Pilawt
Member
Saguaro Safari ... in search of the not-so-elusive Carnegiea gigantea. Also thrown in for good measure -- some non-Chinese-espionage balloons, and a glimpse of Arizona history from 150 years ago.
The 2023 Arizona Balloon Classic at the Goodyear Ballpark (spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Whatevers) was just starting as I took off from the adjacent Phoenix-Goodyear Airport.
From 1865 to 1905, Culling's Well was a major stop on the road from the Colorado River to the huge Vulture gold mine near present-day Wickenburg, and to the territorial capital at Prescott. It was known as "The Lighthouse in The Desert." All that is left now is a big hole in the ground where the well collapsed, some foundation stones and the concrete trough where travelers' animals were watered (for a fee). This is a long read, but a fascinating insight into life and travel in the Arizona desert 150 years ago: https://www.apcrp.org/CULLINGS_WELL/Lighthouse_In_The_Desert.htm
Charles Culling and others are buried in this tiny cemetery not far from the well:
The 2023 Arizona Balloon Classic at the Goodyear Ballpark (spring training home of the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Whatevers) was just starting as I took off from the adjacent Phoenix-Goodyear Airport.
From 1865 to 1905, Culling's Well was a major stop on the road from the Colorado River to the huge Vulture gold mine near present-day Wickenburg, and to the territorial capital at Prescott. It was known as "The Lighthouse in The Desert." All that is left now is a big hole in the ground where the well collapsed, some foundation stones and the concrete trough where travelers' animals were watered (for a fee). This is a long read, but a fascinating insight into life and travel in the Arizona desert 150 years ago: https://www.apcrp.org/CULLINGS_WELL/Lighthouse_In_The_Desert.htm
Charles Culling and others are buried in this tiny cemetery not far from the well:
