| Sitgreaves Pass - Route 66 |
Sitgreaves Pass
We reluctantly left Oatman and continued on Route 66. It rises to a peak of 3,550 feet between Kingman and Oatman as it breaches the Black Mountains. The pass was named for Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves.
In 1926, not all cars could speed up the mountain through the pass. Vehicles of the era, lacked a pump to bring the gasoline from the gas tank to the engine. Gravity was quite adequate to bring the fuel to the engine unless the tank was low and the vehicle was traveling up an incline. The solution to this problem was to back up the steep and winding mountain road.
Fortunately, we had no problem climbing the mountain an were able to stop along the way to investigate some abandoned mines and take in the spectacular views.
Cool Springs - Mile 45
Cool Springs Camp gave early westward bound Route 66 motorists a welcome break before they tackled the treacherous winding ascent through the Black Mountains over Sitgreaves Pass. Built in the 1926, its amenities included a cafe, garage, a Mobil Oil gas station and tourist cabins.
We stopped here to investigate, however, were disappointed to find out they were not open. (As it turns out, they have not been open for quite a while.) There was a coke machine and benches under the shade so we stayed long enough to have a refreshing drink.
The tourist bubble burst when Route 66's alignment was changed in 1952 and Cool Springs, along with other businesses catering to Route 66 motorists, shut down. It was converted to a poultry operation called "The Chicken Ranch." However, after a fire, that enterprise was also abandoned.
Chicago real estate agent Ned Leuchtner and his wife Michelle purchased the Cool Springs Camp in 2002. They began a slow reconstruction project and plan to eventually locate to the desert. By 2004, there was again a recognizable building that could house a service station and cafe with the promise of more coming.
Seligman - Mile 140
We reached Seligman late in the day and still very much in awe of Route 66. We managed to get a nice "old route" motel. After quickly unpacking the car, we headed out to see the sites of Seligman.
Karen and I had stopped in Seligman briefly several years before, so we were quite happy to be back and do some exploring.
Roadkill Cafe & OK Saloon
We had our supper at the Roadkill Cafe. The restaurant has an “Old West” atmosphere and a gift shop with fun "Roadkill" souvenirs and Route 66 memorabilia. We spent some time viewing the exhibits and gift shop items. Of course, I just had to buy a Route 66 sign.
The OK Saloon is filled with antiques. Located outside of the OK Saloon is the old Arizona Territorial jail whose walls once corralled such notorious outlaws as Seligman Slim, Four-Fingered Frank and Carl “Curly” Bane. Adjacent to the jail are the Old West storefronts which have been used as a background for many commercials as well as documentaries.
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| Rusty Bolt |
Rusty Bolt
The next morning we shopped at the Rusty Bolt. In 2001, we had stopped briefly at this store and we were looking forward to being able to spend more time this year. The store front is like none other we have even seen.
If the roof top mannequins and antique cars don't rouse your curiosity, the grave at the side of the building certainly will cinch it - "here lies Billy Pretzel last guy who touched my Edsel". Much to our delight, the store had tripled in size since our last visit.
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| Here Lies Billy Pretzel |
All the more shopping for us to do. Between the Route 66 memorabilia and the Betty Boop posters, we had to once again rearrange the car.
Seligman was established in 1886. It was located more than a mile southeast of its present location. Houses and structures were moved piece by piece to where they are today.
Seligman is the town where Arizona’s revival of Route 66 began. It marks the beginning of Arizona's Historic Route 66, the longest continuous stretch still in existence. In November 1987 Arizona officially deemed old US Route 66 from Seligman to Kingman as Historic Route 66. Seligman embraced Route 66 wholeheartedly upon its arrival in the late 1920’s and continues to do so today.
Tuesday June 17 - Seligman to Tucson, Arizona
Williams - End Route 66
Founded in 1880, Williams was named for the famous trapper, scout and mountain man, "Old Bill Williams." There is a statue of "Old Bill" at Monument Park, located on the west side of town. The large mountain directly south of town is named Bill Williams Mountain.
In the beginning, Williams, like so many other towns of the Old West, gained a reputation as a rough and rowdy settlement filled with saloons, brothels, gambling houses and opium dens. Restricted by a town ordinance to Railroad Avenue’s “Saloon Row,” it didn’t stop the numerous cowboys, railroad men and lumberjacks from frequenting these many businesses.
In 1926, Route 66 was completed through Williams, which spurred several new businesses along the highway. It was this increased automobile traffic that would eventually shut down the rail service in Williams in 1968. Williams lies on the route of Historic Route 66, Interstate 40, and the Southwest Chief Amtrack train route. It is also the southern terminus of the Grand Canyon Railway, which takes visitors to Grand Canyon Village.
Williams will go down in history as being the last town to have its section of Route 66 bypassed. Lawsuits kept the last section of Interstate 40 from being built around Williams. After settlements called for the state to build three exits for the town, the suits were dropped and I-40 was built.
In 1984, Interstate 40 was opened around the town and newspapers the next day reported the essential end of the famous US 66. The following year, Route 66 was decommissioned.
Mormon Lake
With the Route 66 segment of our trip now finished, we headed east to Flagstaff and south on I-17 to where our journey took an interesting turn east at Munds Park, into the Coconino National Forest through the towering Ponderosa Pines towards Mormon Lake.
We may well have missed this adventure but the huge coil in the middle of our mapbook prevented us from knowing any better. It certainly looked like a proper road, when in fact, the term "cottage access road" would be truer to fact.
Shortly after leaving Munds Park and following the signs to Mormon Lake, we realized this was not a typically well-travelled country road. This lightly-gravelled washboard had more junctures and dead end turns than the back roads of Arkansas. Our only salvation was the small, hand painted sign arrows with Morman Lake written on them.
However, we persevered, trusting the signs and although longer than expected, the drive turned out to be another fun experience with beautiful scenery, magnificent animals and something to laugh about when we got home.
Karen has tried to retrace this route on mapquest and she defies any reader to figure out which of the roads we actually took.
Mormon Lake is a shallow lake located in northern Arizona. With an average depth of only 10 feet the surface area of the lake is extremely volatile and fluctuates seasonally. When full, the lake has a surface area of about 12 square miles making it the largest natural lake in Arizona. In particularly dry times, the lake has been known to dry up, leaving behind a remnant marsh.
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| Morman Lake Lodge |
The 80-year history of Mormon Lake Lodge began in 1924 in the heyday of ranching and logging in Northern Arizona, when a Chandler, Arizona man built the Lodge, formerly known as Tombler's Lodge.
On July 4, 1974 a faulty heater caused a fire that burned the Lodge to the ground. Local ranchers from throughout the state volunteered and rebuilt the Lodge by Labor Day weekend.
Upon the completion, the ranchers burned their branding irons into the walls as a symbol of protection. When you visit the Lodge today, you can still see the brandings on the walls.
Saguaro Cacti Along the Road
The vegetation was like none we had seen before. I didn't realize that Karen had not seen saguaro cactus. I saw them first many years ago in Phoenix. The Saguaro, pronounced "sah-wah-roh", is a large, tree-sized cactus native to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. The saguaro blossom is the state flower of Arizona.
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| Saguaro Cactus |
A fully-grown Saguaro cactus can absorb over 3,000 gallons of water in ten days. This is helped by the ability to form new roots quickly. Saguaros have a relatively long life span. Some may live for more than 150 years. They can take up to 75 years to develop a side arm.
An adult may weigh 6 tons or more. Harming a saguaro in any manner is illegal by state law in Arizona, and when houses or highways are built, special permits must be obtained to move or destroy one affected.
We encountered many strange looking cacti along the southern Arizona routes. They are absolutely fascinating not to mention very beautiful especially at this time of year when they all seemed to be in flower.
Tonto National Monument - Cliff Dwellings
We stopped at the Tonto National Monument Visitors Center but it was already closed. The well-preserved cliff dwellings were occupied by the Salado culture between 1150-1450. Why the Salado disappeared is not known.
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| "Spike" 2008 |
Spike
This young saguaro (which is probably about 90 years old) stood proudly in the visiter center gardens. We named him "Spike" and made plans to monitor his growth over the years if we get back to this area.
Tucson, Arizona
By sheer luck we came upon a lovely motel called the Country Inn & Suites where we spent the night in Tucson. Absolutely charming, clean and reasonably priced - worth the time to find it when you're in town.
Wednesday June 18 - Tucson to Tombstone
Once we left Tucson, the vegetation changed again and the cactus plants along the roadside were what I think we refer to as Prickly Pear. They were just beginning to bloom.
San Pedro River
While travelling in the heart of the desert, you get used to it's grey/pink colours. So as we came upon this lush green valley that seemed to swallow the highway, we weren't surprised to see the sign designating the San Pedro River.
The surprise was that the river was bone dry. We could not find even a small creek. The river must still flow underground and fill only in high rains.
Fairbank Ghost Town
It was in this lush valley we found the Fairbank historic townsite where we stopped and took a short break before continuing on to Tombstone.
Fairbank, founded in the 1880s, was originally called Junction City, Kendall, and then Fairbank after Chicago investor Nathaniel Kellogg Fairbank, who provided funds to open the silver mines in nearby Tombstone.
On February 15, 1900, it was the scene of a gunfight between lawman Jeff Davis Milton and members of the Burt Alvord gang, resulting in gang member "Three Fingered Jack" Dunlop being killed, and both Milton and gang member Bravo Juan Yaos being wounded, and the gangs attempt at a train robbery being thwarted.
During Fairbank's short heyday the town was home to a post office, established on May 13th, 1883, mills, several rail lines, a school and a hotel. By 1970 almost nothing was left at Fairbank. The last few residents were evicted when the buildings were declared unsafe.
An effort to preserve the remains of Fairbank has been only partially successful. Some buildings remain at the site, but several are in extremely poor condition. The largest remaining structure, a hotel, collapsed in 2004.
Tombstone - The Town Too Tough to Die
We finally made it! We arrived in Tombstone on June 18th. After all these years of talking about Tombstone, it was hard to believe we were there. We were quite surprised.
We imagined Tombstone to be a large City with an "old Tombstone" type area within it where the history, museums, etc. would be. Little did we know that the Tombstone of 2008 is not much different that the Tombstone of 1887.
We arrived mid afternoon and headed downtown to take in the sights. There, we visited the Historama, purchased tickets for the many attractions, and adopted our soon to be permanent shotgun rider "Willie". We toured the OK Corral Museum and watched a historical presentation. A visit to Boothill Cemetery completed our afternoon and we headed back to the hotel.
Walking down the street in the afternoon, we noticed 6 motorbikes - from Calgary no less. Later that evening we met the bikers at the Crystal Palace and exchanged a few road trip stories before heading over to Big Nose Kate's Saloon.
At 8:16 pm, it was still 107° and the air conditioning in the saloon was the pause that refreshed. We then toured a bit around Town before calling it a night.
Thursday June 19 Tombstone
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| What Beuties! |
Today we were entertained with a skit at Helldorado, had our pictures taken in saloon girl outfits, and toured the Rose Tree Museum. In the afternoon, we attended the daily re-enactment of the gunfight at OK Corral and hopped a stage coach for a tour of the Town.
Boothill
Tombstone is also the home of Boothill Graveyard. Boothill began in 1879 and was used until 1884 when the New Tombstone City Cemetery was opened on west Allen Street. After the opening of the new cemetery, Boothill became known as "The Old Cemetery". The City cemetery is still in use today.
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| Boothill Graveyard |
Legend has it that Boothill was named for the fact that many residents there died violent or unexpected deaths and were buried with their boots on.
However, it was actually named Boothill after Dodge City's pioneer cemetery in the hopes of attracting tourists in the late 1920's. Many famous Tombstone folks lie there including the victims of the 1881 Shootout on Fremont Street between the Earps and the Cowboys. For many years, it was neglected. The desert overtook parts of it and vandals removed grave markers.
Then, in the 1920's concerned citizens began the process of cleaning up the Old Cemetery and researching the placement of the graves to preserve it for future generations (and to make a little money on tourism).
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| McLaury Brothers |
Perhaps the most famous of those buried at Boot Hill are Billy Clanton and the McLaury brothers, Frank and Tom. Their grave markers say "murdered on the streets of Tombstone, 1881".
As legend has it, they were shot and killed by the Earp brothers, Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan, and John "Doc" Holiday at the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
OK Corral
The most famous event in Tombstone's history was the famed Gunfight at the OK Corral, which didn't actually happen at the corral, but in a vacant lot on Fremont Street. On October 26, 1881, members of the "Cowboys" had a run-in with Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp with help from Wyatt's friend Doc Holliday. 24 seconds and 30 shots later, Billy Clanton, Tom and Frank McLaury were mortally wounded.
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| OK Corral Museum |
The Earps and the Clantons and the McLaurys were powerful factions in Tombstone and their famous gunfight was not the first conflict they had with each other. The cowboys had many run-ins with the law which brought them into conflict with the Earps on a regular basis.
They also interfered with the Earps' political ambitions, including Wyatt Earps attempt to set up a successful campaign for sheriff. Even without their political conflicts, however, conflict between the two groups seemed almost inevitable. The Clantons and the McLaurys represented lawlessness while the Earps represented the law. Who was right and who was wrong didn't seem to matter.
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| OK Corral |
Tombstone had a city ordinance at the time preventing anyone from carrying firearms. The Cowboys' alleged unwillingness to abide by this ordinance proved a source of much conflict between the two groups.
It was why the Earps pistol whipped a drunken Ike Clanton on the 26th of October. This event was largely the spark that triggered the famous gunfight. It made the Cowboy faction resent the Earps even further and made the Earps more determined than ever to disarm any Cowboys in the town. Thus, they marched over to where the Clantons and the McLaurys had congregated behind the OK Corral and demanded that they disarm. They did not, and a gunfight ensued.
There was much controversy over whether or not the cowboys were even armed and the trial that ensued failed to prove or disprove anything. Much has been written over the years about who really was an outlaw and who really was a good guy. The truth will never be fully known. Only the streets of Tombstone and it's ghosts know for sure.
Helldorado
Helldorado, a nickname for Tombstone, Arizona (and variation of El Dorado) was created in the 1880's by a disgruntled miner who wrote a letter to the Tombstone Nugget newspaper complaining about trying to find his fortune and ending up washing dishes.
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| Heldorado |
The mines filled with water and the demonetization of silver passed. Tombstone was fast becoming a ghost town. When Breckenridge published his book, Helldorado, in 1928, Tombstone once again attracted national attention.
The town with a bank of memories polished up its gunfighter image and became an important tourist attraction. In 1929 the first annual Helldorado Days celebration was held.
The Bird Cage Theater
The Bird Cage Theatre is another story. It was a saloon, theatre, gambling hall and brothel. No self-respecting woman in town would even walk on the same side of the street as the Bird Cage Theatre. It opened its doors on Christmas Day 1881 and ran 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year until closing its doors in 1889. In 1882, The New York Times reported, "the Bird Cage Theatre is the wildest, wickedest night spot between Basin Street and the Barbary Coast." Evidence of this can still be seen in the 140 bullet holes that have been found in the walls and ceiling.
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| Bird Cage Theatre |
The Bird Cage was named for the cage style crib compartments suspended from the ceiling. It was in these fourteen draped "Bird Cages" that the "ladies of the evening" entertained their customers.
They were the inspiration for the song, "She's only a bird in a gilded cage", which was quite popular during the early 1900's. The Bird Cage is perhaps the most authentic tourist attraction in Tombstone. It still contains most of the relics, furniture, window coverings and even poker tables that existed in its wild west hey day during the late 1800s.
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| Horse & Buggy Tour |
The Horse & Buggy Tour
This tour took us all through the streets of Tombstone. We passed all the major attractions, Wyatt Earp's House, Town Hall, The Birdcage and the Sheriff's Office. It was certainly entertaining.
A Little Tombstone History
Tombstone was founded in 1877 by a prospector named Ed Schieffelin. Ed was staying at what was then called Camp Huachuca (wa-chu-ka) as part of a scouting expedition against the Chiricahua (chir-i-cow-uh) Apache.
During his time there he would venture out into the wilderness "looking for rocks", all the while ignoring the warnings he received from the soldiers at the camp.They would tell him, "Ed, the only stone you will find out there will be your tombstone".
Well, Ed did find his stone. And it was Silver. So, remembering the words of warning from the soldiers, he named his first mine The Tombstone.
By the mid 1880's Tombstone's population had increased to around 7,500. This figure includes only white male registered voters over 21 years of age. If you take into account the women, children, Chinese and the many "ladies of the evening" the estimates are that the population was between 15,000 and 20,000 people. At its peak, it was the fastest growing city between St. Louis and San Francisco. There were over one hundred saloons, numerous restaurants, a large red-light district, an even larger Chinese population, schools, churches, newspapers, and one of the first public swimming pools in Arizona (which is still used today).
While the area later became notorious for saloons, gambling houses, and the famous Wyatt Earp & Clanton Gang shoot-out at the O.K. Corral, in the 1880s Tombstone was larger than Tucson and had become the most cultivated city in the West. In 1886 massive amounts of underground water filled the near 200 miles of mines and combined with the falling silver prices the boom ended. Having survived the Great Depression, removal of the county seat to Bisbee, and numerous city fires, Tombstone became known as the "Town Too Tough To Die."
Fires swept through Tombstone twice. Legend has it that in June of 1881 a cigar ignited a barrel of whiskey at the Arcade Saloon. The subsequent fire destroyed over 60 businesses in the downtown area. But the town rebuilt itself and kept on growing. In May of 1882 another fire ripped through downtown Tombstone destroying a large portion of the business district. Again, the town rebuilt.
Tombstone's Mining History
One interesting historical fact learned, was the irony of how the mines declined. Since Tombstone was in the desert, a pipeline was built to supply the town with water. No sooner was this pipeline built than Tombstone's silver mines struck water.
After the mid-1880s, when the silver mines had been tapped out, the main pump failed, causing many mines to be flooded with deep groundwater. As a result of relative lack of water and quick wooden construction, Tombstone experienced major fires in June 1881 and May 1882. The second fire was particularly destructive and signaled the end of the classic old boomtown mining city.
The second interesting fact we learned was that Tombstone’s rich mining history left an impending threat to the environment and residents of the area-- problems that are only now starting to be faced. Deposits of toxic metals including zinc, lead and arsenic lurk silently in the soil at the Boston Mill tailings site, eight miles southwest of Tombstone, adjacent to the San Pedro River.
Miners removed the valuable metals but the toxic ones were left behind and for the most part ignored, until now. Today, not only are scientists trying to clean up a section of the site, they are using it as a trial study to find a safe and cost efficient way to neutralize hazardous metals in tailings sites across the southwest.
“The problem is much more widespread than people like to think,” said Peter Reinthal, associate curator and associate professor with the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. “There are 60,000 abandoned or inactive mines in Arizona.
Amazing, that over 120 years later, we are cleaning up after a generation that had no idea what deadly footprints they would leave on this earth. Makes one wonder just what mess this generation will leave behind.
Tombstone, while not what we expected, was certainly everything we could have hoped for and more. I definitely want to go back there.
Friday June 20 - Tombstone to Eagar, Arizona
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| Tombstone Epitaph |
We collected our free copy of the Epitaph newspaper, took one final pass around town and with Willie riding shotgun, we "moseyed on outta town".
Leaving Tombstone, we followed Hwy 80 which connected with Hwy 90 taking us on into Bisbee and eventually Douglas at the Mexican border.
Bisbee, Arizona
Bisbee was founded as a copper, gold, and silver mining town in 1880, and named in honor of Judge DeWitt Bisbee, one of the financial backers of the adjacent Copper Queen Mine.
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| Peace Wall |
In 1929, the county seat was moved from Tombstone to Bisbee, where it remains.
A syndicated television series which aired from 1956-1958, Sheriff of Cochise starring John Bromfield, was filmed in Bisbee.
By 1950, boom times were over and the population of the City of Bisbee had dropped to less than 6,000, but the introduction of open-pit mining and continued underground work would see the town escape the fate of many of its early contemporaries.
However, in 1975 the Phelps Dodge Corporation finally halted its Bisbee copper-mining operations. The resulting exodus of mine employees might have been the end of the town but Bisbee survived and remains as the county seat.
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| Mexican Border |
Mexican Border
We travelled right to the Mexican border just so we could say we were there. Our intention was to turn north on hwy 191, however the few extra miles to the border was worth being able to say "we saw it".
We'd gone as far south this trip as we could go and normally it would be slightly depressing to turn north to head for home. This year felt completely different because we knew we still had new roads to explore ahead of us. The internet is a wonderful tool. Karen had simply typed the words "switchback roads in America" and found a multitude of unique highways to investigate. Two roads in particular fell into both our travel plans and the unexplored category.
The first was the southern portion of Hwy 191. Eastern Arizona is reputed to have one of the curviest stretches of pavement in the continental US. This would be the section of Hwy 191 which lies between Clifton and Alpine, Arizona. We had travelled the northern portion of Hwy 191 several times and were completely unaware of what we were missing. Fortunately for us, Hwy 191 begins at the Mexican border just southeast of Tombstone, zigzagging it's way north, ultimately leading us to our favourite red rock locations.
The second is the comparatively shorter road called the Burr Trail, from Bullfrog to Boulder, Utah.
Both of these roads took us through unbelievably beautiful countryside from the flatlands to tops of mountains and down again - so many times, we lost count of the mountain ranges we crossed over. Before we'd gotten home, we were again saying.....we have to do this run again!!!
Highway 191 - The Devil's Highway
We backtracked from the Mexican Border and headed north on Highway 191. Karen had searched the internet and MapQuest to find new and interesting roads for us to explore. What she found was highway 191.
We have travelled the northern part of highway 191 and, although it is quit a scenic and enjoyable drive, it was not really remarkable or unique. Not to be said, however, for it's southern end. It was an absolutely incredible drive. The twists, turns, hills, switchbacks, and valleys totally thrilled us.
When the road was first proposed in 1916, an old cowboy said "There ain' t even a good horse trail."
Highway 191 is the only road that had its name changed by the Bible. US 191 was US 666 and nicknamed "The Devil's Highway." Over the years, U.S. 666 has sometimes been the object of controversy because "666" is the "number of the beast" (or Antichrist) in the Bible. Revelation 13:18 states:
Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast,
or it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
or it is the number of a man: His number is 666.
Jonathan D. Rosenblum wrote "Route 666 rides the rugged eastern seam of Arizona from the Petrified Forest, south, across the Zuni River, through the Apache National Forest, and into the mountain mining towns of Clifton and Morenci. Unlike the straightforward, gentle passage of retired Route 66 ("America's Highway"), U.S. 666, its descendant, is tortuous, wild, and as strange as its name. In little more than one hundred miles, the surrounding altitude ranges from twenty-nine hundred feet to more than eleven thousand feet. With some four hundred twisting curves in one sixty-mile stretch, the road has sent more than its share of travelers crashing off cliffs. If, as Nat King Cole sang, drivers get their kicks on Route 66, they take their risks on 666."
On May 31, 2003, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials approved a new number "191" for the remaining segments of U.S. 666 in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.
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| Francisco Vazquez de Coronado |
The Coronado Trail
The Coronado Trail Scenic Byway is an adventure of over 400 switchbacks, steep grades, and hairpin turns. In some parts, you cannot travel at more than 10 to 15 miles an hour. The road reaches elevations over 9,000 feet and lacks guardrails. It was fantastic!!!
The Coronado Trail got its name from the explorations of the Spanish conquistador Francisco Vazquez de Coronado, who came searching for the non-existent Seven Cities of Gold.
But for today's drivers, the riches of Coronado Trail are evident and enjoyable. Steep and winding, with frightening drop-offs, it has an eerie absence of human habitation.
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| Hwy 191 Coronado Trail |
The Coronado Trail passes through the White Mountains, with about 6,000 feet of elevation change. The scenery ranges from the red-rock country north of Clifton to a magnificent pine forest, most of it in the Apache National Forest.
There are more than 500 separate curves between Morenci and Springerville which is one reason why the Coronado Trail is reputed to be the least-traveled federal highway in the nation.
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| Hwy 191 |
According to the state Highway Department, cars on this road are spaced an average of 19 minutes apart. And that's including rush hour. Plus, it's about 100 miles between gas stations. Wildlife sightings are common, especially around dusk, so caution is a must.
Clifton, Arizona
Clifton and it's neighbor Morenci are mining towns. Copper mining is a depressed industry, so these towns appear to be slowly dying. But there is history here. Geronimo, the famous Apache war chief was born near here.
Several pieces of history are on display for travellers to investigate. This locomotive from the Coronado Railroad is open to the public and well as other pieces of equipment.
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| Clifton Jail |
Clifton's first jail was carved out of the mountainside.! The jail has two cells, one with a window, and one without. To enter the cells you first must descend a flight of stairs, which takes you underground. Then you go into the mountain, into a central room, where the doors to both cells are located.
The story also says that the stonemason who built the jail, Margarito Verala, went out celebrating after getting his cheque when the job was done, got drunk, shot up the dance hall, and wound up being the first guest at the new jail.
The situation of the town was such that it was subject to dangerous floods which time and time again took lives and destroyed property. The greatest flood occurred on December 4, 1906, when it rained continuously for thirty hours. Although most of the citizens took refuge on higher ground, eighteen people were killed by this flood. No serious flood has occurred since 1916.
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| The Copperhead #8 Locomotive |
The mining industry relied heavily on the railroads which is true even still today. The little locomotive on display in Clifton next to the Old Jail is the #8 locomotive or “The Copperhead”. The #8 locomotive was used to haul ore between Clifton and Longfellow.
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| Historic Main Street |
The historical main town street appears to have been desolate for years, ever since the Phelps Dodge Mining Company moved the main road. Almost everything is boarded up and deserted.
The outer town of Clifton is populated, although dwindling due to slow-down in mine operations again.
Whole towns like Strargo, Metcalf, and Newtown have fallen victim to the mining operations and ended up inside the great pit and many residents feel that it is just a matter of time before Clifton follows the same fate.
Seeking the riches of the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola, Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado's 1540 route ran close to this scenic Byway. Coronado looked in vain for cities of gold as he traveled past Morenci in 1540. Prospectors 340 years later found veins of copper, silver, turquoise and gold.
Morenci, Arizona
At one point, the mine and the town itself, was owned by the Phelps Dodge Company. It was the largest operating open-pit copper mine in the country. May still be, but it's current ownership - according to the "Keep Out" signs posted along the fences is now Freeport - McMoran.
The colossal destruction of land as far as the eye could see was both impressive and devastating at the same time. Whole towns have been wiped off the face of the earth because they had the misfortune to build on land the company wanted. It simply repossessed the properties and people were often forced to just abandon their homes and leave town. The immense loss of wildlife and natural habitat is unfathomable. And the pit just keeps on growing.
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| Old Morenci Mexicano Cemetery |
Old Morenci Mexicano Cemetery
Along the road there is a cemetery. We almost missed it as it is on the side of a mountain and blends right into it. The cemetery is almost hidden by overgrown vegetation and brush.
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| The Elk |
Apache National Forest
As we approached a meadow we noticed herd of Elk in a frantic run. Before I could stop the car and Karen could get her camera focused on them, it became apparent why they were running. A bear was chasing them.
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| The Bear |
Although the Elk were obviously in a panic, it really didn't appear that the bear was doing anything more than "having fun" or perhaps he knew he'd never be able to catch them.
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| The Outhouse Alternative |
The Outhouse Alternative
Apparently, I would prefer the bushes over a smelly outhouse!! Picture compliments of Karen!!
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| Madonna of the Trail |
Madonna of the Trail, Eagar, Arizona
This 10 foot high, 5 ton statue, cast by St Louis sculptor August Leimbach is on of 12 identical monuments to the bold spirit of the pioneers, erected in 1928-29 along the national old trails road from Maryland to California.
Madonna of the Trail is a series of 12 identical monuments dedicated to the spirit of pioneer women in the United States. The monuments were commissioned by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) during the administration of President General Grace Lincoln Hall Brosseau. They were installed in each of the 12 states along the National Old Trails Road, which extended from Cumberland, Maryland, to Upland, California.
Saturday June 21 - Eagar to Bluff
Petrified Forest National Park
Increased tourist and commercial interest in petrified wood during the late 19th century began to alarm residents of the region. In 1895, the Arizona Territorial Legislature asked the U.S. Congress to create a petrified forest national park. Although this first attempt failed, in 1906 the Antiquities Act signed by President Theodore Roosevelt was used to create the Petrified Forest National Monument as the second national monument. The monument became a national park in 1962.
It is one of the world's largest and most colorful concentrations of petrified wood, multi-hued badlands of the Painted Desert, historic structures, archeological sites, and displays of over 200-million-year-old fossils.
The Petrified Forest was discovered thousands of years ago by American Indians and was inhabited by groups of them for varying lengths of time. More than 650 American Indian sites have been found in the park.
Petrified Forest National Park straddles the border between Apache County and Navajo County in northeastern Arizona. The park is about 30 miles long from north to south. Interstate 40, former U.S. Route 66, the BNSF Railway, and the Puerco River bisect the park generally east–west.
We were a bit disappointed in the Park. I'm not sure whether it was because we didn't spend enough time there, or that we prefer to discover spectacular out of the way site's on our own, or that we had to pay to travel through it.
Driving through the park was just that - a means to get to the other side. We can say "we saw it" and that's good enough for us.
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| 1931 Studebaker |
Interstate 40
We followed the highway up to I 40 and passed another short section of Route 66 we'd seen on another return trip.
We picked up highway 40, then west through the Hopi Indian Reservation to Tuba City.
At Kayenta, we visited the hospital on the chance that the nurse that took care of Karen in 2003 was there. No such luck and Karen was a bit disappointed. She has wanted to stop and visit him since that fateful night.
Also, no luck on a hotel room in Kayenta so we headed north on highway 163 to Monument Valley. We phoned ahead for a reservation at Bluff and managed to get one of the cabins at the Desert Rose Inn - one of our favourite places to stay.
Bluff, Utah
Now all we had to do was simply relax and tour around the area. For many years we have been saying we wanted to come back to the Bluff area, and spend a few days just touring around.
This was the year. Nights in Bluff are incredibly peaceful. We just sat outside taking in the "still of the night".
Sunday June 22 - Bluff, Monument Valley, Hwy 261
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| Painted Desert Morning |
Painted Desert - Morning
This morning we decided to head to Monument Valley. On route Karen was thrilled to discover a "painted desert" formation - something we had never noticed before.
We were travelling in the area in the morning rather than afternoon and evening and things looked quite different. With the sun being in the east instead of the west, the monuments looked quite different.
Monument Valley
There was a morning haze giving everything a completely different look. Bypassing Valley of the Gods and highway 261 was a difficult thing to do but we knew we would be back. We made a short detour on a side road then moved on to our Monument Valley day.
With Karen hanging out the sun roof and Willie riding shotgun, we travelled on the "most photographed road" highway - 163 heading into Monument Valley Pass.
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| Hwy 163 Monument Pass |
Hwy 163 Monument Pass
You don't realize how busy that highway is until you try snapping pictures of a barren road without oncoming cars. We were almost ready to put up a roadblock until finally there was a gap in the traffic.
Although we have been to Monument Valley many times, we have never toured through the Navajo Nation's Monument Valley Park. This year - true to our fill in the gaps theme - we decided to take the time to tour through the park. There is a new hotel in the park, the View Hotel. We will have to keep this hotel in mind for another trip.
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| Doreen's Favourite Picture |
As soon as we entered, we knew we were in for a treat. The parking lot was humming with tour guides in vehicles that made us wonder what the heck we were heading into. It appeared that we needed some sort of all terrain vehicle or at least a beat up truck.
However, brave as we are, we struck out unguided in the Murano and hit the first wild, bumpy, rutted, steep and (maybe we shouldn't be doing this) road. Of course, we loved every minute of it. It wasn't long before everything smoothed out and we toured on the park's 17 mile road for several hours.
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| Karen's Favourite Picture |
Goulding
We stopped at Goulding on our way out to eat supper. After visiting John Wayne's cabin we said good-bye to Monument Valley and headed down the road to Mexican Hat.
Having Karen's new camera with us again this year made all the difference in the quality of the pictures we took. It's a great camera and all Karen did was point and click. The pictures turned out so great we can only imagine what she could do with the camera if she had some lessons for it. Or, maybe, no knowledge is better - just let the camera do the work!!
Both our favorite pictures capture the feeling of the area. In my favorite, you feel the coolness under the trees with the monuments baking in the heat beyond. In Karen's, the background almost doesn't look real - more like a painting or mural of the monuments as a backdrop behind the wagon.
Mexican Hat
Mexican Hat is actually a tiny town on the San Juan River just outside the northern boundary of the Navajo Nation and Monument Valley on highway 163. The name "Mexican Hat" comes from a curiously sombrero-shaped, 60-foot wide by 12-foot thick, rock outcropping on the northeast edge of town.
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| Mexican Hat |
We have passed this rock many times. This year, we visited. We took a bouncy dirt road leading to the rock. Although there are two paths to climb the rock, we opted for viewing from the bottom. Just a short walk from the base of the rock, there is a terrific view of the winding San Juan River.
Goosenecks State Park
We have passed the turnoff for Goosenecks State Park many times over the years while going to or from Moki Dugway and Valley of the Gods. We have always been curious about the Park and this year we travelled the short four miles to it from highway 261.
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| Goosenecks - San Juan River |
Goosenecks State Park overlooks a deep meander of the San Juan River. Millions of years ago, the Monument Upwarp forced the river to carve incised meanders over 1,000 feet deep as the surrounding landscape slowly rose in elevation.
Eroded by water, wind, frost, and gravity, this is a classic location for observing incised meanders. The river meanders back and forth, flowing for more than five miles while progressing only one linear mile toward the Colorado River and Lake Powell.
Today, we seemed to save the best for last. The anticipation grew. It was now finally time to head back to our favourite road - highway 261 and the Moki Dugway.
Highway 261 - Trail of the Ancients - Day 1
The Trail of the Ancients is a collection of scenic byways in the American Southwest that pass through Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The trail includes archaeological and geological sites that provide insight into the lives of the Ancestral Puebloans and other indigenous peoples.
Moki Dugway is part of the 116 miles federally designated National Scenic Byway known as The Trail of the Ancients.
The Trail, in the heart of the Colorado Plateau, circles through the ancient Puebloan (Anasazi) Country. It includes Hovenweep National Monument, Edge of the Cedars State Park and Museum, Butler Wash and Mule Canyon Indian ruins, Natural Bridges National Monument, Grand Gulch Primitive Area, Valley of the Gods, Gooseneck State Park, Monument Valley, Historic Bluff, Three Kiva Pueblo and Four Corners Monument.
Arriving back on highway 261 is a good feeling for us. As much as it never seems to change - it really never stays the same. Karen even notices when some rocks have moved or a part of the road is changed - sometimes made wider and sometimes missing a shoulder.
This year we noticed a wreck over the cliff and we are absolutely sure we never saw that before. Whether it was a prop or an actual accident, it reminds us that although the road is stimulating, exciting and fun to drive - it can also be very dangerous.
Highway 261 makes you feel like you are on top of the world - and you are!! We never tire of it. It was early evening so there was very little traffic on the road.
Because it was early evening there was very little traffic on the road. We could stop and view from just about anywhere. After driving up and down a couple of times the sun was starting to set and it was time to call it a day. We planned to visit highway 261 again before we left the area.
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| Painted Desert - Afternoon |
Painted Desert - Afternoon
As we headed back to Bluff we noticed that the painted desert looked completely different now with the sun setting than it had that morning. Burgundy was gone and brilliant oranges were dominant.
Monday June 23 - Bluff, Canyonlands, Manti-La Sal
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| Church Rock |
Church Rock
We headed out to the Canyonlands area. Of course we had to stop so Karen could get a picture of Church Rock. I don't know why this rock fascinates her. I think she just wants to know what is in that hole at it's base.
Surfing I found some information about Church Rock. "The opening to Church Rock is approximately 16 feet high and 24 feet across. It was cut by Marie Ogden's religious cult to make a church. They had plans to hollow out the entire center. These plans were never finished."
Who knows? This may or may not be true, but the story of Marie Ogden is certainly very interesting. Church Rock - Wikipedia
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| Wilson Arch |
Wilson Arch
Wilson Arch was named after Joe Wilson, a local pioneer who had a cabin nearby. It is a natural sandstone arch. It has a span of 91 feet and height of 46 feet. It is visible from the road to the east where there are turnouts with interpretive signs.
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| Hole in the Rock |
Hole in the Rock
After visiting Wilson Arch and grabbed some ice cream at the site, Hole in the Rock, we headed into Canyonlands. In 2005 we took a quick run into Canyonlands bit were on our way home so didn't do it justice. This was the year to finally tour in earnest.
Canyonlands National Park
Canyonlands National Park is located in southeastern Utah near the town of Moab. The park preserves a colorful landscape eroded into numerous canyons, mesas, and buttes by the Colorado River, the Green River, and their respective tributaries. Legislation creating the park was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 12, 1964.
The park is divided into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the combined rivers—the Green and Colorado which carved two large canyons into the Colorado Plateau. While these areas share a primitive desert atmosphere, each retains its own character.
Needles Overlook
The half hour drive into the Needles Overlook was really worth it. There was no one else around and Karen and I spent the next half hour just viewing and relaxing.
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| No Fear! |
We were not really sure what the Needles were and what we were supposed to be looking at, but just being at the top of the overlook was more than enough to thrill us.
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| Total Fear! |
Karen stood as close to the edge as possible. She may "look" like an angel in the sky but don't be fooled. I sat safely about 15 feet away.
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| View from the Edge |
Being the nasty person that Karen is, she stood waiting with camera ready to capture the moment I happened to look over the edge. She didn't even warn me.
Just don't look down!
Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument
We left the overlook with the intention of taking the lower road into Needles. We stopped at Newspaper Rock, and headed up the road to Needles but it was too late in the day. We turned back toward highway 191 and stopped at Newspaper Rock again.
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| Newspaper Rock |
Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument is located 25 miles north and west of Monticello in eastern Utah. The Monument features a flat rock with one of the largest known collections of petroglyphs.
The petroglyphs were carved by Native Americans during both the prehistoric and historic periods. Dating the rock carvings is difficult. The reason for the large concentration of the petroglyphs is unclear, making the rock somewhat of a mystery.
Manti-La Sal National Forest
Karen found a forestry road for us to take back to Monticello. It was getting late in the day and we were heading deeper into the forest. I had visions of getting lost, spending the night in the bush, and meeting face to face with Bigfoot himself.
We have never seen so many deer anywhere we have travelled. There were thousands of them and not just in the trees. They were grazing at the side of the road pretty well oblivious to us.
Karen was standing out of the sunroof taking picture after picture. Soon it became to dark for the camera to catch them without a flash.
Verdure Ghost Town
It was nearly dark by the time we reached highway 191. We noticed a historical marker for the ghost town of Verdure. We never noticed this before and stopped to read it. Verdure, originally named South Montezuma and settled in March, 1887, is the oldest Mormon settlement in the Blue Mountain Region. Settlers set up camp at Verdure to prepare for a permanent settlement at Monticello.
Tuesday June 24 - Bluff to Torrey
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| Valley of the Gods |
Valley of the Gods
We left Bluff and travelled a couple of miles west to the SE entrance of Valley of the Gods. The last time the Murano had travelled this road was in August the year before, just after a rainstorm and a couple of the runoff areas had been washed out and muddy.
This year, the sun was shining, no other tourists invaded our space and for an hour and a half we had the world to ourselves.
We took a multitude of photos and then drove out onto Hwy 261 at the base of the butte.
Highway 261 Nightmare - June 24th
At the bottom of the Moki Dugway on Hwy261 there is a turnaround where those less adventurous can about-face instead of climbing the butte. A fully loaded tractor trailer with a secondary pup full of sheep was pulling back onto the road from the turnout so we pulled into turnout to give him room to pass - assuming he had mistakenly taken a wrong road.
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| OMG What was that? |
Half way up the butte - we came upon two cars of women and kids, one of which was attempting to back down the treacherous gravel road. A glance to the right gave us the explanation why someone would back up at this point.
Rounding the narrow bend on the next curve - heading in our direction was a fully loaded tractor trailer. We were stunned as there was no doubt the clearly marked road restriction signs posted were intended for this type of vehicle. We suddenly realized that the first truck we'd seen at the bottom had not been turning around but had also just come down the butte.
The truck passed our 3 cars, precariously pulled off to the side and Karen yelled at the two men "Are you crazy" and they laughed as the drove by leaving a cloud of dust. Out came the camera and his license plate was recorded. Maybe the Utah Dept of Transport won't think it's so funny.
Lake Powell Ferry
Following our little adventure on the butte, we continued north on Hwy 261 to the junction of Hwy 95 and a short jaunt into Natural Bridges National Monument. We found out from the gatekeeper that the ferry over Lake Powell closed earlier than realized and we would have to hustle to make it that day. So off we went, skipping the Natural Bridges for another time.
We followed Hwy 276 to Hall's Crossing and pretty much drove right onto the ferry with a scant few seconds to spare.
The captain of the ferry recognized our license plate and came over to chat, as it turned out his mother was raised in Cardston, Alberta, a small town just south of Calgary.
We thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing boat ride, soaking up the sun and snapping pictures of the sparkling water and surrounding landscapes. When we reached the other side at Bullfrog, we had to make a decision - follow Hwy 276 up to 95 again into Hanksville or take the mountain pass up the Burr Trail over to Boulder. We were told the Burr Trail might be difficult because it had snowed the day before. "Might" was good enough for us. Undeterred, we hit the Burr Trail.
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| John Atlantic Burr's Cattle Trail |
Burr Trail - Bullfrog to Boulder
The Burr Trail is a backcountry route connecting Bullfrog and Boulder. It passes through the painted rock country of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Capitol Reef National Park, and Grand Staircase-Escalante.
The route is named after John Atlantic Burr born in 1846. He and his family lived in Salt Lake City, then later moved south and established the town of Burrville, Utah in 1876.
John Burr soon developed a trail to move cattle back and forth between winter and summer ranges and to market. The Burr Trail evolved into a road in the 1940 when it served at the main corridor for mineral exploration. Claims to oil, coal, and uranium were made by local residents and by companies from aound the country.
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| Burr Trail |
This cattle trail through the rough, nearly impassable country around the Waterpocket Fold, Burr Canyon, and Muley Twist Canyon came to be known as the Burr Trail.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
The Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument is a National monument protecting the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante (Escalante River).
The Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument was established in 1996 by President Bill Clinton under the authority of the Antiquities Act.
The land is among the most remote in the country; it was the last to be mapped in the contiguous United States. The monument stretches from the towns of Big Water, Glendale, and Kanab, Utah in the southwest to Escalante and Boulder in the northeast.
Update: January 2025
After a reduction ordered by presidential proclamation (Trump) in December 2017, the monument reduced to 1,003,863 acres but it was restored to 1,870,000 on October 8, 2021 (Biden). It will be interesting to see what Trump does now.
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Torrey. Utah
Torrey, with a population of under 200, is eight miles from Capitol Reel National Park. The town was established in the 1880s by Mormon settlers, and was initially known as Youngtown, after John Willard Young. It is generally held to be named after Jay L. Torrey from Pittsfield, Illinois, who, upon the advent of the Spanish-American War, achieved national attention by proposing the creation of what became three volunteer cavalry regiments, made up of cowboys and stockmen.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of one square kilometer (0.4 square mile), none of which is covered with water.
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| Torrey Log School and Church |
Torrey Log School and Church
On September 18th, 1898, the meeting house for the Torrey saints was started. This one room log structure was constructed on the Torrey LDS lot, with the local settlers furnishing labor, cash, or materials.
A school was also opened in this building on December 19th, 1898. It was used for meetings and voting until the 1970’s.
In 1991, the old log building was moved. Local farmers, loggers, and contractors donated the labor and equipment. During the summer of 1994, with a grant from the Utah State Historical Society, the building was moved again to its final resting place.
Chuckwagon Motel
We stayed at the Chuck Wagon motel again but sadly not in one of the cabins. Nevertheless, the peaceful surrounding were the same, the weather was perfect, and our tour of Torrey in the morning was well worth it.
We drove around the town taking in the feel of the history behind it. Many original buildings are still being used.
Karen found a house for sale and for some reason she fell in love with it. It was just an old house, nothing special but I'm sure if she had the money the sale would have been sealed before we left Torrey.
Maybe some day we will be rich enough to satisfy our silly whims.
Wednesday June 25 - Torrey to Beaver
Capitol Reef National Park
Capitol Reef National Park, called "Wayne Wonderland" in the 1920s, comprises 378 square miles of colorful canyons, ridges, buttes, and monoliths. About 75 miles of the long up-thrust called the Waterpocket Fold, extending like a rugged spine from Thousand Lake Plateau southward to Lake Powell, is preserved within the park boundary.
Capitol Reef is the name of an especially rugged and spectacular part of the Waterpocket Fold near the Fremont River. In the early 1880s, settlers moved into Capitol Reef country.
Tiny communities sprung up along the life-sustaining Fremont River. Junction (later renamed Fruita), Caineville and Aldridge were created. Fruita prospered. Caineville barely survived and Aldridge died.
Fruita
We took the short side trip to Fruita before heading to the Grande Staircase - Esclalante. For some reason I remembered the school house on the main highway so I knew we had been there before but we didn't stop that time. Karen didn't remember travelling down this road. We toured around Fruita for a short time taking in the sites.
Fruita is really well maintained and quite scenic - an unlikely lush oasis in the middle of the hot desert sun.
Fruita, located at the confluence of Fremont River and Sulphur Creek, was established in 1880 by Mormons under the name "Junction". In 1900 Fruita was named The Eden of Wayne County for its large orchards. It became know as Fruita in 1902 or 1904.
Of all the places in Utah for Mormons to create a community, Fruita might be one of the most difficult. Fronted by tens of thousands of square miles of desert, along a wild river prone to serious flooding, and in an area so remote that paved roads did not arrive until the 1960s, it is perhaps of little wonder Fruita, for most of its life, was home to no more than eight to 10 families.
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| Fruita School House |
Fruita School House
Today few buildings remain, except for the restored (in 1966) schoolhouse and the Gifford house and barn. The one-room schoolhouse was built and opened in 1896. It was also used for balls and religious services.
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| Gifford Barn |
Fruita today is the heart and administrative center of Capitol Reef National Park.The orchards remain, now under the ownership of the National Park Service, and have about 2,500 trees.
The orchards are preserved by the NPS as a "historic landscape" and a small crew takes care of them, pruning, irrigating, replanting, and spraying.
Karen wanted to pick fruit but my picker days from the orchards in Penticton said "NO - NO WAY". I suppose putting aside my memories of the hot, itchy, grueling, back breaking, bug bitten job of picking would have been easy but "NO - NO WAY". I certainly would have waited though in the comfort on the air conditioned car while she did the picking.
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| Gooseneck Point |
Gooseneck Point
Gooseneck Point is in Capitol Reef National Park about a mile down the road just west of the visitor center. It's amazing that we can take in these sites and be virtually the only people there.
Highway 12, Utah
State Route 12 or Scenic Byway 12, a Journey Through Time Scenic Byway, is a 123 miles long. It was designated an All-American Road located in Garfield County and Wayne County, Utah.
We backtracked to Torrey and headed west on Highway 12 toward Bolder. We were on this road in 2005 and wanted to drive it again.
Hogsback
Specifically though, what we wanted to see was the Hogsback a short strip of about two blocks, that is a real heart stopper. The information sign reads "Take a Deep Breath. As you drive over the narrow ridge of the Hogsback, it is easy to imagine that you are walking on a circus high wire". Exactly!!
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| Hogsback |
In preparation for this two block drive, Karen was hanging out the sunroof camera in hand. Try as we might, it's just not easy to get the feel of the road on camera. Coming up to it you wonder what all the hype is about.
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| Hogsback Curves |
Then suddenly, you are maneuvering twists and turns on a narrow highway with relatively no shoulder - and the edges on both sides go straight down! It really does feel like you are on the high wire. And we love it! Sometimes I think listening to Karen is as much fun as the road itself.
Boynton Overlook
It's not very often that I get to be right. This was one of those rare moments. (I think the last one was back in 2006 in Death Valley - but that is another story.)
I told Karen I remembered stopping at this lookout the last time we were on this road. She insisted we didn't and I insisted that the picture we had was exactly right here. It wasn't until we pulled over that it all came back to her.
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| Boynton Overlook |
Of course I just had to take another picture of her in case I wanted to rub in the "I was right" later on - like right now. The view from the overlook is breathtaking. Willie was really impressed and I was, quite simply, feeling pretty smug.
Highway 153 - Junction to Beaver, Utah
We left highway 12 and headed west on the Old Escalante Road (NF-17) over the mountain through the Dixie National Forest to Widtsoe. Widtsoe is a ghost town in located in Johns Valley northeast of Bryce Canyon and along the Sevier River at the mouth of Sweetwater Creek. The town existed about 1908–1936.
Then we headed north on highway 22 (Johns Valley Road) to Antimony (sounds like matrimony). From there we drove west on highway 62 to highway 89 and north to Junction. Along the way we came across a ghost town.
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| Osiris Creamery |
Osiris Creamery
Between Widstoe and Antimony we passed the remains of Osiris Creamery. Osiris was founded by E. F. Holt, in the late 1920s. Holt built a rock-walled creamery at Osiris, in Black Canyon, which was later converted into a grain processing plant.
At Junction we stopped at the gas station and asked the locals about the mountain pass to Beaver. They advised that it had snowed the night before but it should be clear and with a four wheel drive we would have no problem. Good enough for us!.
We connected with highway 153 and headed out through Fishlake National Forest to Beaver. It wasn't long before we hit the gravel and uphill. We were happy!
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| Gun Sit Flat |
Gun Site Flat
After long climb uphill the roads flatten out at Gun Site Flat where the deer were again in abundance. They couldn't have cared less that we were there.
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| Puffer Lake |
Puffer Lake
Just after the summit (10,000 feet), we came across Puffer Lake a tranquil oasis at the top of the mountain.
Beaver, Utah
We arrived at Beaver early evening and stayed at the Butch Cassidy Best Western. We toured around the town and got our bearings for next morning.
Thursday June 26 - Beaver to Jackpot
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| Frisco Ghost Town, Nevada |
Frisco
In the morning we crossed under I-15 on our way towards Ely on highway 21. Shortly after Milford we came across a historical marker for Old Frisco Mining Town.
We drove where we were allowed but the warning signs stopped us from investigating closer.
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| Frisco Cemetery |
Frisco was an active mining camp from 1879 to 1929. At its peak in 1885, Frisco was a thriving town of 6,000 people.
With 23 saloons, Frisco was known as the wildest town in the Great Basin. Murder was common, and drinking water had to be freighted in.
We noticed an old homestead along the road and stopped to take some pictures. There was an open tap with water pumping out into some kind of ditch - possibly irrigation.
To see all the water pumping in this totally barren, dry abandoned area was perplexing. We can only guess that it was pulling water from an underground river.
Jackpot
We connected with hwy 6/50 into Ely and north on highway 93 to Jackpot, Nevada. We stayed at Cactus Petes (our usual favorite haunt).
After a swim and supper we relaxed in our room and Karen dyed my hair on the patio. Good thing. I didn't want to be on my holidays with grey hair.
Friday June 27 - Jackpot to Missoula
Sawtooth Scenic Byway, Idaho
The Sawtooth Scenic Byway is the portion of State Highway 75 between Shoshone and Stanley, Idaho. It is a two lane highway that travels through the Sawtooth Valley of central Idaho.
The Byway provides access to Sawtooth National Recreation Area and primarily follows the Big Wood River in the south and the main Salmon River in the north, divided by Galena Summit.
Galena Summit
The summit is on State Highway 75 and is 29 miles northwest of Ketchum and the Sun Valley ski resort. It is the highest summit of a highway in the Northwest.
The summit is 29 miles northwest of Ketchum and the Sun Valley ski resort. It marks the divide between the Big Wood River and Salmon River drainage areas and gives a breathtaking view of the valley and Sawtooth range.
Salmon River Scenic Byway
We continued north on Hwy 75 to Stanley where it becomes the Salmon River Scenic Byway connecting with Hwy 93 at Challis and ending at the Montana border Lost Trail Pass. Historical Marker Database
Lewis and Clark were forced to come this way in 1805 when their native guide lost the trail. The route follows the Salmon River, dubbed "the River of No Return" through the Salmon-Challis National Forest.
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| Salmon River "River of No Return" |
River of No Return
The Salmon River was called “The River of No Return” back in the early days when boats could navigate down the river, but could not get back up through the fast water and numerous rapids. The romantic name lives on today, even though jet boats can navigate upstream.
This area was incredibly beautiful. The spring runoff was forcing the water over the rapids at a thundering speed. It was a spectacular sight. We came across several brave rafters - not something I would want to do.
We were able to take our time travelling and stopped to read several historical markers and investigate some of the small towns and ghost villages scattered along the route.
We stopped at the Salmon-Challis National Forest sign at the Lost Trail Pass to capture some pictures. The last time we were through this area, we encountered a blizzard.
We finally bunked down in Missoula for the night as we wanted to go through Glacier National Park and see the Logan Pass on our final leg home.
Saturday June 28 - Missoula to Calgary
Logan Pass - Glacier National Park
We planned our route and timing so that we could end up in Glacier National Park and finally make it over the Logan Pass. After all the years we tried, we fully expected to be able to see it this year as we were now into the end of June. Much to our disappointment, the pass was once again closed.
We got right to the gates only to be greeted by a line up of cars and closed sign. With much disappointment we turned around and headed home.
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| St. Mary Lake |
St. Mary Lake
We left highway 2 and turned north on to hwy 49 to connect to hwy 89 at Kiowa travelling along Lower St. Mary Lake.
We crossed into Canada at Port of Piegan/Carway. We were pushing now to get home to go to a friend's birthday party. Since we didn't use up our day in Glacier National Park we were on time for good food, good friends and good to be home.
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