Out Arizona Way
#16
Thanks for that tour Wayne. A pity that mills and mines alike are shutting down putting hard-working people out of jobs and literally closing down towns.

(08-03-2019, 02:02 PM)Charlie B Wrote: I had heard that General Motors had a serious problem with the black automobiles when they started using acrylic lacquer in 1958. It would heat to reflow in the Arizona sun. I never heard how the problem was solved but I kind of figure that black would not be a popular color in Arizona or any other place that is that hot. 
Charlie

That's a good possibility Charlie, a virtual heat magnet. Whatever they did seemed to have worked, but I always shake my head whenever I see a black vehicle here with Arizona plates on it. A few years ago, our then, "toughest sheriff in the world", Joe Arpio, changed all the county sheriff vehicles from a light tan to black. His reasoning was that police vehicles all used to be black and white. Just that there's not a speck of while on them now. State trooper vehicles used to be all white here, they are now all silver and black. Really don't know what these people are thinking... 35
Don (ezdays) Day
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#17
Back in the day when the Florida East Coast RR was still hauling people and tank loads of water to the Florida Keys both were hauled in cars that were black with white lettering. And this was before there was air conditioning! I figured the water in the tank cars had to be near the boiling point!
Mike

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#18
(08-04-2019, 05:48 AM)Tyson Rayles Wrote: Back in the day when the Florida East Coast RR was still hauling people and tank loads of water to the Florida Keys both were hauled in cars that were black with white lettering. And this was before there was air conditioning! I figured the water in the tank cars had to be near the boiling point!

That's probably because black paint is cheaper and easier to apply than white. It was also inconsiderate to those that use that water. Most water heated that way winds up with a peculiar taste. I've left bottles in the car and it gets hot enough to scald. Cool it down and it tastes like the container.... Icon_e_surprised I would assume that a tank car full of water would do the same.
Don (ezdays) Day
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#19
Touring Arizona

This is from an article I wrote years ago about what we saw on a trip to what we call the "high country":

Peggy and I went up north a while back and I noticed that many places we drove by had some typical names you might only find here in the west. I have no idea how some of these came about, but a few leave little doubt as to their origin. These include of course, Bloody Basin, Deadman's Wash and Horse Thief Basin north of Phoenix.  Traveling north along I-17, you cross Happy Valley Rd. and the Carefree Highway. Now, these aren't necessarily western in flavor, but they do impart more of a sense of well being than these others. Besides, this is "the" Carefree Highway sung about by Gordon Lightfoot.

Just north of the Carefree Highway is Pioneer Rd. Now this is a more recent name since it takes you to Pioneer Village, an attraction that was started about 50 years ago. It is the home of the Pioneer Living Museum, a 90-acre site that brings you back to living in the 1880's Arizona Territory. Table Mesa Rd. is a few miles north of that where I spent quite a bit of time target shooting. I have to say, I haven't a clue where the table mesa is, so don't go expecting to see one if you go. For those of you who are wondering, a mesa is a flat piece of land that rises steeply above the surrounding ground. We see tourists taking jeep tours of the area and I often wonder why, since this isn't the neatest piece of desert to show off our state. I'm told that further on down the road is an old stage stop that is the likely attraction.  There are a few more colorful names along that route. If you're going to Prescott, you will cross Skunk Creek about six or eight times as it winds from one side of the highway to the other. Further up the Interstate is Camp Verde. It was once the home of Camp Verde and Fort Verde army camps. Both camps were set up in the 1880's for scouting activity run by Gen. Crook. Uh, yep, there is a General Crook Trail off the Interstate nearby. There are two other exits along I -17 that lead you to things from the days of the very early inhabitants. Montezuma's Castle and Montezuma's Well are places that Montezuma never set foot near. They are, however, an attraction since some unknown tribes of Indians settled there and then disappeared, long before civilization took hold here. The "Castle" is a series of cliff dwellings high above the ground, while the "Well" is a large sinkhole where some one-million gallons of water still flows into it everyday and keeps a constant 72 degrees. Both are purported to be over 1000 years old. The Well, incidentally, still attracts a myriad of wild life, some not seen anywhere else on earth.

We headed east from Flagstaff on I-40 passing such exits as Twin Arrows and Two Guns. We spotted a sign that pointed travelers to Dead Horse Ranch. Now that's one place I think I'd advise anyone to stay away from, just on general suspicions. Nearby Buffalo Range Rd. might be a better choice. We did pass the exit to Meteor Crater Rd., one side trip we hope to make someday. Meteor Crater is that rather large hole in the ground made by a meteor striking the earth some eons ago. Our trip this time ended in Winslow where we stayed at the La Posada Hotel. They are well into the restoration of this old Harvey House Hotel that was built some 90 years ago as a stop along the Santa Fe Railroad. It is a step back in time, sort of. Most of the hotel has the look and feel of when it was first operating, but now has cable TV, wi-fi and T-shirts. A portion of the menu at the restaurant is the same as back then too. Well, not quite, the prices have gone up just a bit... OK, a lot of bit, but we still totally enjoyed our stay and dinner. There are plans for restoring the old Santa Fe station on the site; this is still in use today but really deplorable inside. Still, it was a good place to do some railfanning. I even got a shot of Amtrak stopping for the one passenger heading west.
Don (ezdays) Day
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#20
You have to love those names! John Olsen once did a Jerome & Southwestern project layout for Model Railroader magazine. And one of the towns was Verde and was based on that area.
"The Well, incidentally, still attracts a myriad of wild life, some not seen anywhere else on earth." That explains where my ex-wife went! Big Grin
Mike

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#21
(08-10-2019, 06:56 AM)Tyson Rayles Wrote: You have to love those names! John Olsen once did a Jerome & Southwestern project layout for Model Railroader magazine. And one of the towns was Verde and was based on that area.
"The Well, incidentally, still attracts a myriad of wild life, some not seen anywhere else on earth." That explains where my ex-wife went! Big Grin

Great old names, go south of Phoenix and there's tons of others more in keeping with the wild west. 2285_ Blaster

Not sure if we spotted your ex-wife, but I think we saw a unicorn and a pterodactyl along with a group of hippies in a VW bus. Icon_rolleyes

BTW, you can take a ride on the Verde Valley Railroad along the Verde River just outside of Cottonwood. We've been on it several times and I know others here have as well.
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#22
Time for another round of what things are like here in the desert:

Cactus

A common screen image is of the cowboy riding along a desert trail with tall cactus in the background. Somehow, the saguaro (sa-war-o) cactus has long been identified with everyplace in the west and that’s not entirely true. I have seen movies and even cartoons, where saguaros proliferated the countryside in every western setting, Texas, New Mexico, Wyoming and any place with a cowboy riding a horse in it. Nope, if you’re looking at these statuesque cacti ("cactuses" is now also correct), you can be sure that the scene was shot somewhere in southern Arizona or possibly in the northern or Baja peninsula of Mexico. Lots of movies are shot around Tucson, even "Oklahoma" was shot there (corn but no cactus). We are in the Sonoran Desert; the only place that this cactus grow naturally. Just in case you don’t know what I’m talking about, the saguaro is that very tall skinny cactus with arms protruding upward. Some grow up to 45 feet high and can take 200 years to reach maturity.

Although I have seen a great many different cacti, I can’t say that I’ve seen them all. Not hardly, since there seems to be over 2000 varieties. We've had a lot of different types in our yards, but one type that we don’t have now is the cholla (choy-ya), or, “jumping cactus." These mean little buggers have some very spiny parts that seem to jump at you when you come close by. These spines burrow deeper into you skin and as you can imagine, you’ve got a real painful challenge getting them out. When we lived in Scottsdale, we had a few of these near our driveway, and occasionally I’d brush up against one while getting into the car. Complete disaster, I would rather be knocked unconscious than endure removing a couple of dozen hooked needles that were pinning my pants to my leg.

Most cacti do have needles and it’s hard to believe that birds can be found perched on them, but they walk on top like an Indian priest walking on a bed of nails. To be sure, some, like the cactus wren, burrow deep into the saguaro to nest and as protection from other creatures that are not as adept as they are. The other amazing things about these plants are the beautiful flowers they produce. In the spring and early summer, many cacti bloom. The saguaro for instance, may have a dozen or more small flowers at the very tops of their main stalk and arms looking like crowns, while some smaller cacti will have a relatively large trumpet-like bloom coming out of its side. One or two is normal, but I counted 15 simultaneous blooms on one of ours a while back. These flowers open early in the day and whither by nightfall.

I’ve mentioned this before, but cacti are strictly controlled here in Arizona. You cannot sell, or even move a cactus from one area to another without a permit tag attached. Want to buy a cactus, some smaller ones may go for as low as $15 to $50, while larger saguaro usually sell upward of $100 a foot. They measure the arms as well so a large one can easily bring several thousand dollars. They are normally moved as bare root but take root quickly; the real trick is to avoid being impaled by the needles. Ropes, boards and a lot of caution are the tools used to move them around. On some cacti, it’s easy to break off a piece and bury it part way into the ground. With a little watering, it will root and start a new plant. Just don’t grab that sucker with your bare hands.
Don (ezdays) Day
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#23
That pterodactyl may have been my ex, they look a lot alike! Big Grin You can keep the cacti thank you, I hate plants with thorns or spikes on them. When I was down in Fl. people would plant Spanish Bayonets under all their windows to discourage intruders. If you walk into one it can go completely thru you!
Mike

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#24
(08-16-2019, 04:47 AM)Tyson Rayles Wrote: That pterodactyl may have been my ex, they look a lot alike! Big Grin  You can keep the cacti thank you, I hate plants with thorns or spikes on them. When I was down in Fl. people would plant Spanish Bayonets under all their windows to discourage intruders. If you walk into one it can go completely thru you!

Sounds like some of those jumping cactus would work as well.  Those little suckers keep on giving and giving long after contact. Eek
Don (ezdays) Day
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#25
(08-16-2019, 04:47 AM)Tyson Rayles Wrote: That pterodactyl may have been my ex, they look a lot alike! Big Grin  You can keep the cacti thank you....

I take it that she remains a "thorn" in your side.

Wayne
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#26
(08-16-2019, 10:19 AM)doctorwayne Wrote:
(08-16-2019, 04:47 AM)Tyson Rayles Wrote: That pterodactyl may have been my ex, they look a lot alike! Big Grin  You can keep the cacti thank you....

I take it that she remains a "thorn" in your side.

Wayne
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Don (ezdays) Day
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#27
"I take it that she remains a "thorn" in your side.

Wayne "

Pretty much! Big Grin
Mike

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#28
(08-16-2019, 10:19 AM)doctorwayne Wrote:
(08-16-2019, 04:47 AM)Tyson Rayles Wrote: That pterodactyl may have been my ex, they look a lot alike! Big Grin  You can keep the cacti thank you....

I take it that she remains a "thorn" in your side.

Wayne

Thinking about it, you have to remember, divorce is a sticky situation and can really hurt you if you're not careful...

BTW Mike, I saw a piece that involved the possible sighting of a pterodactyl around New Jersey about 100 years ago, and could still be there today. I don't know how old your ex is, but there could be that chance that is where she is now. Icon_rolleyes
Don (ezdays) Day
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#29
I don't think she is that young Don! Big Grin
Mike

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#30
Don---I've been enjoying your adventures,thanks for sharing and please keep them coming
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