THROWBACK THURSDAY

College days, late 1950's, pretending to be a journalist

Backstage at a concert by the Dave Brubeck Quartet

(Left to right)  Paul Desmond, Dave Brubeck, my college pal Phil Perry, and me.

Dig those skinny neckties!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - BEAR WITH ME

ROAD TRIP - DAY FOUR- INTO THE PAST

As we were headed home from our road trip, we pulled into the tiny burg of Skull Valley.

What we saw at the now-closed fuel station was a blast from the past.

Now THOSE are some classic cars.

ROAD TRIP - PART THREE - RETRAINING

On our visit to Wickenburg, we encountered this old train engine and caboose near the railroad tracks.  No longer in service except for museum-type encounters, I'd imagine.

Did you pick up the railroad?  Here's a broad hint.

Next on our road trip - a surprise encounter in Skull Valley.  Stay tuned.

ROAD TRIP - PART TWO - WICKENBURG

Wickenburg, Arizona is a town that takes its Western heritage seriously.  The downtown or Old Town area is the home of half a dozen life-size sculptured characters in bronze by the artist J. Seward Johnson.  They were donated to the town by the DeVore Foundation.

A jeweler in the store which this character stands outside said this was Henry Wickenburg, for whom the town is named.  But my own research revealed that it is just an iconic miner of the 1800's leading his burro.

Wickenburg, incidentally, led an interesting life.  He was a Prussian prospector who came to the United States in the mid part of the 19th century and discovered the Vulture Mine, which became the most important gold mine in Arizona.  Over the years, an estimated 70 million dollars worth of gold came out of it.

But Wickenburg tired of gold mining and sold his 80 percent of the mine for $85,000.  He received $20,000 in cash and a promissory note for the remainder.  The new owners, however, refused to pay him, insisting that Wickenburg had not held a clear title to the property.  He spent the $20,000 on attorneys fees as he fought unsuccessfully to be paid.  In 1905, the now penniless Wickenburg walked into a grove of trees behind his home and took his own life with his Colt revolver.  He was 85 years old.

But he lived on as his tent camp near the mine became the town named after him.

This sculpture stands near the railroad tracks in town and represents a young school teacher newly arrived by train.

This one is Mrs. Elizabeth Smith, the original owner of the Hassayampa Hotel in the late 1800's.

This one stands in front of the Gold Nugget Lounge and is a Mexican vaquero playing his guitar and singing.

Then there's my favorite.  A duet of sorts as a cowboy talks to (and perhaps bargains with) a saloon girl.  These two stand in front of the Bar 7 Lounge.

It is not difficult to see what attracted the cowboy.

There is one other sculpture I missed.  It depicts a felon chained to a tree.  The story goes that when the jail was filled, additional law-breakers were chained to the big tree out in front.

There are a number of smaller sculptures around the streets.  There are four each of Gila monsters, Tarantulas, Roadrunners and Rattlesnakes.  Those might have scared me out of my skin if I had noticed them.

ROAD TRIP - PART ONE

Feeling the lure of the wide open spaces in our adopted state, SWMBO and I took a road trip yesterday.  We headed into Prescott, then out White Spar Road and southwest through miles of heavily forested land. There were still scarred areas from a huge forest fire many years ago. On through the small communities of Wilhoit, Peeples Valley and Yarnell, which is becoming an antique haven.

Incidentally, many towns are named for people.  Prescott was named for the historian most well-known for his book The Conquest of Mexico, William H. Prescott.  He was a lawyer in Boston and never visited the town that bore his name.

Peeples Valley is named for a successful prospector, A.H. Peeples, the leader of a group that discovered Rich Hill, a gold deposit in 1863.

Yarnell was named for another prospector, Harrison Yarnell, who discovered the Yarnell mine in 1873.  Half of this town was destroyed by a fire that took the lives of 19 firefighters last June. But homes are being rebuilt and the small community is fighting back from the tragedy.

Just outside of town, Yarnell Hill descends 1,300 feet in four miles. The views are spectacular.

The trip down the mountainside on a divided highway is winding and could make one nervous.  High, rock-covered ledges on one side and sheer drops for hundreds of feet on the other of the narrow road.

I know.  I don't have any pictures of that road and its hazards.  I was driving.  Okay?

Anyway we crossed the plain below and journeyed on to Wickenburg, our destination for the day, and the Desert Caballeros Western Museum, which was featuring an exhibit of artworks all done by female artists.  No photography allowed but I can tell you the quality of the work was excellent.

After lunch and a little tour around town we headed for home.  I told you the highway coming down Yarnell Hill is divided but heading back before it divides the driver is confronted with this seemingly impossible situation.

It doesn't look like there is any way over that mountain range but the road turns to the right and skirts the highest peaks.

Arizona was formed by volcanic eruptions in the distant past and one can't help wondering about them as miles of tumbled boulders are passed.

By the way, that's a Saguaro cactus in the foreground.  The flower which forms on the top of the stalks is the official state wildflower of Arizona.

Recalling the view from the top of the hill, imagine what the occupant of this southwest-ward facing structure has.

Taking the Kirkland cutoff back to Prescott eliminates much of the winding roads as it travels through the tiny communities of Kirkland and Skull Valley.  The topography is different also.

By the time we returned home we had covered about 150 miles.  In coming days I'll show you some of what we saw in Wickenburg and a surprise encounter in Skull Valley.

FRIDAY FUNNIES

Yes, folks, it's time once again for (drum roll) The Friday Funnies! To those of you who might say "Oh, that's a crock" . . .

Then there are the before and after (dinner) photos . . .

Now if you think that's a bit squirrely, all I can add is "Ready everyone?  Say Nuts!"

Enjoy your weekend, folks, and always remember to include a laugh or two in your daily routine.