Backroad Benson

On our many previous trips to and around Benson we have always gone to the touristy type highlights; Tombstone, Chiricahua, Bisbee, Douglas, Patagonia, Karchner Caverns, and on and on and on. Well this time something quite different! We wanted to see the real outback and desert of the local area. So on Saturday the 6th on March, Tom and Linda, Denice and I loaded into Tom and Lindas Explorer and headed into the unknown north and west of Benson. Started out on pavement on Ocotillo Road. Good for the first 12 miles then degraded to un-maintained and gravel/dirt. Now our co-pilot was Linda with her trusty computer loaded up with "Streets and Trips," and she indicated that we must follow that little black line on the map, and follow we did. Up and down hills, over rocks and through dry washes for about another 15 miles until, around a corner, and there in front of us was one of those dreaded LOCKED GATES. Hmmmm, what to do now!! Just across the valley we can see a better road with cars speeding both ways. Must be way of getting there, but search as could, none appeared. Tom and I might have been inclined to force our way across the valley by following some dry wash, and then some "4 wheeling," but our conscience, and of course our back seat drivers and joint co-pilots perservered, and convinced we sop and have a bite of lunch, and then return back o Benson and re-group and find the road on the other side of the valley.

Coffee at the Jack-in-the-box in Benson and away once again on another little black line called Pomerene Road. Better, yah sure pavement -- for 12 miles, then gravel and washboard ~~~~~~~~ get the idea? We hoped to end up at this town of Cascabel some where at the end. We should have turned back sooner, but Tom persevered until we reached Casabel. At least I think we got there. How can you tell one saguarro from another. But we still were on Lindas little black line, and it went on some more yet. Zoomed out to find we were just behind Limon Mountain at Tucson. Another 30 miles and we would reach San Manuel and the Oracle. Not today. Vibrated back to Benson in time for pork chop dinner at Tom and Lindas.
Next day, Sunday the 7th
Today is my turn to be tour guide. I am going to stay to better roads, so we decide to head east out to Wilcox on I 10 and to the Rex Allen and Marty Robbins museums with Tom and Linda. On the way there at the eastern edge of Texas Canyon on I 10 stopped to see "The Thing" at a truck stop and Shell Station as well as gift shop. We all paid a $1 to go out the back and through 3 big buildings to see "The Thing." I guess lots of interesting things out there. Antigues, junk, old guns, junk, wood carvings, junk, old cars, junk, and then "The Thing. It tuned out to be an old "mummy." How can you be sure it was real? For a dollar, had to be real!!! Once at Wilcox we found that both Rex and Marty were home town boys who always remembered their roots and never missed an opportunity to return and perform in support of community events. Each museum, that are located side by side on Railroad Street, the main drag of the Old Town Wilcox, has lots of memorability of each of them. It is well displayed, and the hosts are a wealth of information, and experts on the history of the respective subjects. While we were in Wilcox a wind storm was brewing, and by yhe time we headed west a huge dust cloud hung over the dry lake along I 10. Zero visibility is common when the wind blow here, with multiple highway warning signs along the route. However we were able to pass easily pass the lake before any problem presented itself. We then wanted to show Tom and Linda the Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains south of I 10 so we turned south on 191 for 20 miles and again by passed the dry lake and duststorm, but this time on the west. At Sunsites turned west on a local road, but paved for most of the way to the Stronghold.




This is an area similiar to the Texas Canyon on I 10, where huge round boulers are strewn everywhere. Cochise, an renegade Apache Chief, used this areas as a hide out where he and his band could easily avoid conflict with army. Now there is a memorial dedicated to him here. He died in the area and only one man knew, but never revealed the exact site of his burial. You only have to visit the area to understand why he could so easily avoid detection. Now a very nice park and camping area in the shadow of the mountains and surrounded by tall trees graces the area. We would love to camp there but the road in will only allow motorhomes shorter than 22 feet, so I guess that eliminates us. On the way out of the Stronghold, Linda found on her computer another of those little black lines indicating some sort of road.


Looked like a short cut back toward Benson, so waht the heck, lets go. Well it may have been shorter, but turned to a narrow one laned dirt trail, right up over a 6000 ft pass over the Dragoon Mountains. It was fun, but rough and it terminated a mile north at Tombstone. Back home by dark. Tom cooked pork chops for dinner.