ASARCO Mine Tour

Love Arizona style! 

A few pictures from my morning walk.

Palo Vere trees are in bloom.
Allergy sufferers don't appreciate them.

 My kind of landscaping!

Bottlebrush Plant

We were invited to a Cream Can Supper
A unique experience like no other.
To find out more click on the video.

After feeding 30 people here are the leftovers.

 ASARCO Mine Tour 

Arizona is the fourth largest producer of copper 

and that is why the star in the middle of Arizona’s flag
is copper color.

 

Mission Mine in Sahuarita

 Drilling the blasting holes.

 After blasting it is ready
to be scooped up into the humongous trucks.

Ball mills

 Ore containing copper is ground down to a fine powder 

using steel balls about 3 inches in diameter inside the drums.

 If you are interested in the whole process, 

you can watch the video. 

 Making Copper 

Free samples when the tour ended!

They retired this truck because it is too small.

 Thankfully we haven't seen any snakes yet.

Anode is 99% pure but still needs to be processed more
to make it 99.99% pure. It weighs about 750 pounds.

 Cathodes are 99.99% pure and weigh about 350 pounds.

 The date on this cart is 9-29-51, one day after Scott was born.

Different cactus are blooming every week!

 "There is simply no substitute for hard work 

when it comes to achieving success."

 Heather Bresh

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

 The Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum is fantastic! 

Click on their name to check out the website.

Wear comfortable shoes and plan on staying for a few hours 

because there is so much to see.

Interesting plants like the Devil's Trumpet.

Bloodflower Milkweed

Each one is so unique in shape and blooms.

Totem Pole Cactus

Ocotillo

Long-spined Prickly Pear

Octopus Agave

 Close up of the blooms.

Huachuca Agave

Lots of different animals that you wouldn't expect

 like this Desert Bighorn.

The Barrel cactus were just starting to bloom.

 Golden Torch

 Rainbow Hedghog

Maguey

 Boojum Tree 

 Strawberry Hedgehog

 Bobcat

 Grey Fox

 I love this picture of the Chuckwalla!

Coyote

 There is even an aquarium at the museum where we saw 

these cute Garden Eels bobbing in and out of their homes.

No problem follwing this rule!

If you are in the Tucson area you won't want to miss this place!

Don't forget to bring water!

"It's only a desert!" Yes, I know.

But then, the dear God made it so,

And since His work is always good

He must have loved it, else how could

He scatter flowers far and near,

Or keep trees green thruout the year?

He must have loved these mighty rocks

That came thru fire and earthquake shocks, 

The mountains and the little hills,

The murmur of the dwindling rills;

He must have loved the deep blue sky,

The glistening cloud-bands floating by,

The gorgeous splendor, when the day

Is passing on its westward way.

Flossie Edna Ritzenthaler Cole Wells (1889-1987),

 "Coconino Wilderness"