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Re: AZ Ghosttowns
There are some interesting ruins to get to by way of relatively tough trails. The Martinez canyon mine building is pretty big, and so is the one up at Sunflower mine. Stock FJ's can't handle Martinez. I helped prove that you can still drag one through most of the way anyhow. Sunflower would probably max a stock rig.
There's a bizarre ghost town that's not on any map I have, and it's up the "Great Western Trail somewhere north of Bloody Basin. I took my wife and dog through that way before I had kids. My dog got creeped out by the cows hanging out in the ruined doorways of the buildings. I think he thought it was a town run by cows. If so, he wouldn't have been entirely wrong.
There's a maritime ruin on the way out past Castle Hot Springs on the way to Wickenburg by whatever trail that is. The drive is super moderate. A decent 2WD truck would probably make it with only a few spots of wheel spin.
The maritime ruin is actually a giant barge that was apparently used to dredge the arroyo when it was flowing - looking for gold. I guess there was enough around to justify a pretty massive machine. It's pretty bizarre to see a huge boat in the middle of the desert though!!
The Cochran coke ovens are kinda bizarre too... I think squaters tried to make them into funky desert huts at one time. I'm not sure if you can still get there - it may be closed... I haven't been there in years.
At the top of Box Canyon there's an abandoned farm house which is pretty well preserved. (for those of you who want to do some mellow rock crawling that a stock FJ would have no problem with - go to Box Canyon. It's one of the more scenic canyons in the Florence Junction region) and there's multiple degenerated structures up along the way to Crown King. There's one at the bottom of the canyon as you ascend into the pines that I haven't been down to... If anyone gets to it before me, warn me if there are squatters. I hate running into squatters.
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-Jon-
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