A Day Trip to Globe
Our first stop was along Main Street in Mammoth, AZ. It was a hopping place this Saturday morning…we saw maybe 2 cars. We hit up the old Boxing Club for the first box, then made an attempt at one across the street behind the old jail. Can you imagine being locked in that tiny building during an Arizona summer? Okay, so I’m not sure on the history of this place, but I can’t see what was going through their minds when they built their tiny cell here. Were they planning on only ever having like 1 or 2 prisoners at a time? Who knows! I guess in a small, middle-of-nowhere town, they don’t have to worry about this as much.
Next, we drove up to Globe so that Curtis could plant his Gila County box for the Arizona Counties series. We went to Round Mountain Trailhead and did a little hiking, but decided the main trails were a little too busy, so Curtis and Mitch wandered off to find a more discreet spot. It was a lovely area, but it was nearing the noon hour and the temperatures were climbing. I was sweating in just a t-shirt – how is this February?? I am NOT complaining though – I’d take this over the freezing temps and snowstorms in the Midwest any day!
Overlooking Globe, AZ
After this hike, we went into Globe to grab some lunch. We had never been here before, but luckily Mitch had a recommendation for the best Mexican restaurant in Gila County.
…Or so he claimed. He took us to Los Robertos, a hole-in-the-wall-somewhat-fast-food-somewhat-sketch place. We can always count on Mitch to bring us to the most sketchy restaurants in any town. I went for a vegetarian option, figuring that would be the safest bet. Curtis and Mitch each had burritos, but Alex went for the Super Frais, which ended up being the butt of every joke for the rest of the day. Now I can say what I want about this place, but all of us survived and if it caused anyone any discomfort, I’m sure that’s forgotten now, so if you’re looking for a place to get some cheap Mexican in Globe, you know where to go. 😉
Our next stop was in Roosevelt, AZ, at some undisclosed location off of Cherry Creek Road. Sometimes letterboxes take us to the most random, way-out-there locations, but there’s really nothing wrong with that – we love exploring these little-known places. They make for a great spot for some pretty desert pictures in this case!
We took another driving break when we came to the Salt River. (Because when you’re an Arizonan, water of any sort is always exciting!) This is a popular area for water tubing and other lazy river activities. I couldn’t believe how green the water looked, and couldn’t decide whether I should be amazed or grossed out by it.
After this, we also make a stop to see Roosevelt Lake, which is a main water source for the Phoenix area, and was created by the Roosevelt dam.
The daylight was wearing out, but we still had a few more stops to make. Next up: Superior, AZ, at the World’s Smallest Museum! Unfortunately it was closed, but we enjoyed seeing the little details around the outside. We also were not able to find the letterbox here, but I hardly count visiting this place as a waste of time. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it in a book of “obscure Arizona roadside attractions you NEED to see.” Actually, I’m sure most of the places we go to letterbox would be in that book. We live such an exciting life!
A highlight: this building’s roof was made up completely of beer cans!
And one soda can. Imposter!
Our final stop for today was along another dirt road along the Arizona Trail. This provided us with a great view of Picket Post Mountain at sunset. Picket Post is a sight to behold – it just stands out as a tall mesa in a relatively flat area of land. This was my favorite stop of the day! We also were able to find a box, which was merely just a bonus.
After this, we made our way back to Tucson, where we celebrated a successful road trip with dinner at a Chinese buffet. These days filled with adventures are the kind we live for – no matter where we end up!
