Fort Bowie

       Hello readers!  I am happy to say it is finally time to update this page.  We have been very busy Exploring and getting pictures.  But getting updates on here seem to be way to few and far apart.   I hope to post part number four from my trip back home to Wyoming and beyond very soon.  Especially since I took the trip in October.  I took nearly 400 pictures during that trip though  so processing everything alone is time consuming.  Tonight I wish to post from closer to home.   A few weekends ago --over Martan Luther King day and President's day --all the state parks in Arizona were free.   So our youngest and I ventured to Fort Bowie.  I have passed this several times in my travels.   But really did think it was closer to home than it was.   Well worth the drive.  If I do say so myself!

      The town of Bowie was actually our first stop.   And actually would enjoy some more looking around this town.  Although it seemed mostly deserted.  Empty buildings are high on my Exploring list.  Just not so much when the kiddos are with me.  This town reminded me a lot of Wilcox.   Empty motels and such all over on the main drag through town   like the areas used to be a vacation mecca way back in the day.  The thought and the scenery reminded me a lot of the kids movie Cars also--the first one.   As I mentioned above  even though I had Googled the distance, I was not aware how far out of Wilcox this was.  I believe now I had only measured to the markers of the fort in the heart of the town of Bowie.  And than it is another 15 or so miles out to the Fort trail head.   That all said, we needed gas.   

   On the outskirts of Bowie we found this gas station that was actually open.   They sold nuts and had an RV park and all sorts of things.   The free coffee sign was a draw for me---always!   But being the only business around---they charged a lot for there gas and well everything.    Come prepared and get gas in Wilcox of before for sure!   

   Right here was also this old deserted gas station and other such buildings to Explore.   So I let our youngest take advantage of the free Wi Fi to download a game or two, and walked down the road way a bit to get some pictures.  

Parts of the gas pump   

From a cheaper era

Someones self portrait inside the gas station?

Large warehouse in the distance that looked fully deserted to me. 

Would love to check it out further on another trip.  

Further into the big town.

Connected to one of the now closed motels. 

Again reminding me of the movie Cars and the traffic cone shaped motel rooms.

OK  I got yelled at -at this point.  

I pulled into what I thought was a deserted parking lot of a deserted old shop.

It was not empty---and although the grounds man was nice--the property owner could be heard cussing me out for a good while before we could see her.    

I snapped the shot I wanted of the Pepsi machine and got back on the road long before she could damage our vehicle any.  ;)

On the drive into the area.

So many trails  So little time!

So this is a pretty easy trail but it is a hike into the fort area.

Coming back was definitely much faster but it was straight up for a good mile.  

I am not in good shape at the moment and we still did about 3.5 miles plus looking around in about an hour and a half.   So that was not to bad I guess.

Benches all along the trail if needed.

This was one of the buildings before the cemetery.

Signs along the whole way are very informational

If you follow my pages at all you know that I am a sucker for an old cemetery for sure!

Any time we pass water of any kind in Arizona   we take pictures.

This probably had a water fall effect when running strong.  And the green is full on moss.

This was actually marked as the Indian relations building.

Sounds a little to PC for me.

This was still a ways from the actual fort. 

Signs said to stay off the building walls, so of course that's right were my hike buddy wanted to be!   Sorry Ranger Rick!

When you consider the size this fort was and how there was---is still nothing around this area, it is amazing that this place was even built at least in my mind.  

Getting closer

Size of the fort in it's hay day.

There of course is a visitors center.

Going back and heading up!

Not sure why the best things can be found up hill.

    So a beautiful day and a nice hike and bit of Exploring for sure.   Well worth the drive in my book.   We went to the truck stop in Wilcox to get more gas and some fuel for our body's on the drive home.  And the above was on my gas nozzle.   I had to do a double take and than get a picture!     As always Happy Trails my friends!    

  

Tombstone Revisited

      Hello fellow Explorers!   I have been trying to showcase all of my pictures from my recent trip back home to Wyoming and beyond here --and keep my page up to date and fresh and from Amazing Arizona.  With the holidaze and everything else, I have not been posting much here.  Luckily there are over 100 posts on this very page for you to Explore and tell your friends about!   As always I hope you enjoy reading these picture filled posts as much as we enjoy Exploring and taking the pictures.  Both are huge stress relievers for me  for sure.    I hope to go on a long hike tomorrow---although I am not sure where I will be starting yet.   I will be coffee filled for sure and will as always be getting lots of pictures where ever the trail may lead me!    For more up to date pictures and Exploring please also check out my long running blog sight at  www.wyomingjack.blogspot.com   

    

Coffee Tombstone style

With my new Wyoming hat

  A few weeks ago the youngest and I ventured again to wonderful Tombstone

e!   It is literally just down the road from our house --maybe 12 miles away.  And we have been there a lot.  Always an adventure for sure!   And some how, like Bisbee, I always find something new to take pictures of.  This trip followed suit   leading us to several locations we have never been before.   I easily have a dozen posts from this amazing town on this very blog page.   Just type Tombstone into the search to Explore them all with us!  

  Our youngest had been wanting to have coffee with me for awhile now---and I had not had tome away from work to take him with.   I wanted to go somewhere very Kool, so we set on Tombstone.    Sadly the best coffee shops and eateries I know there are closed right now.   So it was a bit of an adventure in itself to find coffee that did not come from Circle K. 

We did find a worthy coffee place. 

Although it was about the 4th place we went. 

And every time we visit this town, that is to tough to die   we get at least one picture of the old court house. 

We had no plan this trip except to get good coffee.

So some time to enjoy the sun and coffee in the city park seemed an ideal start. 

With winter actually kicking in here in the desert, for about a week, 

and it saying it will be near 30 outside tonight, we were wishing for some more of that sun today. ;)

I always enjoy a well written sign.

This is on one of the local great restaurants.

Quick walk up and down the main street. 

Closed to traffic as always.

Thought we were going to have to settle for this beverage for a brief minute.

But they deliver~!

\

Found a great seat and rock to paint  downtown near

the library.

So I will touch on this more very soon, but painting rocks and hiding them for others to find, is really big around here and across the country it seems right now.   We have gotten into the spirit.  And found a few rocks on this walk about too.   

Our youngest was really excited.

But than a lil put out at the same time, because he didn't want to get into the whole rock thing, it was supposed to be a me, my wife, and daughter thing--not his   as he put it.  

But at the end of the day he was hooked too!

As I said I will post about all of this fun more very soon. 

Painted rocks we found on this day!

With the help of a friendly local gentlemen. 

Right about here I found a sign for the guest ranch.
We had never been here before, so we loaded up in the car and headed that direction.

Mostly because it was some two miles away.

This was in an RV park.

I wish i had fully cut out the RV to the right.  

Few shots on the way back to the car. 

Not sure what this marker is for

but he really wanted to climb it!

Almost to the guest ranch.  

Actually this place looked really kool   but we had limited time to Explore on this day.

Right about here---some British tourists stopped us, they were very excited, I thought they wanted directions---something I was not really prepared to give. 

But they wanted to tell us all about all the deer they saw just up the road!

You can stay here    ride horses   walk trails   the whole experience. 

We mainly just checked out the amazing sun set!

From the large parking lot.

Again I am a sucker for a well written sign.
Especially if the names amuse me.  

The rooms are fashioned after old time buildings inside and out. 
And this hangs just outside one room.  

Tombstone has Boot Hill and some other great cemetery's but we 

had never passed this one before.  

I love a good cemetery for sure.  

I believe this one may be trying to escape!

Back in Benson Arizona.

Smack in the middle of down town. 

Beside the old train depot turned visitor center. 

So I have not done this segment in awhile---because I have not to many places in months that go above and beyond in service.   I was listing a business each post for awhile, but have not done some in quite a long time. 

Dickies BBQ Pit just opened up in Benson

and it is amazing.  

I had not heard of the place before it came to our town.  

But we have been there twice and the food was super good!

The above chicken sign I found in the bathroom and needed a picture of it. 

I took a ton of pictures while I was back home in Wyoming and beyond.  And am 

slowly showing them off on this very page.

This is one of my favorites from that trip. 

As always

**HAPPY TRAILS!!**