Two Guns

July 15, 2011

Landed back at the Triple B Ranch at two this afternoon. Long road trip to three states: highlights included, Saint Jo, Electra, Vernon, Goodnight, Quanah and Amarillo, Texas. The Longhorn Museum (long gone but the sign remains), Tijeras, Lamy, Santa Fe (Rocky Aragon's mural), Albuquerque, Cubero, Grants, Gallup and Stateline, New Mexico. Winslow, Two Guns, Flagstaff (don't forget Winona), Munds Park, Tip Top, New River and Cave Creek.

Two Guns, of course, is the notorious town at Canyon Diablo on the Santa Fe line where hell ruled for over a year while the railroad tried to finish a bridge across the formidable canyon (the first bridge arrived on location and turned out to be a foot short!). The history of Two Guns has been amped by infamous writers and two-thirds of the "facts and figures" are probably bull, but I still think there is a story there. As we shot by on I-40, Ken Amorosano said, "Cool name." And I thought to myself, "Yes, and a cool title to a story."

I'm too fried to tell the sordid details of the Rocky Aragon Billy the Kid mural party in Santa Fe, but Ken took phone video and I promise to give the full story when I catch up on some ZZZZZs.

"The road is the only thing."
—An old vaquero's answer when asked which was more fulfilling, the road or arriving at his destination