Bad Knees Travel

  This walk was a step outside of my comfort zone. Deserts are hot and dry, not my usual habitat. But putting feet on the ground puts perspective on a place and a time that cannot be done in a book or a photo. Seek out these small walks that take you to a different time, a different way of living. Fairbank Arizona is a ghost town that has been preserved in it’s process of decay. The best history of the place I could find is at https://www.legendsofamerica.com/az-fairbank/ .   It is interesting to see a place that actually exists and compare it to how Hollywood has rewritten history. Your walk here will give you the feel of how gritty it was to live here 100 years ago.  The movie Second Time Around starring Debbie Reynolds is a lovely bit of Hollywood fluff, but only touches on what life here was like. The town of Charleyville was clearly modeled on this and other similar towns.  Watch the film on YouTube after you have visited for the comparison, but don't spo...

Yesterday I was driving thru Hayward to visit a friend. Looking for a place to get coffee I saw one SB, one JintheB, and a couple of closed Indian/Afghani places. Nothing interesting. But I did see this 1920s era gas station renewed as a youth/community center with a local run garden. So after my visit, returning north, I noticed that there were people in the garden, and a taco truck. And my window was open, and I was hit by the most amazing aromas. My van can do a u turn in an amazingly small space. Even with Covid restrictions, this place is vibrant. Stuff happening,  New Murals But the real star of the show was the taco truck.  I have never regretted eating from a taco truck. Two, now three of my most memorable meals have come from taco trucks. My Spanish is not so good, but I essentially said "I want what he is having." Which was meat and cheese, wrapped in a taco and fried on the grill.  Served with Onions and Jalapenos They say it is important to stop and smell the ...

  Being a limited walker has given me excuse to go to places that I would have otherwise missed. Besh Ba Gowah was suggested to me by a Tuscon friend. And I am glad I went out of my way to visit. The Besh Ba Gowah park and museum are fully wheelchair accessible. Lots of places to sit. The entire site can be walked in an hour, but it can be savored for days. The town of Globe, Arizona is a small desert town. A center for mining and agriculture in the surrounding area. And it is the home of this  200-room, prehistoric Salado masonry pueblo. There are so many levels to enjoy this site. Archaeology, 20 th century history, architecture, and the native plants in their garden. We do not know what the original name was. It is known today as Besh Ba Gowah. The term was originally given by the Apaches to the early settlement of Globe in the late 1800s. Roughly translated, the term means “place of metal” referring to the huge copper mine. This archaeological site was at times...