A Superior Outing!

Dad will be 84 this coming June.  He is diabetic, has Parkinson's and had a 6-way heart by-pass several years ago.  It gets increasingly more difficult to get him to walk, move around, exercise and his short-term memory is fading.  He would rather eat, nap on the couch and watch westerns.   I'm sure he is doing exactly what he wants but it frustrates me because I see him slowly declining and he won't listen to me.  In other words.....he isn't doing exactly what I want!!!

We just finished with some physical and occupational therapy several weeks ago and already I see the improvements he made, slipping away because he won't do the exercises.  Walking is a challenge, he shuffles because of the Parkinson's and loss of feeling below the knees due to diabetes.  He can't use a cane, the logic part of the brain and the function of moving the cane at the right time don't work together.  He can push a grocery cart but doesn't like to go to the grocery.  Dad could use a walker, but his pride won't let him.  

I am constantly bugging him about getting off the couch, trying to encourage him to do something but he worked all his life and has no hobbies.  The arthritis in his hands make it difficult to hold onto utensils and tools so 'fixing' something is out of the question.  He used to be an avid reader but now tends to forget what he read or where he was in a book.  I try to buy magazines with short articles to keep him engaged but he is only interested in westerns and there aren't many magazines in that genre.  

So why did I bore you with all his medical issues?  Well, about the only thing dad wants to do that gets him off the couch and moving around is going out to eat.  So we do.   He HAS to walk from the car to the restaurant if he wants to eat, so we go out at least once a day.  And yes, eating out that much is heck on my weight!  And it can get boring too.  Dad won't eat chicken nor does he eat Chinese, Mexican or Italian food.  Lunchtime is a circuit of the local fast food places around here for hamburgers and fries but it's easy because I don't have to 'think' about what he will eat.  Suppertime is more of a challenge.  There are only about three different eating establishments that he likes and the menus are overwhelming to him and he never knows what to order.  

After being in Arizona for nearly 4 months, I'm getting pretty tired of going to the same old places.  Last weekend I remembered a tiny, out-of-the-way cafe that I had been to several years back but without dad....Hark the Herald.....Angels are singing!!  A new place to go and just the kind of place he likes!   

So...we tested his blood sugar, packed his insulin, piled into the car and off we went.  Destination.....20 minutes northeast, up in the mountains to the, blink-and-you-miss-it, sleepy little town of Superior, Arizona.  It was a beautiful day with a brilliant blue sky and a couple of puffy white clouds.  Superior is an old mining town established in 1902 built up near the Silver Queen Mine that had been successfully mining copper, silver and gold since 1875.  


So smug and proud of myself that I remembered the old Buckboard Cafe, I could hardly wait to get dad's approval!   That is.....until I pulled into the parking lot.  CLOSED......not one single car.  I didn't know that the cafe was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and since it was Tuesday, well....we weren't going to eat there!  The only other place in town that I knew of was a Mexican Restaurant and that was out.  By now I was a bit nervous because I didn't want dad's sugar to drop since I had no food with me and it was another 20 minutes down the Mountain.  So I headed back but took the turn that leads  through main street Superior where most buildings are empty, some even falling down. We were just about out of the downtown area (only two cross streets I think!) when, lo and behold, I spotted a cafe on a corner!  Was it open?  YES!!!   Fa la, la, la, la....the Angels are singing again.  

Porter's Cafe

Well....it was a bar too but I like little 'hole in the wall' places like that even though they can be really good or really bad!  The question is, would dad like it?  In we went.   It was so cool....and old...and we were both fascinated with some of the antiques in the place!   

The bar itself was almost as long as the building and sported an old, hazy mirror behind it.

I love the Sepia tone of this photo.  

The food came....we ordered hamburgers.....and they were GREAT!!!

The most interesting and ironic thing in the place was this tattered and very yellowed newspaper laying on the bar for anyone to look at and touch.  Printed on April 12, 1945, the ironic thing about the paper was that it is from Fort Wayne, Indiana.  Fort Wayne is only a few hours north of where we live in Indiana!  And there it was in the middle of the desert.  If only that paper could talk, I would love to know how it got there. 

As we headed back home, we decided it was a successful trip, a beautiful day,  a great lunch and something different.  

All in all, it was truly a Superior outing!  

Finding Gold

Well not really though I wish!!  

Before my little brother and his wife went back to Indiana, I took them to visit the Goldfield Ghost Town nearby.  

 

A great location for tourists, Goldfields was an actual town that in it's day, almost got bigger than Mesa, Arizona.  Boasting around 1,500 residents before the gold played out, it became a ghost town on November 2, 1898 when the US Post Office closed it's doors and the last of the town miners moved on. 

  

In it's heyday, Goldfield residents could avail themselves of a general store, brewery, blacksmith, a school and at least three saloons.  All of which flourished in the short five years before the gold rich vein gave out. 

The fancy building at the back of the photo is the Bordello, which I suppose, some might find interesting but I prefer all the old stuff sitting around outside everywhere.  If only it could all talk, what history we would learn!

Of course, shopping was important back in 'the day' so I had to make sure that my visitors checked out the general store.

 

Baby brother is SUCH a good sport!!!

 Aren't they cute!  We had such a great time being tourists!!

This is one of my favorite photos that I took that day. 

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you enjoyed seeing some of the sights here and getting a tiny history lesson as well!

Karen

Globe Rocks!!

I've always been fascinated with rocks.  When I was growing up I had grocery bags full of my specially collected rocks.  I don't know what I thought I would ever do with my collection but it lived in those paper bags (you know, the OLD time ones before there were non-biodegradable plastic ones) in my closet.  

I don't remember throwing them out, but I guess at some point I must have because I don't have them anymore.  Thank goodness!  Well at least not those ones anyway.  The urge to collect rocks still overcomes me today.  Weird I know.  I am always looking at the ground and picking up an unusual stone.  Today I was on a cleaning frenzy and had to throw some outside that I had 'found' a couple of years ago!  

On my recent excursion to Globe and the Besh-ba-Gowah Indian Ruins I was in my element being surrounded by the long gone village of stone.  Of course, I took pictures of them.  

 

 This was at one time an entrance to a storage room

 

 This was living quarters or another storage area.  

This is just a rock on the side of the structure.  I love that rock!  The color stria-ting through it, the texture!  It's just so earthy.  Yep, weird!

 

Another room.

I don't know what it is that fascinates me so!

More Globe Hopping Photos

We stopped at Subway and ate at the ruins.  Judy E. in the green and Judy and Jan, on the right.  They are the two bandits that stole me away!!

Beautiful flora and fauna on the museum site.

 Snapdragons and Pansy's in the desert!

 

Love the shadows on this photo!

Even the desert Cholla and Prickly Pear cactus were beautiful.

And roses!!  Who would have thought to see roses in the desert!!

Globe Hopping

I went around the Globe in 80 days!  Well....not the world and....it was only for part of a day....but it was Globe non-the-less. 

My good friends Judy and Jan, got me out of the house, crutches and all, last week and we took a road trip up the mountains to sight see in Globe, Arizona. 

The drive has some spectacular mountain views and comes complete with a trip through the Queen Creek tunnel.  

Located in the middle of the Tonto National Forest, Globe is known for it's copper mining.  Copper is still actively mined there today.

Our destination was the Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park. Here you can walk through an ancient village inhabited from A.D 900 to A.D 1100 by the Hohokam tribe before they disappeared.   

Later, around 1225 A.D., the Salado Indian tribe moved in and constructed the Pueblo seen at the back of this photo.

 The ground level of the Pueblo was used for storage while the second story was living quarters.  Even the rooftop was used by the Salado's. 

I of course, nor did my companions, climb any of the ladders to the next levels!

 Maybe I'll come back and climb it when I'm no longer on crutches!!




 
There were many tiny rock 'room's outside the Pueblo.  Some were ceremonial rooms thought to have been used  as burial grounds for the 'ancients'.  Many of the tiny spaces remain un-excavated.

Oh, and yes, that's me on my constant companions, the crutches!  

Though I hate to have my picture taken, I decided I would allow myself to be immortalized, mostly to show my children they were right after all.  How in the world they knew that I didn't need either one of them to come out and help me in my time of need is beyond me!!  They are so smart!!  (Okay so maybe I did it thinking they might feel a bit guilty?)  

No matter!  My friends and I had a great day out while we traveled the Globe!!  Hope you enjoyed my trip as much as I did.

Going Hiking! The Final Chapter

Are we there yet?

Part IV

By this point I'm sure you've figured out that our 'pride' kept us going.....and going......and going.  Just around the next bend.  I'm not really sure where on the trail we actually passed the point of no return but it was somewhere behind us.  We'd come too far to turn back now.  

  

 
Finally someone coming down told us we were almost there.  Up ahead past that rock on the left.  

I really thought I was going to die at about this point.  I could only walk 50 or so steps without stopping to rest because I thought my heart was going to come slamming out of my chest at any moment.  At first I tried to disguise it to Mr. Fix-it by pointing out some rock formation or that I wanted to take another picture.  I did notice that he was only more than happy to stop for the photo op as well!  In fact, he told me much later that it was about here he thought he was going to throw up (sorry for the graphic!).  If you know anything about dehydration, that is one of the first signs.

We had pushed our bodies way beyond what they wanted to handle!  But, we were so close now.  And then....just like that.....we were there.  The top.  The light at the end of the tunnel.  The prize in the Cracker Jack box.

Weaver's Needle in all it's majesty! 

Weaver's Needle is said to have been used as a marker by the Dutchman to lead him to his lost gold mine.  Treasure hunters believe that within the 1220 foot shadow of this rock spire landmark is where the hidden mine lies.  


 
Somewhere at home in Indiana I have a picture of me sitting on this very rock twenty-one years ago, MUCH leaner and fitter!  I hate to have my picture taken anymore as I am not thrilled to be reminded how the years have changed me.  This time though, I made sure Mr. Fix-It took one!  

It may have been pride that kept us going, but this was one time I'm glad common sense did not prevail or we would never have made it.  I might never have reached my goal of climbing to the top to see this spectacular and breathtaking view again.  So this one time....I wasn't going to be too proud to have my picture taken.  


We sat in the shade for at least a half hour taking in all the beauty and letting our bodies rest.  After all....we still had the trek back.  And, there was only one bottle of water left between us and we each had two coming up the trail.  

The trip down was somewhat easier and definitely faster.  The whole 6.2 mile round trip took us three hours going up and two hours coming down. Thank goodness for declining elevation and gravity!

As we started our descent down the mountain, I couldn't help but feel a bit of pride that I had accomplished a personal goal.  

We made it to the truck very hungry, tired, a bit sunburned, our muscles screaming out in protest and only a few swallows of water left...but safe.    SO many things could have gone wrong, even deadly wrong because we didn't follow a few common sense rules.  


So if you ever get out this way and decide to hike the Peralta or search for the Dutchman's lost gold......don't do as I did.  Do as I say!  


Start early on a hot day
Make sure you are in good physical shape
Pack carbohydrate rich foods for energy
Take more water than you think you need


and last but not least,


Let common sense, not pride, be your guide!

Going Hiking! Part III

Part lll

What HAVE We Done?

I don't know if it was our pride that got the best of us or what.  You know.....those school kids did it so we should be able to as well, kind of thinking.  Or it could have been Mr. Fix-it's desire to help me achieve my goal of making to the top once more in my lifetime.  Possibly I might have even been thinking that if Mr. Fix-it wasn't going to bite the bullet and turn around, I sure as heck wasn't going to!

No matter the reason, and certainly not one based on common sense, pride had control and we forged ahead.  

It seemed that as soon as we left the shaded copse of trees, the terrain changed.  The rocks got rockier, the heat got hotter and the elevation really elevated!  It's not hard to tell in this picture, that we are much higher up than when we started.   

As we continued on, our pace slowed.  We had to stop and rest much more than when we were in the lower altitude of the canyon.  I should mention here that the elevation at the peak of this mountain is around 3800 feet and we were half way there.   My heart was pumping much faster than it had been.  Several times I asked Mr. Fix-it if he was ok.  "Fine,  he replied.  You?"   "Oh yeah, I'm good"  I stated!   Uhhhh huh......pride was alive and well. 


A few well toned and younger hikers who had obviously done this before, passed us on their way up, but mostly more people went by us going down.  They were the smarter ones, they had started their climb early so they could be off the mountain by the heat of the day!  And it was also bugging me to see that quite a few of them were much older than Mr. Fix-it and me.  Well for goodness sakes, if they can do it so can I.  Did I mention that both of us are a good fifty pounds overweight and have bad knees?

Good idea #1 - If taking most trails in the Supes, especially on a day the expected high is 87.....DON'T start late!


We quickly learned from those descending, that the estimate of 45 minutes to the top we had received a half hour ago from the chaperon accompanying the school kids was WRONG.  We had at least an hour or more to go.  "Oh but it is worth it"  some said.  "Incredible views up there, shade and a wonderful refreshing mountain breeze,"  said someone else.   One man even joked they had been serving ice cream up there.....NOT!  In everyone's defense, I must say that time seems to stand still up there.  Don't know if it's from the quiet solitude in the mountains or what but you really do loose track of time.

And so....we trudged ahead.  


 
The mountain top had to be just around the next corner behind that saguaro cactus up there.  We were sure of it!  And I couldn't remember for sure as it had been 21 years ago since I had been up this far!!  This is probably a good time to mention that this particular trail is 6.2 miles round trip.  Uphill. And back down.  In the desert. 


Good idea #2 -  before hiking the Peralta Trail, you might want to physically work up to it!

Finally we came across this huge boulder on the side of the path and decided to take advantage of it's shade and coolness for a bit.  Mr. Fix-it pulled out his one and only power bar to share.  Unfortunately, it was quite squashed and melted.  We were getting pretty hungry at this point because our breakfast was long gone and now it was past lunch time.  Consequently, the smooshed power bar was pretty delicious.


Good idea #3 - Pack plenty of carbohydrate rich snacks for energy. 


The other problem I was starting to get concerned about is running out of water.  NEVER a good idea in the desert!   It is so incredibly easy to get dehydrated out here. 

Good idea #4 - take MORE water than you think you need!

 We did run across this small pool of water and survivalists say that if bugs are alive and moving about in the water, it is safe to drink.  We still had some water left so did not have to try it!!



Stay tuned for the final (I promise!) chapter of our Mountain hike!  We truly are very near the top and the reward that goes with getting there. 

And.....it IS worth it!













 

Going Hiking! Part II

First, let me say my intent was not to leave everyone hanging about the rest of my hike.  It was mostly that I ran out of time to finish it!  So not to worry, thankfully nothing bad happened,  we weren't attacked by an ancient tribe of lost Apache Indians, nor did we fall off the side of the mountain and we didn't find the lost gold either.  We did, however, learn a few things about hiking in the Superstitions!

Part II

What WERE we thinking?

 The day of our hike was a typical sunny and beautiful Arizona day.  It was to be the hottest day of the year so far with temperatures climbing to 87 degrees.  No matter, we started around 10:30 in the morning and it was quite comfortable.  

About fifteen minutes into the hike you come across this sheet of rock to climb that hardly looks like a trail.  

 

This photo is looking back down the canyon where we came from.  Our truck is parked somewhere behind the ridge jutting out on the right side of this picture.  

 The trail ahead.  Rocky and climbing.

Lichen growing on the rocks.

At this point of the trail, there are small, shady spots of pinyon and mesquite trees that provide a welcome place to rest.  It was here that we ran into a large group of young school kids and adults in the middle of a field trip, coming back down off the mountain.  Our inquiry to one of the adults indicated that the 'top' of the trail was only about 45 minutes farther.  

This was about as far as we had made it seven years ago with Mr. Fix-it's teenagers in tow.  I remember being disappointed with them because we were so close to the top and I really wanted to make it.  That was also, pre-knee replacement and yet I was determined to go on if they hadn't protested so much.  But....I turned around with them and left the mountain making the kids happy and leaving my goal behind. 

 On this hike, we hadn't planned on going to the top.  Mr. Fix-it just wanted to get into the interior of the mountain, be in the middle of the desert and take in the beauty, enormity and solitude of it all.  True, we bantered back and forth coming up the trail that maybe we should just go on to the top while we were here. 

But here we were, in this nice shady spot and supposedly only 45 minutes away from the top and a most rewarding vista.  Do we go on?  Well, those Junior High school kids had done it.....no doubt we could too!   

Hmmm...lets see, we have one bottle of water each left and one power bar to share.  Should we.....or shouldn't we?   Oh yeah, and we are both about 50 lbs overweight and not old, but not young.  We both have knees that aren't the best either.  And it's getting warmer out too.  

So taking all that into account....did we or didn't we?  

Stay tuned!

Going Hiking! Part I

It started out innocently enough.  My baby brother and Mr. Fix-it flew out together for a week.  Unexpected....and thankfully, due to a cheap air fair not normally seen at this time of year.  

Baby brother was going to stay with dad so Mr. Fix-it and I could take some day trips and spend much needed time together.  (As long as dad's insulin needles were pre-filled...baby brother faints at needles!)


Mr. Fix-it couldn't wait to get back here.  "I want to go hiking into the Superstitions"  he said.   "Fine by me",  I said.

 The Superstition Mountains, or 'Supes' as called by locals, are a massive mountain wilderness area in the Tonto National Forest, comprised of 160,200 acres.  It is an area steeped in mystery and stories of lost gold.  Legend has it that Jacob Waltz, a German immigrant, relocated to Arizona in the 1860's and is purported to have found an extremely rich vein of gold somewhere in the Superstitions.  He is said to have told only one person where the mine was located, Julia Thomas.  Ms. Thomas, from Phoenix, is said to have cared for Waltz in his last days.  She mounted a a search after the Dutchman's death to locate the mine but was never successful.  


Nor have those that have followed!

Many deaths have occurred in the area over the years due to the vast, rugged and inhospitable, though beautiful, terrain.  As recently as last summer, three gold hunters from Utah lost their lives searching for the legendary Lost Dutchman Gold Mine.  Though extensive air and ground searches were made, their bodies were not found until a month ago, when a well seasoned Superstition hiker got off the beaten path into an area even he had never discovered before.  There, he stumbled upon the unfortunate gold hunters.  

I've been enamored with the beauty of the Superstition Mountains for twenty-one years when I first laid eyes on them.  In particular, the Flat Iron mountain area.  Old timers thought the mountain had the shape of an iron.  Today, more modern pioneers have dubbed it the Battleship or Ship Rock.  It is this end of the mountain that many of the legends were born.  

My cousin first introduced me to the Mountain twenty one years ago when she took me there to hike the Peralta Trail.  We hiked to the peak to a most gorgeous vista and I vowed I would hike it again one day.   Seven years ago, Mr. Fix-it and his kids and I tried to hike it again but the kids, teenagers at the time, gave out and we never made it to the top.

So....when the morning came last week for Mr. Fix-it and I to have a whole day to ourselves, it was kind of a no-brainer to go to the trail we were both familiar with.  
  
Mr. Fix-it grabbed our walking sticks, a couple of waters, backpack, a power bar, camera.  Off we went, happy as clams to be together and free for a day.

 

Such a stunning view to be greeted by as we headed up the trail.  Little did we know (but should have!) how the rest of the hike would unfold!

Stay tuned for Part II