BACK ROAD ADVENTURE

back road adventure Take the Long and Winding Road to See Stanton's Naked Saloon Hussy

I'LL GET TO THE NAKED saloon hussy in time. First, some advice: Heave your cell phone off a bridge and prepare for a wandering good time through western Arizona's most colorful old mining camps. The stories that spring from these onceroaring towns are as fresh and exciting as they were in Territorial times.

But that's only part of the journey. The second half combines dirt road and pavement as it brings the adventurous through one of the state's most beautiful valleys, into a still-operating Old West saloon, and down a 20-mile stretch of dirt road once traveled by Arizona's greatest Indian fighter.

Beginning in Wickenburg, I drove 4.7 miles north on U.S. Route 93 to the Scenic Loop Road, a dirt track that curls in a northeasterly direction through picturesque Sonoran Desert.

The first stop of interest It comes 11.4 miles into the trip on Scenic Loop Road at a shadowy gash on the landscape called Box Canyon. The Hassayampa River flows through it, the water hidden even from a canyon overlook on the right side of the road. But look east and you can spot the river exiting the box canyon and meandering in a silver streak across the distance, a beautiful sight on a clear morning.

At the bottom of the hill just beyond Box Canyon, exit the Loop Road by making a sharp left at 11.9 miles. This roadlocals call it the Octave/Stanton back road-proceeds due north.

At about the 20-mile mark, the road forms a T, the right fork leading to the ruins of Octave and Weaver, the left to Stanton. These towns sprouted after explorer Paulino Weaver's fabulous goats along Weaver Creek. I had the pleasure of having at my side on this trip a man whose father knew Josepha. Pablo Moralez came to Arizona's western desert by horse-drawn wagon in 1918, eventually becoming a rancher. Today, his son Angel, my guide, continues the tradition.

Signs along the road point to Angel's Ranch, where the 65-year-old, with help from three sons and a daughter, operates a cactus nursery. He knows this land as if it were his back yard-because it is and he has a keen memory for stories his father told, especially about Josepha.

Every morning she'd walk the creek bed and find gold nuggets that had washed up the night before. She'd put them in her mouth and keep going, grabbing more as she went. She kept the gold in a jar and hid it in a hole in the floor under her bed.

"My mother asked why she did that," says Angel. Pointing to Rich Hill, Josepha responded, "These nuggets brought the white man here.

Maybe if I pick them all up, no more will come."

Angel also tells about miners hunting quail and finding gold stuck in their guts. The birds spotted nuggets gleaming on the ground and swooped down to eat them. "People think that's legend, but I know it's true," says Angel.

Except for scattered hillside ruins, Weaver and Octave are gone. Not so Stanton, where three original buildings still stand-a stage station, hotel and combination opera house and saloon. Visitors can stroll the board sidewalks and step inside these wonderfully evocative structures, complete with tin roofs, potbellied stoves and, in the saloon, bullet-pocked walls.

Behind the bar of the old groggery hangs the obligatory portrait of a lounging saloon girl. She's naked, of course, and a bit of a cliché. But the Wild West aficionado finds the constancy of her presence reassuring.

To get from Stanton to State Route 89 at Congress, drive west on Stanton Road, or take To get from Stanton to State Route 89 at Congress, drive west on Stanton Road, or take the more scenic Old Stage Road, also known as the Old Yarnell Road, which twists over the hills out to Yarnell, 5 miles away.

Located at the intersection of this road and State 89, the Ranch House Restaurant is a good spot for travelers to enjoy lunch in a colorful cafe. The town also has offbeat shops for antique hunting and the famous hillside shrine to St. Joseph, patron saint of happy homes. This pretty spot, a few hundred feet off 89 at Yarnell, has provided a spiritual retreat for visitors since its 1939 dedication.

The trip's second portion involves lots of driving, but if your plan is to scratch an entire day off the calendar, this is how it's done.

From Yarnell, drive north on 89 through Peeples Valley. This postcard meadowland of white-iron fences, willow trees and grazing horses looks like a scene from the old TV show "Dallas" and has to rank among Arizona's prettiest places.

4.5 miles to Kirkland, site of the Kirkland Bar and Steakhouse. Opened as a store in the late 1800s, the building has since housed a Wells Fargo office, stage and rail stop, hotel and brothel. Be sure to ask the bartender about the murdered prostitute whose face shows up on its back wall. Her image appeared there five years ago and has grown clearer every year. "You can even see where her throat was slit," says bartender Rose Clem. "We checked at the museum in Prescott and there was a girl murdered here. We call her Mary the Madame." County Road 15 continues northwest through Thompsons Valley for another 16 miles before reaching the Hillside turnoff. Travel through this tiny community on Date Creek Road, which parallels the railroad line through the Hawkins and Piedmont crossings, all the way to Congress. Date Creek Road stretches for 21 easy miles through remote ranch country, populated mostly by jackrabbits-and the spirit of Gen. George Crook. On September 8, 1872, Arizona's top military officer nearly died at Camp Date Creek when Yavapai Indian renegades-"uneasy and suspicious, and in very bad temper"-tried to assassinate him.

deflected a renegade's rifle as he fired at the general, thereby keeping this brilliant tactician and warrior in the field and helping win Arizona's tumultuous Indian Wars. The Date Creek Road makes for a fun last leg of the day spent exploring Arizona's rich present and her lively past, hussies and all. Al Also six miles north of the valley, turn left onto Kirkland Valley Road, which is Yavapai County Road 15, and drive

RANCHING ANGEL

Angel Moralez operates Angel's Ranch, a cactus nursery near the old mining towns of Octave, Weaver and Stanton.

> travel tips

Vehicle Requirements: Highclearance vehicles should have little difficulty-with one exception-at the 14.9-mile mark (which includes the 4.7 miles of driving on State Route 93). Travelers must cross a wash with loose sand, about 50 feet wide. Warning: Back-road travel can be hazardous. Be aware of weather and road conditions. Carry plenty of water. Don't travel alone, and let someone know where you're going and when you plan to return.

Travel Advisory: Shortly after turning north onto the old Octave/Stanton back road, travelers encounter two gates that must be opened to pass through. Be sure to close all gates. At the 15.8-mile mark, the road forks. Take the left fork. The right fork leads to the headquarters of Angel Moralez's ranch. Additional Information: Angel Moralez operates a public cactus nursery and leads trail rides and hunting trips. (928) 427-3357.

> route finder

Note: Mileages are approximate.