Kingman Turquoise Mine Store

 After we left Mesquite, Nevada our next stop was Golden Valley, Arizona.  Its east of Laughlin, Nevada and west of Kingman, Arizona.  We stayed at a nice little campground that we expected to be kind of deserted but instead was very busy.  Many people decided to stay there all summer even though it gets in the 100's.  I think the virus kept them from traveling.  

We went to the Kingman Turquoise mine store not too far from camp.  We have stopped there before and I got a pair of turquoise earrings.  This time Jim found a ring he liked.  Its a little big for him so I wrapped it with yarn so it fits tight until we can get it resized.  The store is fun to check out with all kinds of jewelry.  The turquoise comes from the local mine and they have the local Navajo and Zuni Indians make the jewelry they sell.   One thing I saw that I thought was different was turquoise soap.   You can wash your hands with the soap and put a strainer in the sink to catch the turquoise that comes off the bar as you use it.  You then keep the turquoise bits as a souvenir.  There were two end tables made from tree stumps that had a thick coat of polyurethane on them and were inlaid with turquoise.  Very beautiful and very expensive.   I like going to these kind of stores that are owned by the mine itself.  You can be pretty sure the stuff is authentic coming from here.  There is a lot of fake turquoise out there.  

Puffer Lake

 We trailered our 4wheeler about 20 miles southeast of where we are staying.  We wanted to check out a mountain lake that we had heard about.  We unloaded the 4wheeler on the side of the road where the pavement ends.  We then proceeded up the mountain road.  It is a county road but there are warnings about avalanches occurring along the route during winter.  The road was fairly washboardy and is full of switchbacks going up so we were happy to be using the 4wheeler and not our truck.  When we got to the top I took a picture of how high we had come.  We started from down at the bottom where you can see the small patch of bright green grass.  

We got to the lake and it was a little disappointing with the water low.  I'm sure its beautiful when the water is higher and there is still some snow on the mountain tops surrounding it.  There are 500 acres for sale at the lake with water rights which is very important in this part of the country.   We didn't bother to check out the price but the good thing is if you come up the mountain from the city of Beaver side the road is paved.  We went back down the mountain the same way we came up toward the town of Junction.  It was a nice ride but a little scary when a logging truck loaded with logs came barreling up behind us.   We scooted out of his way and prayed we didn't meet another one on one of the switchbacks.  Luckily, we didn't have any more scares.  Every ride seems to have some little adventure to it.  

We are leaving this week and heading to Mesquite, Nevada for a few days and then into Arizona.  Its time to start heading south!

More Capitol Reef National Park

 A few more pictures of the park.  The geology here is what made it a national park.  They call it a wrinkle in the earth's crust that formed a waterpocket fold.  Over millions of years geologic forces shaped, lifted and folded the earth creating this area.  There are lots of different colors in the rock including reds, whites and pinks that make it really stand out when the sun hits it right.  The scenic drive would be best driven with afternoon sun but it is beautiful regardless of the time of day. Just south of the visitor center is a picnic area and fruit trees.  The "Fruita" region of the park is known for its fruit trees and you are allowed to sample some when ripe.  We didn't see any fruit on the trees when we drove by  them.  

The drive between the towns of Torrey and Hanksville is also pretty.  There are pullouts along the way with some hikes and you can get close up look at the creek.   There is a hike to a natural bridge which is about a mile long.  We wanted to do it but it was too hot the day we were there.  The town of Torrey has a choice of places to eat.  There were a few campgrounds that looked ok and several large hotels that cater to the national park crowd.  It was surprising to see the hotels since it is not a well known park.  I guess Utah is doing a good job advertising what they have to show off to the world.