Sunday, January 30, 2011

Ajo to Why






Yep, there is a town in AZ called Why. Don't know why but there is.
This morning we drove downtown to go to church. After church we drove to the Darby Road BLM Disbursed Camping Area. Darby Wells Road is a well maintained dirt road that starts just south of Ajo then takes about a five mile loop back to Ajo all around the old copper mine. A very scenic area. Hills, saguaro & other types of cactus & a good view of the old copper mine. I stopped to check out a campsite for the night when two guys came walking out of the brush. Gopher went right after them with her barking & growling. They walked away. I got back in the camper and we continued on. We don't mind camping in the boondocks within reason but common sense must prevail. Gopher earned her keep today.
We continued on to Why to the Gunsite Wash BLM Disbursed Camping Area. Not as pretty as Darby Wells but there are other campers here. Mostly creosote bushes and a few scattered cactus. There is actually a campground host here. The locals call this camping area Canada Wash because it's favored by the Canadians.
Another very nice day.
Now I know why Why is called Why and not Y. Here is why;
"The name of the town originates from the original Y intersection of State Highways Route 85 and 86. At the time of its naming, Arizona law required all city names to have at least three letters, so the town's founders named the town "Why" as opposed to simply calling it "Y." The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) later removed the old Y-intersection for traffic safety reasons and built the two highways in a conventional T-intersection south of the original intersection."

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