Stanton, Mountain View and Wickenburg

This past Monday we drove to Stanton, a ghost town that is being restored by the mining company that purchased it. Our purpose for going there was to visit Jean and Willard, members of the Class of '05. Willard is very much into looking for gold among other items and the mining company has a full hookup campground at the ghost town, so they choose to spend their winters there, among all the gold diggers and rockhounders. Wouldn't be a bad place except the road back is about 6 miles of very rough washboard dirt road. I don't think I want to take the MS back that road.

We had a very enjoyable day with Jean and Willard. They showed us all around the ghost town and Willard kept us entertained and educated with the history of the town and the scrupulous characters who lived there - especially Charlie Stanton, who the town is now named after. Here are some pictures of Stanton.....

This was the hotel - it had seven rooms if I remember right...



This was one of the stage coach stops, there were two in town, but it is said that this one had the best food! It's now the campground office.....



A leaning outhouse.....



After a delicious lunch of ham sandwiches, baked beans, potato salad, and cherry cobbler for dessert, Willard show us his equipment that he uses looking for gold. I have to tell you that he has done well in finding some very nice nuggets. We also had a visit from the communities oldest resident, I think his name was Ben and he is 91. What a hoot! He claims he's seen his book of life and it has 432 pages filled with information from this life and his past lives. Like I said, he is a hoot!

Here's Willard......



While we were sitting around talking, Willard spotted a Roadrunner. Well I grabbed my camera and tried to get it's picture. Elusive little devil, but I did finally get one where you can see him!

Look on the road between the trees......



We want to thank Jean and Willard for a wonderful day and great hospitality.

Tuesday we took a drive on Hwy 89 to Yarnell. Wow, what a ride it was. The road is built on the side of a mountain and is actually split with the south bound lanes being higher up than the north bound ones.

A view showing the "up" and "down" lanes....



Another view.....



A view from close to the top - the white spot way off is North Ranch - the Escapees park that we are staying at.....



Yarnell is a spot on the road, one of those that if you blink you'll miss it. Saw two interesting buildings there. You can see them in the following pictures......

Buzzards Roost.......



And I wonder what they might be????



Wednesday we went to Wickenburg. After stopping the Chamber of Commerce office for some info, we visiting the museum in town. For a small town, it was a very nice museum. A lot of items pertaining to the old west, a area with rocks and minerals, an exhibit of Grand Canyon art and in the basement, a replica of what Wickenburg would have been like back in the 1800's.

I didn't take any pictures - why - I don't know! We ate lunch in town which didn't sit well with me so we came back home without doing anymore touring. I wanted to go to Vulture Mine, but will have to make it some other time.

Tomorrow we are moving to Big River, CA which is across the river from Parker, AZ. It is supposed to be warmer there and Dean and I are both ready for warm. It's going down to 29 tonight - burrrrr......