Old Timers Gathering (Say hi before you die!)

Friday, Jan 31.    

We're headed out for Glendale, Arizona. It's time for the annual mini reunion of folks Larry (Steve) worked with back in the 1970's, before we moved to Oregon.  It's a great time for them to catch up, as well as re-telling stories and remembering some of the events they were all involved in the Orange County Sherriff's Department "back in the day".  

It's also an excellent excuse for us to take a short road trip. 

Our last post  on Stephen F. Austin State Park mentioned that we had lost Shiner and unfortunately, four days after that trip we learned that Watch had cancer that could not be treated, so he has gone over that rainbow bridge to be with his best buddy. After Shiner was gone, Watch had become my best walking buddy, and he loved to snuggle with Steve on the sofa in the evenings, so we really miss him. 

It's weird being "dogless", and it does impact our traveling style to some extent. For this trip we decided to make it strictly auto/hotel with no RV involved.  We can travel much faster, and we had budgeted a short time, so it worked out well. 

 It's a rarity these days, even in law enforcement, for people who have worked together for many years still stay connected even long after retirement. The group that meets in Arizona varies from year to year, as many, like us and our hosts, have moved out of the Orange County, CA area. 

We stayed overnight in Clint, TX, just a short hop outside El Paso, then up early to be on our way to our next stop

We arrived at the hotel in Tolleson, near Glendale, by 3:30, quickly got settled in and hopped over to our host's house only a short distance from the hotel. 

Two days filled with catching up on friends, health and families, of stories reliving their crazy and sometime humorous experiences kept everyone laughing and enjoying the comradery. Our hosts kept us well fed too!

Feb. 3, Sierra Vista, AZ

We'd planned a bit of touring on our route home, and our first scheduled stop was the infamous Tombstone. 

Our first stop was the OK Corral, where the famous gunfight took place. It's hard to envision anything like that now. Early birds that we are, at 10 AM many of the shops aren't open yet, and the wide main street is practically empty. A few resident reenactors, looking like they were all ready for that gunfight greeted visitors and answered questions. 

There are now three locations in town where that famous gunfight can be seen, but we passed on that and instead visited the history museum in the county courthouse. The museum is really well done, and profiled some interesting local personalities. 

 One of the most famous is  Sarah Herring Sorin, the first woman lawyer in Arizona, also became the first female lawyer from Arizona admitted to practice law before the U.S. Supreme Court in April of 1906. 

Another noteworthy resident was Ed Schieffelin, who founded the town of Tombstone in 1877. Ed was apparently wealthy enough as a result of successful previous mining exploits, but he loved the hunt, so to speak, and discovered rich veins here. 

He had been warned he'd "only find his tombstone" when he went in search of minerals near the Huachuca mountains, thus the name of the town he settled. This history of the town's growth and prosperity is interesting, and mirrors many come-and-gone mining settlements. 

For a fun dip into a blend of history and modern times, visit the Tombstone Times, a little newspaper that is hand out free when you visit. It's online, free if you wait a bit for the month's edition to come out, or by subscription. They also have a collection of some of their featured articles online.        Tombstone photo album

Feb. 4  

First stop of the day is nearby Bisbee, a historic copper mining town only a few miles from the border. Much like Nevada's Virginia City. This historic town is built in a valley with steep incline on both sides, so the buildings form a sort of random staircase leading up the mountain sides. 

The visitor center is cleverly situated at the opening of one of the original mine tunnels, and you can take a hard-hat required tour if you like. We just browsed the offerings, picked up a map, and headed out to explore. 

At it's peak Bisbee was a bustling metropolis with a large population and beautiful architecture. Now, with a much smaller population and less mining activity, tourism is one of the major industries. 

The town is beautifully restored and maintained, with many modern touches like murals, statues, ornate wrought iron, and plenty of shops, restaurants and galleries.  (see the photo album for examples.

In modern times, copper mines are no longer tunnels, they are wide open pits, and there are many still in operation. The multicolored soils of the surrounding hillsides are a clue as to how rich this area is in mineral content. 

The Bisbee Historical and Mining Museum is a Smithsonian Affiliate - so members can take advantage of their discount in the gift shop. The museum is beautifully done, with large graphics setting the mood. They have a short video on their website that includes a few dramatic scenes of the town, a few of the museum displays, and historic photos.  One of my favorite parts of the mining section was the prominent placement of several small signs with some of the "Miners' Ten Commandments".      

The original  Miners' Ten Commandments were actually written in 1853 by James M. Hutchings (1818-1902), and first published in the Placerville Herald newspaper. The signs posted around the Bisbee museum are rather humorous take-offs, the text being much shorter than the original, but still conveying some truths that only a hard rock miner can truly appreciate. The full text of the original work can be seen here, but be ready to enlarge the font as it's very dense text. 

The museum displays are all extremely well done, and very informative, but we were especially impressed by the dioramas. This one, in great detail, shows the process of obtaining water from a well in Zacatecas Canyon and carrying it back to the settlement. Bisbee's first water pipes were not installed until 1908.

After a quick lunch we went back toward Sierra Vista, to Fort Huachuca, where our daughter had some of her training while in the Army. Checking in at the entrance was a real experience, including being photographed and providing all our credentials. We were provided with a pass bearing our portrait, which the guard preparing it assured me, was "like all government photos", meaning not especially flattering. 

The fort has been in existence since 1877, when it was home to cavalry protecting settlers, and a base for the famed Buffalo Soldiers. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and has served many purposes through out our nation's history. The fort museums do a beautiful job of presenting the long history, Currently the fort is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School and the world’s largest unmanned aerial systems training center. More about the fort here. 

With our brains full of historic facts, but with a hearty appetite, we ended our tour for the day and headed back to our hotel in Las Cruces for dinner and to pack for departure. 

Bisbee photo album

Feb. 5

We're headed for home, and we have one scenic spot to tour on our route . . . Chiricahua National Monument. Called "the land of Standing up Rocks" by the resident Chiricahua Apache, this is a geologic treasure. The amazing pinnacles originated 27 million years ago when the Turkey Creek volcano blew ash over thousands of square miles. This ash formed rhyolite, which cracked as it cooled, and then erosion took over and created these amazing shapes. Erosion and gravity of course continue to shape the landscape, softening edges, moving boulders, and shaping the cliffs. 

If only these formations could talk! In days past these pillars and canyons provided refuge and escape for Chief Cochise and Geronimo and their warriors. The Chiricahua Apache were the last tribe to surrender, and they were then remove to reservations in Oklahoma and New Mexico.

This national monument celebrated it's 100th anniversary in 2024. Although there are few man-made structures here, those in existence represent a lot of history. 

In 1888 homesteaders from Sweden Neil and Emma Erickson settled here, raised a family, and eventually turned the homestead into a guest ranch which hosted visitors until 1973. 

The family built trails, led guests on horseback rides, and lobbied for the area's protection. They eventually had their wish recognized 1924.

The CCC (Civilian Conservation Corp) was established in 1933 and they completed many of the restoration and conservation projects in this area. The visitor center has displays with details on all this history, local wildlife, and more.

Although automobile access here is limited, this is a perfect place for those who love to hike, as there are miles of trails of all levels of difficulty, and a variety of wildlife to watch. The thick, mixed tree forest is a beautiful contrast to the geology.  It's a definite "must see" park. 

Chiricahua National Monument album

This marks the end of our tour for this trip. We'll be home tomorrow.