We all have bad days at the office. I'm lucky enough to get out of the office sometimes. My out of office adventures take me far into the back country because I work for an exploration drilling company that explores for minerals in areas most people don't go.
Today was a great day out of the office. After a quick stroll though Montezuma's Castle. 50 miles south of Flagstaff and 3 miles off the freeway, it is a great break from the road:
http://www.nps.gov/moca/
I headed north to route 66 and Seligman, Arizona. After lunch at the Roadkill cafe on Route 66, I turned north. It was a cool, crisp, clear day, with a sliver of the moon showing in a wide blue sky. Only an occasional wispy cloud and a few contrails across the kind of blue you only see on cold fall days out here.
Because I was about to cross both Reservation and Ranch land, I had to sign in before entering the ranch, acknowledging I had read the rules. There was one more rule I had to know when I entered the ranch:
That was only through the first of seven gates on the way to the project site. Each was a little different:
Guess the log keeps the short cows in..... As you can see, the road at this point was a veritable freeway. My instructions included 45 miles of dirt road to get to the drill, we'll see if my luck holds....
I discovered how the roads were built, though I'm sure this freeway is graded regularly:
The driller had described the route as "rolling hills." Here are some of the rolling hills:
Note that I'm still on the Freeway part of the road, though it is getting a little marbelly......
Now, what I haven't told you is that my instructions to get to the job were, "go 16 miles west of Seligman, Arizona; turn right, go through 5 gates, go about 25 miles to Rose Well, go through two more gates, take a hard left and go 4 miles, you can't miss us."
So...I had gone through 5 gates and was looking for Rose Well. this is what I found:
You need to click on this picture to read it properly. Also note the horshoe hanging from the tee post on the right. Well, that is just a little bit of "ranch-gineering" for a gate that wouldn't stay open when you drive through:
All the rules I had to know to pass through Rose Well were right there on the gate. You can tell it's Christmas time on the ranch.
After going through the two gates, I ran into another fella at work:
The real west, though the cowboy's dog did much of the work, he just sort of fell in behind the horses...
As I left Rose Well, I looked back one more time. The ranch is in the right center of the picture, the road (no longer a freeway) trails up the right edge.
Well the road luck isn't holding, but it's still a very good road as these things go. Dust is starting to get into the camera shutter though....
If you look at a map, there is a big open space southwest of the Grand Canyon, but the view from here is fine. This is looking northeast from the drill site, the line on the horizon is the higher north rim:
And from here to the southeast, you can see all the way to the San Francisco mountains north of Falgstaff, including the highest mountain in Arizona:
But I did come here to do some work. And today we are setting up a drill rig. The crew has it well in hand, as always, I just try to stay out of the way and help where needed:
Before I left, the crew mentioned that the geologist had told them about another possible way in, one that was only 12 miles from the oiled road. Knowing what a sucker I am for getting lost, they knew I would try to find the road. With only "turn left" onto the road I had taken to get there for direction, I set out. I took one right turn, turning left through the corral that didn't look like a road, and I took one wrong turn by going straight at the double water tanks. 15 miles past the water tanks, I knew I wasn't on the right road, so I turned around and was once again struck by beauty:
The dust was drifting in the still air of the sunset, catching the colors. Probably have to click on this one too. I drove back, turned at the double tanks, and found the oiled road without much more drama. By then, the sun had set and I was driving in a clear night with Kingman and Seligman the closest light sources. I could brush my hand on the stars and bump my head on the planets......
Nice way to end another great day at work.
Though I've been to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon many times, this is my first trip to the South Rim. I had always heard it was crowded and desert-like, and I have seen many crowds and deserts.
There's a river waaay down there. Don't forget to click on the pictures to see the detail.
The John Wesley Powell Monument.
This coyote was as proud as can be. He came walking toward me in the other lane. When I stopped the truck, he moved to the shoulder, but didn't give up the half-rabbit he was carrying in his mouth...
A remnant of previous mining activity in the canyon. What can I say? It's my history...
