Prescott & Sierra Vista, AZ (5/28 thru 5/31/2020)

My original plan for this trip included several locations in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, but the ongoing virus shutdown discouraged me from extending the trip.  By this point, I just wanted to return to my new home base in Sierra Vista and monitor progress on my new home.  The builder had informed that construction was progressing ahead of schedule, so it would also be necessary to shop for furniture soon.

Since it was more or less on my route, I stopped in Prescott for a couple days. Prescott is a nice town, with an estimated population around 45,000.  However, including suburbs brings the population to more than 100,000.  I first visited the town in 2006 and enjoyed both its history and its location in the midst of a huge field of granite.

According to geologists, the large concentration of granite formed some 1.4 billion years ago, one to two miles beneath earth's surface.  What with continental drift, tectonic plates colliding to produce uplift, enormous lakes draining and general erosion, the granite was gradually exposed.  Because the granite is very coarse, it weathers more readily than finer grained stone.  Every crack or fault line became rounded due to weathering.  I've seen this effect at other places, such as City of Rocks in New Mexico, but the volume around Prescott is unusual.

One parcel, known as Granite Dells, lies five miles north of town and includes two man-made reservoirs, Watson Lake and Willow Lake.  The Dells are very popular for hiking, biking, rock climbing and photography.

Some very nice residential neighborhoods have been developed in and around the giant boulders.  In some homes, boulders have been incorporated within the structure, serving as part of the walls.  In addition to the Dells, several mesas and buttes have also been the scene of residential development.  Building on the granite provides a 'rock solid" foundation and natural landscaping, but has one big disadvantage.  The granite fields are full of uranium, so radon gas is a concern.  I assume the law requires testing for radon and mitigation where appropriate.

With such a large quantity of stone in the area, it stands to reason that Indians left their mark in the form of petroglyhs.  In fact, there are quite a few documented sites around.  I went to just one that happens to be in a high-elevation neighborhood.

My time in Prescott coincided with the partial re-opening of many businesses, particularly restaurants.  Since I had not eaten out for a couple months, I jumped at the opportunity and went to the Palace Saloon.  This historic saloon and restaurant is located on "Whiskey Row" where so many saloons were established in the early days of the town, when Doc Holiday, Big Nose Kate and Virgil Earp were citizens.  The palace was built in 1877, but burned down in 1900 along with other buildings in town.  Customers at the time of the fire removed the large and ornate bar, taking it across the street to Courthouse Square where they continued to drink and watch the fire rage.  The Palace was re-built in 1901, with its original bar, and is now the oldest saloon in Arizona.  I regret not getting photos.

That same evening, many townspeople were out, walking the streets, window shopping and generally enjoying their new freedom from being shut in.  Courthouse Square was particularly active.  

One of the statues on the square is one of Prescott's heroes, a man named Bucky O'Neill.  Bucky was once sheriff, then mayor, then persuaded by Teddy Roosevelt to join the Rough Riders in the Spanish-American War.  Bucky thought it unseemly for officers to hide from enemy fire, so was killed while in the open, exhorting his command moments before they stormed up San Juan Hill.  The statue was sculpted by Solon Hannibal Borglum, brother of the man who created Mount Rushmore and is considered the first "cowboy sculptor".

So, I arrived back in Sierra Vista and have no immediate plans for travel.  Lots to do and enjoy around here, especially as it relates to my new home.  I'm reminded of one reason I like this area, namely the frequent spectacular sunsets and sunrises.  Tonight's sunset was certainly a case in point.

Pahranagat Valley (5/23 thru 5/25/2020)

First a correction to my previous post from Tonopah.  The airplane I incorrectly identified as a B-29 was actually a B-24, as pointed out by my son, Randy, who is well versed in WWII history.  With this information, I checked and found the B-24 named Mizpah flew 80 missions over Europe and was salvaged in New Mexico after the war.

Leaving Tonopah, I drove toward the Pahranagat Valley and the very small town of Alamo with one of the few RV parks in the region.  Part of my journey was over Highway 375, also known as the Extraterrestrial Highway because it passes by the infamous Area 51.  Activities at this Air Force facility probably involve testing of experimental aircraft and are classified as Top Secret.  Some have concluded the secret activities must involve captured UFOs or development of flying saucers.  Speculation has been ongoing for many years.

Enterprising business owners have tried to take advantage of this notoriety.   For example, these signs identify a store that sells only jerky.

The Pahranagat Valley itself is surprisingly green and lush, a true oasis in the middle of the Nevada desert.  A stream running through the valley has created several lakes, providing plenty of water for irrigation.  As a result, there are numerous ranches in the valley with cattle grazing in dark green grass up to their hocks.  Large cottonwoods line the banks of the river.

Of course, I didn't come here to see cattle, but to visit some of the half-dozen petroglyph sites in the area.  My results were mixed, mostly unsuccessful to be honest.  At the Crystal Wash site, I followed my directions to hike up the wash looking for markers placed by BLM.  Unfortunately, the markers are small and hard to spot in an area with lots of sagebrush and boulders.  The first marker I found was Number 4.  To find 5 and 6, I was instructed, go back to Number 1 and turn left.  I never found 1 (or 2 and 3 for that matter), but I did stumble upon 5 and 6.

I also found several piles of rusty cans, possibly thrown there by miners who must have eaten lots of beans.  There is also what's left of a car that looks  like it was hit by a train.

Here is an overall view of the Ash Springs site and a photo of a marker, about 15 inches tall. The markers were somewhat easier to find at this site, but I still didn't find all 16 said to be there.

Other sites I learned required long drives over rough roads, so I decided to forego those and went instead to one of the nearby Wildlife Management Areas with a lake.  This was a beautiful spot, managed by the state, but it had little or no wildlife.  I got one photo of a Western Kingbird.

The National Wildlife Refuge, a Federal park with two large lakes and some petroglyphs of its own, was closed due to coronavirus.  Hard to believe that thousands of acres in the wilderness would be at risk for infectious contact, but all access roads were heavily barricaded.

Tonopah, NV (5/20 thru 5/22/2020)

Tonopah is a variation on a Shoshone word meaning "small water" or "warm spring", no one seems to know for sure.  The Paiute also have a similar sounding word that means "water".  The town was named by its founder, Jim Butler, a rancher and part time miner who found silver ore while looking for a burro that had escaped.  One of the largest silver strikes in history, Butler named his mine Mizpah, a Hebrew word meaning "watchtower".   Numerous other mines were developed in the area, but it appears all have played out, leaving Tonopah to struggle for survival.  Butler and his wife Isabella (fondly known as Belle) are recognized in town by statues on Main St.

Here is a view of the town from a distant mountain, and the mountains seen as one leaves town to the south.

Being mid-way between Las Vegas and Reno, Tonopah is a natural stopping point for travelers between the two larger cities.  The Mizpah Hotel, built in 1908 and restored in recent years, is luxurious and was the tallest building in Nevada for some time. 

In 1908, the Great New York To Paris Road Race passed through Tonopah.  The original route of the race was to Nome, Alaska and then across the frozen Bering Strait.  Once the six cars in the race reached Valdez, conditions were so bad they changed plans and took a ship across the ocean.  After 169 days, the American entry (the Thomas Flyer) was declared the winner because the first finisher had cheated.  The Flyer is now in a Reno museum.

Jack Dempsey lived and fought in the area around Tonopah while building a career leading to the World Heavyweight Championship.  He and another man fought to a draw where each was to receive $150.  However, Dempsey's manager lost the money gambling.  In a rematch, Dempsey received the $100 prize directly.  He and the other fighter went to the bar to celebrate, but two gunmen came in and robbed everyone, including Dempsey.

Tonopah's population, once over 10,00, declined steadily and is now around 2500, but the remaining residents haven't given up.  They promote tourism any way they can think of.  The old Mizpah Mine is now the town's mining park.  Beyond that, mining artifacts can be found all over town.

The local high school athletes call themselves the Muckers, probably the dirtiest job in mining.

In addition to the Mizpah Hotel, visitors are welcomed to the "world famous" Clown Motel, which has an office lined with shelves containing 700 clown dolls.  The motel advertises "a vampire in every room".  If that's not creepy enough, the original town cemetery (1901-1911) is right next door.

Given its location in the middle of the Nevada wilderness, Tonopah is known for its dark skies.  To encourage stargazers to visit, the town has created "Stargazers' Park where folks can sit and observe the skies.  On a hill in town, two observatories have also been constructed for celestial observation.

Tonopah Station is the primary casino and shopping mall in town, but it was closed during my stay.  They also offer RV parking, also closed due to coronavirus.

Nellis Air Force Base, just north of Las Vegas, uses the desert land near Tonopah for testing new planes and weapons systems.  Even nuclear weapons have been tested there.  In fact, throughout the history of aviation, the Nevada desert has been a part of testing aircraft, as shown in a local mural.

The B-29 shown has the name "Mizpah" on its nose, but I found no record of a B-29 with that name.  There was a B-17 "Mizpah", however, shot down during a bombing run over Europe during WWII.

While I had not planned on staying in Tonopah, the town proved once again that almost any place can have an interesting story, if one only takes the time to seek it out.