A Little R & R

Last evening we went to the chili supper here at North Ranch. We walked down with our neighbors, full-timers also. In fact, there are a lot of full-timers here. The supper was quite good and afterward, they had entertainment. Mike Dunn, an Arizona native (5th generation) recites "Cowboy Poetry." He certainly looks the part and it was quite enjoyable. I guess you would call it prose, very lengthy poetry and he would explain what the verse was about to get your mind set for the poetry. It was unusual and something different for us. Very good. I guess in Wickenburg, near here, there is a bar/saloon where they have a "gathering" of cowboy poets and they perform periodically.

There is a cactus garden here in the park and two very old saguaro. One is circa 1600 and the other circa 1860. "Methusala," the oldest is thought to be one of the oldest saguaro. The picture I have was taken with the sun in the wrong place, so I will have to take another, but I wanted to post it. Birds have drilled out homes in the cactus and they are constantly flying around it and chirping. The garden is quite unique and very well done. . . more than I had expected for the park here. It is truly a labor of love to see all the varieties planted and identified.

Today we went to Ghost Town Road in Congress and drove out in the desert to the 1800's Pioneer Cemetery. It is the only remnant left of the original gold mining town which once stood here. It is not really kept up, but it is basically undisturbed.

Afterwards we drove up the mountains to Yarnell, only 9 miles away, but what a drive! It is a divided road, so you have no opposing traffic, which is good, because it is a mountain road in the worst sense of the word. Not bad in the Sport Trac, but I wouldn't want to be in a big vehicle. They don't advise RV's on it for sure. At the top in the town of Yarnell is a Shrine to St. Joseph. We did finally find it and it was quite interesting. While we were there, we noticed snow. We were at almost a mile in elevation and had not seen any snow going up the mountain, but that is because we were looking on the hillside the sun was hitting. On the way back, we could see quite a bit of snow.

In this town was a local restaurant known as "Buford Buzzard's BBQ." Hey, with a name like that, we just had to try it. They were smoking the meats outside using mesquite and it just melted in your mouth. I tried the sampler plate and brought enough home for lunch tomorrow.

Coming down I couldn't get any good pictures because the sun was in our eyes and we really had to concentrate on the road. We will go back later in the week and go on in to Prescott. I'm sure it will be colder there with the elevation, but we will just make a short visit out of it. The frog picture is a rock painted to look like a frog. It is the advertisement for the Frog Rock Cafe at the base of the mountain.

Till next time. . .

Dale