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| Hiking | 4.10 Miles |
873 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.10 Miles | 3 Hrs 32 Mns | | 1.47 mph |
| 873 ft AEG | 45 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Silver City for 4th of July Fireworks!
This was a really quick and spartan trip. Total miles driven: 432, total time away from home: 28.5 hours. No ice chest full of cold beverages and no camera, just my cell phone. I had 3 goals for this trip: fireworks, hike Gomez Peak, and grab a meal at Jalisco Cafe. I accomplished 2 out of 3. I didn't get to eat at Jalisco, as they were closed on both the 4th and 5th. Not a problem.
While driving around in the hills on the east side of town looking for an alternative to Mountain View Road for the fireworks, I came across the boarded up and abandoned old house that was once the El Paisano Mexican Restaurant. I discovered it on a trip over there with my Mom in the late 1980s. Had to work to find it, as it was in a neighborhood not on any roads anyone but the locals would know.  Turns out it was great and I would enjoy meals there on occasion through the 1990s. I think they closed for good like about 20+ years ago. The same family ran the Mi Casita Restaurant nearby, and they are still in operation (also a little tricky to find). Their reviews are good, so if you are in Silver City and want an alternative to the well known Jalisco, check them out.
So many great memories over the years in Silver City! 
Stayed at the Murray Hotel downtown in a nice 4th floor room (#425). Dinner and a couple hours to kill before pyrotechnic time at the always reliable Little Toad.  Next morning checked out of the hotel early and headed up to Little Walnut for the hike. The heat is on, so I didn't want to fool around with that. As soon as I got done with the hike, I headed downtown to hopefully get a meal Jalisco, but they were closed. One of my fall back choices is Forrest Pizza, and I got there about noon, and was able to get my order in for a pizza to go before the place got busy. Tiny place and very popular with locals.
So, my pizza and I left Silver City for the drive back to blast furnace hot Tucson. The trip back was pretty mellow until around the Marsh Station/Cienega Creek section of I-10. I usually watch the traffic flow pretty close, since I am driving an older vehicle and like to do the speed limit plus maybe about 5, which of course is not nearly enough for the maniacs on the road these days. I also like to work with the truckers and give them as many breaks as possible, knowing how tough it is for them to maintain speed in variable terrain. So, when I see a parade of the hotshots zooming up, I just slow it down and let them go by and when they do, I might make a passing move to avoid the stressful high speed tailgating game. Anyway, I was staying behind a big rig while the fast pack was zooming by, and all of a sudden I see big chunks of rubber from a blown tire flying in the air. Then I heard a crash (couldn't see what happened because the truck blocked my view initially. This was about 200 feet ahead of me, then I saw this vehicle tumbling over and over off the fast lane into the medium in a cloud of dust and debris!  I was hoping nothing was going to fly toward me in my lane, and luckily that didn't happen.  That was scary, but I got home unscathed, so the trip had a happy ending. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Wishful thinking indeed. 
All is well.
However, in mid October, when I finally was able to hit the road, that persistent high pressure monster we have dealt with much of the year, re-asserted itself and a spell of fair weather returned. 
