Desert Ruins

Of course I absolutely took advantage of unscheduled days and lots of time to drag the kids on some hunts for desert ruins.  They were pretty patient about it, I got some great shots, and I bought them ice cream after every expedition, so I think everyone was happy.  

This one Craig found on our way out to Arizona, somewhere in the middle of west Texas.  I probably wouldn't have taken the time to stop because I couldn't see it very well from the road, but after 20 years, my husband knows when "no" actually means "yes" and he turned the car around and pulled over.  And this place was so awesome that we all got out and wandered around.  

It's the old Kent School house built in 1892 which housed the children of the 61 people who lived in the town.  It closed officially in 1961 and sits here abandoned and dignified as it slowly crumbles apart.  

This is the view from behind the school.  

...and from the inside.

And this is what we found in the basement.  Yep, we wandered into the basement, and yes it was absolutely so cool.  

There were plenty of other really awesome abandoned houses and barns that we saw throughout Arizona.

And this is Mission San Xavier.  There is a mission school and home and this magnificent cathedral which has been here since the late 1700s.  (Sorry about the crooked pictures.  I took these with my phone.)

We took a very brief tour of the cathedral with a guide, and then wandered around on our own to take pictures of the details on this spectacular building.  I could have stayed in there a lot longer.  I loved getting a few glimpses of the history of Arizona.  I was overwhelmed at the end of the week at how much we had been able to fit in, and how much we learned.  I'm pretty sure this was the most educational and lofty vacation we've ever taken the kids on.  

Oh, and there were these guys, too.  They're not exactly ruins, but they were old and seasoned and we spotted them in Tombstone, which is kind of a collection of old historic ruins...in a touristy sort of way.  They had so much character standing there together talking that I couldn't resist taking a picture of them.  

Arizona was so much fun and so inspiring.  And what a great opportunity we had to tag along with Craig and explore places that we would never see without him.  I would absolutely go back there again anytime.