Class of '68 Mini Reunion

OK. Life hasn't been all that exciting...a little hiking, some geocaching...same old, same old and more of the same. The flowers are starting to bloom, so as we are out in the desert there should be some spring flowers to photograph.

The only out of the ordinary event the second half of this month was the meeting of three of us from JHS, Class of '68.

Dennis with his friend

visiting from Rapid City

not my class mate, but a member of Curt's first high school football team

Dennis's class was high school seniors

Dean and his wife Kathy from Denver

Dean, Class of '68

Peg and her husband Doug from Mandan

Peg was in the Class of '68

We enjoyed visiting and good food.

We all plan to meet at the Java in June Celebration.

Caching in Yuma at the Mega Event Weekend

Last weekend was our third geocaching trip to Yuma. We went twice last year and hope to go back again this season. There is a reason Yuma is host to the Mega Event for 11 years. Well, two reasons: lots of geocachers and lots of geocaches and one does not guarantee the other. It's also a fun historic city to visit.

We spent Friday afternoon driving around trying to find the code words for the 10 LAB caches throughout the community. The LAB caches took us to historic and well-known Yuma 'businesses'. 

I got photos of only 2 of the 10 stops because we were on a mission and in most places, we did not get to actually SEE anything. This is the Bridge to Nowhere. It was built in 1929, is 800' long but was considered too weak for modern vehicles. When a dam was built upstream in 1968, the river was rerouted, making the bridge obsolete.

We also stopped near a date farm, a peanut farm, a camel farm, a Sonoran Desert Garden, a freight train, the Yuma Prison cemetery, a minuscule mission, a museum, and City Hall.

The City of Yuma Aeronca Sedan plane, displayed in City Hall. 

"At the close of WWII, the US Army closed the Yuma Army Air Field. When the local economy began to suffer, businessmen attempted to obtain publicity for their city and convince the military that the area had the best year-round flying conditions in the world. Two pilots were drafted to fly a modified single engine Aeronca Sedan dubbed "The City of Yuma." The flight began August 24, 1949 and lasted until October 10, 1949. The flight was a then-world record of more than 1,124 hours."

One of the murals in city hall depicting fueling the 'City of Yuma' plane

Glass & metal display in City Hall

Yuma is 100 years old in 2014

One of 3 murals also in City Hall

Friday ended with the Flash Mob event in the last post.

Saturday started with an event at 7:00 AM. Yes, 7:00 A.M.

Geocachers gathered at the Howard Johnson parking lot

We saw a number of geocachers from this part of AZ in attendance

But coffee was what I really wanted! 

We did some geocaching along 4th Street on the way to the next event, 9:00 AM. I did get my coffee, but hubby drank it, by mistake. After the second event we drove across the border to California for a day of collecting caches on a trail, some of which we had started last winter. We now have 100+ CA caches.

Our first stop was the Tatooine Dunes

This area is part of the Algondones or Imperial Sand Dunes

The Return of the Jedi was filmed in this area

The area was part of the Pacific Ocean 200 million years ago

It was rather quiet for 10:00 on a Saturday morning

Yes, another cemetery

We think a small church used to be nearby

"The town of Ogilby is now a ghost town. Ogilby had been a small town of workers for the American Girl Mine and a loading area for the Southern Pacific Railroad. All that remains of Ogilby is the foundation of the school house and the cemetery. The two lie only about 50 feet apart. According to the book, "Southern California's Best Ghost Towns" by Philip Varney, this cemetery was established in 1878. The proprietor of the Gold Rock Ranch R.V. Resort, which lies about 5 miles north, says that Ogilby Cemetery is mostly made up of Chinese who worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad. I did, however, notice some graves with candles depicting the Virgin Mary, and another with a rosary around it, indicating Catholics, perhaps Mexicans. There are no inscriptions on the grave markers. 26 graves were identified. Submitted by: Steve Johnson"

Foundation remains

(not my photo; copied from http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/ogilby.html)

I found this marker quite interesting

Jess (1932-2007), the road grader operator 

Not sure if he is buried there or if it is just a memorial marker

A partially buried truck in a wash

The Hedges Cemetery

"This is near the Hedges Townsight.  The community was originally called Gold Rock Camp.  The name was changed to Hedges in 1893, which was later changed to Tumco.  There is much histoy in the area.  Hedges grew to 2,000 persons.  The main town and mines are closed to vehicles, but the cemetary can be accessed by vehicle.  Early 1990's a few graves could be found.  Recently rocks have been placed to simulate graves." 

Artificial flowers decorated each pile of rocks

Hedges, a mining town

"In 1896 Hedges had 3000 residents with a store, hospital, several bordellos, casino and 4 saloons along Stingaree Gulch. In 1862 a wandering mule from a wagon train was found in the gulch with a gold nugget just lying there. In 1910 TUMCO (an acronym for The United Mine Company) took over the area which had a 40 stamp mill. TUMCO put in 60 more stamps and with not enough ore and the added expense, they went broke in 1916. Equipment was sold for junk and that was it."

We did not take the walk to the ghost town of Hedges

It's there in the mountains

Saturday ended with another event, this time dinner

where we ate with and visited with geocachers from CV

and Apache Junction.

Another fun day at the Mega Event weekend!

Sunday's event is the next AND last post.

Geocaching in Yuma

Last weekend was the SWAG (South West Arizona Geocachers) Yuma Mega Event #11. We went last year not really knowing much about events, especially Mega Events (at least 500 people register with the intent of attending). We missed an event or two last year because we did not think that 4:00-6:00 meant 4:00 to 6:00. (Yes, we are dealing with seniors & retired folks.) So this year we were a little more prepared.

The first event of the weekend was the Yuma Mega Event #11 Flash Mob on Friday evening. I have posted about another Timely Flash Mob we attended in December. Well, the one in Yuma was a flash mob in numbers if not in 'how to'. Our directions: "a momentary gathering of a large group of people who perform an odd and rather pointless act. This flash mob will serve as an ice breaker for the Yuma Mega Event #11.

Everyone who is interested in participating in the Yuma Mega Event #11 Flash Mob should BRING SUNGLASSES (the standard kind or crazy sun glasses) and try to be near (but not at) the coordinates by 5:00 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. 

At 5:01, everyone will quickly PUT ON HIS OR HER SUNGLASSES and congregate around the fountain, forming one or more conga lines. Immediately, music will start (“The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades”). During the song, participants will do a “walking” conga dance around and about the fountain area (step-step-step-kick, step-step-step-kick, etc.). When the music stops, everyone will take off his or her sunglasses and wander nonchalantly away."

First of all seniors get to EVERYTHING early! And it takes us a long time to leave because we have nothing else to do, and we might see somebody we know. I know there were people on the street corner at 4:00 waiting for the 5:00 event!

one of four street corners

the fountain in the middle of the street

Yes, nobody was AT the coordinates before 5:01

another corner

more are gathering

there is somebody else we know on that corner

CV geocachers, Neil & Marlene

and Neil & Marlene spotted us on the opposite corner

5:01...Conga Lines

it is hard to dance and count and take photos at the same time!

people in the middle taking photos

well, I think the guy was taking photos...

Marlene got a photo of hubby and me in our shades doing the conga line dance

my arm on hubby's shoulder

lots of geocachers trying to step-step-step-kick

still dancing

some folks wore their shades

it's over

S L O W L Y  d i s p e r s i n g...

The Yuma #11 Flash Mob was so much fun!

Now I can say I have been part of a flash mob

as there were enough people involved to make a

statement, an "odd and pointless" statement, but 

a statement none the less.

More Yuma photos to come.

A Temple Tour

photo from the online brochure/webpage

The Church of the Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has built a new temple in Gilbert, a suburb of the Phoenix metro area. The new temple is open to the public for tours for 1 month prior to its dedication this coming weekend. A group of eight of us toured the five story building last Wednesday. Cameras were not allowed inside the temple. My friend Nancy took some fabulous photos outside, that she graciously shared with me. If my name is not on the photo, it belongs to Nancy. Thanks, Nancy!

While Mormons gather for worship in the much smaller worship houses, temples are for quiet reflection, marriage ceremonies, proxy baptisms of ancestors and ordinances that are unique to the faith. For members, the temple is the house of the Lord and the most sacred place on Earth.

The highly detailed ivory exterior will feature high quality pre-cast concrete and stone accentuated with fine rustications and beautifully crafted art glass windows. The floor plan includes a sub-basement for mechanical equipment; a basement for the baptistry; a first floor for the entry, dressing rooms, and administrative offices; a second floor for the chapel and endowment rooms; and a third floor for sealing rooms, waiting rooms, and a child care center. 

the front walk way

500,000 people, Mormons and non-Mormons were expected

to tour the facility during the one month open house

One intriguing feature is the baptismal font that rests on 12 bronze oxen, said to be a feature of King Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem and representing the 12 tribes of Israel.

...pristine white carpet; the tall art-glass windows with the agave patterns; and the 18-foot high, 1,500-pound crystal chandelier placed strategically in front of a large mirror...

a pool on the south side of the temple

The wrought-iron fenced grounds will include fountains, shaded plazas, and lush landscaping featuring 10 kinds of trees, 5 palm varieties, and 24 species of shrubs, ground covers, and vines with trellises, arbors and pergolas placed throughout the site.

with waterfalls and green tile

The color scheme is blue, green and earth tones; the design motif is agave; the interior stone is limestone; the woods are eucalyptus, white oak and painted hardwoods; and the chandeliers are Swarovski crystal.

One of the tour guides told us the white granite marble 

came from Jordan and Israel. 

The green tile theme was carried throughout the building,

in the carpet, tiled floor, stained glass windows, couches,

benches, chair coverings...a soft, comforting sage green

representing the agave plant

a fabulous photo by Nancy of the flower beds in front of the temple

85,000 square feet

More information & photos from inside the temple

gold-leafed angel Moroni statue atop the single central spire

our lunch destination

An interesting, opulent couple of hours followed

by a tasty Italian lunch

Missing Passports

It is not unusual to misplace an item. I think it probably happens to everyone. Usually, the item makes an appearance eventually, often when we are least expecting it. My most recent misplaced item was our passports. Hubby and I agreed the last time either of us could positively, 100% say we had seen our passports was our last trip to Mexico, about a year ago. For 8 years I have placed them in the same location for travel between summer and winter homes. And once we reach those homes, the passports are moved to the same secure location, until this year. 

When it was time to leave for AZ in October (and even before) we searched the house high and low, inside and out, trying to locate our passports. We began to think we had left them in AZ because we did not plan to travel anywhere a passport would be needed during the summer. When we got to AZ, though, the passports were not where they should have been. A search of our 400' casa was much easier than a search of our REAL house as Miss W calls it. A thorough search of the casa came up empty.

That meant they had to be in our REAL house. We became so perplexed and anxious, we decided to rent a car during our January trip back to SD so we could drive 100 miles to check the house, ONE MORE TIME. Again nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zippo. (There were other reasons and benefits to the car rental, but the passport search was at the top of the list.)

The two of us decided on a Plan B: If, after one more exhaustive search of our real house when we returned in April did not reveal the missing little blue books, we would have to file a missing PP claim on May1. I was not looking forward to that process since I did not have any copies of our PP numbers, which one is supposed to have when filing the claim. But it is what it is. You do what you gotta' do.

On Thursday of last week, I was packing for a weekend trip to Yuma for a geocaching event. I store my red suitcase, MY traveling suitcase under the bed. I needed something from the suitcase, so pulled it out, and took what I needed. But before I put it back in storage, a little voice told me to search the red suitcase for the passports. That suitcase has traveled from AZ to SD to MN to the Black Hills to a family reunion and back to AZ by way of NE, CO, UT, NV. In all those trips and stays, I had not opened the inside zippered compartment of the red suitcase, but I did last Thursday. When I did, guess what I found?

The little blue books had been with me/us all these months, in a logical place. It just wasn't the same logical place I had been using the previous 8 years. Since returning from Yuma AND a side trip to the Mexican border town of Algodones, I have made a copy of our PP numbers. It is filed in a secure, LOGICAL location, as are the passports...until we travel back to SD.

Let's hope I remember where I put them this trip.

Oh, and if you have a passport? Make a copy of the 'front' page and keep the copy in a different secure location than the passports...just in case yours go missing for 10 months.

Another Cemetery

No, I am not obsessed with cemeteries, although if you are a regular follower, you may think so. Usually, if we do stop at one, it has a very interesting story behind it OR a history worthy of sharing. Both apply to the Roosevelt Cemetery near the more well-known community of Globe. 

The settlement of Roosevelt no longer exits.

Path lined with rocks

Most of the grave sites looked like this

A white wooden cross at the end of a pile of rocks

No names, no dates

A rare headstone, but unreadable

A rather fancy headstone

Only 35 years old

William Dillon from England

Headstone of a stone cutter on the Roosevelt Dam crew

John Loser, stone cutter, of Germany

Headstone erected by his fellow workmen

A few wooden headstones

Father & Son?

Only 13

Did he also work at the dam?

Desert flora overtaking parts of the cemetery

The rest of the story...

And the final post from the Apache Trail Road Trip.

Next Adventure??? Yuma AZ