April 13, 2010
Cooler out and cloudy, but no rain. Actually very nice out.

I'm rereading Martha Summerhayes' Vanished Arizona and enjoying it even more than the first five times I read it. One of the main reasons I always enjoy her adventures is that she goes right through my old stomping grounds. The soldier columns followed the freighting outfits, run by Captain Hardy, as they marched up from Fort Mojave on the Colorado River to above Hardyville (about where Bullhead is today), then traveled west to Packwood's Ranch (which must have been near Union Pass), then across Golden Valley and up Coyote Pass into Beale Springs (just outside present day Kingman). Here is that view looking into the throat of Coyote Pass:



Really dramatic views both ways. And here's Martha's description of Beale's Springs:


"Beale's Springs did not differ from the other ranch [Packwood's], except that possibly it was even more desolate." I like to joke that she predicted no civilized people could ever live here, and she is pretty much right about that.


And here's a view of Weaver's Needle and the backside of the Superstition mountains:



Caught this view on my way across the McDowell Indian Res. We're looking at the Sups from the northwest, looking southeast.


"Those who attain any excellence commonly spend life in one pursuit; for excellence is not often granted upon easier terms."
—Samuel Johnson