Chloride used to be a silver mining camp in the state of Arizona. It is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited mining town in the state. Valuable minerals were first discovered here in the early 1840's. The town was founded in 1863, but mining did not really take off until they found a way to cheat the local Hualapai Indians out of their land. The town then prospered and became the county seat. By the mid 1940's it was considered a ghost town (or close to it). Today, there are still a couple hundred people living in the area.
Allegedly, some of these buildings date back to the early days of Chloride and some were moved here from somewhere else. To me, it looks like most were built on this site from old wood. -------------------------- Allow me to rant for a bit... Don't get me wrong now, I love history and I certainly love ghost towns. However, I'm not terribly fond of mining camps and/or ghost towns that are created, or allowed to exist primarily for tourists. An example: This little western "cul-de-sac" is not here for historical significance, it's here for theater. During the tourist season, mock gun fights are staged every Saturday at noon. That is so darn cheesy! Most of the folks who are interested in this, don't even see the back streets of the town. Many of the buildings on the actual main street of town, although newer, are much more historical and real, than this "contrived" history side show. The best parts of Chloride are either outside of town, or on the back streets.
Can you imagine two gunslingers pacing towards each other ready to shoot it out? Yuck!
Below are two photos from the early 1900's (thanks to Wikipedia)
Some of those same buildings today
Another (there are plenty more)
The next few don't really have any historical significance, but the scenes really appealed to me and I snapped them.
The next post will be about the part of Chloride that I loved... .
They say you have to start a story with the end in mind. That has no bearing on this post at all, but I thought it would be cool to say it. Sorry...
The petroglyph (yes, just one) we were going to see is about 1/2 of a mile up this road. It is a very important piece of prehistory. Not because of what it means, because we have no idea what it means. We are going because it is EXTREMELY unusual. I guess all of this is lost on my wife, because she is lollygagging walking up the hill and taking photos of every little thing that catches her attention. Don't worry, she probably won't even see this post.
This was a well used back county road at one time. However, it runs very close to the amazing petroglyph we are walking up this hill to see. Rather than subject the site to the traffic and unavoidable vandalism, they CLOSED the road. A simple and effective way to protect the site; the fewer people that see it, the safer it is. Sometimes though, the opposite is true.
This has nothing to do with the post, but doesn't that boulder in the center look like the head of an eel? It even has a black eye.
Based on all the fencing around those rocks, that must be the place.
Yep!
Not just one fence but two! One of them is even topped with barbed wire.
So hard to get a good photo without the fence screwing it up.
Finally, I my wife climbed up the fence enough to get a good photo. You can now see why they call it the Hemet Maze Stone. Maze, because it's a maze, and Hemet Maze, because it is outside of the town of Hemet. The one and ONLY bit of vandalism is visible in this photo. It's hard to see, but in the lower left hand corner, somebody scratched in a swastika. If I had a drone, you'd get a better view of what I'm talking about.
As you can see, this is an amazing piece of work. It is clearly a"maze"ing.
Doesn't this rock look like some kind of a sea mammal, covering it's ears with both flippers?
Here is some actual (but maybe not so accurate) information on the Maze Stone
People much smarter than me, have weighed in with their opinions relating to what this maze actually is, and when it was created. Some of those opinions area:
It was created by shipwrecked Buddhist missionaries.
It was created 15,000 years ago, by the "Cascadians" who were thought to be Mayan ancestors.
The most balanced opinion, places the creation of the maze, at about 2000 years ago.
I (not unlike the really smart people) have no idea what-so-ever...
There are many other "maze" stones in the American southwest (and very few anywhere else), and this one seems to be the most intricate. I think it would be pretty cool if it was created by ancient Buddhists or Cascadians, but it was most likely the Cahuilla, or Luiseno tribes who deserve the credit.
These pictographs were created by the Cahuilla Indians several hundred years ago (at a minimum) and related to female puberty initiation rites. The initiates themselves are thought to have "painted" the symbols. The symbols included various forms of chains, diamonds and zig-zags. These patterns are known to represent rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes are the "spirit helpers" associated with females. "Other parts of the initiation rites involved isolation in a warmed pit for three days, thereby mimicking the ritual isolation and immobility practiced at childbirth; the ingestion of tobacco and resulting receipt of a supernatural vision; and apparently at the culmination of the initiation, the painting of the designs representing the spirit received during the girl's altered state." (David S. Whitley) A slightly different take on the last part of the initiation follows: "The final event of the Indian puberty celebration consisted of a race, called a "hayie," to a certain rock where a relative of each girl awaited her with a little pot of red ochre paint. On arrival, each initiate painted a design on the rock. Indian informants indicated that these designs were always diamond-shaped and represented the rattlesnake." (Dolcie H. Vuncannon) Once the initiates had completed these rites, they were considered women.
A photo of the "pictograph rock" You can see part of the fence around it also
The same photo enhanced by DStretch
A closer view of the symbols
Same image after DStretch - Notice that all the patterns described above are present here
First off, thanks so much for the supportive comments and emails I've received lately. It feels good to be back to posting my normal stuff.
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I'll start this post with the end first. Please examine the following photo. The colorful mural in the middle of the photo is certainly beautiful and the artist is clearly talented. However, does it belong in the same area as a sacred native american rock art site? Further, does it belong on the SAME rocks as ancient petroglyphs (check out the middle right of the photo)? I REALLY don't think it does, but apparently some folks in the local area don't agree.
please embiggen
---------------------------------------------- The Good
The Cerbat (mountain sheep) Mountains lie in the northwestern part of Arizona. These petroglyphs were probably created by the Hualapai (people of the tall pines), or possibly an earlier group (no one really knows). This site isn't very large or elaborate, nor is it very well preserved. It is however, very old.
A few miles in the background is the little ghost town/mining camp/artist colony of Chloride, Arizona. It is the oldest mining camp/town in the state. It's called a ghost town (for the tourists), but even if it isn't, it's still worth spending some time there.
The Ubiquitous Bighorn Sheep
Yes, unfortunately, those round marks are from bullet impacts.
The Bad
In the mid-1960's, a well known artist (Ray Purcell), created brightly colored images on rocks in the exact same location as the above petroglyphs. In some cases, side by side. Vandalism? Ignorance? Arrogance? Clearly (and unfortunately), somebody comes up here on an occasional basis and touches up the murals.
Do I think Ray Purcell's art is beautiful? Yes, I do.
Do I think it is TOTALLY out of place here and should not be touched up? Yes, I do.
The discovery of gold and silver (and other things) had an absolutely terrible and inhumane impact on the indigenous people of the area. To disregard and disfigure their sacred places, is like rubbing salt into the wounds. Maybe it's just me that is bothered by this, but I hope that isn't the case....
I hope I don't get any negative comments from people in Chloride because of this (remember my post on the town of Needles?). Especially not before I do a couple of posts on the actual town.
I walked into my initial visit with the urologist, thinking that it was only going to be a consultation. Based on my high PSA level, he advised that I should have a biopsy of my prostate done. I agreed, because I'd rather have a biopsy done and find out that everything was okay, than to not have one and find out later that it wasn't. Just to be sure, he wanted the PSA checked again. Then he told me to "drop trou" and turn around. We all know what happened next. Right? He said it felt totally normal and that he wanted to do one more thing. That "thing" was to get a sample of the bacteria in the lower areas of my large intestine, using what looked like a large, long Q-tip. He explained that they get the biopsies by going through the intestinal wall directly into the prostate, and want to make sure that I'm already on appropriate antibiotics when the procedure is performed. Oh joy of joys...
Ultrasound Assisted Needle Biopsies
I wasn't watching, but it felt like they drove a submarine up my bum and then fired torpedoes though the intestinal wall, into the prostate, and then retrieved the torpedoes. TWELVE times. Of course they were needles, not torpedoes, and each time they came back, they had a core sample of tissue. The submarine injected lidocaine first to deaden the area, but each biopsy still felt like a small bolt of lightning. Not much pain, but very uncomfortable.
Biopsy Results
Four of the twelve biopsy samples were malignant. They were all on one side, but both sides still had to go. Prostate cancer is rated (from five to ten) using a measurement called the Gleason Scale. Five is the least aggressive and ten is the most aggressive. Most of mine were in the middle, but unfortunately, two of them were aggressive.
Options
Do Nothing:
Prostate cancer is initially pretty slow growing, and if none of it is at the aggressive level (and subject to spreading), then it is fairly common to only monitor it while frequently checking your PSA.
Chemo:
Generally used if the cancer has metastasized (spread). Mine was advanced, but had not spread. Not for me.
Radiation:
The nerves and other items that control many of the body's functions either run through, or are immediately adjacent to the prostate. Radiation damages, and sometimes destroys them. Not for me.
Traditional Surgery:
Very invasive. Done either through the area from the navel to the groin, or in the "taint" area. Both surgeries are difficult, not easy to recover from, and have the potential of leaving you incontinent (both #1 and #2) and/or impotent. NOT FOR ME!
Robotic Surgery:
The Da Vinci Robot is used for several types of surgeries now. It changes prostate surgery to something that is minimally invasive and totally eliminates even the tiniest tremors in a surgeon's hands. It seems like something that is totally science fiction. Here is a link to a video about the robot. If you are interested and have the time, check it out.
This was the ONLY choice for me. Minimal, if any side affects.
One night in the hospital, was all I needed. I had a follow-up appointment with the surgeon 10 days later. He told me to come back in three months. That was nice to hear, BUT the best news was that the 14 lymph nodes, bladder sample and assorted other bits and pieces of the margins he removed, were all biopsied, and all were NEGATIVE. That means, no chemo, no radiation, no nothing! I've now dodged the big "C" bullet twice and am very thankful for it. My surgeon's name is Moses Kim. Another stroke of luck for me, because he is one of the pioneers and most respected surgeons performing surgery with the Da Vinci Robot.
There is clearly a lesson to be learned here...
My PSA level was pretty high. I've had the PSA blood test done before and also the more traditional "digital" exam several times. Many doctors (and even some countries) don't believe that the PSA test is necessary unless there is some irregularity detected by the "digital" exam and/or some other indications. Both my doctor and surgeon said that my prostate felt normal during the traditional exam. Without the PSA test, I'd still be walking around with an aggressive cancer, that would eventually kill me.
If you are a male, or in a relationship with one, MAKE SURE that you/they get a PSA test done whenever they get a physical, or have blood work done. It could save your/their life.
For those of you who already know about what has been going on with me, I thank you for all the prayers and positive thoughts. The next article you see here will be a normal one!
In nutshell (a darn big one), here is the primary reason that I haven't posted anything for several months. I don't usually publish personal stuff about myself here, but because of my long and unexplained absence, I feel compelled to do so.
After battling lung cancer, breast cancer, and finally terminal brain cancer, my mom died in the 64th year of her life.
My father had a couple of different cancers and ultimately died of throat cancer, this also occurred during his 64th year.
I recently completed my 64th year and have to admit that I was a bit worried going into it. Being a proactive sort of person, I embarked on a grand tour of all the "specialists" I could think of. What follows is a list of them and what they found (also some conditions that I already knew about).
Rheumatologist (ongoing) - I've had a ton of injures and several broken bones in my life, so it's no surprise that I have arthritis in several places. I've yet to enter into any treatment yet.
Neurologist (ongoing and recent) - I have a herniated disc in my lower back at L5-S1. An update revealed that it has been made worse by the addition of several bone spurs in the area. Surgeries at L5/S1 are difficult, recovery is very painful, and they are usually at least partially, if not fully unsuccessful. In fact, sometimes the condition is worse afterwards. My surgeon (that did my earlier spinal surgery), is a great one, and he advises against having it. I agree. I have a pretty strong disposition and can tolerate and/or ignore a lot of pain. So far, I've pretty much learned to live with it (with no pain killers).
Orthopedist (ongoing) - I've had a ruptured ACL in my right knee for a long time. I've just lived with it, but once again, I've grown some bone spurs in the area. As you know, I hike a lot and don't really allow it to slow me down much.
Dermatologist (recent) - A top of head to tip of toe examination, resulted in him freezing 12 precancerous things off of me.
Gastroenterologist (recent) - As recommended, I get a colonoscopy every 5 years. It has only been three years since my last one, but hey, it's my 64th year and my insurance will pay for it. He has found and snipped out a couple of polyps every time he's been "in there." The polyps have always been benign. NOT this time though. I had three of them and one was precancerous.
Endocrinologist (ongoing) - As many of you know, I had thyroid cancer several years ago. Two surgeries later and my thyroid and related cancer was removed. The endocrinologist now monitors my blood and prescribes medication to keep me alive and functioning. A lab does a complete workup on my blood and this time it came up with an abnormally high PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) reading. He strongly advised that I immediately contact a urologist. If you are so inclined, here is a link to post 1 of 4 relating to my thyroid cancer.
Urologist (recent) - My first visit to this specialist made the danger of my 64th year a reality.
To be continued....
Don't worry, I'll be back to my regular posting afterwards!
