Another month has quickly disappeared and I didn’t get any more posts written, not because we haven’t been busy, but because we’ve been too busy with things such as ukulele (Jim is now teaching two beginner classes and leading a weekly jam session here in the park) and trying to get some pickle ball in to keep ourselves fit.
On Sunday we finally got away for a road trip, heading north-east toward Globe. The terrain was a little different than on other routes we’ve taken.
We spotted a few brave hikers climbing the steep cliffs beside the highway.
The main road, Hwy 60, through Globe is wide and scattered with many familiar and prosperous –looking gas stations and restaurants, and other businesses, but when we ventured off the highway we were disappointed to discover a rather derelict community; however, one large shop sitting on a side street beckoned us in to see some unique gifts and crafts for sale.
When Jim asked one of the sales people what was happening in Globe that day, without much hesitation she replied, “About the same as yesterday. Not much at all.”
It looked real!
Back on the highway, we followed the sign to “Historical Globe” only to find not much open. Some of the old buildings had been converted into restaurants or bars. I had to record these interesting signs.
Does anyone still sleep in waterbeds?
Further along the street got wider and there were some buildings that had been beautifully restored.
We decided to continue through town to find the Apache Gold Casino out Hwy 70, where we enjoyed a big lunch and the quickly lost our $15 each that we were given with our slot machine cards. We seldom gamble with our own money, so it was time to leave.
A different route home allowed us to visit the Kennecott Copper Mine, now owned by the American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO). This remarkable operation hadn’t been open for public viewing on other occasions when we’d driven past. It’s really quite amazing to see the many layers of colour in the rocks and the size of the monster trucks that look like toys from the observation deck, and to read about the capacity of the ore removed and the copper separated.
Can you see the trucks way down there in the pit?
This was the highlight of our day.
Mind Traveler 
Exploring the copper mine looks like a fascinating way to spend the day, Judy. Just one more reason to visit Arizona!
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Thanks for reading, Doreen. Looks like we’ve both found unique options to explore in Arizona. So nice to share. .
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You guys do so many interesting things! And your photos are amazing as always.
Won’t be long till spring now – maybe LOL!
Take care, Pat.
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Thanks Pat and Dave. I’m already working on another. Feels good to be writing again. Looks like we’re in for a few days of Arizona winter this week, after many weeks of well above normal temps. Today it’s much cooler, cloudy and windy.
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The adjoining city to Rouyn, Quebec (where I lived as a youth,), there was a copper mine in Noranda. The slag that was left behind by that operation created a sad area where all the vegetation was gone and a lake of mud was left. I believe that tons of water is used during the separation of the copper from the ore, and thus this kind of surface is created. Maybe another method is used now, but nevertheless the devastating results will be there for hundreds of years or more.
Glad you enjoyed your trip. Interesting signs and pictures, as always.
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I understand what you are saying, Helen, but out in the desert the land that is being mined probably wasn’t pretty to start with – not much vegetation. We didn’t see any signs of slag and the layers of colour left are quite pretty. Perhaps it’s processed differently here. And we need copper for so many things we use these days, that it’s got to come from somewhere so better from the desert.🙂
It was an interesting day. Today we did another that I will write about soon.
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One tire for the 400 ton truck costs $20,000
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They are huge!
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