January 18th: Holland was cruising the internet the other night, and came across a couple YouTube vid's talking about things to do off the beaten track, in Quartzsite … we had tried to find these things yesterday afternoon, following our Hi Jolly Cemetery visit - but neither one of us had slept much the previous night, and we only succeeded in frustrating endeavors that had us going around in circles: and, as in Bouse a couple days ago, no locals knew what we were talking about, so, we came back home and called it A Day ;-)
But, this morning we hopped into Betsy, and went exploring :-)
Tyson Wash-AZ from RV Pit Stop-AZ; 5 min (3.3 mi) via N Central Blvd and US-95 S
Holland had the whole day's adventures planned out (1) petroglyphs (2) Indian Grinding pots (3) Joseph Conè's Cabins.
The first site Holland drove us to, was to the petroglyph's in Tyson's Wash - these were accessible from the Tyson Wash LTVA Campground.
The Arizona tourism trade is bizarre.
As we were driving along, Holland was fiddling with the radio and a catchy tune started playing; Holland said, "This is your kind of music, isn't it Baby? I'll leave it on." I said, "Yes" - and "thank you."
Psychedelic vibes on Old Yuma Road; Quartzsite-AZ
Iron Butterfly: 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' lyrics:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPSaocNxLKA)
Iron Butterfly was playing on the air waves, and Holland has no idea who they were! I laughed to think that a 6-year age difference could make that much difference (Holland is more familiar with the 1980's/'90's {hair bands}). So, I told him the name of the song … and how it originated: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida came about when band leader, main singer, and organist Doug Ingle, thought up the song about his girlfriend while he was very drunk. When the intoxicated vocalist played the song for the band’s drummer Ron Bushy, his words come out slurred - and Bushy, quickly writing down the lyrics as Ingle performed … wrote them word-for-word, exactly as he heard them; the drummer apparently misheard the slurred phrase “in the Garden of Eden” and wrote “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” ;-)
And that is how this passionate psychedelic vibes 1968 love song (originally intended to be named and recorded “In the Garden of Eden") ended up being written, and recorded as the misinterpreted and catchy, “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". The band decided to keep the misinterpreted song as written because it sounded mystical and spiritual, rolling off the tongue :-)
And Bleu had started nosing us over the console, so I laughed and petted his head, telling him, "This band is responsible for your name, buddy; I spell your name 'Bleu' the unique French way this song is labeled … because you are unique, too".
I thought the radio tunes fit the Day's theme. We were on our way to find and see, ancient rock etching in the Sonoran Desert that would echo with mystical and spiritual intent :-)
Old Yuma Road; Quartzsite-AZ
Off Road, and into the desert we go ;-)
Sonoran Desert:
(https://www.desertusa.com/sonoran-desert.html)
Holland carefully 'tip-toed' Betsy through the sketchy landscape.
We were basically winging it, and relying on directions what we'd read online, to get us to our destination; we turned off-road onto a road we thought would get us there - it was rough going … and it would have gotten us there, eventually; but Elohim (like us) hearing the periodic scratching along Betsy's broad sides, took mercy on us and sent an angel in disguise on a RZR to inform us, redirect us, and encourage us.
The guy comes to Quartzsite every year from Oregon to spend the winter months here; so he and Holland talked a little bit about OR home bases … and then he took off in his RZR, and we took off for our destination point ; we turned around and following his detailed directions, found the road that would take us directly to the petroglyphs and grinding pots :-)
FINALLY - help! Elohim took mercy on us, and sent an angel, in disguise.
God willing …
Dome Rock Mountains:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_Rock_Mountains)
'Are we there yet?'; Bleu.
Deeply rutted.
Deep roadway dips - more 'tip-toeing' will be necessary.
WE FOUND IT! Praise the Lord.
Assessing the damage; poor Betsy ;-(
Both sides of her flanks were scarred; she is a beast 4x.
We did find it … and beast Betsy was scarred during the search :-(
Bleu and I explored a cave - it wasn't deep, but it was exciting to find and poke around in.
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A mining cave! Of course, Bleu & I explored it ;-)
All of us explored the wash … and I nearly cried with happy, grateful joy, when my husband who suffers chronic back and knee pain from a job-related injury, managed to explore the entire area with Bleu and I: he used two walking sticks like ski sticks, but he did it.
It was the Day's second mercy blessing from Elohim :-)
The wash; down there, somewhere, is what we were seeking to find.
We walked down into the pebbly wash - and our delighted eyes saw a cache of rainwater at the foot of a rock cliff (the back of the cave hill).
Bleu immediately immersed himself in the pool before running around the area like a mad dog; he was so happy to have wide open space to race around in.
Holland and I started scanning the rocky hillside for petroglyph etchings - and we weren't disappointed. Some were easy to spot; others were faded with time, and eye strain was employed to see them. One etching seemed to be a modern marking, as it was two obvious alphabet letters: I got irritated that someone felt it necessary to mark their present-day-RZR-passing, by ruining an ancient site. Some people can show themselves to be such undisciplined animals :-(
A cache of rainwater from the unexpected December winter storm that blew through these parts.
Petroglyph hillside; backside of the small cave; Bleu enjoying the cool water.
Petroglyphs.
These look like vandalism to me; there is nothing 'ancient' or 'spiritual' about this. GRRR!
Petroglyphs.
La Paz County~Quartzsite-AZ: Colorado Indian Reservation Land; The Colorado River Indian Tribes include four distinct Tribes - the Mohave, the Chemehuevi, the Hopi and the Navajo.
The Dome Rock Mountains are a mountain range in southern La Paz County, Arizona. The range borders the Colorado River on the west and the Colorado River Indian Reservation on the northwest located in the Lower Colorado River Valley. Quartzsite, Arizona lies on the eastern foothills of the range.
Tyson Wash - original site of original Quartzsite; Quartzsite-AZ
Tyson Wash; Quartzsite-AZ:
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyson_Wash)
This was area is also the site of the original Quartzsite which was washed away in a flood and subsequently rebuild on higher ground at its present location. It is said that a safe full of gold lies buried beneath the sand at the bottom of Tyson Wash somewhere near this spot, carried away in that flood.
If we had known, we would have brought our metal detector along with us!
But we didn't know about the buried gold cache until we got back home, and I did research for this posting … that said, I did extensive research concerning the reported flood and found nothing; so perhaps the safe of gold coins lore is akin to the Oak Island Gold Cache ;-)
Holland and Bleu had gone ahead of me in search of the Indian Grinding Pots; I followed when I stopped gawking at the rock etchings.
Continuing into search for the Indian Grinding Pots.
A viney bower tunnel leading to the grinding pots …
Hmm; I hope I can get my fat ass up there ;-)
These Indian grinding pots are cool to see!
Deepest pot.
These mortars, also known as morteros can be found in Arizona and Mexico and are believed to be around a thousand years old. These ancient grinding holes are where the native peoples would ground mesquite pods and other beans into meal. They also were to use these for cooking by putting hot rocks in the holes to cook - like an ancient slow-cooker.
The deepest hole was about 16" deep, tapering upward to roughly 12" across in all directions = 24" diameter across the top opening: pretty impressive. All I could think was, 'I wonder how long it took some ancient person with ancient tools, to whittle that thing out, to make his wife happy' ;-)
The Mohave people have been practicing floodplain and irrigated agriculture for over 4,000 years along the Colorado River. Early irrigation practices followed the River's natural flood cycle patterns, planting as the spring floodwaters receded.
Mohave People: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohave_people
The Chemehuevi were originally a desert tribe among the Southern Paiute group. Post-contact, they lived primarily in the eastern Mojave Desert and later Cottonwood Island in Nevada and the Chemehuevi Valley along the Colorado River in California. They were nomadic; they ate mainly seeds, pine nuts, and small animals such as rabbits and ducks. My middle sister's husband, was a Ute (Paiute).
Chemehuevi People: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemehuevi
Paiute People: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paiute
Hopi artisans are known for pottery, paintings, weaving, and carvings. In particular, First Mesa is known for pottery, Second Mesa is known for coiled basketry, and Third Mesa is known for wicker basketry, weaving, Kachina doll carving, and silversmithing. The Hopi people trace their history in Arizona to more than 2,000 years, but their history as a people goes back many more thousands of years. According to their legends, the Hopi migrated north to Arizona from the south, up from what is now South America, Central America and Mexico. The Hopi are believed to be descended from the Anasazi, who were related to the Mexican Aztecs.
Hopi People: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopi
Anasazi People: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestral_Puebloans
The Navajo tribe is known for their basketry, weaving, silversmithing, and jewelry-making; the women have been making pottery for hundreds of years for ceremonial and household use. Traditionally pottery was left undecorated by the Navajo. The Navajo and Hopi tribes have occupied the same territory for centuries, though Navajos tended to be more nomadic sheepherders and Hopis mostly resided on three mesas towering above the surrounding desert. In sixteenth-century Spanish documents the Navajo are referred to simply as "Apaches".
Navajo People: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo
Apache People: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apache
Scanning area from rock shelf, I saw an easier way upward … and an obvious roadway; probably a RZR trail.
Walking back to the truck, I glanced down and saw a broken heart rock - and a Gary Allen song shot through my thoughts ;-)
Gary Allen - 'Used Heart For Sale' song:
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2xPKakMTQU)
I almost stepped on this heart on my way uphill to the 4x: it has been stepped on, run over, hurled around by flood waters, and generally mistreated by nature - it's a tough little thing ;-)
Lainey Wilson - 'Heart Like A Truck' song lyrics: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRL1qkBsUUI)
We crept back out to Old Yuma Road, gentle with wounded Betsy.
The rust Road Marker is hard to see - it blends with the landscape.
How to get there: Go South on highway 95 and turn right into the BLM Long Term Visitor Area, then left onto the main road (keep straight when you reach the road junction). Turn right at the BLM road 0102A marked with a rusted metal stake, stuck off the main roadway - in the sand. There were two pretty deep roadway dips we had to cross, but Holland was great at straddling them and creeping across. Carefully continue down that dirt roadway & park just before the expansive Tyson Wash: walk a few paces into the wash, and look for the petroglyphs on the rocky outcrop, backside of the little front cave where someone has done some mining. Across the wash on the opposite cliff you will find grinding holes and caves where Indians once lived.
The dirt roadways are very tight (both the #0102 Old Yuma Road, as well as #0102A): we have an F350 long bed diesel, stock height - and our 4x pretty much took up the entire roadway (like a semi truck making a corner), turning from roadway to roadway. The dirt roads are skinny roads. Shorter vehicles would have an easier time getting in and out … vehicles closer to the road, like a car (any car) lower to the ground - would have it's underside tore up, possibly high-centering. RZR's can skate through there very easily; but full-size pickups, even 4x trucks like ours, will struggle. It is doable, as you see with our photo's - but our faithful beast came out battle scarred. We can buff those scratches out, but we don't to do too many repeats of this type of adventuring: Betsy is our only mode of transportation, and we'd like to keep her looking nice for a long as possible.
If you get to these road signs, you've missed the turn, and will need to backtrack.
Old Yuma Road ties into Highway #95: left will take you back to Quartzsite-AZ … right will take you into Yuma-AZ.
While traveling down the dusty Old Yuma Road before turning into the closest access to a LTVA campground, I looked out the passenger window, and saw a small town across the dessert landscape: with the naked eye I could clearly see Interstate #10 traffic moving busily along. We were both curious - and Holland wanted to go check it out at some point … so, I made a mental note to research that particular area when we got back home.
Old Yuma Road between campgrounds; Quartzsite-AZ
We saw a town across the desert's expanse, in the distance, w-I-10 traffic running behind it.
Leaving the petroglyphs and grinding posts behind us, Holland drove a few miles west of Quartzsite, where he had heard about two stone cabins built by a Joseph Conè. We plugged into GPS, pointed Betsy's nose towards Kuehn St., and were on our way to another adventure :-)
As we got closer to the historical cabins area, and turned onto Dome Rock Road - I said, "Holland - look! This is what we saw from across the desert that way … there's the two mountain peaks: this is an RV Campground!" We both laughed.
I didn't have to research it, later - and Holland didn't have to wait until later on to check it out ;-)
What a surprise!
Dome Rock Mountain Camping Area:
(https://azcampguide.com/arizona-camping-regions/sonoran-desert-region/dome-rock-mountain/)
And the cabins site we were seeking was to the left, immediately past the Dome Rock Mountain Campground parking area.
Tip-toeing again - this time to Joseph Conè's Cabins …
Topping the hill, we were not alone; this is a Quartzsite tourist attraction site.
Joseph Conè chose well when he homesteaded here.
The stone 'cabins' pull your eye's attention.
The cabins are artistically inspired. Beautiful.
This larger cabin is not as fancy as his personal cabin - this larger cabin was used as Joseph's workshop.
Can you imagine how long it took to make these …
And the view! Joseph Conè was a wise man.
Born in Missouri in 1892, Joseph Conè came to Quartzsite in the 1940's, and carved a cave in a hillside to live in while he built two cabins. He lived in the smaller cabin - and the larger cabin was his workshop. In this workshop he turned Ironwood on a lathe to make lamps and bowls. Joseph Conè died in 1971 at age 75, he is buried in the Quartzsite town cemetery.
Holes in smaller cabin wall reveal that Joseph utilized tin cans in the construction of the cabins' walls.
The corners of his living quarters outside walls, as well as the windows and doorways … are edged with white quartz rocks: very striking, and beautifully designed.
I've seen pictures of these cabins, taken in 2014, that showed metal roofing on the buildings: as you can see in my pictures taken today - there is no roofing of any kind :-(
This rock cabin is now registered as a historical landmark and is on public land.
To go to this site, drive west from Quartzsite on the Kuehn St, frontage road that parallels I-10 on the south, 1.5 miles beyond Love's Truck Stop. Turn left on the asphalt road (which leads to 'Rainbow Acres' for 1.1 miles until you see a dirt road taking off to your left. At this point the cabins are visible a short distance away).
Poor girl; we really put Betsy through 'the paces' today …
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ALL of these muscles were in play, today … I didn't need these workout things today ;-)
We had a fun-filled, risky, adventurous day today … and I was so active, walking - hiking - and rock climbing; my body was in calorie-burning-tone-mode without lifting a single dumb bell, or utilizing my stepper ;-)
