Friday we walked toward S Mountain. Lots of flowers after the wet weather.
On a ridge just before the mountain, we found the Four Winds Mine, with several dig points. Then we walked down the hill to go around a new house being built on the side of the hill next to the mine. At the bottom of the hill, we came to what used to be an old assay office that was renovated by the owner of the land.
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| Assay Office |
There was also a fancy pit toilet with a view over the valley just above the assay office.
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| Open Air Privy |
Just past this, we climbed back up the hill to the Hercules Mine site. Beside it above the assay office is a shop, with RV spots beside it. The owner built the RV spots for visitors. We walked back down the road, going through a fancy new gateway. Once we got back down to Centennial Park Rd, a women was driving through the gate in the fence. She provided us with most of the information regarding the work being done here now. She and her husband met the owner in town a while ago, and he asked if they wanted a spot to park their RV for a while. Now they are here and keep on eye on things when the workers have left for the day, as there have been some thefts.
Saturday, we crossed the road from the park, and walked along a road toward KP Ventures, a water drilling and pump company. In a little wash next to the road, we found a golf ball. We headed east from the KP yard towards the hills and came across an obsolete water canal system. Our route took us across a wide pasture area, with some cattle far in the distance.
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| Horned Lark |
After a while, it came back to the canal system, where we returned on a road beside the canal. As we were walking along that area, a small plane landed along what we thought was a road running toward the KP Ventures building.
Monday we followed Sore Finger Road to Sore Fingers Mountain, south of Salome near I-10. This is another 'unmaintained primitive road' going about 8 miles through the desert, with nice views of the hills along the route, but slow traveling as the road was a bit rough going across washes.
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| not Sore Fingers |
We were curious to see if this hill looks like fingers, but not so much. We a found a reference on the internet from someone who questioned lots of locals about the source of the name without having an luck. There is a 'road' on the GPS that goes about 5 miles around the base of the hills, but we walked around one shoulder above the road, until we came to a very rough road going up the mountain, an indication there may have been mining here.
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| Route to a dig |
We followed this up to where it topped out, and found a long shallow dig. After we came back down this road, we took another similar one that headed over a saddle between the two peaks of Sore Fingers, and then worked our way back around to the truck. Glad to have the GPS, since we couldn't tell where the truck was parked until we got to within a few hundred yards of it.
Once we were done with our walk, our plan was to go to Harcuvar, just a few miles west of Salome on highway 60. Our truck GPS recommended we go back the way we had come out, but that's no fun. We like circle routes, so headed further down the Sore Fingers Road. As we headed down the road toward I-10, the GPS recalculated. We could see why this wasn't the recommended route, as we stayed on our primitive road under the freeway, then about 8 miles beside the freeway before we got to the next interchange. Fortunately, this section of the route was in finer material, so we were able to make better time than on the section of the road from Salome. We headed north on Vicksburg road through Vicksburg Farm, a huge cattle feed lot area, then back on 60 to Harcuvar. When we pulled up to the Iron Horse Grill in Harcuvar, we were disappointed to see that it isn't open on Monday. Oh well, on to Salome to pick up another 10 gallons of water for the fresh water tank, then back to the trailer for lunch, and more Brier curling.
Tuesday we drove south of Salome on Harquahala Rd, which goes all the way from Highway 60 to I-10, but becomes on of the 'primitive unmaintained' roads at the edge of town. About 5 miles south we go close to our destination, Rio Del Monte Mine, a point of interest on our Arizona Topo Map. We followed the road on foot for a bit, and got to the following sign.
It turns out the mine are is private property, so no trespassing, as it primarily a gravel pit now. After wandering the hills across the road from the mine for a while, and finding another little dig site, we drove back to town, then over to Harcuvar to the Iron Horse Grill. We figured Tuesday must be seniors day, as we were the youngest diners. They had a 1/4 rack of ribs special for lunch, perfect for John. Excellent service, and nicely decorated, particularly with metal-work statues from the (related?) business next door.
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| Kokopelli |
Once we got back to our trailer, we met our next door neighbours from Texas. They are avid rock-hounds, and jewelry makers, who spend a lot of time in this area, as there are fantastic rock-hounding sites within a 60 mile radius. They had been away for a few days to pick up their ATV in Wyoming.
Wednesday, we decided to do all of Harquahala Rd, as it looked quite interesting past where we turned around on Monday. We aimed our GPS at the south end of the road on I-10. It's preference was to take us back west past Hope to highway 72, and then back east on I-10, the way we had come back from Sore Fingers on Monday. However, it looked like there was a route a bit south-east on Salome Rd, then across a gravel road a few miles to I-10. The GPS must not have liked that road, because until we got on it, it would have sent us halfway back to Phoenix to I-10. Not sure why that road wasn't okay, as the Snowbird West RV park is halfway down the road.
Once we got to Harquahala Rd, we headed to Harquahala Mine on Martin Peak. It is a huge mine, as they go here, with many pits, large tailing piles, and roads criss-crossing levels up the side of the hill.
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| Tailings pond |
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| Harquahala Mine from a distance to get it all in |
Once we were done exploring there, we drove a bit further north, past a little cemetery beside the road.
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| Cemetery beside Harquahala Road |
We parked the truck and walked toward Golden Eagle Mine. Turns out to be another mine that looks like it might be developed, as there were more 'no trespassing signs'.
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| Ladder into shaft |
When we got back to the truck, we set up our chairs and had lunch while watching several groups of ATVers wander around Harquahala Mine. After they were done at the mine, they came by us on a trail a few hundred yards away. As the last ATV in a one group went by he honked his horn and waved. The people in the ATV ahead of him heard him honk, a stopped to see what their emergency was. Good to see they look out for one another
This week, we posted the blog on Wednesday afternoon, as we plan on heading toward Amboy Crater on Thursday morning. Amboy is in California on Route 66 west of Needles, but we plan on going through Blythe, to exchange a container we bought there last week, then to Vidal Junction, west to 29 Palms, and north to Amboy Crater. We will stop somewhere along the way, but aren't sure when we will have internet access next.
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