On to Bisbee on a “yellow” Highway. AZ

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

“Learning rules is useful but it isn’t education. Education is thinking, and thinking is looking for yourself and seeing what’s there, not what you got told was there. Then you put what you see together. Once your own eyeballs start working, then you can see what’s around, you can see history isn’t a thing of the past. You can see the land is kind. But it is hard to make our people here Nature lovers when they see so much of her in the raw” [blue highways” ~ William Least Heat-Moon]

Hwy 80  

The road. A familiar Lifestyle, so much so I am sinking into my element as so much peripherally as within this mind of mine is vanishing into forgetfulness. It is a transient space and yet so planted as the grounds suddenly become spacious, grandiose from the miles and miles laid out ahead with no signs slowing us down. A right or a left, none or even a U turn, they are all part of the path so welcome as my hunger for it all is never appeased. The senses quickly sharpen as the landscape unravels sometimes too fast as the balance for now and the miles ahead tries to maintain it’s flow. These are the days of no connections to the real World as so many know it, and yet it is my real World. These are the days we start looking for a place to lay of our heads down for the night when daylight is still up and running. They are the days of constant choices, unstable ones as they do not need to be enduring, they just are as I only follow a direction taken quite so often with no reason whatsoever. 

image_map  
Hwy 80  

I seem to be going back to the days of the gypsies, the present days continents away of the Bedouins following the weather on their indescribable routes, a path where harmony and simplicity prevailed all year round. It is possible, it is happening, it has been for a while. It is not an easy Life, far from it. If nothing else the logistical situation, the financial ones within themselves, all makes it difficult. It is my choice however, has been. There is no luck involved or even further more “I am not lucky”, I just am. I have only have taken this opportunity to appease my inner turmoil and find a sense of peacefulness as I know even when remotely away from barren land it is as my functions suddenly grind their gears into a broken path.

Hwy 80  
yellow flowers  

Today I felt as us Humans are riding on such a fine line in always the company of Mother Nature. We did not have much of a choice, unless a total southern route, to take highway 10 and past Lordsburg start dropping south on Highway 80 toward Douglas and finally our stop “Silverado Ranch” where we met for the first time, I have to say it this way, “the one and only Belle Star”. She is 84. Highway 80 was not just any other road. I have been here before, many of times as around 6 months after Lance passed away I worked as a cook at the Southwestern Research Center up in the mountains for a few months. The hills were of yellow, an incredible tapestry of wild flowers, a road I don’t think anyone has ever taken much time to explore. Like volcanoes bursting every spin of the wheel was an incredible sight and smell so pungent and overpowering. The fine line however was the wind.

Birding Trail  
Hwy 80  

The road gives me always so much time to think. I turn the tunes off and the mind and emotions just do not stop. I often wish they were recorded while rolling away. The winds were so strong that my thoughts became fragile in the sense of a question I asked myself. “How about if Mother Nature was just a bit stronger?”, “how would we survive as fragile and comparatively delicate humans we are?”. There are enough natural tragedies on a daily basis, “but how about if the balance was tilted just a bit more her way?”. Maybe a silly thought, but it humbled me as it could only increase my appreciation for her, specially within those moments on highway 80 at this time of the year. It is not a Highway to roll on, but walk on!

Rodeo  
Rocks for sale Rodeo
Rodeo Rodeo

We briefly stopped into the town of Rodeo. Not much has changed, one “Cafe” had closed down and another opened a couple blocks away as I thought why the existing one did not just take over the defunct one. Maybe they were each other’s competition for a while. It is a quiet town, a quiet space with barely ever any traffic as many prefer the other side of the mountain where the tourist traps such as Tombstone and Benson are never quite asleep from the traffic.

Geronimo Memorial  
Geronimo Memorial  

And then this memorial that has always left me totally speechless. Memorial erected to commemorate the truly Historic Day when on September 6th 1886, Geronimo and Nachite surrendered ending the Indian warfare. The warfare… their land… how fair… and regardless as I cannot truly write my thoughts about the subject here right now, my first impression has always been when seeing the memorial “is that it?…”.

Guadamour Wagon  
Guadamour Wagon Guadamour Wagon
Guadamour Wagon Guadamour Wagon

Next was on to Douglas and there was no doubt about stopping when I saw this wagon. Never found the owner, I think it would have been interesting to get a few words out of the “Great Guadamour”. Such wagons always remind me of Ron which we met last summer. Reminds me of my stay with Teri from the Rusty Cowboy. Ron’s wagon is being now fixed up and I think up for sale, Teri’s camper is also up for sale. I have no clue what those two “lovebirds” are up to for this coming summer. They made it through the winter without hurting themselves, that is always a plus. My two Friends dear and close to my Heart.

Hwy 80  

We have settled in a bit at “Silverado Ranch”, a space with much history as being a stagecoach stop on years ago. I call it a Zoo being surrounded by the many animals present and specially those roosters with their build in alarm clock going off at such an early time. Next is on to Bisbee…  

Spirit  

Be well, always.

Ara & Spirit

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2 Responses to “On to Bisbee on a “yellow” Highway. AZ”

  1. Judy Says:

    Maybe you could stop by Canelo and check out the straw bale buildings while you’re in the area. http://caneloproject.blogspot.com/

  2. Matthieu Delcourt Says:

    Ara, these are great pictures… Glad to see Rodeo town again! I wish I would keep hitting on the road beyond those Chiricahuas…
    Have fun and don’t forget to listen to Johnny Cash!

    Matthieu

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