Wednesday, 1 December 2021
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| today's route |
On the road
I wasn't even out of Silver City when I saw a sign I hadn't seen earlier, telling me this was the Gateway to the Wild and Scenic Gila River. I didn't know the Gila was designated "wild & scenic."
Farther along, a road sign said I was passing through the town of White Signal, but I saw a total of 1 house and a sign saying I'd find the community center if I turned left. But I learned online that it technically has 181 residents (per the 2010 census), yet it hasn't had a post office since 1933. I don't know why the PO got yanked or where all those folks live, but I do know the town was named for a nearby outcropping of white quartz, which folks thought looked like a signal when the sun shone on it. There're stories everywhere if we bother to look, and some of them died when the last person who knew them died. I'm guessing White Signal is among them.
I crossed part of the Gila National Forest, crossed the Continental Divide Trail, and once again crossed the Continental Divide itself (elev. 6,355'). From there the road took me down into a broad plain with mountains all around.
The town of Lordsburg (elev. 4,245') was founded in 1880 and now looks like a tired dusty desert town that loves its children (based on the appearance of the school buildings and playgrounds). It has a Lee Trevino Avenue, and I can't figure out why. The famous golfer was never any closer to Lordsburg than a golf course in Tucson, as far as I can figure out, and I didn't even see a golf course here.
I stopped to walk the dogs alongside some baseball diamonds with what looked like an abandoned motel across the street. Part way through our walk, an older couple drove by and warned me that wild pigs had recently been finding a water source near that motel, that the couple lived nearby and were out looking to see if the pigs had come back. So I hustled the dogs back to the RV, not wanting to see what effect a bunch of wild pigs would have on Dexter. As we drove away, I could see that the motel was not abandoned, but on the contrary a half dozen folks were staying there. I'm guessing those folks didn't know what that motel looked like on its backside (in decay and disrepair), or maybe it was affordable.
At Lordsburg I picked up I-10 (poor road surface - what does NM spend its gas tax on?) and began seeing some ominous signs:
- "Dust Storm" surrounded by lights that would flash when needed
- "Caution - Dust Storms - Zero Visibility Possible - Do Not Stop In Traffic Lane"
- "In A Dust Storm - Pull Off Roadway - Turn Vehicle Off - Feet Off Brakes - Stay Buckled" (I saw that series 14 times)
- "Dust Storms Possible Next 10 Miles (or 5 miles)"
I passed a bicyclist wearing a green fluorescent jacket that said "Jesus Saves."
I got off at Exit 3 because the road had been so rough my frig started beeping in that irritating way it has, and I didn't want to keep listening to it. Just off the access road I saw a bunch of stone buildings that looked abandoned and wondered if there were a ghost town there. Turns out that's exactly what it is - Steins Ghost Town. There was a post office here from 1888 until 1944, and for some years the town did dual duty as a railway stop and a mining town. The ghost town might be closed now - apparently the owner was murdered there in 2012, but the family was going to try to reopen the town, though they may have given up on that idea. Conflicting accounts online. And all I wanted to do was hush up my frig.
Then "Welcome to Arizona - The Grand Canyon State."
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| Arizona - my 35th state |
Almost as soon as I crossed the border, Arizona informed me that there was "No Median Barrier Next 127 Miles." Which seemed almost bizarre since the median was at least an eighth of a mile wide so why would we want a barrier, and since other states haven't seemed to need to warn me about their lack of median barriers.
Another sign told me Arizona celebrated its Centennial 1912 - 2012. I was curious what had taken them so long to become a state, and I've found several possible reasons. Both Arizona and New Mexico (and 5 other states) were given to the US after the Mexican-American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848. A few years later, the Gadsden Purchase got the US the southern part of today's AZ and NM. But back then, (1) both were sparsely populated, and then (2) the War Between the States erupted for 5 long years. The (3) Navajo and Apache tribes resident in AZ objected strenuously to the incursions into their territories, but by the 1880s they had been defeated. Meanwhile first silver and then copper were discovered, but it was mostly mine owners who got rich, not workers. By the 1880s and 1890s, (4) AZ boomtowns had earned a national reputation for AZ as a place where arguments were decided with a gun. Then (5) Congress was concerned AZ's admission would upset the balance of power between political parties, and instead suggested AZ and NM join as 1 state. (6) NM was okay with that but AZ wasn't, because NM had a much higher percentage of Hispanics, who Arizonans didn't want to associate with. Finally Congress agreed they could join as 2 separate states, but then (7) AZ proposed a state constitution that was unacceptable to Pres. Taft (among other things, it included recall provisions for state judges). Congress approved it, Taft vetoed it, AZ took out the offending provisions, their statehood got approved, and AZ put the provisions back in again. With all that, I'm no longer surprised statehood took so long.
I guess the dust didn't stop at the state line because I saw more signs:
- "During Limited Visibility Pull Off Road - Turn Off Lights"
- "When Dust Blows Tune To 530 AM When Lights Flash"
- "Blowing Dust Area Next 30 Miles"
- "Limited Visibility When Flashing"
I passed at least 30 semis lined up at the state's weigh station, though it looked like they were running them through fairly quickly.
I passed at least 8 orchards, though I don't know what they grow in season. Also a vineyard.
Near the town of Bowie, we passed the Fort Bowie National Historic Site, which is apparently at such risk of losing artifacts that the National Park Service has made it a hike-in-only park. It's a 3-mile round trip that passes the site of the Battle of Apache Pass and ends at the remains of Ft. Bowie.
I looked up the battle and can report that it was fought in 1862 between Chiricahua Apache warriors and Union soldiers marching east from California. They had already been successful in overpowering a Confederate garrison in Tucson and forced them to retreat to Texas (the southern part of AZ had been trying to join the Confederacy). Then the Union soldiers continued east to join and reinforce Union troops in New Mexico. That's when they in turn were nearly overwhelmed by the Apache, who had greater numbers and an advantageous fighting position. But the Union soldiers had heavy artillery which took enough of a toll on the Apache that they left the fight.
Farther along the road I came to Texas Canyon, known for its giant granite boulders. Giant as in some were as big as houses. And some of those I saw were in precarious positions, as if gravity will be taking over soon. And there was a sign: "Defacing Rocks Unlawful." I can't even conceive of why this message should be necessary, but the quantity of graffiti in the world makes it clear somebody didn't get raised right.
And then we got to Benson, which seems to be a nice enough town, but I can't see that it has a lot going for it other than location. It touts the nearby Kartchner Caverns (limestone caves) State Park and the town of Tombstone less than a half hour away. Benson's Historical Museum, though, says visitors can "Discover the Glyptdont." That's a typo - the critter is actually named glyptodont, was extinct about the time humans showed up here, and seems to be the ancient ancestor to armadillos. They may have resembled the VW Beetle, in size, shape and weight. I can't tell if they have some sort of remains from the glyptodonts in the museum or if they just think they used to live here so they made an exhibit about them. The entrance fee seems to be $7, which is more than I want to pay for a local museum.
At least 4 times today, Gracie suddenly fell back on her rear legs, as if they'd given way. I'm starting to get worried about her.
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