Rattlesnake Ranch near Gleeson, AZ

 

What an interesting place.  The yard is filled with old and antique things of history for yard, farming, and household articles on both sides and in a large maze-like square.  The place is way out in nowhere land between Tombstone and Gleeson. 

Check out some of these amazing things this couple has collected.  They have lived here for "nearly 20 years" and rattle snake hunt every year.  Read about John and Sandy in the brochure above.

In a little trailer you can see everything from belts to wallets, buttons to phone cases and knife sheaths, all made out of or covered in snake skins from a multitude of variety a of rattle snakes.

Can you believe these ribs (not vertebra) from the snake?

Woodpecker in Cochise Stronghold

Viv Grybko and a fellow staying at Willcox Elks, Warner Miller, and I drove to Cochise Stronghold and I caught these great shots of an Acorn Woodpecker on a tree about 5 feet from us. 

We drove from Willcox to Cochise Stronghold down to Tombstone via Middlemarch Rd. which was dirt and rocks and was lots of fun in the Jeep, on through Gleeson toward Elfrida where we discovered the "Rattlesnake Ranch".  I had been there a few years ago but had lost the photos on a CD crash.  See next post.

 The route we took is here on the map and looks a little like a shoe.

Our trip was 115 miles but was great fun.  Much of the drive was on dirt and rock roads, mostly well maintained.  The drive over Dragon Mountain peak was a one lane road with a shear cliff during part of the drive.

We drove through Kansas Settlement, and back into Willcox arriving at 4:30.  A great 6 1/2 hours day!

SNOW !!!

 It rained most of the night and some time in the early hours it snowed.  The snow on the mountain near here in Sahuarita, AZ is all the way down, too far away to get a picture however.  

Pima Mina Tour, Sahuarita AZ

 

Pima Mine Tour near Sahuarita AZ right near the Desert Diamond Casino .  What an amazing place!  It mines copper.  The metal, hidden within the rock and dirt is extricated by blasting, shoveling, and hauling in huge trucks with this size tire!  The huge rocks start out several feet in size and after the milling process the result is literally a powder form of copper and rock dust.  The final step of this powder is to be sent all over the country and world for the final step to get the final product of copper. Mexico owns this mine, unreal!

 

An open mine is a stair step looking hole.  The roads are barely wide enough for two lanes to hold the huge equipment.  The water trucks work 24/7 to keep the dust down and the mill is also 24/7.

This cable is actually 6 inches across and the 3 large copper centers are over 1 inch across.

Mary Marcus and I.  Can you believe the size of this truck?  It holds 75 tons which only takes 5 shovel fulls to fill.

Guess who?  Mary, Dan and me.  This is a cut away section of a rolling drum that holds 5 inch steel balls that roll around with the rock product to beat it down to smaller size.  the balls last in size only about 2 weeks.

This is definitely a cactus annomilly at the entrance of the mine tour.

My Jeep is Offical Now

Well, I did it. I have been on three off road excursion now.  I have mud, dirt, dust, pinstripes and real scratches to prove it.  My proof is a little washed out due to the rain we had.  There was one area I refused to go, it was steep and at an angle.  As a "new-by" I decided to use my better judgment, for now anyway. I did go on one hill though.  Look at the video. 

Dan, Max and me.

Ready to Roll!!

I bought my 2010 Jeep Wrangler in Henderson NV.  Dan and I put the kayak rack on, the bike rack and now it's ready to go.  All fits well and rides well.  I miss my ATV but I know I will have a great time with this Jeep.  Hauling the ATV and not getting to ride it except mostly in the west became a burden so I traded in the Dodge Dakota and the Honda 500 Rubicon ATV  : (     : )

New Wheels

Well, I have had my ATV for 4 years and only get to ride it 2-3 times a year for about 2 weeks, on and off.  Why?  Well most places in this country have no riding areas or if they do it is more for dirt bikes and it is a pay to enter area.  Also, if the WIN folks are going 4x4 riding the ATV cannot use highways to get to the ride starting area.  The best riding is in the southwest in Arizona and Nevada.  I am only in this area for a short time and that's that.  So hauling around dead weight makes no sense.

Sooooo, I traded in my 06 Dodge Dakota and 06 Honda Rubicon 500 for a 2010 Jeep Wrangler Sahara.  Now I will be able to have a vehicle for transportation and for fun.  Most places in the USA have plenty of off highway roads to enjoy.

Nevada State Railroad Museum, Boulder City, NV

Us WINs took a nice 45 minute train ride in a 1911 open car down past the Railroad Hotel Casino and back.  Lou and Jeannie, friends Dan and I made a few years ago when we stayed at the Canyon Trail RV Park in Boulder City, met us there and rode with us.  Some of us then road the "97" to the bone yard. 

This gentleman was our porter.

Judy H. Viv G, Mark, Brad, Joanne, and Bob.

Paul, Marian, and Bob.

Diane, Margaret, Donna and Larry.

Only some of us went on this extra tour which was part of our cost.