Final Ride of the '08

It has become almost a tradition to take a ride on the last day of the year and this is no exception. Last year I went to Canyon and Apache Lakes and up to the Reavis trailhead. This year it had snowed so a trip to see what was left of it at Crown King sounded like a good half-day excursion. It was a fairly cold morning so I bundled up with the new jacket Vicki bought me and headed off for Bumble Bee.

It was clear and crisp as the asphalt turned to dirt. Bumble Bee looked clean and inhabited but Cleator seemed more worn than the last time. As the trip progressed the road became a muddy bog in places but still passable. Cars and trucks didn't fly down the road as is typical but carefully chose their paths. There were large puddles on the road as well as ice and snow. In Crown King it was just as I had left it last year after the snow, a muddy mess. The road are all dirt in the summer and mud and ice in the winter.

Just after ordering breakfast the owner (she also works as the waitress) came in upset and I could hear talking going on in the kitchen. I guess the owner of the building (such as it is) decided the rent was going to be increased so the owner of the restraunt served me and let her staff leave. She said that she couldn't make it if the rent increased so she just shut down. I was the last that day to eat, at 10:30 AM. Happy New Year!

The trip back was a whole lot less eventful and at least the cows stayed off the road.