Anyone know what Indian Bread Rocks are? I stayed there and I still don’t know…hmm?
After Hailey determined that we were no longer in danger from a Pancho Villa attack, we headed north from Columbus, and caught the I-10 westbound at Deming.
After a quick fuel stop at Lordsburg, we found ourselves back in sunny Arizona and looking for the perfect camp spot. The road south of Bowie towards the fort of the same name looked promising. The turn-off to Indian Bread Rocks was not marked, but our map showed the right road, so we vibrated down the washboard for three miles, then turned off at a likely spot – which turned out to be a corral and windmill.
It looked like a good spot to overnight, so we did. In the morning, a short recon mission showed our destination to be less than a half mile further down the road. It was such a nice spot, that after a hard five minutes on the road, it was easy to decide to stop again and set up.
The place had authentic rock art, a lovely picnic site under shady trees, incredible rock formations, and lots of peace and quiet.
The sign did not indicate where the ‘bread rocks’ were, so I suspect the term might refer to the shape of some of the boulders in the area? But I did find these intriguing holes in the rock that made me wonder if they had been used to grind flour or corn, but perhaps they were natural?
It was hard to leave in the morning, and ‘rush hour’ was so bad that I got to chat with an older gentleman rancher who I met on the road, who provided some local history, and a welcome mat for future visits. Then if was off down the road for a few miles,
and a hike in to the site of Fort Bowie, that was established in Apache pass to defend the water source and stage coach route over the pass. It was a mile and a half hike in, with various historic and natural points of interest along the way.
An overview of the remains of the fort.
The fort used an ingenious method of communication with other forts in the area.
After Fort Bowie we checked out a side road near Chiricahua National Monument.
When I started to see double, 
We were surprised to find another handsome, leash-trained grey cat in the camper next to us, but her best efforts to capture his tail only resulted in hissing and a few swats.
Then, the next day, we used all of our rusty trained investigator skills to track down the one and only (drum roll), Bayfield Bunch! We found us a high hill and looked for a Jeep in a cloud of dust – that led us straight to them.
Here they are with the doggy guys, while Hailey stayed in the truck. If you look carefully, you can see her watching from behind Al’s right shoulder. As usual we exchanged intelligence on best camp spots, communication devices, and the good life in the south country.
Now that their cover is blown, I suspect they will be moving on shortly! That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!
Too cool!! I would guess those are real grinding holes for making Indian bread flour? Your guess is as good as mine. I am surprised Al didn't answer that question for you. Doesn't he know everything??
ReplyDeleteThe "Indian Bread Rocks" are the rocks with the holes in them. The holes are called morteros, and the women used smooth round rocks, called manos, to grind the seeds or corn in the holes for flour. If you found any rocks with a rectangular slick area, that's a metate, where a larger rock used like a rolling pin caused a longer area to be ground out.
ReplyDeleteWell there ya go...I might have told you those large round holes were made by granite burrowing rock snakes. So what do I know eh:)) Nice to see you again & meet Hailey. Maybe catch you later furthur west.......
ReplyDeleteWow, great investigative skills. I've been trying to find them for years!
ReplyDeleteLongest heliograph message on record was nearly 120 miles, from Mount Ord (then called Mount Reno) to Mt. Graham in the Pinaleno Mountains south of Safford. Reportedly, 80 percent of the message got through.
ReplyDeleteAlthough many have elected to romanticize that the heliograph was a valuable tool in locating hostiles and sending troops to tangle with them, there is not a single recorded instance of that happening. Of more than 100,000 transmissions, the vast majority were administrative in nature: orders for supplies; number of troops on hand; number of troops sick or wounded; etc.
Excellent maps of the early Army heliograph network in both southwestern New Mexico and southeastern to central Arizona can be found online -- as can corroboration of the clarifications I make above.
Really enjoyed your post and the feline shenanigans.
Best,
Bill Norman
Tucson
Longest heliograph message on record was nearly 120 miles, from Mount Ord (then called Mount Reno) to Mt. Graham in the Pinaleno Mountains south of Safford. Reportedly, 80 percent of the message got through.
ReplyDeleteAlthough many have elected to romanticize that the heliograph was a valuable tool in locating hostiles and sending troops to tangle with them, there is not a single recorded instance of that happening. Of more than 100,000 transmissions, the vast majority were administrative in nature: orders for supplies; number of troops on hand; number of troops sick or wounded; etc.
Excellent maps of the early Army heliograph network in both southwestern New Mexico and southeastern to central Arizona can be found online -- as can corroboration of the clarifications I make above.
Really enjoyed your post and the feline shenanigans.
Best,
Bill Norman
Tucson