Welcome to our first Polaris Palooza Adventure!  We just bought a beautiful new Polaris Crew XP 1000 Ranger and are excited to discover the back roads of Arizona and neighboring states.  We’re glad you are here:).  Buckle up and join us for the ride!  

For our first Palooza adventure let’s go to the old Ghost Towns around Patagonia, Arizona.  

Patagonia is a pretty little town about an hour southeast of Tucson.

There are several old mining towns nearby that are the perfect destination for a day’s worth of exploring.  All of these towns are kind of in a big loop which makes it easy!

There is a lot of fun history about these old  towns, like how some of them grew to have a couple of thousand residents back in the early 1900’s, but I do not claim to be a historian of any kind.  There are lots of good sites online that can give you the historical facts about these old sites from people who really know what they are talking about.    I am more interested in showing you what we can do TODAY and how you can do it too:).

Let’s start in Patagonia —

There is a nice colorful restroom by the park in downtown Patagonia.  I suggest you use it.  There will not be any bathroom facilities where we are going.  It is also a good idea to take some snacks and water along as well.

Start on Harshaw Road and follow it out.  If there has been rain recently, you will  drive over a creek or two.  

Drive past the town sign and head out toward the San Rafael Valley.  As you can see, we are going on about a 25 mile loop. 

You will drive through some lovely oaks and creeks and come to a hill.  At the top of the hill, the scenery will drastically change to a beautiful valley.

We stopped here to drink in the view.   The grass in August was so fresh and green because of the summer monsoons.  I love this time of year:). 

Turn right on Forest Road 58.   Follow the road on to the very small town of Lochiel.

Lochiel has a few residents that still live there.  My favorite site was the old one room school house.

The historical society has really cleaned it up and made it pretty.  Can you imagine going to school here with a pail of food and your overalls?

There is a historical marker and a sign in book with fun facts about the school.  We enjoyed looking around.

The school was closed, but I was able to get these fun shots from the window.   It is like a step back into times gone by.

There is a HUGE cottonwood tree right out front. The bark was as wide as my hand!  And the roots of the tree were snaking themselves along the ground.  

If you are interested in reading a book, there is a book exchange library nearby for your convenience:). How cute is that?!

Follow Lochiel Rd to FR 61.  There are lots of little roads heading this way and that way, but we just kept exploring and turning around here and there.  Don’t worry,  just keep driving and you will find all of these places:)

We were impressed by this beautiful cross alongside the road.  That must have taken a lot of time and love to make!

We were surprised when we ran right into the border!  Literally the fence is right there.  Parts of the fence were high while others were short and more of a boundary than a fence.  It was very interesting to say the least.

We followed FR61 through Duquesne, Washington Camp, and Mowry.  Along the way we saw a flock of wild turkey.   I wish I had been quicker on the draw with my camera because we also spotted a few deer, a coatimundi, a herd of antelope, and a lot of cattle.   I hope you see them too:)

We explored a few side roads and found this abandoned mine.  It was sealed of course, but was still worth a look.  We ate a few snacks here.

Another fun find was this random hole on the side of the mountain.  It was filled with water.

In the actual town of Duquesne, there are two old abandoned houses.  This green one looks like it must have been so pretty in its day.

The windows are boarded up on the sides, and  the porch is caving in.    It definitely feels “ghostly”.

The house across the street is also eerily pretty in its own way.  Oh, the stories these houses could tell if they could talk!

We hopped back into the Polaris and continued the Palooza by driving on and exploring  the old road and side roads along the way to Harshaw.

Across the road from the actual town is the old cemetery.  It is very bright and colorful with its many silk flower arrangements.   

A happy cow watched me as I  walked over to the other side of the street to see the town.

Welcome to Harshaw.   It’s hard to believe this used to be a bustling metropolis of over 2000 people! 

The remains of an old adobe house greet all those who visit and whispers to remember.  Remember a time not so long ago when life and laughter used to fill this beautiful little valley.

The house was made with old square nails and red adobe bricks made from the baked mud of the area.   It looks like it had a dirt floor that I am sure the owner swept to keep the weeds from growing inside.

I’m glad we filled up with gas before we left because I don’t think this old gas tank would have been any help!  

We drove back into Patagonia and finished our Palooza with a delicious hamburger from the Stage Stop Inn.

We had such a fun time on our first Polaris Palooza!   We hope you drive over to Patagonia Arizona and have a Palooza of your own.  Please leave a comment and let us know if you do!