Thanksgiving in Bisbee

Kevin was up early to start up the coffee machine. I was up early to look at Amazon.com deals. I had a hike scheduled for Bisbee later this morning, but no one had emailed me to let me know they were coming so I didn’t rush. I could easily have stayed at home and worked around the garden. It was a pleasant day out, with temps in the upper 60s and no breeze.

Attempts to call the kids were fruitless. All I got were answering machines. My mother, as always, was already in Las Vegas for the long weekend. She goes there every Thanksgiving.

Our plan today was to meet in Bisbee after the hike at the Grand Saloon Bar where Kevin would bring his turkey. I had told club members I would lead a hike in Bisbee today, but no one seemed interested in joining me when I brought this up at the monthly meeting a few weeks ago. So, I wasn't expecting anyone even though I didn't officially cancel the hike. I took Sadie with me, although she didn't seem in the mood for a hike today, and she didn't want to carry her Hound Pack, either. She really doesn't like that thing.

I left the house at 10:50am and drove the lonely roads to Old Bisbee. I got to town at 11:30am.

The town was empty today. No one was waiting for me so I continued on up the hill via Brewery Gulch, the famous street of long-gone prostitutes and wealthy mine owners when Bisbee was still a roaring mining town 100 years ago. This narrow, winding street is where men had their fun with women and were no Mexicans were allowed. Some of the squalid shacks further up this road still remind me of third-world homes. Some look more like squatters' homes than normal homes. A few looked too nice to be located here. But that's the appeal of Bisbee: it's an eclectic town with eclectic tastes.

I parked as far up the hill as I could on Brewery Gulch, then walked up the trail which continued up the canyon. I followed the "Pedestrian Trail" uphill along a rocky, narrow gulch. I was heading uphill over a widening canyon with hills around me. This was my first time up here. I gave myself 2.5 hours before having to meet Kevin at the Grand Saloon Bar where we were donating Kevin’s cooked turkey.

The hills around Bisbee were, as expected, dry as anywhere else. Even some of the yuccas looked parched. Whatever cacti grows on these Manzanita-grown hills surely freezes in the winter. Tall yuccas and sotols lined the brittle trail, many with dying leaves. The only color I saw were the yellow cottonwoods in town.

I made it to a ridgeline, from where I could see the Copper Queen Mine at the edge of Old Bisbee. That open pit is one huge hole in the Earth. I could also see Sandy Bob Canyon to my north as I recognized the crags by the dry waterfall. I took some photos of the distant hills in Mexico and continued along the trail until I came across a "No Trespassing" sign, on which someone had also spray-painted "Apacheland." These parched hills do seem to resonate with old Apache spirits.

Despite the No Trespassing sign, however, I spotted several hikers moving uphill on the trail. They were hiking toward the cross and shrine that is visible to anyone who drives into town from Highway 80. I had always wanted to trek up this hill to that shrine, and followed the other hikers. It didn't take me too long to catch up with one couple who were more dressed for city streets than rocky desert trails.

Other people were also walking around these hills before their Thanksgiving Day meal. Plastic bottles, old campfire wood and other debris were indicative that is is a popular place. A garbage can near the Catholic shrine was full of trash. Does anyone actually climb up this hill to empty it on a regular basis? The view of town is worth the two-mile hike to these exposed rocks. Bisbee looks so small from this vantage point.

My little hill hike was no more than four miles. I was dressed in low-cut jeans and a dress shirt, with my grey fleece sweater over that. I didn't want to look too much like an outdoors person in the bar because "outdoors" here in Bisbee often means squating in abandoned homes and syphoning electricity from neighbors.

I made it back to the truck just as Kevin called to let me know he had arrived in town. It was 1:48pm and we were to meet at the hotel by 2p m. But Laura gave us bogus information: the dinner didn’t start until 3pm (she told us 2pm) so we sat around at the bar, chatting at times with the people around us as we waited. Most of the earlier birds were the scruffy homeless who sleep in an abandoned mine nearby. Sadie slept in the truck, oblivious of the neighborhood dogs that were walking down the street with their owners.

I was hungry as I hadn’t eaten anything save two leftover chicken nuggets from yesterday’s visit to Applebee’s. I had two plates of dressing, mashed potatoes and the fixings (very little turkey!) and when we left the bar at 4pm I was barely able to walk. I felt like a turkey myself! There was plenty more food and more was coming in.

We enjoyed sharing our dinner with strangers. We had our fill and didn't even have to worry about clean-up. Kevin even mentioned doing this again next year, but next year we are going to leave the house later, perhaps at 2pm so that we don't sit around at the bar for an hour. There were plenty of other people who came in with cooked dishes to share, and the entire wall divider was covered with all kinds of platters. This was no doubt a local crowd, a quiet crowd. The Dallas-Oakland football game was playing as we left; Dallas was in the lead 17:0.

As for the trails around Bisbee, I discovered a few more trails I could explore in these hills! There's a five-mile loop hike that starts from Brewery Gulch and I want to try that one next time.

Kevin didn't stay awake for long once we got back home. A conversation with Katie earlier got him homesick for another family Christmas get-gether in Massachusetts, and booked himself a flight over that week. Then he went to bed. It wasn't quite 6pm. It's true that men fall asleep after eating turkey; he's lucky he drove home before falling asleep! I wish that would work for me, too.

So now he's going to spend time with his family the week of 22-27 December. He hasn't been back there since before we left New Jersey and I'm happy he's finally showing an interest in seeing his family again. I would have loved to have joined him, but the timing was off and I had already promised Erin I'd be there in Chicagoland and spend time with Baby Ethan.

I had planned on leaving for Chicagoland on the 26th but will now postpone that by a day so that the dogs aren't alone for more than 24 hours. I hope the weather plays me a better hand this time around; I ended up cancelling last Cmas' drive to Chicagoland because of black ice across Illinois the week I was to be there. If I leave here early on the 27th that still gives me a full week in Chicagoland. With the Lake Effect freezes Chicago is notorious for, however, I don't think I could stand more than a week there in the winter anyway.

Dallas won their game 24:7.