This past weekend, tired of being housebound in 100+° heat, I suggested to Liz that we take a day trip to Superior. Superior is 2,888 feet elevation. Apache Junction is 1,722 – and that 1,000 feet make a difference.
The cloud cover added to the cooling effect of the elevation, and it was pleasant all day as we walked the streets of Superior, and stopped into the Silver King Smokehouse and Saloon. Best pulled pork this side of the valley!
When I want to relax, I love going to Superior. It is far enough form the Valley that life is a little bit slower.
There are some galleries that we always stop at. If I had money, I would be walking out every time with another piece of artwork by a local artist.
Superior, AZ. It is summer in Arizona. The snowbirds have migrated back home, it is too hot to hike. Being housebound is not my idea of fun. I needed to fill the gas tank on my truck, and fuel in Superior is cheaper than here in the valley. Gas is $5.69 a gallon here, in Superior it is $4.99. Road trip.
Superior is an old mining town seeing a renaissance of sorts. A day trip was in order. We strolled the main street, visited the art galleries and antique shops, and made the requisite stop at the Silver King Smokehouse. Best pulled pork in the area!
Recent rains and the cloud cover reduced the temperatures to the high 90’s F. Of course, since we were in the area we had to pay a visit to the old whore, Mattie Earp. Mattie was Wyatt Earp’s common law wife. She moved to Superior and lived there for the rest of her life.
The historic Pinal Cemetery is not easy to find. The Earp’s family regularly travel to AZ from CA to maintain her memorial near the entrance of the cemetery. She is not actually buried in that spot, they moved the grave marker because vandals were desecrating the actual gravesite.
Almost all of the gravesites had coins on or near the markers. Most of the markers in this cemetery are rocks painted white. Most of the graves had pennies, a mark that you visited the grave. There were some pesos, along with the other U.S. coins. Nickels, dimes and quarters have significance if the dead was a service member. Otherwise they are a symbol of respect.
If the dead was a service member, then a penny means you visited the grave but have no relationship with the deceased. A nickel means you trained in boot camp together. A dime means you served together. A quarter means you were with the deceased when they died.
In Latin American countries, coins are simply a symbol of respect. Coins are cheaper than flowers or wreaths. On the site of a trio of children that all died in the same year, ages 14 to less than a year, toys are left.
If you see a coin on a grave, leave it. The coins are collected by the caretakers to help pay for maintenance.