100 Miles of Bad Road...but fun!

We headed out into the bombing range yesterday morning to go for a little ride. First stop was the location of the Fortuna Mine Town. It's one of those 'must sees' that everyone going onto the range has to see and then doesn't go back. Afterall...if you've seen one old mining ghost town you've pretty much seen them all. We were surprised the first time, because the park rangers manage the area. They have put up a kiosk with pictures and information plus informative signs along the trails.

Then off we rode through the Gila (pronounced with an H) Mountains along the Dripping Springs Trail. I think the 'springs' that drip are from vehicles. This is just one of the wrecked vehicles we saw along the trail. It was a fairly easy, but rocky, ride for us. I would love to have been able to watch the jeeps go through a couple areas. We went over pebbles, rocks and boulders for miles and miles!

Finallllllllllllyyyyyyyy...we made it to the other side and the flat sandy desert. Oh, my aching legs.

Here is Bob playing Rommel in Africa on one of the many tanks. They are always a fun stop. We can climb all over inside and out, even turn the turrets and move the guns up and down.

I wonder what Bob thought of the wrecked Army jeep and the unexploded ordances we saw here and there throughout the range...made me a little nervous the first time we went out...I think the Marines had a good Super Bowl holiday, because no jets came out to check on us this time.

Norman, our fearless leader, skirted the Copper Mountains until he found the old turquoise mine. The shafts are straight up and down, so a person would have to have special equipment to get in. But there are bits and pieces all over the ground. Bob dug around in the trailings and found some pretty nice pieces to put in his tumbler. Me? Well, I brought home some too...grandkid gifts...LOL

We had gone about 40 miles by now on our 50 to 60 mile limit with each of us carrying an extra gallon of gas. We finally decided we needed to get into the nearest town for fuel before attempting to go home. So off to Wellton...

Our trip home was pretty boring...we rode along side the American Canal to Yuma. No scenery...just the walls of the road. It was like riding along a dirt freeway. BORING! We came out within a mile or so of Bob's campground...lucky him. But Norman and I had to get across the canal, under the railroad tracks, sneak around the cement plant and over some hills before we finally found the wash that would take us close to home...right around 100 miles for the day...and we are tired...