Arizona Adventures - Part 3

The Grand Canyon of Bouse (insert trumpet fanfare here)

The young man at the tire store in Bouse is an off-roader.  Mike asked him what, if anything, was east of the highway, as we had spent all our time riding trails west.  He said we could go to the Grand Canyon of Bouse, which, he said, is just a big hole in the ground (well, really, isn't that a description of the Grand Canyon?). He kindly drew us a map with only a couple of significant omissions.  After wandering around a bit, we stumbled on it.  

Grand Canyon of Bouse

Lots of old mining activity around it.  And it is just a big hole in the ground.

One day we were parked in a wash in the shade, having lunch.  A guy on a four-wheeler passed us going the other way and he stopped to talk.  In the front basket he had two Yorkies, Lola's mortal enemies. She had a fit jumping up and down so I put her back in the Rhino but I didn't fasten her clip to the frame.  

The guy said goodbye and headed down the trail.  We decided to pack up and go.  And we were a dog short.  Looking in the direction of the ATV, we saw Lola, legs pumping like pistons and tail flying, disappearing over the hill in hot pursuit.  We turned the Rhino around and started up the trail to recover her.  In 50 yards or so, here she came over the crest of the hill, hot, thirsty, and unsuccessful.

On our last day in Bouse, we went back to the box canyon, hoping to see big horn sheep.  There were people at the end of the canyon who said "Oh, yes, there were three of them here just a few minutes ago."  Of course, they were long gone.  And so were the 10 mule deer they saw.  AARRRGGHHH.

The lady is the group warned us she had thrown away a turkey sandwich because it had gone bad.  Of course, Muppet and Lola found it, with predictable results. 

What's a guzzler?

This funnels rain into a basin underneath.

Watering hole fed by the catch basin.

Water is scarce in these parts.  AZ Game & Fish constructs these rainwater catch basins for the wildlife.  

There is a small outdoor park on the highway which goes through Bouse, a memorial to the WWII tank crews who trained here and fought in Europe.  

Eight Ball, the morale officer at Camp Bouse.
Slain by a jealous rival, according to the plaque.

We have had a great time and are headed home.  Will spend tonight in Tacna AZ and tomorrow night at a park in Willcox AZ.  Home to Deming Saturday.