Last Days

Thursday, March 14, 2018

With a red eye flight out of Phoenix, we had time to do a bit more exploring along the way.  It would have been nicer if the next front hadn't coincided with our departure. Measurable snow was forecast down to 5500' starting before noon.  We were over 6000', and hoped to go over a mountain pass.  Since we seen most of the route along I 17, we wanted to take SR 89, the more scenic route, which meant some twisty, hair pin curves as we went through the mountain pass.

Panorama as we head out of Prescott on SR89 - the peaks are in the clouds again

Interesting house and rocks along the way to PeeplesValley

Someone had money -we saw miles and miles of this fence as we drove toward Congress, AZ

 Although the day dawned mostly clear, it soon clouded over, and we had some snow and sleet along the way.  Luckily traffic was light, making for an easier drive and stop along the way.  We tried to stop at the Prescott Hotshots Memorial at Yarnell, but the parking lot was full, with a number of people beginning the climb up to the monument.

Flame honeysuckle that attracted our Hummingbird lunch companion (see below)

Hummingbird that returned to his perch on an octillo after visiting the honeysuckle

Looking for a pit stop, we ended up at the Visitor's Center at Wickenburg.  The staff directed us to take the self walking tour of the town and suggested the Historical Museum might be a good place to visit to avoid the intermittent rain.  Since it was raining, we did, and learned our admission included a lecture by Steve Getzwiller titled 'One Trader's Legacy' beginning in half an hour.

Bedroom with quilts at the museum 

Riding a 'bucking bronco'

Horse sculpture outside the museum

Steve Getzwiller is a major collector, trader and supporter of Native American weaving, pottery and basketry along with rare guns and other items.  He began trading at 18 when he traded his collection of .22 rifles for some  Navajo rugs, and hasn't stopped since. He and his wife also run a ranch in Sonorita Arizona (Tucson area).  He has an interesting family history, being DAR on his mother's side while his father's family were instrumental in the founding of The Republic of Texas.  The small portion of his collection on display was phenomenal and his tale of collecting interesting.

In order to encourage ongoing interest in Navajo weaving, he supplies his favorite Navajo weavers with the yarn spun from his flock of Churro sheep (raised by the weavers).  Churro sheep have raised by the Navajo since the Spanish first introduced the the breed in the west.  Although the federal government tried to eradicate the breed several times in an effort to displace the native peoples from the land, the natives managed to secrete a small flocks in the mountains, preserving the genes for the current flocks.  The Churro withstand harsh conditions, and having less lanolin than most breeds, less water is needed to clean the wool.

Steve has the yarn spun and dyed to specification in Switzerland for the weavers. Since I both spin and weave, this part of his collection was especially interesting to me (and after looking at his website, beyond my budget.)  Check out his website

Interesting bird fountain in town

After the talk we finished the museum and walked through the town before heading to Phoenix.  Both were interesting and worth a visit.

Wickenburg emporium - several 'town folk' were on display in town
giving a bit of the town's history when you pushed a button

Wickenburg train

While our flight didn't depart until 2230, the car was due back at 1830.  When the friendly lady on the phone GPS warned of an accident causing a delay as we approached the city, we headed for the airport rather than do more exploring and paying a late fee for the car.  The one advantage to using Sixt for the car rental -  I'd never heard of them before, and although they 'appeared' less expensive at first glance, they  probably weren't given the  additional fees - was we weren't restricted to 'paved' roads.  The other, well known, rental agencies have that restriction in the fine print of the contract.  A cursory glance at the car gave us a thumbs up (we'd neither washed or vacuumed the interior), and had us on our way.

Our flights were on time, and a bonus for taking the red-eye flight was an interesting display of lightening in the clouds below us as we flew over the cold front as it moved east.  Impressive to watch from above.

It was a long night, and we arrived home around 1100 Friday to find a layer of snow (10") from the latest nor'easter, cold temperatures (winter is back) and a brisk N wind.  Maybe it's a good thing we didn't have shorts weather on the trip.  While drier than normal out west, the weather was also cooler than usual, requiring jeans and long sleeves, making it was less of a shock to return home to winter.

Yes, we did see a few road runners - and they were running, so no photos.  And as always, I welcome corrections on my bird IDs - somehow, they never quite look like the birds in the guides.  There are a LOT of LBB and LGB in the bush!