A Day Trip to Historic Wickenburg.

January 12, 2014: A Day Trip to Historic Wickenburg, Arizona.

We’ve planned a day trip to Wickenburg with Jack’s sister and her friend.  We meet up with our travel companions in Carefree just before 9:30 and cram the two of them into the backseat of the Jeep.  I’m happy to be driving instead of being twisted around like a pretzel back there.

The trip to Wickenburg is relatively short – if you’re in the front seat.  Relatively longer if you aren’t.

Crossing the Hassayampa River we pull to a stop along Wickenburg Way (Route 60) and Jack and I hop out of the Jeep.  We unfold the folks in the backseat and pull them free from the Jeep.

Texas Hotel – 1895.

Our first stop is the Texas Hotel.  It was moved to this location on Wickenburg Way from a mining area around 1904.  The 8 bedroom hotel was restored in 2007 and is now a shop selling everything from new clothing to artwork to pre-owned cowboy boots and a multitude of vintage items.  As we walk through the front door the original beautiful wooden front desk welcomes us in style.  The small display rooms are a great place for Jack to stealthily hide from the prying eyes of the sales staff and try on hats undetected.

   

Photography Art Gallery.

Down the street dramatic western photos in a window catch our eye and draw us inside the gallery.  We admire the work of the very talented photographers.  Photos of the Grand Tetons near Jackson Hole, Wyoming are intermingled with Antelope Canyon and other desert photos.  Talking with the owner we discover they are among the luckiest folks alive.  They spend their winters in Arizona, and summers in Jackson Hole.  What more could you possibly ask for?

The shops at Mecca Plaza.

The next block brings us to Mecca Plaza.  It’s an old motel turned into shops.  We meander through the “motel room” shops.  It’s very quaint.  I love this idea. 

There’s also a sunny little patio at the Mecca Sports Bar & Grill adjacent to the shops.  We’ll keep this in mind for lunch later.

The Santa Fe Depot – 1895.

The Town of Wickenburg acquired the station from the Santa Fe Railroad in 1984.  After restoration it was dedicated as the Chamber of Commerce in 1987.  It is now the official Visitor’s Center.

Life-like bronze statues.

Many bronze sculptures are found throughout the historic town.  Each has an audio clip that tells a brief story of the person and his or her impact on the community.  The artist is J. Seward Johnson, and sculptures were gifted to the town by the DeVore Foundation.

Just down from the train station we pass one of the streetscape painted bronze statues – “Teacher with Luggage”.  I touch her suit to make sure it’s bronze and not cloth.  Okay it is bronze, but the carpet bad sitting next to her, it’s got to be cloth.  Nope!  It’s also bronze.  Pretty amazing!

Hassayampa Building – 1905.

Across the street we come to the Hassayampa Building, originally the Vernetta Hotel.  The painted bronze statue of Elizabeth Smith, an African American businesswoman from the East, stands outside the hotel.  The hotel was specifically built to serve overnight railroad passengers.  Ms. Smith tells her story via the audio sound bite.  The hotel was convenient to the train, but it was her wonderful cooking that drew patrons from far and wide.    

Desert Caballeros Western Museum.

At the end of the block we come to the Desert Caballeros Western Museum.

The museum is a highlight of our trip to Wickenburg.  The first floor houses the Western Art Museum and a gift shop, while the basement is filled with historical exhibit rooms and street scenes.  It is well worth the admission price of $7.00 for Seniors and $9.00 for the “youngsters” we brought with us.

    

Thanks for the Rain.

At the intersection of Wickenburg Way and Tegner we come to the larger-than-life sized bronze sculpture “Thanks for the Rain” by Joe Beeler.

What an amazingly talented artist to be able to capture the exact tilt of the head, the facial features that express so perfectly the sincere look of “thanks” on the face of the cowboy – all pulled from his imagination and created with his hands and the tools of his trade.  Simply beautiful.  What a truly talented gentleman.

The Jail Tree.

Across the street from the bronze sculpture of the cowboy and his horse we come to “The Felon & Jail Tree”.  The Jail Tree is a 200 year-old mesquite tree that served as the town jail between 1863 and 1890.  Outlaws and felons were chained to the tree.  Another painted bronze statue sits below the Jail Tree.  Hmmm?  Which is the outlaw – and which is not?  Or, are they both outlaws?  If it’s against the law to sneak around shops, try on hats and get a good laugh … then the guy on the left is an outlaw.

  

Back to the Mecca Sports Bar & Grill.

We’ve passed several restaurants and bars along our walk today, but we are drawn back to the warm, sunny patio of the Mecca Sports Bar & Grill.  They have an exceptional Green Chili Burger.  Freshly ground beef and the bun toasted just so – perfectly scrumptious!    

Before we reach the Jeep Jack spies a couple of younger women.  Goodness!  You can’t take him anywhere!

Double D. The Western World store – not the girls!

We jam everyone back in the Jeep and head west through town.  We’re looking for Double D Western World.  There it is on the left!  I swing into the parking lot and unload everyone again.  The Double D has a little bit of everything “western”.  Furniture, artwork, interior décor, clothes, hats, boots, small pet supplies, horse supplies.  Did I mention hats?  Jack’s trying on hats again … and so is his sister.  It must run in the family.

It went straight to his hips!

With all the weight Jack lost with his ruptured appendix back in November, he has been working at putting a few pounds back on.  Looks like all those extra protein shakes, green chili burgers, and pasta are working – but it’s all going to his hips!  Where did that big bottom come from?  How are we going to get that back into the Jeep?

 

Oops!  I guess I was mistaken.  I do believe he’s sitting in one of those “western” bar stools of an ample cowboy backside in his Wranglers, boots, and spurs.  Very cute Jack, but “no” we cannot take one home with us. 

We walk out of the Double D with a new cat toy for Miss Kitty and a pink bandana for my sister’s dog for a total of $5.03.  Between the hats and the bar stool we sure had more than $5.03 worth of fun! 

You know we have to end the day with ice cream.

Everyone piles back into the Jeep.  We make it part way through town before the topic of ice cream comes up.  Why not?  One last stop at the local Dairy Freeze or Frosty Freeze or something like that for an ice cream fix.  Too much ice cream later and we all squeeze back into the Jeep for the "long or short" ride home. 

Carefree to Apache Junction.

We tug on the Carefree folks until we pull them free of the backseat.  We wish them well, and head down the road back to our little oasis in the sun in Apache Junction. 

What a fun day in Wickenburg!  Once again, Jack kept us all in stitches which made for a very entertaining day.  Until next time – have fun and be safe.