We started driving east, but we're in no rush ........ Still cold and snowy back home in CT!
Tony, the Coach Butler, found some time to catch some zzzzzz's, his favorite pastime.
We allowed a full day in Deming, to take the long drive to the Gila ("Hee-la") Cliff Dwellings. Along the way, we came upon the Santa Rita Copper Mine - an open pit mine one mile wide and 1600 feet deep.
The mine is active 24/7 - since 1910, 2 billion tons of material has been moved. Each year, 200 million pounds of copper are produced.
We crossed the Continental Divide along our route - at this elevation, it was quite cold, and there was snow on the roadside.
We came to a small mountain town called Pinos Altos (Tall Pines). Here, there were a number of attractions:
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| The site of Judge Roy Bean's Store |
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| The Old Opera House |
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| An historic Museum |
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| And of course, a Saloon |
The drive to Gila National Park and the Cliff Dwellings was named the "Trail of the Mountain Spirits" National Scenic Byway; here's a peek of the beauty we saw along the way:
The scenery was breathtaking, with rolling mountains and steep drop-offs.... and no guard rails. It seemed we were on top of the world.
The Gila Cliff Dwellings are a group of caves and are some of the most spectacular archeological sites in the area. It is believed that they were formed about 28 million years ago, as the result of two large volcanoes erupting. Artifacts and studies on the wood used to form the wall supports suggest that Native American tribes (originally the Mogollons) lived here as early as the 1200's.
We hiked along a half-mile trail to the caves, then 175 feet up to the caves, which sit at about 5900 feet elevation. The trail was rough, uphill and grueling, and we utilized the benches along the way.
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| Tony Z doesn't look too happy - it was a long day, and he missed his nap!! |
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| We're smiling, because it's now downhill all the way! |
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