Obituaries for Green Berry & Irene Felix Estes

Globe, AZ

Green Berry "G. B." ESTES
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Obituary
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Wednesday 3 April 1991 Eastern Arizona Courier
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    Funeral services for Green Berry "G. B." Estes, 81, were held March 2 in Caldwell's Chapel of the Valley, with Rev. Gene Barnett officiating. He died March 24, 1991, in the Whispering Pine Care Center in Sierra Vista.
    Bernice Stowell was at the organ with jera Barnett as soloist, singing "Only Trust Him" and "In The Garden." Concluding services with a Masonic ceremony and intermnet followed in the Safford Cemetery. Serving as casket bearers were Bill Pounds, David Estes, Gilbert Vasquez, Curtis Megason, Evan Bustamonte and Harry Legge.
    Mr. Estes was born August 14, 1909, in Douglas, the son of Maude Farley and Timothy Green Estes. He grew up and received his education in Douglas. In 1932 he married Irene Felix and they established their home in Safford, prior to moving to Elgin where he worked for the conservation corps.
    He later moved to Morenci and was employed for Phelps Dodge mine as a mechanic, retiring in 1973. He returned to Safford in 1963, residing there until poor health confined him to a nursing center. He was a member of the Masonic Lodge and Eastern Star in Morenci.
    Surviving are his wife, Irene, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; a son, Berry F. of Albuquerque; a daughter, Irene Delich of Parkville, Missouri; two grandchildren and a step-grandchild.
    Complete arrangements were under the direction of the Caldwell Funeral Home of Safford.
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Irene Felix ESTES
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Obituary
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Wednesday 16 August 1995 Eastern Arizona Courier, p. 6
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    Funeral Services for Irene Estes, 87, formerly of Safford, were held August 10 at Caldwell's Chapel of the Valley, Odell Henderson officiating.
    Estes was born in Mississippi and moved to Blackrock, Arkansas, at age 12. The family later moved to Arizona where she married Green Berry Estes in 1933. They made their home in Morenci, Globe, and Safford. She moved to New Mexico in 1990 [to live with her son].
    She was a member and Past Worthy Matron of the Order of the Eastern Star. She enjoyed sewing and playing the piano. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1991.
    Surviving are a son, Berry Felix Estes of Los Lunas, NM; a daughter, Irene Delich of Parkville, MO; and three grandchildren.
    Arrangements are under the direction of Caldwell Funeral Home.
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Link: Wikipedia article on Globe, AZ

M 28 Feb Actual Route: Safford - Pima - Bylas - Geronimo - Peridot - Globe - Claypool

T 1 Mar Route: Globe - Carrizo - Show Low

Silver City, NM, to Safford, AZ

Safford, AZ

    After leaving the Silver City RV Park & Storage I drove north about 4 miles and visited Mary McGaughey Estes, the widow of Berry Felix Estes, who died in 2008. (You'll find his obituary in the post below.) When she said that her husband was a genius, I didn't dispute that characterization since electrical engineering, meteorology, and nuclear physics or engineering, the subjects of his three degrees, are not easy courses of study. However, when I asked if she played the piano, she said that the "played the radio." Berry played the piano, organ, and six other instruments; she had apparently given away all of the instruments except the piano. I think the ability to play that many instruments is a sign of some intellect -- if not genius.

    We talked about both or our families: the Estes and the Lemmons, though the connection between the two was via Berry's grandmother, Nannie Maude Farley Estes and my great-grandmother, Martha Elizabeth Farley Shackelford Colbaugh, who was one of Maude's older sisters. As the previous post showed, Berry is buried at Ft. Bayard Natl Cemetery, but the bulk of his relatives are buried here in Eastern Arizona where Berry, his wife Mary, & Berry's sister Irene grew up; indeed, many are buried in a cemetery here in Safford.

    Just a short distance from Silver City I crossed the Continental Divide again -- though headed west this time. Recall that I crossed it in the other direction roughly 8-9 miles east of Animas on MN9, the road which follows the old El Paso and Southwestern RR grade. If you click once or twice, you can see the top of the divide east of which all water sufficient to run off ends up in the Gulf of Mexico at the mouth of the Mississippi River.

    I had intended to look up several obituaries at the Safford Library but when I arrived there Friday, there were no cars in the parking lot; a sign on the doors posted new hours: primarily: closed F, Sa , & Su. Next I checked the RAOGK [Random Acts of Geneaolgical Kindness] Search Engine for Graham County, AZ, volunteers. There was one, but it's unclear whether she does obituary lookups at the library or only vital stat documents at the court house; I hope to hear from her on Monday.

    Here's a Wikipedia article on Safford, AZ.

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    With a Winter Storm Warning in effect for tomorrow, I had conidered driving to a lower elevation, but it seems all roads leaving Safford are essentially uphill; in other words, it's difficult to find any place in Eastern Arizona which is lower than Safford's 3,000'.

    I'll not post a route until the inclement weather passes by; essentially I'm crouched in my snow cave (complete with TV & The Weather Channel at the Econo Inn/Motel) waiting for better weather.

M 28 Feb Route: Safford - Pima - Bylas - Peridot - Globe.

Deming to Silver City, NM

Silver City, NM

    As I drove toward Silver City, NM, the color of the mountains in the distance changed from white or tan to a dark color -- which meant they had vegetation on them. As I got further along SR180 it became clear that there was enough moisture to support something other than Joshua trees and/or creosote bushes.

    A check of this Wikipedia article revealed that Silver City gets an average of 16.08" of rain annually, which is slightly more than San Jose, CA, receives; the difference is that while the latter city gets the majority of its rains from Dec to Feb, Silver City likely gets more than half of its precip during the summer monsoon season. And because of its elevation, c5900', it does receive some snow during the winter.

    As I neared Silver City I noted a sign to the Fort Bayard Natl Cemetery, which is where a distant cousin is buried. [Click once or twice to see an enlarged view of his headstone.] Berry F. Estes' grandmother, Nannie Maude Farley Estes and my great-grandmother, Martha Elizabeth Farley Shackelford Colbaugh, were sisters.
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    Additionally, Berry's first degree was in electrical engineering, which had been my original career objective until my mother's brother convinced me I'd have more time (3 mos) to fish during the summers than if I worked in an industry where 2 weeks is the usual vacation.

    Berry's sister, Irene Estes Delich, phoned Berry's widow and I plan to phone her tomorrow morning.

    Finally, here is Berry's obituary as it appeared in an Albuquerque newspaper.
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Berry Felix ESTES
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Obituary
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Friday 21 March 2008 Albuquerque Journal
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    Berry Felix Estes, 74, of Silver City passed away in Gila Regional Medical Center Wednesday March 19, 2008. The family will receive friends 2:00 - 4:00 PM Sunday, March 23, 2008 at Bright Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be 10:00 a.m. Monday, March 24, 2008 at The Presbyterian Church, 1915 N. Swan Street, Silver City, NM with Reverend Bob Reese officiating. Interment will be in Ft. Bayard National Cemetery.
    Mr. Estes was born March 9, 1934 in Safford, AZ. He was the son of Green Berry and Irene (Felix) Estes. He married Mary Helen McGaughey [on] 30 January 1957 in Morenci, AZ.
    He is survived by his loving wife of fifty-one years, Mary Helen; daughter Martha Stewart and her husband Mike of Buckhorn, NM; son Timothy David Estes of Belen, NM; sister Irene Delich and her husband John of Kansas City, MO; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents.
    Mr. Estes grew up in Morenci and graduated from Morenci High School in 1951. He graduated in 1955 from the University of Arizona with a Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering. He was an officer with the U.S. Navy, where he received a Meteorological degree in 1958. He attended and graduated from the University of New Mexico in 1974 with a Masters Degree in Nuclear Engineering. Mr. Estes was on the team that launched the first Naval satellite over Russia.
    He was a life long learner, he studied Spanish and was an avid history reader, especially about the Civil War. After his retirement from Sandia National Labs he continued working on the Nuclear Safety Board for White Sands. He also was working with Syndetix of Las Cruces [which had a] contract for White Sands. Mr. Estes was an avid baseball coach, he mentored the Silver High School computer team, he tutored high school math, was very active in his church, where he helped install and operate the sound system, he helped remodel the church kitchen and [worked on] any other chores that needed done. He was also a member of the Masonic Lodge in Safford, AZ.
    He was a very devoted, generous, loving husband and father and will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.
    Bright Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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Th 24 Feb Route: Silver City - Lordsburg, NM - Safford, AZ

Two Low-Priced RV Parks

Deming, NM

    The RV park where I'm staying as I write this only charged $17 for a full hookup for 1 night. What attracted me to this park, which is 1 of 3 in Deming as one enters town on Pine Street, was the large number of customers; assumed the price was low and that proved to be the case.

    Not sure if the water works at this site but I partially-filled the 20-gal freshwater tank in my camper a couple of days ago. The name & address is Sunrise RV Park at 2601 E Pine St. [Don't know how many sites they have, but I'd guess it's well over 100; perhaps they have a web site -- if so, will include a link.]
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    The second low-priced site was Corte del Rey at 226 S. Huachuca Blvd in Huachuca City, AZ. I pulled in at 8:15 p.m. one night when one RV park in Sierra Vista was closed and I cudn't find the other there in the dark. While the office was closed, a park resident rousted out a fellow who acts as asst mgr; she told me while we were walking to his site that it would cost $20; it was $17, perhaps becuz I have a truck camper. [But carry cash since they don't take checks or debit/credit cards -- at least after the office closes.]
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    The park is small with only 24 sites, but there were 4 or 5 sites open when pulled in the exit road and drove around to the entrance road. While some of the residents are not as neat as in larger sites with a set of rules rigorously enforced, the price was right!

Th 24 Feb Route: Silver City - Lordsburg, NM - Safford, AZ

Las Cruces to Deming, NM

Deming, NM

    Just past a Border Patrol check point I pulled over and took a couple of shots to the NE and north to get some examples of the mountains in New Mexico. [Click once or twice to zoom in.] Note the typical "Mesa" appearance of many in both photos.

 

 

    Of course, just after I got back in the light to moderate traffic headed west on I-10, I saw a sign which said Emergency Parking Only. Guess I should have pulled off on Corralitos Road -- a name familiar to Santa Cruz County, CA, residents.

 

 

    Finally, my ex-fish buddy didn't tell me of his business operations in other states. (I seem to recall another Gordo's in Arizona also.) The used car & truck lot was located diagonally across the intersection of Diamond and Spruce Steets from the Marshall Memorial Library in Deming.
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    As for the sign which says "Bad Credit - No Problem," I suspect that he sells the loans to an Italian Collection Agency which has had a long-standing reputation as a very effective business. [:-)>]
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    We all know where the Golden Spike was driven upon completion of the first transcontinental railway. Where was the Silver Spike driven to interconnect which two railroads into the second transcontinental railway? See the following link for an answer.

Wed 23 Feb Route: Deming - Silver City, NM

Socorro & Horizon City

Anthony, NM

    As some of you know my maternal grandmother, a native of Comache, TX, bought five lots in a proposed development called Sundland Park of the Horizon Land Corp likely sometime in the 1960s. If memory serves, Horizon went bankrupt in the early 1970s. The tax assessor for El Paso County, TX, charged extremely low taxes (<$10/year) from perhaps the 1980s until roughly the mid-1990s. Photos on the sales brochure for Sunland Park, TX, showed what was essentially desert wasteland with sand &/or gravel with very little vegetation.

    But because I got off of I-10 East a bit early when I recognized a name I had seen in looking at Horizon City on Mapquest, I drove east on a secondary road until I came to a Burger King; couldn't access any WiFi from their parking lot so I drove to the Socorro Police Sub-Station and asked the woman working the desk if she could tell me how to get to Horizon City. I also explained why I was in the area and she said her father-in-law had also bought some property in or near Horizon City, but had only paid taxes once in the 1990s, which was when he made his purchase.
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    As I left the police sub-station I notice some rather old buildings across the street. There was an explanatory plaque in front of one building which was still in use, so I walked around behind it and took the photo above of something which existed in Santa Cruz County, California, during the early 1900s: a poor farm.

    And no, the word poor did not describe agricultural ineptitude -- rather, it was a place for the homeless to live and work on a farm. [Click once or twice to make the plaque readable.] Rio Vista Farm was not run by a charitable organization but rather by a successful farmer, his wife, and his daughter. Unfortunately the Rio Visto Farm model would not work these days because farm land is so valuable -- as farmland or as potential sub-divisions.

    Spent roughly an hour driving around Horizon City. It's a bit like a checkerboard, with spots of new development, most not more than 10-15 years old, as well as fairly large blocks of undeveloped desert wasteland.
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    And I had a burger and fries at the Burger King at the junction of Horizon and N. Avenado? Ave because they advertised free WiFi on their sign. [Take that, McDonald's!] Did recall that Bowling Green Street was next to Lot #1. But all searches on both Mapquest & Google Maps led to the conclusion that Bowling Green Street no longer exists -- except in the tax assesor's records.

    Another possibility suggested by the Siesta RV Park owner in Las Cruces, NM, was that the steet was renamed. As you can see from the 2d Horizon City photo, there is some development along at least 3 of the roads: Horizon Blvd, Darrington Ave, & Avendo Ave.

    I took the 2 above shots from the driveway to some townhouses; what you see to the rigtht is the driveway to those townhouses. Not exactly low-rent as were some of the house I saw while drivig around. And there were some houses which might fit on any new gold course in Califoria.
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    One other thing which leads me to believe that the 5 lots are not worth much is my late brother Warren heard from more real estate agents than I have; but that was from 2005-2007 -- at and just past the peaks of both the real estate and stock market bubbles. If the property has some real worth, I'd be hearing from at least a few of them looking to make a commission.

M 21 Feb - Las Cruces Shopping: Big Lots, Albertsons, & Walmart

T 22 Feb Route: Las Cruces - Deming

On the El Paso & SouthWestern RR

El Paso, TX

    In inspecting a map of New Mexico I noticed a very straight road from near Rodeo, which is in the SW corner of the state, directly across the southern end of the state just above its border with Mexico to near El Paso, Texas. As it turns out, New Mexico State Route 9 (or NM9) follows the railroad bed of the former El Paso & Southwestern Railroad.

    There are only three towns along the route: from west to east they are Animas, Hachita, and Columbus. Animas has a small high school where the sports teams are the Panthers. Hachita is the most run-down of the three, with its community center likely having been vandalized some time ago but not repaired. And, even though Columbus is c65 miles from the Rio Grande (riverbed), it was a mix of old and new buildings. (I skipped taking a photo of the former jail since it was also an antique shop at one point.) Did stop at the post office, which was rather new, to see about doing a change of address, but the counter personnel were on their lunch break. [But there is a state park at Columbus with limited hookups for RVs.]

    As you can see from the New Mexico Historical Marker, at a spot about 9 mi east of Animas, there was once a siding called Playas Siding. The El Paso & SW RR was built in 1902 to transport copper from the Bisbee open pit mine eastward, likely to smelters in Texas. [Click once or twice to enlarge.]

    Speaking of the Phelps Dodge copper mine in Bisbee, I took three photos on my way from Sierra Vista to Douglas. The 1st one to the right show water with what are likely toxic substances at the bottom of a fairly deep pit.

 

 

 

    This second photo looks up the creek which flows out of Bisbee into the Lavender Pit, the name of the pit in the photo above.

 

 

 

 

    And here's a plaque which is dedicated to Harrison M. Lavender, who hatched the plan for extracting the low-grade copper around Bisbee and converting it into a usable grade of copper. Note that he died at age 62. I wonder how safe the town's water supply was during his lifetime.

    Even the last half of the drive from Douglas, AZ, to Rodeo, NM, paralleled an old RR bed -- likely the EP & SW RR. And just north of the town of Apache, AZ, there is a monument errected by the townspeople in 1934 commemorating the surrender of Geronimo on 4 September 1886 about 2 miles away in Skeleton Canyon. While the plaque isn't totally readable, here's a Closeup; and here's more information from the parties to the surrender. With that, the Indian Wars in the United States were over.

    I worried that I had missed my chance to get any photos of the culverts under the EP & SW RR, but came upon the culvert to the right, apparently built in 1906. Am no structural engineer, but the culvert still looks fairly sturdy.

    Not so for the structure in the next shot. Notice that most of the horizontal members running from pier or foundation parallel with the tracks are missing from this bridge over a dry wash.
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    And, no, the insects hanging out in Josua Trees don't have TV. The three stalks extending upward from the bushy portion of the tree make it easy for insects and perhaps a few bees to find the blossoms.

 

    At about the 100-mile signpost, there was a notable change in the mountains; those to the northwest still had sharp peaks -- in other words, they had not been worn down by time, weather, of geologic forces.

 

 

 

    And this shot to the southeast & east shows mountains which have more evidence of wear due to weather over time.

 

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    In case you were wondering where the Border Patrol was along NM9, they were everywhere: patroling the road, manning a small radar at the edge of a large flat area which extended well into Mexico, riding ATVs along the road looking for footprints, and even walking some of the dirt roads in search of illegal immigrants.

 

Sa 19 Feb Route: El Paso - Sunland Park, NM - El Paso - Horizon City - Sunland Park, TX

Su 20 Feb Route: Anthony, NM - Las Cruces

Mt. Lemmon (aka "Frog Mountain")

Tucson, AZ.

    While there a tendancy to post a group of photos taken in the order in which they were shot, let me start with an explanatory display I captured last on the way back down from Mt Lemmon. [Click once or twice to enlarge.] There is a Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation along the route from Why to Tucson; in fact, when I stopped to get gas at Sell, I was the only "white honkey" at the station -- all of the other patrons were indian.
    In the lower right corner is a comparison of the vegetation zone by altitude or latitude; in other words, the higher one drives on Mt Lemmon, the more the vegetation resembles that further north -- sometimes much further north.

    This first view back down the canyon still show plenty of evidence of the desert with prickley pear cactus & yucca-like stalks from other plants.

 

 

 

 

    And this next view is up the road from the turn-in to the Vista Point where the previous shot was taken.

 

 

 

 

    And this is from the Molino Canyon Campground & Fee Payment Area where I noticed several RVs parked on my way back down the hill. After I had dropped my $6 for day use in the payment box, read the complete payment requirements and discovered that I was exempt as a Golden Age Pass holder. Normally I would have cussed til the air turned purple, but if I'm going to make donations, this one has a worthly name -- although the USFS labels the hill as Catalina Mtn rather than Mt Lemmon.

    Didn't stay long at the next Vista Point since the buddy of the guy who crept into my photo was fouling the air with cigarette smoke. But now notice that there is more vegetation on the hillsides.

 

 

 

 

    Just under the 5000' level I ran into the first two trees one finds in mountains of the west: a cedar on the left (with 2/3s of a moon above it) and a pine, probably ponderosa, on the right.

 

 

 

 

    Shooting to the south one see the relection of the sun off of the metal roof in a valley to the SE of Tucson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    And shooting toward the east, the mountains in the distance appear somewhat devoid of vegetation while the flanks of Mt Lemmon have quite a few pines on their ridges at the 5000' level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Looking due east one can see the road winding its way up the hill. At lower elevations the speed limit was 35 but as the turns got tighter at higher elevations, there where several "Slow to 20" signs.

 

 

 

 

    The mountain tops in the distance include Mt Lemmon; preumably it's the one with the most antennas and electronics on its top in the center.

 

 

 

 

    If one looks hard enough, he can almost make out a lake or reservoir in the distance; however, mirages are a fact-of-life on the desert. In any case, to the lower right notice the snow in the trees.

 

 

 

 

    While I told a retired US Forest Service employee that the willows on the other side of the Vista Point's rock wall needed to be pruned, a close-up shows that the vegetation has thorns on it; in other words, the vegetation blocking views to the east is not willows.

 

    The end of the road, Ski Valley, at least during the winter. It's unclear whether one can drive to the top of Mt. Lemmon during the other seasons.
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    Mt. Lemmon was named for Sara Lemmon, the first white woman to reach the top of the peak. She actually gained more notoriety for her campaign to have states select State Flowers; and she was highly instrumental in the selection of the Golden Poppy as California's State Flower.
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    Sara and her husband are buried in an Oakland, CA, cemetery; he was also an amateur botanist who made several notable discoveries in the range of certain flowers and trees.
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Links

• Numerous other Mt. Lemmon links
  
• Wikipedia article on Mt. Lemmon
  
• More photos from Google Images
  

No route today, T 15 Feb; remaining in Tucson

W 16 Feb Route: Tucson - Sierra Vista

Th 17 Feb Route: Sierra Vista - Bisbee - Douglas - Rodeo, NM

F 18 Feb Route: Rodeo - Animas - Hachita - Columbus - Anthony, NM

Death Valley N.P, Part I: Panamint & Death Valleys

Pahrump, NV.

    Because the cab of my pickup smelled like the honey-bucket wagon or truck I passed while making a circuit of the camp sites at Red Rock State Park I decided I didn't like the smell since it was also evident while I was taking photos; and, as mentioned in the previous post, $25 is too much for a site which does not have at least partial hookups (electricity or electricity & water).

    Hence, I decided to drive on to Death Valley N.P. and its Wildrose campground, which charges the best possible price for no hookups -- $0.00. While I had originally planned to take SR178 from Ridgecrest and Trona, another look at a map convinced me that SR190 from Olancha was the shortest route to the center of Death Valley -- at least from the west.

    While it was after sundown (which comes early this time of years on the east side of the Sierras), there was still time to take the photo to the right of Panamint Valley and the Panamit Range (of mountains).

 

 

    The second photo was taken to the right of the first and shows the west side of the Panamint Range, with snow on several peaks, including snow-capped Telescope Pk (11,049'), the highest point in Death Valley.

    It was nearly dark as I reached Panamint Springs; as I idled past the store the fellow sitting on the front porch had a beard about as white as mine, but his somewhat-newish hat did not have the character mine has -- so I keep going looking for a sign to the Wildrose Campground.

    SR190 is extremely straight across the northern end of Panamit Valley; indeed, while descending to Panamit Springs I could see the headlights of cars which were likely 15-20 miles away. Never did find a sign for the turnoff to the Wildrose Campground so I obeyed the sign which said to park off of the pavement and parked in a dirt & gravel, "vista-like" spot about 3-4 miles up the west side of the Panamint Range. While it wasn't very level, I was able to maneuver so that the refrigerator was generally level from left to right, though not from front to rear. It ran well (which it ought to after the time & money I spent to get the thing running on LP-gas).
[DVy001.jpg]

    While I was concerned that some park ranger might wake me up in the morning, I actually slept better after I turned the alarm off -- though as traffic picked up after 0800 I got up. Opened the curtains on the left side of the camper since that side was towards the sun. When I opened the curtains next to the dinette table on the right side of the camper I got the view of the Panamit Valley and Panamit Springs -- the obvious green around the store, gas station, etc., where there is enough water for trees to grow.

    This second shot is to the right of the first and shows the northern end of Panamint Valley, some of which is below sea level since there's a sign near the Panamint Springs Store which gives the elevation as 000 feet.

 

 

    The third picture was taken from in back of the camper; in fact, you can see the shadow of it in the right foreground. Note that the Pananmit Range was at the bottom of a lake, perhaps Lake Manley [named after one of those who escaped what another member of the party labeled "Death Valley" since one of the 49ers died and was buried there]. But there has also been a great deal of uplifting from geological forces. Note that most layers run from upper-left to lower-right.

 

 

 

    There was no spot on the right side of the road at Towne Pass, which, if memory serves, was c4,500'; but the photo to the right was taken as I descended into the main part of Death Valley where Stovepipe Wells, Furnace Creek, and Badwater are located.

 

 
 
 

    As I got closer to Stovepipe Wells Death Valley itself became clearer -- and not just a patch of tan sand in the distance.

 

 

 

 

    The gas station at Stovepipe Wells was shut down and the woman who apparently managed it said it wouldn't re-open for c90 minutes; Tom Stienstra recommended buying gas at Stovepipe Wells rather than at Furnace Crk since the latter gas station charges higher prices. After stopping at the Park Service Ranger Station and presenting my Golden Age Pass, which allows free entry to all National Parks, Monuments, Historic Sites as well as some discounts when staying in campgrounds operated by the park service, US Forest Service, & Bureau of Land Management, I continued south toward Furnace Creek. Passed the Mesquite Sand Dunes, which, while fairly large, are smaller than those in Nevada along US95 in the Armagosa Desert, the next valley to the east of Death Valley.

 
    And here's a glimpse of one of the most notable features of Death Valley N.P., the Badwater Basin -- which alternates between a shallow catch-basin with a slight bit of water and a salt plane with very little water.

 

 

 

    It unfortunate that the two most avid golfers in the family, the late Toby Lemmon and my brother-in-law Phil DiGirolamo, never got a chance to play what is billed as the lowest golf course in the world. As you can see in the photo to the right, the Furnace Creek Golf Course is at 214 feet below sea level. There are no regularly-scheduled flights to Death Valley; in fact, I don't believe there are any air strips for general aviation planes either. I saw a little-used air strip at Shoshone after I exited the park. And Las Vegas is likely the closest airport with regularly-scheduled flights.

Th 10 Feb Actual Route: Stovepipe Wells, Furnace Crk, Badwater, Jubilee Pass, Shoshone, & Tecopa Hot Springs

F 11 Feb Actual Route: Tecopa Hot Sprs - Shoshone - Pahrump - Las Vegas - Laughlin - Kingman

Sa 12 Feb Actual Route: Kingman - Wickenburg - Gila Bend - Ajo Hts RV Park

Su 13 Feb Actual Route: Ajo - Why - Organ Pipe Catcus N.M - Why - Sell - Tucson

Lancaster, Red Rock State Park, & Owens Lake

Pahrump, NV.

    The first photo was taken from a vista point as one descends into Antelope Valley on SR14. The California Aqueduct is in the foreground. Even tho it was windy and cool or cold all the while I was in Lancaster, did not see any other windmills than the one in the photo. Since winds are frequent in or on deserts such as the Mojave and bordering high desert country such as the Owens and Antelope Valleys, it's surprising there are not more windmills in and around Lancaster.

    Like the Ontario Library, Lancaster, part of the LA County Library System, requires a temporary library card, which provides one with a UserID and PIN number. While there I searched for an obituary for cousin Denis Driver, a grandson of Gratia Mae "Grace" Lemmon Gunter. His grandmother died in 1917 in Orland during the Spanish Flu Epidemic. It's not clear whether Grace's children were raised by relatives on her husband's side or by her only daughter, Ethel Mae Gunter Driver.

    Unfortunately, I could find no obituary for Denis; as time permits I'll send his wife a letter & ask such things as where Denis was born, what his occupation was, etc.

    The second photo was taken a mile or so south of Mojave. [Click once or twice to enlarge.] They're clearly harnessing the high winds in their area. Unfortunately their Kern County Branch Library is closed on Wednesdays so I want to a McDonald's when an unsercured WiFi from a nearby RV Park wudn't grant free access unless you bought something.

    Like most state parks, Red Rock State Park is over-priced: $25 for a table and fire-ring but no hookups. [Most city and county RV parks are better bargains; for instance, Rancho Jupura Park near Riverside cost $20 for full hookups -- and you still get the ubiquitous table and fire ring.] Drove past a honey-bucket wagon or truck while I was making the loop checking out the camp-sites. As you can see in the photo to the right, there are some interesting rock formations in Red Rock State Park. Note the weather-sculptured rocks to the left as well as the Joshua Trees in the center of the photo.

    The 4th photo shows what wind, rain, ice, snow, and frost an do to such soft rocks as sandstone or limestone. The formations look almost like the stalactites and stalagmites one sees in a cave.

 

 

    The 5th shot was taken a couple of miles south of Olancha alongside US395. To the left are the eastern flanks of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. The mountains still in the sun were the source of some outstanding silver mines during the late 19th century. In fact, steamers used to freight the silver bars across the lake where teamsters such as Remi Nadeau would take them to L.A. for transport via ship to San Francisco and its mint. Cerro Gordo was one of the better silver mines. [Here's a link to David Wright's photo-laden site on Cerro Gordo]

 
 
    This last picture of Owens Lake was taken from SR190, which is one of the two primary routes through Death Valley.

 

 

 

 

Th 10 Feb Route: Panamit Range - Stovepipe Wells - Furnace Crk - Badwater - Jubilee Pass - Shoshone - Tecopa Hot Springs