Let it Snow

As you know from a recent post, we haven't seen much of the 

Superstition Mountains

for several days because they've been covered in clouds

We've had a considerable amount of rain, which the

desert was happy to see... even though lots of it 

unfortunately washed down the street and went down the drain.

When the clouds finally lifted this is what we saw!!!

Welcome to sunny Arizona.

A few clouds remained for a while above the  highest peak  5057

 (that's its name) and it is 5,057' tall.

Here at the base of the Mountains it's only 1932' elevation,

 

Today's low 34 degrees, the forecasted high 46 with more

rain on the way so we're tucked inside with the heat on.

"Remember click on any pic to enlarge the view...  on this 

one you'll see the snow blowing along the ridge."

 

Due to the change in weather, we  ordered  "lunch in",  delivered from 

our on-site restaurant, the Cactus Grill.

It arrived in 25 minutes and while

we pigged out, we enjoyed the 

"pitter pat" of hail at the front of the house,

while thunderheads began to fill the blue skies over the

mountains for round two!!!

Globe AZ

Globe AZ (elevation 3500') is located about 100 miles east of Phoenix

on US 60 and is the County Seat of Gila County.  It was founded 

as a mining camp in the 1870's.  Initially the inhabitants mined

for silver but that ceased before the end of the 19th century to be

replaced by the more profitable  Copper mining.

Our mission, to visit the Historic Downtown portion of Globe 

which is known for its Ghosts.  As we wandered

thru Historic Downtown, we were on the lookout especially 

as we approached the Old County Sheriff's Office (left) and Jail (right)

where many visitors have been convinced that spirits are still there!!!

I even checked out the alley between the two buildings but saw

or heard nothing suspicious!!!

 

Don continued with his geocaching search while I captured

photos of my favorite historic buildings.

I even entered the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts building which 

is located in the 100 year old Gila County Courthouse which was

restored in 1984.

St Johns Episcopal Church was founded in 1899 and is listed

on the Nat'l Register of Historical Places.   The stained glass windows

were worth a stop,  as was

 

its rear courtyard which contained several mosaic murals featured below.

Holy Angels Catholic Church was erected in 1916

and is also listed on the Nat'l Register of Historical Places.

This beautiful  clock was located near the railroad station in 2007 as

part of the Globe Centennial Celebration.  The depot was built in 1916 and has been

completely renovated since then.  The 1st train arrived in globe in 1898

before the depot was built.

Quiz for the day:  "What is it?"

It's a BBQ of course... take a good look.

Isn't that a pistol...

"Remember you can click on any image to enlarge it."

As we returned to the car  we thought a few window displays

deserved some attention.

My favorite...

As we drove to our next stop, I couldn't resist snapping

this sunlit Cottonwood tree in all its glory.

Besh-Ba-Gowah is a 200-room prehistoric Salado masonry pueblo located 
atop a broad ridge overlooking Pinal Creek. The site is situated one mile southwest 
of  Globe, Arizona and surrounded by a small city park and adjacent 
museum with excavated items including prehistoric pottery, 
stone and woven artifacts. Wikipedia

Digs commenced in 1938 after the 1935 find. The lady archaeologist, 

died at a young age,  two years after the dig commenced and the site 

wasn't touched for 40 years.

The brilliantly designed village of talented Salado people has 

been partially reconstructed and rests amongst a vibrant cactus garden 

The city of Globe owns Besh Ba Gowan so it is not listed as 

a National Monument. 

It was closed today for maintenance, but Don and I had

been here before

with friends from CA, Mike & Peggy Potter, on a Southwest

RV trip in 2002...

The end of a perfect day.  Till next time...

 

"Just Rewards"...

This morning about 9:45 I tried to squeeze in a 3 mile walk

around our resort between rain showers.

And then it appeared bit by bit

A little here,

a little there as I tried to see if there was more.

Finally, just as it started to lightly hail,

I got it all times 2...

and here's my bonus just for you!!!

 

C is for Climate (and CLOUDS)

Arizona's Five C's are: Copper, Cattle, Cotton, Citrus and Climate.

I've posted blogs about Copper & Cotton so here we go  with  Climate/Clouds.  

In the early years of the state, the five C's served an important role in 

the economy, with many jobs in agriculture, ranching, and mining. 

The Five C's represent a modest impact on Arizona's economy today, 

but they still play a strong cultural role. 

The other evening we headed up to our roof top deck to enjoy

the amazing show being put on by the clouds.  This panorama gives 

you an overall look from North (left) to East.

(Remember to enlarge any photo, just click on it.)

I started at the left edge of the panorama to grab a few close-ups and

 moved to the right along the top of the Superstition Mountains.

Enjoy the ride...

Yes, that's the moon rising and it was only about 4:15 p.m.

Now back to the left of the panorama and starting all

over again.  This was my favorite shot as it looked to me

like white clouds were a different layer, creating a "cloud fall",

thru the blue sky opening, over the darker clouds below.

5057 is the tallest peak on this ridge and it was getting

blanketed by the current cloud formation which was rapidly changing.

And as I turned to the far east, if you didn't know better 

you might have thought you were in Hawaii.