Happy Friday! Hope you all are enjoying the warmer weather. Here in Las Cruces, NM, we have been consistently in the triple digits with no sign of relief in the near future. Nothing else to do but embrace it, I guess. Since I’ve been MIA for a while, I have a few adventures to catch up on:
Douglas, Arizona:
Back in late May, I made a day trip to meet up for lunch with my friend, Tyson. Despite living nearly 400 miles apart, we traditionally have met at a midpoint for day trips. This time, it was the small border town of Douglas, AZ.
At just over 16,000 residents, this town sits along the border of Mexico and is one of the more popular international crossings in this area. Incorporated in 1905, the town got its name from James Douglas, a mining pioneer. The most significant landmark the town offers is the Gadsden Hotel. Built in 1907, then destroyed by a fire, it was rebuilt in 1929 and most of what you see today has been preserved from then.
This was the perfect meeting point for lunch. I met Tyson here in the 6 S while he was driving his tried and true ’92 Integra GS-R. Both of our cars are well over 200,000 miles, but neither of us questioned bringing them to a small town hundreds of miles from any major service facilities.
Stepping inside the hotel, we were greeted with an elaborate interior. Detailed woodwork, massive stained glass murals, marble for days, and a grand staircase sitting at the base of a towering foyer make you feel like you’re in something very special.
Lunch was at the hotel restaurant, Casa Segovia. We dang near had the place to ourselves and was given the red-carpet treatment from the staff. Chicken Enchiladas Verde hit the spot.
After lunch, we did our usual exploring with a few car photos.
Thanks, Tyson for meeting up!
250,000 Miles and Mogollon, NM
Since the Douglas meet with Tyson, we had entertained the idea of doing another drive where both our cars would turnover 250,000 miles at the same time. His Integra was only a few thousand miles behind the 6 in reaching that milestone. However, both of our busy schedules didn’t allow for that, so maybe at another milestone later.
I took advantage of a work related assignment in Silver City and drove north from there into the Gila wilderness to get the 6 to 250,000. The historic ghost town of Mogollon was exactly the distance I needed (~240 miles). This makes my second visit to Mogollon as I first visited the town back in 2015.
Misty rain, cloud cover and virtually no traffic was just what the doctor ordered! A major relief from several consecutive days of 100+°F.
The winding road leading up to Mogollon turns into a single lane. Watch out around those blind corners!
My dog Charlie accompanied me on this drive, and we would make occasional pit stops to stretch his legs.
Switchbacks galore.
Lots of deer and elk spotted along the way.
Arrived!
Lots of infrastructure improvements have been made since my last visit. To prevent flooding from future storm events, NMDOT improved the roadway significantly with a large channel and other drainage facilities.
Check out the difference from 2015…
Most of the town was closed so I didn’t stay long. Back to my mission and on the way back down the mountain, it happened…
Quarter million miles, baby! Complete with matching trip odo reading.
Thanks for coming along for the ride. Until next time!
Pawela's Garage 
It’s only 8:44 in the morning here, but I’ve never been craving chicken enchiladas so much in my life! That meal from Casa Segovia is looking tasty. Thanks for meeting up in Douglas. And CONGRATS on the 250k milestone! Wow – I’m really surprised to see how much Mogollon has changed since just the last time you went there. Paved road and the whole 9 yards! I kind of preferred it when it was a little more “back-roadsy” with the dirt path. The 6-S is looking better than ever. I’m still eating your dust but will probably log a few miles in the green Teggy this weekend to play catch-up…
Thanks, Tyson! I’m already looking at Mexican grub options for lunch here. I agree in preferring the more rugged look of Mogollon, but I bet the few residents there are enjoying the improvements. There’s a small cafe there called the Purple Onion which we’ll have to hit up one of these “lunch days.” I bet the green Teg will catch up soon enough or even beat me. 😀
As I said to Tyson, next time you’re in the Douglas area you guys need to stay a night and get the scoup as to whether the Gadsden is really haunted! Congratulations on the massive milestone, the 6 is still one sharp looking car. Good to see that you took Charlie along for the ride, looking forward to reading about many future adventures in the 6.
Thanks, Adam. I’d be totally down for investigating that haunted rumor. Charlie enjoyed the ride for sure. I may take him along more often on this sort of thing. Happy Monday!