Wagoner Road, Prescott, Congress and SNOW! Lots of snow!

Placerita Cabin

It's the weekend before Paul's birthday, so off we went on another adventure.  We planned this one out ahead of time - the plan started out as a repeat of our Memorial Day weekend adventures, then morphed into heading out to places that neither of us had been - and while we did end up on the Senator Highway (eventually), the road there was new and full of amazing surprises!  Cabins we could actually access, mines, and tons and tons of snow, which was unexpected!

Fire on the Mountains...

We wanted to get on the road early Saturday - we had plans to stay the night at the Hotel Vendome in room 16 - the haunted room - where Abby and her cat Noble haunt visitors that stay there - more on Abby and Noble to come!  We also wanted to go back to Murphy's for a nice birthday dinner for Paul.  So we needed to be in Prescott by 6 p.m.  So we left our house around 5:15 a.m. and started up the 60 to Wickenburg.  

Ninja Cow - If you know, you know...

We stopped in Wickenburg for a quick breakfast sandwich at McDonalds, and we were off again.  The sun was just starting to come up, and the clouds were sitting really, really low - like on the ground low!  As we turned off on the Congress side-route, we could see the clouds sitting in the valley like giant fluffy pillows.  It was a gorgeous, cold, cloudy morning and made for some amazing photos!

Placerita Cabin

Our first stop was a stone cabin in a gorgeous setting that I had been to back in the mid-90's.  I was really excited to show it to Paul, as he loves old cabins as much as I do - but that's all that is around in this area - this old cabin.  It's called Placerita Cabin.  I had found it back in the 90's in an old ghosttown book, but nobody ever wanted to go because it was a very long drive to just look at an old stone cabin.  And the directions were sketchy back then - go about 5 miles to this, turn right at the cactus, etc. Typical pre-GPS directions.  But no more! This cabin used to have windows, and a fireplace, a floor with a trap door, and had a lovely open area out in front - and it looked over a small creek.  As we drove down the road to get to Placerita, I commented on how well graded the road is now.  But then we came to the turn off for the "road" to the cabin.  There isn't a road anymore.  It is completely grown over, and in the areas you could see a slight semblance of a road, it was heavily rutted.  But it was about a 1/4 mile hike in, so we parked the Lewis & Clark and hiked/bushwhacked our way in.  

Lewis & Clark parked for our hike into the Placerita Cabin - isn't she beautiful?

As soon as the cabin came in to view, I wanted to cry.  There is no roof, half of it has tumbled down, and it wasn't anything like it was when I went in the 90's.  Fortunately, the clouds and rain made for some absolutely beautiful photographs of what was no longer a usable line cabin, but was now a dilapidated old stone house that was mostly fallen down.   

The Placerita Gulch was founded by Anson Wilber Callen - also known as "Old Grizzly."  In 1887, Anson found gold in this area.  Placerita Gulch, the location of the town of Placerita, is up the gulch a bit from the old cabin.  Anson Callen was a colorful old man - cantankerous is frequently used to describe him - and he had his share of problems and would strike it rich, then spend it away.  The area of Placerita Gulch was also a big goat farming area...but now the Cabin, while privately owned, is surrounded by a different private cattle ranch which has been in the area for years.  We could see that the owners were trying to keep the walls intact with adobe/concrete supports on the walls - but time - and people - have led to the ultimate demise of this once gorgeous cabin in the Weaver Mountains.  The history on the actual cabin is muddled, but it is said that there used to be a concrete marker above the door that read "Isabella - 1875."  I don't recall this marker, but when I last visited this cabin in the mid 1990's, the walls were still standing and there was still a floor (with the trap door even!).  All of that has since been destroyed - even as early as 2008 the front wall with the doorway was fallen...

Windmill along the way somewhere...I love old windmills - this one wasn't working

BUT - there was more to see, and more to do - so off we went.  Back up to Walnut Grove to see if we could check out the cemetery (we couldn't, the road was closed with a locked gate), and we stopped at the Walnut Grove church and school house.  

Walnut Grove Church - note the old bell out front

Walnut Grove has a very sad history.  In 1888 a dam was completed across the Hassayampa River 60 miles north of Wickenberg.  A lovely, two mile long lake was created, however, the people creating the dam wanted to cut corners, and ultimately, the culmination of multiple corners being cut as well as unusually heavy amounts of snow and rain in 1889 and 1890 led to the extreme swelling of the Hassayampa River.  In the late hours of February 21st and the early hours of February 22nd, 1890, the dam's controller knew it wasn't going to hold.  A man was sent off to warn everyone of the impending danger, but unfortunately, the man chose to stop and buy a bottle of whiskey instead, and sent someone else - but it was too late.  At 2 a.m. on the morning of February 22, 1890, the dam gave way with a sound said to be louder than that of  Niagara Falls, and a 100 foot high wall of water went roaring down the Hassayampa River.  In less than 30 minutes, the water reached a smaller dam 20 miles downstream, which could not hold the rush of water.  When the water hit Wickenburg 60 miles downstream, after killing many and leaving a barren path behind it, the wall of water was said to still be 40 feet tall, and a channel was cut in the path of the Hassayampa all the way to to where it empties into the Gila River in the Phoenix valley.  at 9:30 a.m., the water reached the Buckeye Canal just west of Phoenix proper, and spread out over the valley.  

Walnut Grove one room schoolhouse and swingset

It is thought that more than 100 people perished in this flood.  People who perhaps could have been saved except for a man and a bottle of whiskey.  The man was eventually charged with manslaughter, but got off because the laws of the time did not address manslaughter through negligence.  He could not, however, remain in Walnut Grove or any surrounding areas...for obvious reasons.  The Walnut Grove dam disaster is considered the worst natural disaster in Arizona...

Historic Hassayampa River Bridge

After a quick stop at the church and school house (which is not currently in use as they encourage home schooling and a virtual academy due to the rural nature of the area), we made some of Paul's new favorite Death Wish coffee and decided to head up to the P-Bar Camp.  We passed over the historic Hassayampa Bridge on the way - the bridge was constructed in 1924.  It is the only wagon bridge in the state of Arizona that combines through and pony truss spans, and is essentially in an unaltered condition due to the remote area, and is considered to be a significant remnant of early Arizona bridge construction.  In 1979, the bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  

Lewis & Clark at the P-Bar Camp barn - which is inhabited by squirrels!

The ride to P-Bar Camp was uneventful.  We were amused by the fact that there are signs on the way there - but it is in a VERY remote area of the Bradshaws and we didn't see a soul the entire way up there or back...

The beautiful fireplace in the field by the brick home at P-Bar Camp -  note someone has shored up the chimney with concrete

I have no history on the P-Bar Camp.  I've tried and tried to find some, but it is on Prescott National Forest land, and therefore the history of leasing, etc., is difficult, at best, to discover.  I would likely need to find a park ranger - but we saw nobody.  

P-Bar Camp brick and concrete home with the barn in the background

Front of the squirrel infested barn

It had a one-holer!

It had been raining up until this point, and then it started snowing - which we were thrilled about.  Occasional little balls of snow, possibly hail, would bounce on the hood of the truck - and we were trying to stay dry while exploring, but the rain and snow made the wood of the barn look amazing - and showed us why the concrete and brick home was so damaged - the roof had caved in - probably from water on the roof - but every room was damaged.  But this was such a beautiful setting - I could absolutely imagine living here.  There must have been another building at one point - there is a beautifully masoned stone fireplace just standing in the middle of a field...with another fireplace directly across from it.  But I cannot see that there was one in the last 20 or so years - at least not according to Google Earth.  

The kitchen of the brick and concrete house at P-Bar - it was the nicest room.  Tons of black mold...

But the time had come to head out and to our next destination - Baldwin Place.  We past some amazingly large ranches (specifically, McNary Place) - one has to wonder about these places - these people are 50-100 miles away from anything...but are living their best lives.  Cowboys, ranchers, and, I assume, their spouses and children.  Living a way of life that generations before them have lived...

And then we stumbled on Baldwin Place.  Baldwin Place IS on private property.  I want to make that clear.  There is a Forest Service or BLM fence up in front of the private fence - and we did not enter the house.  But again, a beautiful valley with a beautiful wood sided building and some old abandoned vehicles too!  As at P-Bar Camp, I have no history on the Baldwin Place.  There is a darling tree house as well - and looks to have been a wonderfully delightful place to grow up as a child...

Old Treehouse at Baldwin Place

Old house at Baldwin Place

An old 1940's era White dump truck

As we left Baldwin Place, the sleet/snow really started coming down.  We were now on the trek up from the valley up to the Senator Highway - so we knew it would get colder, and due to the cloud cover, we would likely be getting more snow.  It started out as a beautiful drive.  But by the time we reached our next WayPoint, the Trails End Mine, the snow had gotten much worse, and the clouds were sitting thick on the mountains.  It looked like something out of a horror film.  

Prickly pear cactus in the snow

In the middle of nowhere - the satellite radio was looking for us...muwahahahaha

The Trails End Mine is part of the Prescott National Forest, and is not currently operating.  It is a Gold and silver mine and appears to have been last operated in or around 2018.  It is obviously a newer mine, but we couldn't see much - the clouds were sitting so low - it looked really creepy - like something out of a horror story!!  There was an adit and some random equipment.  I have no idea if Paul went in the adit or not - it was cold, so I got back in the truck!

Trails End Mine Shaft and Hoist

Trails End Mine Adit

Trails End Mine - Ghostly Equipment

Bobbi Jo hanging out in the Lewis & Clark - where it was warm!

When we left the Trails End Mine, we started heading up towards the Senator Highway to a point on the 82A where we had already been some months before when we attempted to go to the Eloise Mine.  But we were the first ones to crunch through this newly fallen snow, and it was beautiful - especially when the clouds lifted and it was just 3-4 inches of fresh snow.  We could barely see the trail - but we enjoyed the quiet of the snowfall and the forest.

As we got closer to Palace Station, our waypoint on the Senator Highway, we were startled by a red tail hawk struggling, low to the ground, that suddenly dropped what it had in its claws and flew up into the tree next to us.   We jammed on the brakes and realized he had just caught himself a squirrel - the blood and tracks from the fight were just in front of us in the bright white snow of the trail - and now the carcass of the squirrel was lying just in front of us while the hawk eyed us from a close tree.  He was beautiful, but we didn't stick around too long as we wanted him to be able to retrieve his meal and finish it while it was still warm - but what an amazing thing to see - a once in a lifetime sort of moment to watch nature at her finest...doing what nature does!

Note the dead squirrel lying in front of the truck in the white snow.  We had backed up at this point (hence the tracks)
Palace Station is straight ahead of us

The red tailed hawk waiting for us to leave him to his meal...

When we turned on to the Senator Highway, the snow got much deeper - and the longer we drove, the deeper it got.  This is the Bradshaw Mountains at their most beautiful - evergreen pine trees and snow - a more beautiful setting in Arizona there is not - the closest thing I can think of to Colorado and the Rockies!

The Senator Highway outside of Prescott - covered in 6-8 inches of snow

As we drove into Prescott, the snow started to dissipate.  It was clear it hadn't snowed as much in Prescott as it had in the mountains - but it was still crisp and cold - and we had a fun night ahead of us at the Hotel Vendome - we were staying in the haunted room!

Hotel Vendome

I've stayed at the Hotel Vendome a few times - and always in the haunted room.  Abby Byr purchased the Hotel Vendome (built in 1917) in 1921 with her husband.  Abby had traveled to Prescott for treatment of her consumption, as many people did back in the 20's and 30's.  The Byr's had to sell the hotel due to unpaid taxes, however, the new owners were kind enough to let the Byr's stay on and manage the hotel for them.  One night, Abby's husband went out for medication, and never returned.  Abby was heartbroken and refused to eat.  She locked herself in her room with her cat Noble and they both died of starvation in room 16.  Abby is said to haunt room 16, as is her cat Noble.  

Abby and Noble's Room - Room 16

Paul and I quickly dropped off our stuff and decided to go get his birthday dinner over at Murphy's, as they have been closing early since Covid hit.  So off we went for escargot, filets and delicious drinks!  We then drove around looking at some of the old Victorian houses in and around downtown Prescott and watching the absolutely stunning sunset.  After a bit, we decided it was time to turn in and see if Abby or Noble would make their presence known.  

Lewis & Clark getting snowed on at Murphy's in downtown Prescott

Old Victorian homes in downtown Prescott, AZ

As I stated above, I've stayed at the Hotel Vendome several times - and always in Abby's room.  But I've never experienced Abby or Noble.  They have recently renovated the Hotel, and Abby's room is lovely now - and feels much more spacious.  The bed was relatively comfortable, and we watched some TV, then Paul dozed off.  I, on the other hand, did not sleep quite as well.  Around midnight, I woke up to a cat crying to get in. I remember thinking how cold it was and how sad that there was a cat outside in the below-freezing temperatures.  But then I drifted off to sleep after about 5 minutes of listening to it cry...

Downtown Prescott and the beautiful sunset!

The next morning I asked Paul if he heard the cat.  He did not.  And he didn't understand how I would have heard a cat either - we are on the second floor, and he said there was no way there would have been a cat outside at midnight crying to get in.  Paul is certain I heard Noble.  I don't know...but it was weird.  The lady at the front desk said she's never seen a cat around the hotel, so she also is certain I heard Noble.  

Yarnell Hotshots Memorial

Yarnell Hotshots Memorial

Either way, after a night at the Hotel Vendome, we were off - fortified with a glorious breakfast of bacon, eggs, pancakes and hashbrowns from Prescott Junction (amazing food, by the way), we went over to the Prescott Pioneer cemetery to pay our respects to the Yarnell Hotshots.  Then we jumped back on the 89A to head down towards Congress and the beginning of our journey.  We had one last stop we wanted to make - not having any idea the tragic story that was going to be discovered after...

Skull Rock

As we wound our way down the mountains and passed the Yarnell Hotshots hiking spot, as well as our turn off on Wagoner Road, we enjoyed the sun and the cool weather.  We turned off just before we reached Congress, AZ on the 62/Date Creek Road.  We were in search of a toppled crane I had seen several time on Facebook.  We passed the infamous skull rock, and turned off and headed into the Date Creek Mountains.  The Date Creek Mountains are full of more stunning views - large boulders making up the landscape.  It reminded me of Pyornkrachzark, the rock chewer in The Neverending Story - I kept waiting for them to rise up and become entities...

Date Creek Mountains by Congress, AZ

We finally made our way to the fallen crane.  And we discovered a memorial cross.  At the time, we had no knowledge of the horrific accident that had occurred there.  In 2011, a young man of 26 was backing a Rough Terrain crane down the side of this mountain, boom extended.  The crane fell over on the side with the cab containing the young man under it.  It took the rescue crews 6 hours to extricate him from the wreck, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.  Looking at the one photograph we have seen from the accident to the photos we took ourselves, nothing has been moved since the accident.  The crane is still lying in the lifted position - the hooks and cables used to lift the crane up to extricate the young man are still lying on the ground. 

In memoriam...2011

The unfortunate crane accident

I have found one account of what happened on this mountain that day - and it isn't much.  It doesn't even tell us who the young man is.  Just his age.  It made for a quiet trip down to Congress and the old cemeteries there knowing what had occurred up on that mountain in 2011...

Paul and his baby - the Lewis & Clark

We stopped on our way out of the Date Creek Mountains to flex the Lewis & Clark a bit - and then headed over to check out the old Pioneer Cemetery and old mine works at Congress.  I've never been able to get in to the old Congress Mine Workings - although I'm dying to - but one can see them from the Pioneer Cemetery - which I've been to tons of times.  

Old Congress Mine Workings - fenced off

My favorite grave at the Pioneer Cemetery in Congress

I took pictures of my favorite grave at the Pioneer Cemetery - a grave I've been photographing for several decades.  It never changes.  It still has shingles on the top of each post - and no headstone.  I don't know who is buried here, but I've loved the grave since I first found it in the 1990's.  

The weekend was too short - but filled with adventure and fun - exploring places that neither Paul nor I had been to with just a couple of exceptions.  And in the Bradshaws no less - mountains that both Paul and I are extremely familiar with.  And there is still so much to explore...

The Senator Highway in the Bradshaw Mountains in all its majestic beauty.

Crown King Adventures - Memorial Day Weekend - Day 2

Tower Mountain, Crown King, AZ

Day 2 - SUNDAY

After a wonderful night's sleep, and being utterly lazy and laying around watching "Knowing" starring the always entertaining Nicolas Cage, we decided to go in to town for some breakfast at the Prospector Mall Smokehouse & Grill (amazing bacon, by the way!  They cure it themselves and it was to die for...).  We were reminded by one of the owners of the Smokehouse that the Memorial Day Parade was going to begin at noon, and, no offense to Crown King, we wanted to high tail it out of town...so around 11 a.m. we decided to head up to Tower Mountain to check out the old lookout tower.  So we started climbing out of Crown King - windows down - amazing views - shelf road most of the way.   Lots of side by sides and ATV's zipping down the roads at top speed - I have no idea how these people avoid accidents.  It was crazy.  

Collup Cemetery

 But as we turned off the shelf road and into the pines, it reminded me of Colorado driving - huge, tall pines on both sides of the road - so thick it was almost dark.  As we were approaching the towers, there were plenty of "private property" and "no trespassing" signs, and then an huge field opened up to the North, and this lovely home, cabin and cemetery just appeared out of nowhere.  There were clearly people home as the back door was open.  The structure wasn't old - I don't know what the name of the ranch is, but I believe the Collup family owns it.  Or did.  But two of them appear to be buried here.  It was such a peaceful and beautiful place.  

Lookout Tower

But onward we went until we drove up to the little cabin and all the towers.  SO many towers, and then the tiny little lookout tower.  Paul climbed the tower, but it was closed and locked.  He took some photos from up top, although it was far from the tallest tower out there.  But the views were magnificent - you felt like you were on top of the world!  We spent a bit of time looking for a geocache that we never found, and then went down another short road towards another set of towers, but decided to turn around and head back - we had a very specific mine we were trying to get to!  

Old school bus at Del Pasco

As we drove through the pines again, and took the turn off at the Wild Flower Saddle, the road got a bit rougher - no longer an easy graded trail, but not a difficult trail either.  We continued through the pine trees, ran into a few folks on their side by sides, dipped down into a wet little valley area, and came around to the turn off for the Del Pasco site.  Paul and I were both really excited to see what was here.  You can't see anything on Google Earth, but we've both seen pictures of the bus and other equipment left up here.  

The dump truck - love those colors!
Also - the clutch is still springy.  Haha

The Del Pasco did not disappoint!  The bus is the first thing you see - but it's no longer yellow (which is why we can't see it clearly on Google Earth).  The bus is also burned up inside.  Just a shell remains.  There's also an old dump truck, and a homemade trommel along with other miscellaneous old mining equipment.  The old building with the boiler that was so beautifully tilting to one side has long since collapsed and is now just a pile of old wood.  But this place is buried deep in pines and seems so out of place in what feels like the absolute middle of nowhere.  

The Del Pasco was founded by Jackson McCrackin, James Fine, Charley Taylor and T.G. Hogle on July 4, 1970.  It started as a placer mine but was further developed so as to access the 2-3 foot wide Del Pasco Vein.  In the early 1870's, a 4 stamp mill was built and operated on sight by two men who acquired an interested from Hogle.  The mill rarely ran at full capacity due to a lack of water, but averaged 40-50 ounces of gold every couple of days.  

Jackson McCrackin was a member of the Walker Party and a member of the First Territorial Legislature.  It is rumored he was not the most hygienic person, and that he was forcibly bathed and groomed by his political and mining colleagues so as to better fit the role of a proper Territorial Arizona Representative.  McCrackin made his big money in later mining ventures, including the McCracken Silver Mine, a well known mine in Mojave County.  

Homemade trommel at Del Pasco - and it still spins!

By the 1880's, the Del Pasco Mine was overshadowed by the nearby Tiger Mines and Peck Mines.  It continued to produce until the early 1940's when the mine owner was shipping 35 tons, or two cars, of high grade ore per month.  

There has been additional testing done in the 1980's to see if there would be any value to heap-leaching, but nothing appears to have come from that.  

Paul in the bus

So there it sits - rotting away - trucks, equipment, beams, and a bus.  But it's one of the oldest mines in the Bradshaw Mountains, and I was excited to have been able to see it!  And in such a beautiful setting.  

But on we went - to try to look at a few more mining claims, which all turned out to be gated and locked.  So we slowly made our way down towards Crown King, passing tons of old mines, trucks, and some cool homes.  

We pass by a cool old International Harvester work truck, and then as we get closer in to town, an old FJ40.  

International Harvester Truck

It's now roughly 1 p.m., and we had planned to take the Senator Highway up to Palace Station to stop and look around.  Paul and I have both been to Palace Station a number of times, but neither of us have ever stopped to have a look.  AND - the topo maps show a cemetery!  We LOVE cemeteries!!!

So we arrive back in Crown King and we don't even stop - we head right out to the Senator Highway, and off we go.  About 30 minutes into the trek, I offer to drive, and to my utter disbelief, Paul said yes.  So he pulls over, I adjust the rear view mirror and the seat, and off we go.  I'm not used to driving an automatic, so Paul walks me through how to put it in 2, 3 and 4 while in 4L.  I only try to punch in the clutch once - luckily I missed the brake!

I'm getting the hang of it - and then we're driving on shelf roads.  Ugh.  

Palace Station

Paul finds an old album in his mp3's that I used to listen to as a kid (Funnybone Favorites) - I'm absolutely shocked that he knows this album - and the other one too!  We sing along to all the goofy songs having a grand old time.  "I don't like spiders and snakes, and that ain't what it takes to love me, like I wanna be loved by you."  Fun music, and it lightens my mood and keeps my mind off shelf roads...

Eventually we pull in to Palace Station, and we get out to look at the old cabin, which is closed.  There's an old outhouse, and a new bathroom (locked), and as we wander around, Paul notices a little path heading in the direction that we think the cemetery is in.  

Sign at the Palace Station Cemetery

So we take off on foot to see what we can find.  And sure enough, there is a darling little cemetery tucked away in the pines.  Someone has taken great care to line the path with rocks, and to fence in the cemetery.  We spent some time in the cemetery, although there are only two headstones that have writing, there is an informational sign - with far less people on it than there are crosses in the cemetery.  The sign also indicates there are likely graves outside of the fence as well.  Several of the known graves are of young children - as I've said before, always sad - but a grim reminder of how hard life was back then.  

Palace Station was build in 1875 and was a stagecoach station and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  In 1873, Alfred B. Spence and his wife and father-in-law left Missouri to settle here on Groom Creek.  At first, they built a sawmill, but two years later decided to build the log cabin/structure that we see today.  In 1877, a wagon road was surveyed into the canyon to the Senator Mine, and the Prescott to Phoenix stage line was built to carry passengers to Palace Station and then on to the Peck Mine.  Travelers could stop at Palace Station, water and rest their horses, and enjoy a meal prepared by Mrs. Spence.  There was one other stop on the way from Prescott to Peck Mine - and that was at the Bully Bueno, and due to this stage line, the trip from Prescott to the Peck Mine could be completed in a single day.  

Palace Station Cemetery

In 1905, Mr. Spence retired and then passed away in 1908.  Mrs. Spence attempted to sell the station, but was unable to and she abandoned it and moved to Prescott, where she passed away in 1929.  By 1915, newspapers were referring the Palace Station as range headquarters, and to this day it is owned and managed by the Forest Service.  It has had many uses over the years, including as a place of residence for Forest Service Rangers.  There is some hope that they will turn Palace Station in to one of the rental cabins that the Forest Service provides.  

After walking around and enjoying the Palace Station property, Paul and I had a decision to make.  Do we continue on into Prescott?  Should we go try to check out the Eloise Mine and the Bodie Mine?  Do we head back to Crown King where there is a live band playing at the bar?  

We decide to head down the road to the Bodie Mine in hopes that we can see the Eloise Mine structures.  We walk back to the truck and I start to hand Paul the keys, and he jumps in the passenger side.  I guess I'm driving again - and now down a road I've never been on.  This guy has WAY more faith in me than I do.  We head out on what is a lovely road through a huge meadow, and then it all closes in.  A little two rut road that has clearly had tons of trees fall across it, and whoever is cutting these tree trunks is cutting them JUST enough to squeeze the truck through.  Then we come to it.  A steep little jaunt with a rock that drops a foot or more.  I just stop.  Paul looks at me and says "Breathe baby, breathe - and just go."  (That's our new thing - if I'm getting a little nervous, it's always "Breathe baby, breathe.")  I let the truck do it's thing, and we slowly go over the little rock obstacle, pop through the small stream, and start climbing up the other side.  The FJ just went - I didn't even have to do anything - except give it some gas going up the hill.  It was awesome.  

We get up over the hill, and the trail gets even tighter, and turns into a shelf road.  But I'm okay - I have some confidence now, except that the trail keeps getting tighter and tighter.  I try to avoid a big boulder - and I'm successful with the front tires, but I catch it with the back.  And then we approach the turn off to the Eloise Mine, and of course, it's gated and chained.  This is getting crazy - everything we want to see is gated and chained.  Because I happen to know there isn't anything at the Bodie Mine except a big hole in the ground, we decide we are going to head back.  But I can't turn around.  So we keep going down the trail looking for a turn around point, knowing that when we finally hit the turn off for Bodie - we have a guaranteed turn around point.  The trail is tight and overgrown.  I'm pinstriping the heck out of the truck and I'm waiting for Paul to tell me he's driving.  But he doesn't.  He just keeps telling me I'm doing great.  We get to a place where I can turn around, but I have to make a left turn while going down a steep embankment, straighten out, then back up over that same embankment.  But hey - you know what?  I did it!

Senator/Maxton Mill Ruins

We head out - I didn't even flinch going over the rock obstacle.  It was like I'd been doing it all my life.  We get back to Palace Station, and we decide we're heading in to Prescott for dinner - I promise Paul an amazing steak and off we go.  There were more buildings to see, but of course they were gated and chained.  Until we got to the Senator/Maxton Mine.  

Senator/Maxton Mill Ruins - Note the "open" window

Now I've been here a bunch of times to view the Mill, and even over to the old mining ruins and to the adit (which was previously closed with a large metal door).  I love this structure.  It's a graffiti mess, but all the steel beams and concrete - so industrial right in the middle of this gorgeous canyon.  I really wanted to get below it for photos, but that's a bit of a hike down into the creek bed, and there were already people down there, and we needed to get to Murphy's and then to Home Depot before heading back.  Both Murphy's and Home Depot close at 8, and it's pushing 5 p.m.  So we look around for a bit, Paul climbs up one of the posts (crazy boy), and we head back to the truck.  Which I'm still driving.  Shocking!

We head in to Prescott and over to Murphy's, where we are seated immediately in a cozy little booth, we order drinks, and then I ask Paul if he wants to try escargot.  He's game, so I order some - and of course, it's divine - all that garlicky butter.  And Paul liked it too!  We both get filets, potatoes and veggies - and we eat with the appetite of people who haven't eaten in forever - until we're both stuffed and feel like we need to roll ourselves out of Murphy's.  We had wonderful service and wonderful food, as always.  

I drive us to Home Depot, we get the drawer latch we need for the truck, and I ask Paul if I'm driving back - he says sure.  And we're going back on the Senator Highway.  NOT the 89A!  It's getting dark, but Paul has awesome lights on his truck, so we turn them all on while Paul watches for Sasquatch, and I watch the road.  At one point we are quietly driving along and I gasp and shout "bunnies!!" at a pair of rabbits that ran across the road.  I thought Paul was going to have a heart attack. Ha.

And guess what - I drove ALL THE WAY BACK TO CROWN KING.  IN THE DARK. ON THE SENATOR HIGHWAY (which is not a highway, fyi - it's a back way from Prescott to Crown King on an old, rutted dirt road - which doesn't really require any off road abilities - except it was dark).

I know.  I'm shocked too.  Only once did I freak Paul out.  I'm always the one to get nervous on shelf roads, but apparently I got a bit close and Paul got a bit nervous.

So Paul --

Breathe Baby, Breathe!

Senator/Maxton Mill