It was rainy and cold this morning as I packed and headed west on I-10 for a short drive to Hwy80. At a place appropriately named Road Fork, I left the interstate and headed south on Hwy 80 toward Douglas, AZ. Stopping occasionally to take pictures, I was near an abandoned mine when a car pulled up, a guy got out, introduced himself as Larry from Iowa, and said he was going to explore the San Simon Mine in the mountain nearby. He's a rock hound, has been in the area exploring for several weeks, and will head back to Iowa before Christmas. He's looking for the mineral beryl in this mine. I volunteered to help if it had lots of value, but he assured me it didn't. We talked a little longer, and he headed up the mountain and I headed down the road.
Many of the fields were covered with a layer of water, so it must have rained pretty hard in this area. There's snow in the higher elevations around here, and a more beautiful view appears around each turn. The entire route of Hwy80 is one of the nicest I've driven and I would recommend it to anyone out this way. Border Patrol cars have passed me going in both directions almost the whole morning. I crossed into Arizona, and the first town of any size is Douglas....right on the border. I drove to a parking lot near the border crossing, sat there a few minutes deciding whether to go into Mexico again, and decided why not, it's just around the corner.
The "big" fence that was constructed on the border is here, as it was in Palomas. Based on its height, I can't see any way someone could get over it. Not sure why it wasn't extended the entire border, seems that would eliminate some crossings. I walked through the crossing and was in the small town of Agua Prieta. Not a whole lot there, as least as far as I could see. I went into a few stores to look around, and after an hour or so, headed back to the car.
Jon Childs called and we talked a while about some other sightseeing opportunities in the area. He and his wife have traveled that area some years back. My next stop was Tombstone, about 50 miles west on hwy80. Along the way I passed through Bisbee, an important copper mining town. It reminded me of a West Virginia mining town, except I think copper is mined from the top down, and most coal is mined underground. Many of the mountains around here have a reddish color, I assume from the copper deposits.
The next stop along the route was Tombstone. I've wanted to see this place for years, so looking forward to the visit. I parked and walked into the "old" part of the town. Some buildings are original, most have been rebuilt. There's an enactment of the famous "gunfight at the OK corral", and I watched that. It was so cold and windy I was happy when everybody was shot, and we could leave. I also visited the local newspaper, advertised locally as the oldest in the nation, and Boot Hill. There's lots of history here, but it's also become somewhat commercialized.
Next stop was for a late lunch in Benson. On the way there, I had to go through a Border Patrol checkpoint. As I said, lots of activity out this way. There is a nice looking cafe on the main drag, so I decided to stop in at the Horseshoe Cafe and Bakery. A nice place with good food and service. Just outside of Benson I got back on I-10 for the drive to Casa Grande to end the day. I drove through Tuscon along the way, but didn't stop there (or anywhere). By 630 or so, was checked into a Best Western for the night.
My plans tomorrow are to get to Twentynine Palms, CA, about 375 miles away. Much of the drive will be on I-8, before I turn north around El Centro for the final part of the trip. Total mileage for the western leg is going to be around 2800.
Pictures:
That's a roadrunner on the sign;
Larry from Iowa, getting ready to go up to a mine on the mtn behind him;
A social club on Hwy80 before Douglas;
Main street in Agua Prieta;
Brisee overlook;
The BIG hole being overlooked;
An actor in the gunfight at the OK corral. This guy portrayed Bat Masterson, and was the best of the group;
Some of the graves in Boot Hill.
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