More Snow in Southern Arizona

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Texas to New Mexico to Arizona

January 20, 2007, Saturday. We leave Study Butte, in spite of weather warnings to stay off the roads.
We travel north and west to La Cruces, NM. It felt so good to wipe the mud off our shoes and leave TX. Today was just a travel day and the roads were clear, however, a truck passing in the opposite directions threw up a stone and chipped our windshield.
January 21, 2007, Sunday. Our objective today is to drive to Douglas, AZ, another border town, and enter Mexico for the afternoon. So after a few hours of driving, we simply walk into Agua Prieta. The Bothan was parked in a supermarket lot in the US, but later we discovered a public lot right at the border. There are many shops and some beggars, the poverty here is sad. Testing our limited knowledge of Spanish, we browse through a food store, and check out the system for getting fuel. An attendant does the pumping and rarely are credit cards accepted. Ignacion is standing outside his new restaurant and we began a conversation.
This friendly “hombre” is a US citizen with a Mexican heritage. Previously he worked in Douglas but recently he and his brother opened a Mexican fast food restaurant. Since he lived in the area we will be traveling, he had some suggestions and gave us his cell number.
Bob is trying to locate an old friend in Bisbee, so we spent the night here.
January 22, 2007, Monday. This morning we awake to 4 inches of snow in southwestern Arizona. Bisbee is similar to Pittsburgh in so far as its shares a history of mining and also its geography. Both are nestled in the hills with houses stuck here and there, and streets that are actually stairs.
Bisbee was a small unattractive town that proved to be one of the richest mineral sites in the world, producing eight billion pounds of copper. By the early 1900’s, Bisbee was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco. We took a walking tour this morning, getting a feel for the town of Bisbee. The Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum contains a very impressive collection of artifacts retelling the past of this town, both good and bad. Although the mines closed in the 1970’s, we had the opportunity to take the Queen Mine Tour. So with hard-hat, gear and headlights, we boarded the tram taking us underground into the old mines. The guide was a retired miner and was a wealth of information. It was a tough life, but in its heyday it paid well. Bob connected with his buddy, Paul, and we will meet for dinner tonight.

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