Drove through AZ mine country today
Today I drove through southern Arizona down Hwy 177, a road of rolling hills I had never been down before. This stretch of highway from Superior to Aravaipa Canyon seems to be in the heart of Arizona mining country. I think I must have passed at least 4 different mines, but there was one in particular that struck me. The Ray Mine is one of the largest copper reserves in the U.S., as I drove by I was quite mesmerized by the size, colors and textures created from the mining process, exposing and highlighting various minerals in the soil. The way the land has been terraced has left the landscape quite unlike I would expect a mine to look, much more beautiful than just a hole in the ground.
The reasons for this road trip is to spend the weekend at Aravaipa Farms, a unique inn in an area of the Sonoran Desert with a spring-fed stream that has spawned a lush and mature landscape along its bangs, while sharing this piece of the desert with more indigenous cacti, such as giant saguaros, prickly pear and many cholla varieties.
If you’ve ever driven down Hwy 177 in Southern Arizona, please leave a comment below and share some of your favorite sights.
Mike Shubic
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