Los Algodones and Dateland

We had decided to take a trip to Los Algodones, Mexico to see what it was all about having heard it was the Mecca for dental, optical and prescription meds. For cheap, "almost free" as the street vendors often say with a laugh.
I was in need of a crown and John wanted some new spectacles. JoAnn Gaumont's sister, Laurie, said she would go with us as she would like her teeth cleaned and had been there before and would show us the ropes.
Along the way we saw a HUGE array of solar collectors and what was likely a power plant associated with them. It turns out it is the Abengoa Solana plant that covers about 3 sq. miles and has 2700 parabolic solar collectors. It is a solar thermal power plant and can generate 280 megawatts which can provide electricity for approximately 70,000 homes. This type of plant can store the sun's power for six hours after sundown via thermal energy. Cool, no hot....

Solar thermal collectors

The Abengoa Solana power plant

We made dental and eye appointments for 1pm on Friday the 10th of January without problem and early that morning headed out to pick up our guide Laurie who has a place in Maricopa which just happens to be on the way to Los Algodones.
One hour into the 3+ hour drive we picked up Laurie and headed out on our Mexican adventure.
The border crossing is actually in California so one more state we have "been" to...

 There is a huge parking lot and you cross the border on foot. Once in, there are restrooms where there was an elderly man handing out paper towels.
Then the fun begins. There is no doubt you are in Mexico. Super colourful buildings and vendors and people asking if you need a dentist or glasses or medications or jewelry or liquor or....... likely, you name it!
A young fellow came up to us and asked "are you Allison"? What a weird experience that was. The clinic we were booked into was watching for us and even though we were a couple of hours early they were ready to take us.
We were greeted by the staff. The dentist and optical were in the same office. Very different.
My procedure took longer than both John's and Laurie's. We were to come back the next day by noon, me for the crowns, turned out I needed 2, and John's glasses. We had planned for an overnighter so no problema.
After I was done round one and had the temporary crowns on we went for a little tour around the district and stopped at one of the plazas for lunch. It was very good. We checked out a few pharmacies to see how much John's meds would be there and then we headed for the border.
There was a bit of a queue which took about an hour to get through. The whole time you are in line there are street vendors and beggars, mostly women with small children. Quite sad.
U.S. customs was no problem and we were back at the car and heading to the Quechin Casino Hotel for the night. Checked in and had a rest with plans to meet Laurie for supper later.
We had a really good prime rib dinner and after John and Laurie played "Jacks or Better" at a bar in the casino for a bit.
Back up to the room with anticipation of the return visit to the dentist next day.
We arrived in Los Algodones a little early but ended up waiting until 1pm for the dentist. In the mean time we went to another plaza for a refreshment. There was live music, the first was a Mariache singer who was very good and after him were two fellows who played guitars and sang. They were excellent!
 It took a bit of time for my dentist to fit the crowns. Did I mention I am a white knuckle dentist patient, even during a cleaning? After he got my bite correct they sent the crowns out to the lab again to be re-polished which took another 45 minutes, which in the grand scheme of things, is nothing.
Afterwards, with a pretty tender jaw, we went for another look around the shops for a bit. John haggled and joked around with a vendor for a leather belt and ended up with a very nice one for $20.
We left earlier than the day before and there was hardly a queue at all so we were heading back towards home in good time.  Laurie had mentioned on the way to Los Algodones about a rest stop on the way home called Dateland where they grow dates and have all kinds of date related products to purchase, including date milk shakes. We had to stop and check it out. Now I believe in the date world there are two kinds of people. People who despise dates and people who adore dates. We all fall into the second category. There is also a fuel station there so we up filled the car and then filled up ourselves with really, really delicious date milk shakes and other date delights. They grow several varieties of dates and had samples so you could make an informed choice of which dates you wanted. I bought a package of Halawi dates with thoughts of them being tucked into bran muffins. YUM!!
After our "pit" stop we beetled down the hiway and got Laurie home before dark. We stayed for a beverage at her house and then back on the road for the hour drive back to Mesa.
A very interesting and enjoyable trip.

Sunrise on the 202 San Tan freeway

Sonoran desert

Out of the Sonoran and into the Mojave

The border crossing into Mexico

A lovely ficus tree in a plaza

One of the many vendors in Los Algodones

A typical street in Los Algodones

A field of jojoba bushes

I'm going to Dateland, Dateland

As promised!

A grove of date plams

The start of a new crop

A new little date palm sprouting from a fallen date. They grow really easily as I have stuck date pits in pots at home and had them grow!

Leftovers from last crop with date palm sprouts. There was a sign that said date palm seedlings for sale......

Verde Canyon Railway and Jerome

January 8, 2014
We had been told by several people that the Verde Canyon Railway was a good tour so we decided to book a trip and decided we'd stay overnight in the scenic old town of Jerome which was just a few minutes drive from where the train was.
It was recommended to go in a first class car as it provided some nice hors d'oeuvres and beverages.
We left Mesa at 8:30am and figured about 2 hours or so to Clarkdale where the train is. We took the quickest route there as we hadn't headed up that way yet with plans to take the scenic route home the following day.

Another lovely decoration on an overpass

Arriving in Clarkdale with plenty of time before the train departed we drove around town to check it out. As the train didn't leave until 1pm and it was just after 11am we wandered into a little diner on main street and had lunch, picked up a tourist map of the area and purchased a couple of greeting cards.
The train departed on time for it's 4hr journey there and back. The cars had quite lovely decor and the snacks were not too bad. Chicken wings, a selection of cheeses and pickles, crackers, vegs and dip and some chocolate brownie bites. They served your choice of champagne or cider at the start, a wee glass, to toast the trip. Other beverages were available at cost.
There was recorded narration of the history of the train and the area throughout the trip interspersed with songs that had train connections. I didn't realise so many songs had train references in them!
Just outside of town there was an old and very large slag pile from the time the smelter operated. Apparently it has just been purchased by a mining company that, after doing tests on the pile, discovered that with the new technology of recovering precious metals, there is approximately $10 billion in gold in those old piles of "garbage"!
If you liked, there were open cars that you could be outside to watch the scenery. We rode inside on the way there and outside on the way back. FYI, if you do take the train, the side with the tables for two or the right side as you are facing the front of the train, has much better viewing.
We saw several eagles, a deer and some javelinas, which a small wild pigs.

One of the engines

The other engine

Some of the beautiful scenery along the railway route

The open car

 

 
 

Heading back to Clarkston while "Take the Last Train to Clarksville" was being played, hahaha

 After we got off the train we headed up the road to Jerome. An old town where mining was the reason for it's existence much like many towns in the old west US. It was noted for it's wild times. There was a smelter nearby but when the mines and the smelter closed in the 60's the town was destined to become yet another ghost town. Many of the residents decided not to let that happened and started refurbishing old buildings and making art become a drawing point for visitors. There are all sorts of shops with interesting art work available. Also quite a few good places to eat in town.
We had made a reservation at the Conner Hotel. Est. 1899. It had been nicely modernised but still held much of it's old charm.
When we checked in we were told that it was open mike night at the hotel pub, The Spirit Room, that night, so we decided we'd check it out after dinner.
We ate at an Italian restaurant across the street that had an extensive wine menu. Wednesday night at the restaurant was any appetiser $5 and any glass of wine $5. Pretty good deal! We each ordered an appy and I had a nice glass of Chianti, John had a beer...
We lost our minds for some reason and both ordered a pasta dish. Of course we couldn't finish our meals but those leftovers made for a very nice supper another night.
We headed to the pub after supper and the first band and host for the evening was underway. They were some musicians who had been around making music for some time and played some good old time blues. They were joined by a local younger fellow and jammed for a few pieces.
After them was a duo from upstate New York and they played fiddle and guitar and I guess I'd call their music east coast punk/folk.
We left after their set and headed up to the room. I really liked the room and for me the bed was excellent. I love a king size bed!
The next morning after coffee in our room we headed down the street to a little diner for breakfast.
It was just deelish and with stomachs full and fresh eyes we headed down, and up and down the very scenic hiway 89 to Prescott.
But not before we took a little detour to an old gold mine/ghost town just outside of Jerome.
We drove up to what looked like a junk yard and truth be told it was, but a very interesting junk yard with very interesting people.
There was an old saw mill just like you see in old movies where the villain is going to saw the woman in half but the hero comes just in the "nick" of time.
There were numerous old trucks and fire engines and more trucks and pieces of old machinery. The fellows there actually used the wood they were sawing to make very lovely rustic furniture. I believe if I had a place down here there would be some of that furniture in my house.
There was a donkey and a goat and a bunch of chickens too, just wandering about the place.
We did see a sign that stated "Gold panning" but we decided we would pass.
Now off down Hiway 89....
Again the rocks were beautifully coloured and the road wound alongside the mountains. Then out onto the plains and back into mountains. Highly recommend this route. Daytime only though!
We arrived back at the Colby house eager for our upcoming trip to Los Algodones, Mexico.
To be continued.....

One of the many interesting buildings in Jerome, AZ

A pottery shop

Some horsehair pots

This is such a cool idea, a planter with a kaleidoscope!

Looking down through the kaleidoscope. Just beautiful!! (you could turn it and position it to make all sorts of patterns)

The big ol' saw cutting a large log

A few of the trucks.....

An old Travelall!

Along hiway 89

 

The Apache Trail Loop and other stuff....

Today is December 16. I can hardly believe that we are in the middle of December because it's just like late summer or early fall here in Mesa, AZ.
I have decided to go home to Alberta over Christmas and am fully aware of the wintery conditions that I will fly into in a couple of days. I just hope everyone back there hasn't had any trouble on the roads!
Ok, now to get caught up with our travels here.
We did an over nighter trip on the Apache Trail Loop. Here is how it is described in the brochure:

Apache Trail one of the most scenic drives in the country. Winding on the edges of Superstition Mountain Wilderness, this was the original path of Apache Indians that became a stage coach route during the wild west. It is now a scenic drive with an aura of days past. Take this beautiful drive and you will not only discover unique beauty, but experiencing history.
The Apache Trail is particularly gorgeous during springtime when the cacti is in full bloom and wildflowers paint the desert landscape. But it is not a drive for those afraid of heights. It can be scary. There are parts of the trail where dirt road hugs cliff side walls or guard rails along sharp drop-offs.
Apache Trail is not for nervous drivers. Definitely not for passengers who are likely to curl-up on the floor board and scream for you to turnaround and go back. There are few places to do that along the Apache Trail. But if you can handle a few harrowing spots, nature's visuals will reward.

A view of the Superstition Mountains

Well I guess we aren't any of the above kinds of people, altho there were a couple of spots that were pretty sketchy. The trip was well worth it!
We first stopped at an old ghost town. It was pretty touristy but I met a fellow in a pottery studio there. He was working on some pieces so I went in to visit with him for a bit. Turned out he assisted the potter who ran the studio but sadly he had died recently. The potter's wife had a lease for the studio and the assistant was trying to make a go of it even though he admitted he really didn't know that much about potting but had learned a few of the potter's handbuilding projects and was going with them. Made me think if I lived in the area I could possibly help him get more comfortable with clay and help with the firing etc. Oh well, I'm sure he'll do ok.

At the ghost town

Pottery wind chimes

 We wanted to go on the boat, the Dolly, on Canyon Lake and checked the sailing times on the internet. According to the schedule we saw, there was only one sailing that day, at 12pm so we wanted to skeedaddle up the road to be there on time.
When we arrived at the dock we went to the ticket window only to find a sign that stated that there would be no sailing today.
We went over to the restaurant just next to the Dolly and the manager was surprised to hear the news. She said it usually went rain or shine so she didn't know what was going on.
We decided to stay for lunch and it was very good. The server was a hoot too!

The Dolly

 After lunch we traveled a bit further up the road to Tortilla Flat, another little Ghost Town turned tourist attraction.
Not much there but I did have some tasty prickly pear ice cream. Tastes sort of like a mixture of strawberry and raspberry and something else that is, well, I guess prickly pear flavour.

At Tortilla Flat

Found a friend

 Right after Tortilla Flat the road is unpaved for 22 miles and this is where the fun begins. Winding along the side of the mountains the narrow dirt/gravel road makes it's way to the dam.
The dam was built in the early 1900's entirely of rock from the surrounding mountains. Cut and fit together. In the 1950's the dam was fortified with a coating of concrete. There was no dam tour here.

The dirt road to the dam

 

Red dirt

The dam

 
 After the dam, we drove to the Tonto National Monument, which by then the road was paved again. As usual it was a very interesting stop and admission utilised our National Parks Pass. The information centre was very informative. Only the lower cliff dwelling was open which was just fine as it was a long steep climb up. I can't imagine how those people lived up there but I suppose it was much safer and securer that living down below.

Looking up to the lower cliff dwelling

The path up

 

 

 

Looking down from the cliff dwelling

 We left Tonto Nat'l Monument and headed to the city of Globe where we had made arrangements to stay at a bed and breakfast.
It was called Dream Manor Inn. It was a very nice surprise driving up to what looked like a villa in Tuscany, Italy. Our room was very comfortable with lovely views. The owners recommended a Mexican restaurant in town which we tried. It too was very, very good. They didn't have a license to sell anything except beer and wine but had invented a margarita made with wine that was very tasty indeed. John had the shrimp fajitas and I had the chicken rellenos. Delightful!
(I have not lost any weight on this trip....)
The next morning we had breakfast in the dining room at the Inn and chatted with the owner about golf courses in the area. We were also told that a trip just 40 minutes up the road to Salt River Canyon was well worth it, so we changed our plans a bit and headed that way.

Dream Manor Inn

A little man made waterfall

A little pitching practice

  It was a lovely drive up and an amazing surprise to see what is dubbed by the locals as "the Little Grand Canyon". Very cool, and the coloured rocks!! Oh the colours!! I just don't think my photos do them justice.
After driving from one side, down into the near bottom of the canyon and up the other side, we turned around to do it in reverse and head to the Pueblo in Globe.

Salt River Canyon

 

 


 

At Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Park was a visitor centre with a really great video about the ancient natives. There was also an area in the visitor centre that had many artifacts found in amongst the ruins. Much of it pottery with lovely decoration.
We walked through the ruins, a lot of which had been destroyed by vandals in the early days and rebuilt and maintained by volunteers.

Besh-Ba-Gowah Archaeological Site

Ancient pottery

More lovely old pottery

  We stopped for fuel and lunch and then down the road again to our last stop on this trip. The Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park.
The arboretum was established by a wealthy mining magnate who after seeing the mess the mining industry was making of the desert decided to try and preserve an area of the desert and also added plants from deserts around the world. It was very beautiful and interesting.

A lovely display of ice plants

A sculpture fountain in the form of a cactus, love it!!

Along the path through the arboretum

An olive tree

Olives

A eucalyptus tree

A few more photos....

At the lower cliff dwelling at Tonto National Monument

A random tree with Christmas decorations at the side of the hiway!

Another dam picture