Wall murals and vintage cars.

Today was going to be a trip to Tombstone and see some of the old wild west, we stopped off at the visitor centre which is in the old railway station. A long side the car park there are a collection of wall paintings depicting the railway history of Benson. While Ruth was in the Visitor centre I took some photos of these paintings.

 Along side the train station.

The diesel electrics just don't have the class of an old steam engine.

 This must have been one of the many mines in the Benson area.

The same mine I think, from a different angle showing the railroad tracks.

These must have been used around the mine to transport the ore to the main railway.

 Just as I snapped my last photo this Model T drove past and then another and then a Pierce Arrow Roadster.  All ideas of seeing Tombstone went out the window and we jumped in the truck and followed these old guys to where ever.

 It was this rally, seems they do this every year for a week and all the cars have to be pre 1915.  They led us to The Kartchner Caverns State Park, which was going to be one of our trips out later this week.  All the Vintage cars parked in two or three rows which was just super for viewing and taking photos.

 

1906 REO

 1913 Pierce Arrow. The star of the show, what a beauty.

                                                                             

 

First time of seeing one of these, Made by Abbott Motors of Detroit.  What ever happened to that company

 A Rambler Model 54 from 1910, my first Canadian car was a 1964 Rambler, it wasn't a bad car but it didn't have the class of this machine. The Abbott is the blue car behind.

                                 

 

 Mercer touring car, I didn't note the year, just the name, I have never heard of this make before, its only now looking it up on google I find what a great car this was in its day.

1915 Studebaker model 30 tourer with the Mercer to the left.

1913 Overland. 

 1914 Marmon

 

View from the cafe Terrace at the visitors centre Kartchner Caverns. The report of the tour of this centre will have to wait another day.

Benson AZ. and visiting Gammons Gulch.

 The Colorado River looking north as we leave California and set off to explore Arizona.

                                                                                   

The countryside around Benson where we will base ourselves for the next few days.

                                                                                 

 Sunday morning the road leading to our first visit a place called Gammons Gulch.

Gammons Gulch is ghost town /movie set /museum /home to the owners Jay & Joanne Gammons, Jay started building this village in the early seventies and opened for business in 1994, most of the buildings he has built from scratch with a couple brought in from around the local area and restored by him and a couple built as movie sets and left. Plus thousands of bits and pieces collected over the years. He has a working blacksmiths shop with hundreds of tools, engines, pumps old washing machines from the twenties and thirties for his chinese laundry, and many more interesting things from 1880 to 1930.

The Town Hall, which houses his 1931 Buick gangster car, complete with tommy guns, he hires it out for movies complete with himself as driver and has all the photos really amazing.

 The mine across the gulch with all the machinery.

                                                                                       

A car built by the Dodge Brothers I think 1925.

 

This Model T pickup around 85years old and still working.

Looking down the street at some of the buildings.

 The church / school room

A 1957 Chevy Truck, this is taking over the work done by Model T around the village.

Another street scene.

Jay at the end of the tour, entertaining us on his banjo whilst we ate our lunch.

He was pretty good on the banjo but very good on the honky tonk piano.

 Ruth checking the gallows for size, these were built by a film unit and left behind.

You can get more info. at www.gammonsgulch.com

A really great visit and Jay is a very entertaining guide with endless stories of his time as a movie extra and bodyguard. 

The Coachella Valley

We have now moved into Arizona, Benson to be exact, we left Blythe, California early this morning at 9am, arriving in Benson around 5:30 Arizona time a total of 520km. A little more milage than we normally do. We have had a wifi problem for the last 3 days, our last day in Desert Hot Springs it just quit and in Blythe no wifi at all, though the RV Park advertise in the Passport America book as having wifi, we have come across this problem on too many occasions on this trip, it really is not good enough in this day and age for RV Parks to insult us in this way. If they say they have wifi they should have it and provide it free or build the cost into the nightly charge! Is there a hotel anywhere that does not provide wifi? I don't think so.
Todays blog is the last one from Desert Hot Springs a little late I'm afraid, tomorrow hopefully we will have something of Arizona to show you.

 Our last day in Coachella Valley we returned to 1000 Palms for a second visit, this is Squaw Hill showing the pathway climbing up the hillside.

 

Taken from the top of Squaw Hill looking south towards Rancho Mirage.  The San Andreas Fault can be seen quite clearly, the green and damp patch crossing the valley.

Looking towards The Hidden Palms Oasis, we hiked over to the Hidden Palms before climbing Squaw Hill.

Part of Living Desert is given over to how The Cahuilla Indians lived in The Coachella Valley over last three thousand years or so. Above is a recreation of a typical house and below stones used to grind berries to make flour. They also show how they made food and medicine from just about every plant growing in the valley.

 A few days ago I mentioned how difficult it was to take photos of Roadrunners, well just to prove me wrong this little fella pranced around the hedge by our trailer for ages giving me full frontals side views and showing off his long tail.

 

Tomorrow we set out to explore Arizona around Benson.