If yesterday was for grieving the passing of my mother, Jessica’s grandmother, today is for exploring. We dropped Caroline at her office an hour early and my daughter and I headed east. I have a loose idea for our road trip but it’s flexible enough to detour. Our first stop is here in Superior, Arizona where we encounter a surprise I’d have never dreamed would happen: the Magma Hotel has been renovated. We first learned of this town from the movie U-Turn and most everything on Main Street then was boarded up. Today though things are looking better with the old Magma Hotel set to open around May along with a new restaurant across the street.

Kathy over at the Rolling Rock Gallery & Copper Triangle Mining Services was in the shop early, a matter of fact she informed us that she shows up roughly at 7:00 so she can practice her bagpipes. She’s also the incredibly informative person who gave us the rundown on the improvements coming to town and of her time as a security guard on the various sets around town back when Oliver Stone was directing Sean Penn, Jennifer Lopez, Billy Bob Thorton, Joaquin Phoenix, and Nick Nolte in U-Turn.

At least one obligatory selfie had to be taken, though I want one without my progeny wearing her sunglasses hiding her stink-eye. She and I passed through this way about seven years earlier and while I may have liked going somewhere with her today we’d never been, I think we’ve pretty much been everywhere in Arizona.

I’d bet a dollar that not one prayer was given today and this was all about the performance for the camera…..and the recreating of the same scene we had photographed years before.

Of all the times I’ve passed through this part of Arizona down interstate 60 I can’t say I remember seeing this particular church. Pay attention to these blue skies because out on the horizon the clouds are building with an ominous dark layer low in the sky.

A quick stop for a coffee in Globe at La Luz Del Dia Cafe & Bakery was more for consuming a half-hour until our lunch spot opened. Our server seeing we had been taking photos and I writing while having my coffee offered to show us a bit of history and took us out back and told us about a three-story building that claims to be the “Tallest three-story building on Earth” with the distinction of also having been a brothel back in the days when that activity was considered a bit more normal in old west mining towns.

Lunch at Ed’s La Casita East in Globe, Arizona starts with their amazing and, famous to us, Spicy Salsa with Avocado! I’ve probably blogged about this before but we were first introduced to Ed’s La Casita West when they had the location back in Superior. It closed years ago and it’s a rare day we happen to be out here and that it coincides with this place in Globe being open.

We stopped at the long-closed Seneca Lake Campground that Caroline and I have visited previously that on occasion even had RV’s still camping (squatting?) here. The dogs had the chance to stretch their legs and I had the chance to wander the ruins which I have a serious fascination doing.

The more I look at this photo of the bridge here at Salt River Canyon the more I don’t like it, but it’s really all I have as the other photos are worse. So it goes. We were here today too.

We stopped for the view but found something of far greater value.

We found Mildred’s false teeth and have rescued them for her. Her address in Minnesota is etched into the inside gum so we’re sending them back to her. While Jessica is most times quite brave she was just way too timid to shove this old lady’s teeth in her own mouth. I then tried to convince her to wedge them in her dog’s mouth at which point she thought it would be hilarious to see my anus smiling with them jammed in there. Had the picture turned out halfway decent I would have shared it, ask to see it privately and I might share it with you.

These are my daughter’s blind dogs Sparky and Piggy, Piggy is in the foreground. It seems that evil Piggy, who is ashamed to show her face, somehow blinded Sparky, as he had his eyesight for many years until it started to fade away; surely it was the doing of the evil (but mostly sweet) one named Piggy. Jessica has been traveling with these rat terriers for nearly a decade or more, they have been her constant companions. I tried to get them both to look my way but that coordination just wasn’t going to happen. Piggy was adopted blind by the way and she’s certainly not evil, but Sparky the butthole sniffing, obsessed idiot in the background probably has more issues than anyone cares to talk about. Apples and trees come to mind as I write this…