A little bit of Arizona

[lr25plt]

Our introduction to Arizona is a rewarding stay in Colorado National Forest where we were able to hike in the Chiricahua Mountains, a wilderness area that houses the Chiricahua National Monument. Much of the plant and animal life here is reflective of Mexico, some 50 miles south and differs from any found elsewhere in Arizona. The Monument, massive stone columns and rocks weighing hundreds of tons, balanced precariously on slender spires. They form a splendid sculpture created by the awesome forces of nature. Volcanic eruptions laid the groundwork and water, wind, and ice sculpted the detail to form the fascinating work of art visible to us today. Cochise Stronghold, in the Dragoon Mountains, a forbidding, almost inaccessible place where Cochise and his followers felt safe. Today, a place to think about the lives lived by the Apachie people before and after the influx of white settlers. Not too many miles north, on the road to Tombstone, we see the remnants of what present day migration has wrought.......Sunizona, Sunsites, and Sunglow....Mobile Home communities all laid out for the influx of white settlers (Retirees) who never came quite this far south. Virtual ghost towns in the middle of no-where.

Tombstone....We came for two days and stayed a week. we re-lived the history of "The Wildest Town in the Wild West". Many buildings are the original structures from the 1880's. The "Town Too Tough to Die" neared extinction when the mines flooded and the railroad elected to lay their track in Tucson, which then became the county seat. The Birdcage Theater, a dance hall and bordello still houses the very furnishings and accessories that were in use when the doors were shuttered and sealed in 1889. The numerous bullet holes attest to the gunfights that were the signature of "The Wildest Town" in the Wild, Wild West. The basement of the Birdcage was the site of the longest running card game ever (over 9 years) and the chairs, tables, chips and bottles remain as they were left when the building was sealed boarded up. Even the dust is undisturbed. In 1934, the present owner was the first to unlock the building in all those years and has left everything as he found it to create what is today, a museum allowing a glimpse of life as it was. Speaking of life as it was, we
sampled every saloon in "The Wildest Town" in the Wild, Wild West. And that's no small feat.

We have immersed ourselves so deeply in the cowboy lore of our early west that I feel as if I've become personally acquainted with the people behind the names of both the famous and infamous characters of the Wild West of the 1800's.

Tumacacori lets us see a different style of an earlier time. In the 1600's the Christian Missionaries from New Spain were reaching further north into what would become Arizona in their quest to bring Christianity to the Natives. One such missionary, Father Kino, brought more than religion. An accomplished astronomer and mapmaker, he drew the first accurate maps of the territory. He also introduced new agricultural techniques and crops which ultimately led to the means for the old cultures to live and evolve into the new. The various Indian cultures accepted and incorporated the understanding and respect that he showed to them and were thus able to live and work together. The Mission Chruch built for Father Kino still stands as testament to the changes he brought to the area. Isn't it too bad we don't have a Father Kino to send to the Middle-East today?

Tucson....An attractive city with its' own identity. Colorful structures, interesting architectual designs, all maintaining their southwestern flavor. Good restaurants employing good chefs. Old Tucson entertained us with Patriotic Musical Reviews, Quick Draw demonstrations, slapstick comedy shows and gunfighter competitions.
One of the best offerings though is Saguaro National Park. Hiking in the Sonoran Desert where we were probably the only two fools willing to venture out into 100 degree F recorded temperatures. It was much hotter in the sun, but, we survived with plenty of water and enjoyed (did I really say enjoyed?) a true desert experience. The opportunity to absord all that nature has created there without intrusion of any sound other than that of the desert. The feeling of solitude and serenity was worth every degree of heat. Looking out from the top of Apache Peak, dust devils dancing in the distance, the only discernable movement, yet this desert is home to hundreds of live creatures. The Saguaro Cactus, some reaching as high as 50 feet into the sky. Many said to be 200-250 years old.

The road north....Joshua Tree Parkway through Lake Mead area....Organ Pipe, Joshua Tree and Saguaro Cactus giving way to Mesquite, Palo Verde and the ever present Creosotebush. Beautiful country. Craggy mountains whose jagged peaks and valleys reflect the sun's rays. Barren hillsides and granite mountains replaced by rolling hills and mountains freckled with the green of Cottonwood, Oak, and Ponderosa Pine. The cactus on the roadsides traded in for vineyards that provide the lifeblood of this area.

The scene changes midway when a small collection of trailer homes , TV antennas stretched high, dots the landscape. There is a town called Nothing!!! Aptly named since there is nothing there. Even that though, cannot mar the serentiy afforded by the ageless mountains surrounding us. Out of the desert and into the lights of Las Vegas. Need I say more? Spectacular casinos, each trying to outdo the competition in presentations of entertainment and food. A thoroughly enjoyable week even if the Machines did not clink, clink, clink for us.

Next stop California......