A Monumental Day

You know how travel magazines always purport to share those pristine "undiscovered" places on the planet that only insiders know about?  Well friends, I have a treat for you today because -- "thanks" to my hubby, Gary -- we discovered one of those places.

It all started with a brief blurb in Arizona Highways Magazine.  And, as an aside, if you want a magazine with some of the most beautiful landscape photography you'll ever see, Arizona Highways is it.  Well, awhile back, Gary pulled out this blurb on a drive/hike you can take up on the forested Mogollon rim of Arizona.  The hike takes you through the woods to a monument that was built to memorialize the  Battle of Big Dry Wash between the Apaches and white soldiers in 1882.   So with visions of monuments in our heads (the  grandiouse Washington Monument!  The Lincoln Memorial!), we decided to go on this hike. 

Well, that was either (a) a fortuitous start to an amazing adventure, if you ask Gary, or (b) the first big mistake, if you ask some of the other victims, er I mean, people who went along for the "three hour tour"  that day.    The "helpful" article said that all you had to do was drive 12 miles down the "well-maintained" forest road 300 to get there.  All I can say is:  if this was well-maintained, I'd hate to see the rough roads.  

It wasn't too bad to start with.  Bumpy, yes.  Curvy, yes.  Scary when another car came in the other direction, yes.  But I could live with that.  Here's the road.

At about 2 miles in, we passed a sign for Potato Lake which was about another 2 miles to the left.  My attempts to divert the expedition to a nice, short lakeside outing were in vain.

So, we soldiered on.  We saw fewer and then no other people on the road.  It went from bumpy to bone-jarring, then teeth rattling.  The trees became blackened husks, agonized and stunted by recent forest fires.

The road dropped perilously on one side, forcing us to a bone-jarring, teeth-rattling crawl:

But our driver gripped the wheel with steely determination and pressed on, refusing to hear of any possible retreat.

Finally, after an HOUR of driving on this painful road to purgatory, we approached the long-anticipated 12 mile mark.  We were just about there!  Our hearts raced as we looked eagerly for signs of the Monument appearing majestically out of the forest!  But to our dismay, at the 12 mile mark, we saw only one thing:  a sign pointing to another, even worse road to the left, and saying "Monument, 7 miles".

Well, friends, I admit that some of us lost heart at that point.  We begged for a return to Potato Lake, for a return to civilization and sanity.  We wept for paved roads and accurate mile makers.  But, as you have probably discerned, our fearless leader was not to be deterred.  No way, no how.  We had to "KNOW", he said -- what is this elusive Monument that merited it's own 20 mile road hacked through the most brutal terrain???  If we don't go, we'll always wonder, he said.  It'll haunt our very dreams and nightmares.

So, once again we forged on, in 4 wheel drive as the road became pocked with huge craters and ruts and blemished with boulders.  We forged on PAST the 7 mile point when we encountered another sign saying "Monument, 2 miles" to the left.  And finally, finally, the road just ended.

YES, we had made it.  Or had we????  There simply was no road left, but there was no sign of a monument either.  We looked up, expecting it to be towering over the trees, maybe a big white marble dome like the Jefferson Memorial.  We looked for more signs.  Nothing.  We must have to hike to it, we thought.  Surely a monument as grandiose as the Battle of Big Dry Wash Monument would be really, well, monumental!  So, we set off hiking and a few yards away stumbled across this.

Yes, readers, that is the Monument of the Battle of Big Dry Wash.  That stubby lump of rock and plaque  is the reason we trekked over 20 miles on some of the most inhospitable road in North America.

I will let you judge for yourself whether it would be worth the journey to visit this  particular  undiscovered spot.   As for me, next time I'm taking the detour to Potato Lake.  I hear it's gonna be the next hot tourist spot.

Comments

[Mousey]

I think its pretty cool that you trekked all that way to discover the monument (small though it may have been). Just think of all the people who HAVEN'T been there... lol and the journey seems like it was one to remember rofl

[MissPotts]

I bet thee were some great views. LOL About the plaque!

[Thena]

What an adventure! I'm enjoying visiting your blog.
Thena

[Roxanna]

too funny - i'd have been sending distress signals!

[Jamie]

This is soooo funny!! Believe me I've been there!! We did almost the exact same thing in search of a (very disappointing) glacier! Only ours was in a little Honda Civic... I'm suprised we made it!! haha!! Good memories I guess!

[Nikki]

I think I would've had to insist that I plan the next, um, adventure!!! :) Sounds like it was fun though! LOL

[nikkiARNGwife]

What a fun thing to do and your post was so clever :) Beautiful photos..it reminds me of a "journey" my dad took us on as kid to see an Indian Burial Mound...we drove for hours and miles and when we got there all it was was a big hill. Not impressive to our young eyes lol

[Carjazi]

well, if anything it gave you good blog fodder....Great story and photos. Il ya, if you ever decide in a career change, satorical writing is the way to go. Enjoy your weekend and looking forward to the next adventure.

[Jamie]

We have lots of side/dirt roads around here, so I'd say it was worth it! LOL!

[Tracy]

Oh my...what a journey! Well at least you can now say you've been there, done that. :)

[Lucrecia]

But think of the stories you have for your grand children! Can't wait to see your scrapped pages of this wonderous event!

[Jennifer]

LOL at the monument, but what a fun adventure! I love the way you write and have pics along the way...very fun. Can't wait to see it scrapped!

[lizzyfizzy]

i love reading your writing! LOL about the "monument"...i really thought it was gonna be fab. :D

[Amy (amystoffel)]

what an adventure! I'm going to have to look it up and go!

[Becca (BeccaBoo)]

Wonderful post! You are such a great storyteller!! That is funny about the monument though! But think of the story you have to share now and this wonderful adventure you went on together!!

[Sammi]

I loved reading about your trip. Your photographs are beautiful!

[Margaret]

Too funny! Great story and pictures!

[Laura Alpuché]

I really love reading your stories! Glad you made it out alive.

[Vanessa Armstrong]

Very pretty pictures!

[Cate]

ROFL I think we made a few forays like that when I was young and Mom & Dad used to take us on road trips each summer! Def take the side trip next time!! LOL