“It was dark and silent late last night I think I might have heard the highway call.”
-James Taylor
The heat on Monday was nearly unbearable. With not a cloud in the sky, and the August Arizona sun beating down on us, there was no escaping the heat. I opened all the doors and windows, but with no air movement, it didn’t help. In the early afternoon, I took Cosmo outside and I gave us both a cold shower. I put down a blanket in the very tiny sliver of shade created by the van, and with the water evaporating off us, it helped a bit. We sat leaning against the van for an hour or so and then took a walk. When the sun set, there was a hint of relief—if you can call going from 96⁰ to 89⁰ “relief.” By bedtime, it did cool down enough to sleep.
Tuesday was no better. I thought about heading back to Flagstaff and checked the weather. Some risk of flash flooding. Hmmm. Heat stroke or drowning. It would be an effort to move to flash floods, so I chose heat. About 1:00 I heard rumbling in the distance and the sky south of me turned black and streaked with lightning. The torrential rain of the Arizona monsoons was not far behind, and it brought much needed relief from the blazing sun.
The Arizona State Police came by to visit me Tuesday afternoon. The cop (surprisingly nice) said “You’re not doing anything wrong. I’m not here to harass you. We got a report of a man jumping out in front of traffic and I just wanted to check and make sure you are OK and not trying to harm yourself.” I told him I was more than OK, that I was enjoying my visit to this beautiful place and that I had not, nor did I intend to jump out in front of traffic. He told me to enjoy my stay and then he left.
By Tuesday evening, there was a breeze and with the short-lived rain in the afternoon, things cooled off enough to sleep. The evening sky was amazing (as always).
Wednesday started out sunny and hot, but before noon I could see the dark clouds to the west, south, and east of me. The thunder shook the ground and lightning flashes seemed to be coming from every direction. It didn’t take long before the clouds in the west and south moved overhead and we had a storm like I’ve never seen before.
The high winds rocked the van, and sleet and hail threatened to break my windows. It was like someone was throwing rocks at the van. My solar panels outside blew over, as did my plants and solar lighting. The rain was too torrential, and the winds just too high for me to go out and do anything about it until there was a brief lull. Cosmo crawled under the table, and curled up under my legs, trembling. The weather channel issued two emergency alerts saying the flash flooding was life-threatening and not to move unless staying in a flood zone posed more of a threat. It would let up for an hour, and then start back in with thunderstorms that shook the earth beneath us.
Thursday, we had more of the same. Beautiful blue skies in the morning, and then in the afternoon, there were thunderstorms. This time they seemed closer to us. It started with a long lull between lightning bolt and rumbling thunder, but by sunset, there would be a bolt that lit up the sky followed immediately by a loud crack that sounded like an explosion. It felt like someone was dropping bombs on us, and I have to admit, I was a bit scared, but could think of no reasonable action to take, so just sat still, holding my trembling friend. The dry riverbed next to my van became a raging river.
Friday morning, Jerry passed through to pick up trash. Cosmo and I went outside and chatted a bit. He asked if I would mind coming up to the pool that was once part of the KOA campground and help him syphon out the water from the storm. I met him there an hour later. We had a good conversation, and I learned a lot more about this ghost town. Russell Crowe owns it. He bought it to do some movie, but he never did because the Navajo wouldn’t approve it. I asked how they could stop him if Russell owned the land and Jerry said it was a zoning issue. There needs to be a zoning change or variance to do anything commercial, and since the Navajo own most of the surrounding land, they always vote down any changes. He said they had tried several times to close the entire place down by blocking off the entrances, but again, the Apache (who also own a lot of adjacent land) consider it sacred ground since many of their ancestors died in the Apache Death Cave massacre and would not approve closing it off. I’ll have to check what the heat gets like in mid-July, but if it’s tolerable, I would love to spend many weeks here next summer.
I’m anxious to head south for the winter, but the weather is not cooperating. The heavy rains this week have surely left Flagstaff (my last stop before heading south) a mud pit. Friday and Saturday were heavy winds, far too strong to allow for safe driving. I’m hoping to get on the road Sunday morning, say good-bye to Flagstaff and head southward on Tuesday.
Lessons From The Road:
Monday morning, I met a young photographer. We had a great conversation about the photographic possibilities here and I told him about my Milky Way shots with the ruins in the foreground. After our conversation ended and he left, I ran back to my van to get a business card to give him so he could go to my website and SEE some of the photos. When I returned to where I thought he parked, he was nowhere to be found. Feeling he couldn’t have possibly gotten away that quickly, I looked around and saw a car driving up the hill. I figured that was him, so when I saw it heading back my way, I walked down to the bridge, and waited for him to pass by so I could give him my business card. But before he got to the bridge, he stopped, and backed up. He sat there for a few minutes not moving. I thought he was going to get out to explore another building, but he just sat still. In a few minutes, he came forward cautiously, and then came onto the bridge.
Bridge spanning Diablo Canyon in Two Guns, AZ
As the vehicle got closer, I realized it wasn’t him. It was some old couple, very white with a severe, puritanical look. I was embarrassed, and as they passed, I waved to them sheepishly, but they avoided eye contact and made their way quickly to the highway, seemingly scared or upset. I just laughed. It’s one thing when I go into the empire…I expect to have to deal with empire people. But when THEY come into MY world, I would think they could at least wave politely as they pass by.
I thought nothing more of it, but after the cop came to visit the next day, long after he left, I thought about what had transpired, and put two and two together. I’m nearly certain the couple had called the police to report someone who looks like me and is “hanging out” on a bridge. (My tribe normally hangs out under a bridge.) Saying that an old man with long hair and a beard waved to them wouldn’t get the desired effect, so I’m betting they called and reported that I jumped in front of them (or in front of “traffic.”) To be clear, a maximum of one or two cars drive across that bridge each day, so I’m not sure “traffic” is the appropriate word. I had a good laugh thinking of all the things I could’ve done to really scare them had I known how dangerous they thought I was. Halloween’s coming. I think I may forego treats and just go for the tricks this year.
Just above where I’m staying in Two Guns, is a rocky clearing, often used as a parking lot for people who have found the ghost town of Two Guns in some obscure travel guide. I watch as tourists park, get out of their vehicles, and walk through the dilapidated doorway of a building that says “Mountain Lions.” They stand at the top of the steps that lead down into the area where I’ve stayed this week and pull out their phones or cameras. They snap a few shots, turn and get back in their vehicles and drive off. It always astounds me. I’ve spent weeks here this summer. I explore every day and I still haven’t seen all there is to see. I go and revisit some of my favorite spots. It is so odd to me that people stand at one of the entrances, take a few snapshots and move on without ever exploring. I suspect they show the photos to family and friends to prove they’ve “seen” Two Guns. I saw the same thing a couple of years ago when I went to the Grand Canyon…people pulled into the first parking lot, took a photo, went into the gift shop and bought the T-shirt. I wonder if that is an American way to experience things (I did talk to a German Family who came here in a rented RV and took an hour to explore the ruins) or is that a result of technology and social media? One photo posted on Instagram serves as proof that you “experienced” something. I am glad I’m having the opportunity to explore and re-explore some of the places I’ve enjoyed over the past several years.