Tonto National Park

Today we decided to visit Goldfield Ghost Town[^]. A fairly typical specimen of reconstructed mythology though it certainly does look real. As befits a ghost town from the wild west they do re-enactments of cowboy gunfights in the main street. Lots of smoke and noise and everyone looks suitably impressed. I say that with rather more snideness (is that a word?) than it deserves; it's a lot of fun to watch and I'd certainly recommend going to see one if you have the opportunity. I've seen the re-enactments of the shoot out at the OK Corral in Tombstone; well worth seeing.

As an aside I remember when I was six years old or so watching a western on TV. Afterward I asked my grandmother how she'd rather die; in a cattle stampede or a gunfight. It never occurred to me that maybe she'd rather it wasn't by either method!

After the mock gunfight we did the mine tour. A bit of a fake; they herd you into a tin elevator that takes forever to descend 20 feet! You emerge into darkness and get a lecture on mining conditions in Arizona in the 1890's. Andrew was particularly taken by the description of the Honeywaggon. A euphimism for the necessary office of portable latrine. The guy who runs the tour is well worth the admission price; a born showman who sounds like he knows his stuff. His description of working conditions underground was harrowing and totally believable. It went straight over Andrews head but then, why wouldn't it? Andrew has no experience of such things. My own experience is but peripheral.

After lunch we decided to follow the Apache Trail through the Tonto National Park. A great drive. Lots of scenery; all of it impressive. Rough road unmade in places but lots of places to pull over and whip out the camera. My gallery[^] shows 11 shots; I must have taken 200!

This excursion did answer my question about the source of the water at the Arizona Waterfall[^].

On the way back we had a little bit of drama. My wife did the Apache Trail a decade or so ago in the opposite direction; she started out at Saguaro Lake and ended up in Mesa so that's how she remembered the drive. We started in Mesa going north and she imagined we'd emerge onto the 87 (Beeline Highway) at Saguaro Lake. Uh huh. We must have missed the turn off because by the time we hit the 87 we were 72 miles from Phoenix with an eighth of a tank of petrol and sunset imminent.

I had dire images going through my head of how I'd manage to hitchhike from where we stalled to the nearest petrol station; fill up a can and hitchhike back. It was the hitchhike back that had me worried; how would I find them again?

I have no idea how we managed it but we made it from there to the Fort MacDowell Casino (about 40 miles) on that eighth of a tank. As we pulled up at the first set of traffic lights we'd seen in 6 hours I glanced to the left and there was a Conoco Petrol Station. Saved!

I reckon it was sheer willpower that got us that far; all three of us urging the car on!