February 23, 2011

Wednesday 23~~~~~Kent has been studying on the computer all the things we should do while we are in this area. The weather is so nice and warm, perfect day to go sight seeing. We picked up Mel and Linda about 10AM and we drove to see the Mystery Castle, we got there and it was closed so we went to the next place on his list, the "Heard Museum". We didn't go through the museum as it was quite expensive to go into, it was very large to go through and we didn't want to take that much time to do it. The Heard Museum collects and exhibits American Indian art from centuries-old drawings and pottery to contemporary paintings, sculpture, ceramics and photography and jewelry. They have more than 40,000 objects, the Heard museum is nationally and internationally recognized for the quality of its exhibits. There were Indian sculptures from the various tribes around this area all over the large court yards at the museum which we enjoyed. I took a few pictures of some of the neat ones that I liked for the blog. There was one Indian tribe that we have never heard of, called the "Dine" Indians, which are a part of the Navajo tribe. They had a gift shop with a lot of beautiful things for sale. I looked at a small pendant (no chain) and it cost over $900 the bigger pieces of jewelry were several thousand for a piece. We enjoyed looking at the beautiful things for sale and we left for lunch. From here we went to a unique Taco place we found on the droid, it had seating inside and out. We chose to eat outside in the beautiful sunshine, there were a lot of locals who worked at the Vet's Hospital near by and others who said they eat there a lot. Kent and I ordered a Mexican sandwich (torta) that the regulars ate and it was so good, especially the bread. Next we drove to the "Wells Fargo History Museum" where we had a great time learning all about the Pony Express; In April 1860, daring riders carried mail on horseback 1,966 miles between Missouri and California in a lightening fast 10 days. Each rider rode 75 miles, up to 20 miles per hour, changing horses 5 or 6 times. Since speed was vital and weight a factor, riders 18 to 20 years old were preferred. They received $50 a month plus board and room for this dangerous job. Riders arrived at relay stations at full gallop, vaulted off their horses, quickly flinging the mochilla (special made mail bag) onto a fresh pony, remounted and rode off. In October 1861 the transcontinental telegraph was completed, making communications almost instantaneous, the Pony Express was no longer needed, but its legacy still lives on. They had a stage coach and the story of the gold it carried, the stage rocked when you were in it like it would if you were riding in it on the prairie with robbers chasing you. We had fun taking pictures of everything. Kent was more interested in the weight of the gold nugget they had locked in a case. with a phony one to hold. (picture) They had a saddle and cowboy hat for you to sit on and a machine to take your picture with a printer that printed it for you free. When it printed out, it was like a poster of you riding for the Pony Express and it had all the info about the job. We took several of those pictures. After a frapiccino break for our tour driver Kent, we stopped at St. Mary's Basilica where they had things for sale made by the local Indians.