Well by popular request. At least 5 people anyway. Here's the last bit of our American Adventure.
We are at the point of leaving Gila New Mexico.

Day 34 to End:

    We've decided to return to L.A. via North-East Arizona. I want to see more lava flows and Hildebrand is keen for me to see Oak Creek Canyon, South of Flagstaff. He once drove up the Canyon in an old car, in the dead of a Winter's night. He was working in Phoenix at the time and had to pick up a friend between shifts. How he ever made it alive is one of the wonders of our time. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
    We head North and then East from Gila to Socorro. Our way takes us through the Gila Forest. It's a peaceful leafy place and we're still ahead of the tourists. Only just. Many walking trails beckon but we need to move on fairly quickly. At the edge of the forest we stop for lunch at a tempting diner. My meal is good but Hildebrand doesn't fare so well, also he's cross and silent. I find out later that he's seen the signs above the rest-room, that I didn't notice. If we'd seen them in time we'd have left before ordering our meal. Nasty anti-green statements I'd rather forget. We drive on. Around us greasewood covers the whole range. The contrast between this country and the Gila Forest is extreme. We're still in a depressed mood when we come upon Magdalena.
    Magdalena is just what we need. At first we aren't sure whether it's a town on the way out or one that is being revived. It's on a branch of the Santa Fe railroad that closed down some time ago. We come upon a vacant lot that has a mosaic floor across the front. The name, "Magdalena Theatre" is spelled out in the centre. Many shops are boarded up and many of the Victorian houses look rather forlorn and unloved. There are signs of a rebirth of the town, though, and we find out that artists and writers are beginning to move in here. We discover an interesting gift shop where there's a flurry of activity as a local Co-Op sorts the produce from a truck that has just delivered supplies. We chat a while with everyone and make friends with the lady in the shop. She's selling her book. It's a beautifully produced work, printed and bound by a local company. We buy a CD of a local fiddler. He is a self-taught musician who plays old tunes, with a beautiful touch, in an idiosyncratic style. He sings a local song on the CD too. It's about the last of the Magdalena cowboys and the last train. Hauntingly lovely. He is in his eighties but his voice is young and clear.


More on the way