4/30 – Stillwell RV Park
Another sad day as he’s making me leave this rabbit-rich territory for a 7 hour drive to some person-infested city in New Mexico. The drive is less than charming, flat west Texas morphing into flat southern New Mexico, with not-so-scenic El Paso in the middle.
We arrive at some downtown RV park in Silver City, NM around 6pm. Although this place claims to be a city it’s a pretty quiet place with trees and a creek just behind our back-in slot (he’s getting better at backing in as it took him only 8 tries to get it docked and tied up this time). I was abandoned after my dinner as he struck off to sample the Saturday night lights of Silver City. He was back and snoozing before 10 so I assume the lights were not so bright (he mumbled something about no good place to dance as there was a cowboy comic in the only live music venue in town).
5/1 – Silver City , NM – Tucson, AZ (The Peak’s Place)
Since he was home so early last night I woke him at 6 for our morning walk. We had the place to ourselves and were impressed by many artsy shops and art objects scattered throughout the town.
Cienga (silver) was discovered here in 1870 in a deposit that yielded 100 ounces/ton, the definition of a bonanza. The mine opening is located just behind the courthouse in downtown CS (see photo). There is a huge active copper mine south of town that employs 1,200 miners and supports virtually all of the economic activity in the region. The Spanish discovered copper here in 1804 and the early Indians (I’m quoting from the local tourist guide book so all you PC folks chill out…yes dogs can read guide books) mined turquoise for their arty projects.
My master told me this is a characteristic of western towns in general, from San Francisco to Leadville, CO and countless towns in between. The prospectors/miners discover something that a lot of people want and will pay big bucks for and the miners dig it out of the ground and some get very rich while others go home broke and get a job as a Walmart greeter. After years of prosperity, the ore body depletes and/or the environmentalists, who got to be environmentalists by voraciously consuming the stuff the miners produced, told the miners they were bad people and to go home and get a job at Walmart.
OK, enough of the old man’s rant – time to hit the road for his friend’s house in Tucson, AZ where there will be plenty of good food and drink awaiting our arrival, plus two 15 year old female dogs (Weezie and Wooby) just waiting for a stud like me.
