Saturday, Feb 4…
Today Greg’s brother took
us on a long loop drive through several historical towns north of Tucson. Oracle (pop 3500) was our first destination, with an
obligatory visit to Sue & Jerry’s Trading Post. Eclectic barely scratches the surface, and pictures (also woefully
inadequate) tell the story best.
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| Sue & Jerry's... since 1985 |
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| Found my favorite corner! |
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| Beware of rusty men. |
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| Metal sculpture is popular here. |
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| AZ copper mine (not in Globe) |
Sated with “stuff”, we headed north on Rt. 77 through Mammoth, Dudleyville & Winkelman to Globe (pop 7500), once a thriving mining town and home to one of the few copper smelters in the U.S. Its name is said to come from a globe-shaped silver nugget discovered there by prospectors in 1876, and the town is still dependent on the mining industry. We enjoyed a late lunch at the Drift Inn Saloon (1902), one of the town’s most popular historic landmarks.
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I didn't take this,, but there were
a dozen or so bikes out front.
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| Empty baskets after the feast. |
After lunch we swung east
on Rt. 60, passing through Miami and Superior, mining towns similar to Globe,
then south on 79 through Florence, a town w/ a
rather violent history. Not only a memorable gunfight between a sheriff and his
deputy, but also the trials & convictions of 3 notorious women: a
stagecoach robber sentenced to 5 years in prison, a murderess who was hanged
(and decapitated in the process), and another murderess (who also dismembered
her victims) sentenced to hang but eventually sent to the Arizona State Asylum
for the insane. Today, Florence is home to 7 prisons (state, county &
private).
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| Day is dying in the west. |
Just before sunset we returned to Oracle and enjoyed cold drinks and buttery popcorn at the Ore House Hilltop Tavern. Great day!
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I mindlessly handed Greg
lavender polka dots. |
BlogThoughts… A great day needs a great evening as well, so –
after finally distributing the spa robes properly – we relaxed under the stars
in the hot tub, each of us happily relaxed in front of a pulsing jet. (Back home in Seattle,
friends and family were preparing for snow. 😃
Groan…. I so wish the blog looked like my set-up.
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