Arizona Seldom Scene

“For motorcyclists, the ride is the objective, the destination is the excuse.”  No truer words were ever written, but, as I said last issue, every now and then it’s nice to see something other than the half-mile of asphalt in front of your front wheel.  So slow down and check out a few of these seldom seen places.

Take an afternoon and visit the Mystery Castle in south Phoenix.  Simply ride down 7th street until you run into South Mountain and hang a left.  I’ve always felt Arizona attracts strange people and Mr. Boyce Gully was definitely one of them.  He built the 13-room, 13-fireplace mystery castle back in the 1930's, and he built it on top of his gold mine!  To make it even more interesting, he used everything from native mud, Saguaro skeletons and kiln-reject bricks to old auto parts.  His daughter, Mary Lou, operates the castle as a museum and tourist attraction.  (If you really want to set her off, ask her if she’s ever scared living down there.  Then stand back!)  Hours are 11am to 4pm, Thursday-Sunday, October-June.

Also while in Phoenix, visit Gov. Hunt’s Pyramid Tomb in Papago Park.  Head for the Phoenix Zoo, but bear left toward Hole in the Rock, and then follow the road around to the white pyramid.  Hunt was Arizona’s 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 9th governor.  He requested a pyramid tomb after visiting the pyramids in Egypt.  From the tomb you also get a free peek into the zoo!

We have two other pyramid tombs in Arizona.  One is northeast of Florence and is the resting place of Charles Debrill Poston, known to history as “The Father of Arizona.”  The other is in Quartzsite and shelters Hi Jolly, an “Arabian” camel driver.  His story is a whole ‘nuther story!

When leaving Phoenix and riding east, stop in Superior, have breakfast at the Buckboard Café, and then visit “The World’s Smallest Museum” right next door.  It’s amazingly tiny, but they’ve crammed a whole bunch of really neat stuff into its display cases.  Be sure to read the beer can roof!

A bit farther east, visit the Cobre (Spanish for “Copper”) Valley Center for the Arts in Globe.  It used to be the Gila County Courthouse and for that reason has several huge safes imbedded in the walls of several offices.  Check out the stairway banisters, they‘re covered in beautifully polished copper!

The Globe Jail is located directly behind the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts and is, but sorta is not, but really is, open for tours.  In other words, it takes a bit of effort to get in, but its well worth it!  Call 1-800-804-5623 when you get to town and ask for the curator to meet you at the jail for a private tour.  The jail is un-restored, full of law related artifacts, and the jail cells are covered in very, very, very graphic graffiti.  So check your sensitivities at the door and take your sense of humor with you as you climb the stairs.

Also in Globe, visit the Besh-Ba-Gowah (Apache for “Metal Camp”) Archaeological Park.  This park is one of the best presentations of 700-year-old Salado Indian culture I’ve ever seen.  The ruins are faithfully reconstructed, and you get to go inside and climb up to the second floor.  The museum is first rate and beautifully presented.  It was here I learned how the Indians made straight arrows out of crooked twigs.  The park is easy to find as you simply take Broad Street off AZ 60 and follow it all the way to the end. 

If you’d like more information on the places described above, follow the links on my web site at: www.AzGetWired.com.

Keep the rubber side down, the shiny side up, and Ride On!

Frank Del Monte is the author of Motorcycle Arizona!, a biker’s guide to our great state of Arizona, available through bookstores and Amazon.com. He also owns, a Motorcycle Electrical Systems Repair Shop in Phoenix.
 
Arizona Motorcycle Electrics, Inc.
602-647-2965 1429 E. Griswold Rd.  Phx.
AzGetWired.com