Ptah, the Playa and you. {Dial-up warning, pic heavy}

[Ptah]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willcox_Playa

The Willcox Playa is a large endorheic dry lake or sink (playa) adjacent to Willcox,
Arizona in Cochise County, in the southeast corner of the state. It is part of the
Sonoran Desert ecoregion and is the remnant of a Pleistocene era pluvial Lake Cochise.

Here is a Google Earth view:


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I asked a local where I might get some good views.

There are two ways I know of to get over there. the wildlife preserve is on the north side
and I think you need to get permission for that - you can ask at the visitors center or maybe
even the hotel. The other is to go back to the edge of town where that burnt up hotel is on
the west side of the "main" street and there is a road that angles off to the left towards the
railroad tracks behind a building that was obviously a restaurant at one time, I think it is a
used car lot now - that will take you to the smaller section of the playa on the
west side of the tracks.

I found it anyway.
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There are some artifacts that surprised me.



I think that is where Kali sent her kids when they were young and underfoot.

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It is difficult to show how large it is:



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From the west side The mirages can be easily seen:


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One more Google Earth view, showing vehicle tracks
that look like the search for bosons.

[Kali]

1. you still out there?

this is pretty amusing - border patrol used their infrared equipment to "find" some people lost on the playa. I am waiting to find out the real story.

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/customs-air-crew-helps-find-missing-family-near-willcox/article_394bd2f5-94fb-5285-a87e-c0a0aa6bf040.html

[Ptah]

2. I saw that story and thought WTF?

The family had gone hiking across the Willcox Playa

Hey kids, wanna play a scene from Gunsmoke?

They also said they had found the two dogs

Look, honey, it's Rin Tin Tin and Lassie!

The family told rescuers they had become disoriented trying to make it
back home and sought shelter in the abandoned Jeep.

Can't see mountains but find a jeep.

I was in Wilcox Thur and Fri, and talked to one of the old-timers.
He wasn't very talkative.



I did spend a couple of enjoyable hours in the
Chiricahua Regional Museum & Research Center.

[Kali]

4. that used to be Harley Windsor's hardware store

Chiricahua Regional Museum & Research Center.


these fence pliers came from there (as did half the fittings, fixtures, and structure around here)




used to love going in there with my Grampa, Harley used paper and string to wrap your small purchases until the end. I forget when he died but towards the end he got real reluctant to sell you anything. The place was already a museum before they made it into one. I haven't been in to see the "new" museum yet (must be at least 15 years LOL)

[Ptah]

3. P.S. Here's a much more detailed account from the Willcox Range News

A family is rescued after being stranded nearly two days in the Willcox Playa

At about 10 p.m., Union Pacific Railroad employees reported that they had a train
heading eastbound when they spotted a man and woman by the tracks who
seemed to be in distress, Capas said.

At about 10:40 p.m., the couple were found along the railroad tracks and transported to
a mobile command post, set up in Willcox, where they were checked for any medical issues, she said.

http://www.willcoxrangenews.com/news/article_a19b72a4-175f-11e3-81dd-0019bb2963f4.html