April 2, 2023
Robert has spoken of our neighbor Lowell. He lives in a house behind our site that is landlocked by the campground. He has a rescue Great Dane that I have walked for him on days that he is going to be away from home for extended periods of time. Both his son and mother have come to visit him while we have been here. One of the common events is going 4wheeling in the mountains. Having never done such I asked if he would take me on an adventure. Well today was my day. He had bought a brandy new one that we got to break in today.
He loaded the 4wheeler into his truck and off we went. We went to the Dragoon Mountains which are on the east side of St. David and in the Coronado National Forest. We drove the truck down the dirt road to the entrance of the CNF. He unloaded the 4wheeler and off we went. Ten miles further on the dirt road….. and then…. trails. They were a combination of rocky, narrow, wet, high incline….. On the motorcycles we are used to leaning with the bike… well here we had to lean in the opposite direction to counter balance to avoid going down the cliff. We passed areas that people have camped leaving behind their rock fire pits. What an awesome place to watch the sunset and wake up to a magnificent sunrise.
Much mining was done in these mountains. This mine was founded in 1895 and worked off and on until the 1950’s. It was known for copper, zinc, silver, gold, lead molybdenum and tungsten.
Once we got as high as we could on the 4wheeler we reached one of the abandoned mines. The past two times Lowell had been up there he was able to enter the mine. This time there was a good deal of water preventing our entry. There is much evidence left behind to include cables and windmills.
In addition to the history in the mountains the view is priceless. This adventure that Robert and I are on has allowed us to experience this breathtaking country.
Time for the trip back to the truck. As rough as the ride was I am amazed that my back tolerated the roughness with no more pain than usual. Being a brandy new vehicle probably helped. On the way back I thought to myself…. self, this was great fun but I don’t think I would do it on a regular basis. Now as I sit here writing I am totally ready to do it again. Thanks Lowell.
