112 The Shrine

12/8/2014   Michelle had drove up yesterday from the valley with some good news.  She had signed up another Harley dealership in Chandler, met new riding friends and with them was offered a place to live in the Cave Creek area at a reasonable price.  She was going to stay with us at the stable until our Christmas trip back home and then relocate to the new digs.   Earlier in our stay we had loaded up to explore the Prescott area.  Gary had asked us our plans and warned against it telling us because of the elevation there to wait for warmer weather.  Checking the weather forecast this looks like the best day.  Fifty nine degrees by noon we can live with that and my research of the area had turned up an interesting site on the way.   Little did I know what lay before us?   Of course I usually don’t, just a vague idea,  a direction or destination get on the trike, keep our options open and we usually see or do something to remember.  Heck, just riding in the sun is a treat for us. 
The stop would give Prescott the time to warm up while we made our way up the mountain.

  We headed north on Vulture Mine road until it T'ed at # 93 turning west we rode a few miles to # 89, a right turn and we were on our way thru Peebles valley and up Yarnell hill.  The road was wonderful, lots of curves and scenic views.  Sometimes things catch Ruthie and my interest that I'm sure normal people don't pay any attention to.  Like the welded pipe fence along the highway, we think of the work of setting the pipe in alignment, positioning the cross prices in place while they are welded and then primed and painted.   This one went on for such a distance we just


Jesus fell the second time.

had to check it out.   Five miles, must be quite a ranch.  Yarnell was a very small town and on the way in I seen a sign  or something that made me think they were rebuilding.  I made a mental note to ask what that was about.  The signage to the Shrine was small with no warning and we drove past it.  When we turned around we seen a small general store and stopped for some hot drinks.   It was everything you would expect a general store to be and more.  Coffee, flavored coffee, hot drinks, cold drinks, biscotti, convenience store items, a few hardware items, a cozy sitting area complete with a small electric fireplace and then (check out the name) in the back room you can get your hair styled.   The clerk responded to my question about the rebuilding that their had been a large fire that destroyed some of the houses, also that their was a memorial on the corner to the shine for some fire fighters that had been killed.  The full meaning of her statement did not set in yet. 

    We left and returned to the turn for the shrine noting the make shift memorial in the empty lot on the corner, we would check it out after the shrine.   A few blocks down a  crooked black top road was the Shrine of ST Joseph of the mountains, because of the insignificant signage and the number of people that didn't know about it when asked I didn't expect much.   I was wrong in a big way.   In 1939 it was a group of Catholics from Phoenix that commissioned Félix Lucero a native American to create the fourteen stations of the cross here.  His is a inspiring story of its own,  Drafted into fighting in World War, wounded he was left for dead on a field in  France lying amongst the dead and dying.  He prayed that if God would spare his life he would devote it to creating statues of Christ where ever his life took him.  I think God made a good deal, the untrained, homeless artist to be lived under a bridge in Tucson doing as he had promised.  Forming statues close to his cardboard shelter from materials he found he created "The Garden of Gethsemane" which soon drew attention to his talents.   As soon as we stopped at the base of Weaver mountain we could see some of the stark white life size statues of Christ.   There was a sign explaining what we were about to view and telling about the shrine buildings that had been lost in the fire.  I still had no idea of the magnitude of the fire as we ride in this area and look at the terrain you just don't realize there is enough vegetation to support a fire.  The shrine started at the base with a depiction of Jesus alone at the last supper.  There was a rocky path leading up the mountain, at different intervals there was a cross with a small plaque depicting the stations of the cross.  At the summit was a large statue of the crucifixion.  Leading down the other side was the entombment and resurrection.   It was a somber reflective stop as we followed the path and read the plaques.  The stark white figures against the in some place charred timbers they were mounted on and the back ground of the mountain still stick out in my mind.  Making it even more meaningful was the fact that my niece Yvonne was making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with her mother in law to walk where Jesus walked.  This is a note I received from her when asked about her experience.  There were so many inspiring places it is hard to narrow it down.  But going to Bethlehem to the birth place of Jesus, visiting the oldest church, the church of the nativity.  Walking the Via Dolorosa (the way of the cross) in Jerusalem was truly inspiring, ending at the very spot the cross was, and the tomb in which they laid Jesus in.  All the mountains, the mount of transfiguration, the mount of Beatitudes, the mount of temptation and from across the dead sea you could see Mt Nebo where Moses died.  Then there was the Jordan river and the Sea of Galilee.  Seriously I could go on and on, it was all just inspiring.  Thanks Yvonne!

    Driving back to the main road we stopped at the makeshift memorial on the corner.   The somber mood we left our last stop continued as the significance of the fire set in.  The Yarnell Hill fire was started by lightening on June 28th last year.  A special group of fire fighters was called to assist, the Granite Mountain Hotshots a division of the Prescott fire department.  I would compare them to the Navy seals of firefighting, special physical, mental and hardship enduring requirements to join the group.  The group of 20 hot shots went in as the town of  yarnell was being evacuated.  One of the elite fire fighters was positioned as a spotter while the remaining 19 moved into create fire lines trying to flank the fire.  The wind changed direction and speed so rapidly that the fire burn area went from 400 acres to 8,400 acres in two hours.  It was so intense that the 19 young men never had a chance.  There safety and escape route were cut off, they sent out a call for help deployed there fire

tents and were never heard from again.  The fire claimed 19 brave souls that day.   It was hard to read the make shift memorial that told about each of the young men.   One said he would rather die with his boots on rather than under his bed.   Families keep flowers by their pictures and with donations and time this place should be turned into a proper memorial.   Investigations and lawsuits are in

Michelle leading the way.

process against groups such as the forestry department, it seems that the main contention was the unavailability of a meteorologist and global positioning satellite information.  However in the end some things cannot be foreseen, that's why we call them accidents and brave people take risks to protect others. 
    Back on the road we need some miles to clear our heads, after all the purpose of this ride was to see Prescott.  And we did, the ride up was spectacular with sweeping curves, hair pin curves and breathtaking panoramic views.  We had a bite to eat in a little microbrewery walked the historic city square and headed home before darkness and the desert chill set in.    We will return again in the spring.
     I saved this picture for last and I will give credit to Michelle, even though we were there at the same time, took the picture from the same angle when we viewed hers it had the inspiring ray of light coming at the perfect angle (almost spelled that angel, maybe I should have.)