Bisbee, Lavender Copper Mine and the Fence

      On Saturday, 2/4/17, we continued on from the San Pedro National Conservation Area to Bisbee, Arizona. Bisbee was full of artist's shops, restaurants and hilly narrow streets that end in dead ends but an attraction to many people not only from the US but internationally. There was a big group of Chinese tourists enjoying the place while we were there. Parking was at a high premium. We drove through and up into the higher parts of town and found a delightful store-bakery-juice bar-patio to have lunch. We have easily found restaurants that allow dogs on the patio. Rose had the company of two big golden retrievers on the patio. We found restaurants in Tombstone also that were dog friendly.
      Bisbee, like Tombstone, is a mining town. For Tombstone it was silver but for Bisbee the draw was the copper mine, first high grade underground mines but later starting during WWII it was open pit low grade copper mining. The Lavender Copper mine pits were first above the town and around it. Open pit mines that are now reclaimed and replanted. The huge pits just outside of town only stopped working in 1974. They are deep, rutted and metallic smelling ruts which await the huge task of reclamation. Must admit as we were reminded at the story board above the mine overview that it is our telephones, now cellphones, wires and computers that continue demand copper and open pit allows the lower grades to be mined. Ouch!

The pit at the bottom is a red color which didn't show in the picture and this is only on of many such pits in the area. Our technology comes at a big cost but such mines helped us win WWII and make many of the advances we now enjoy. Made me look a bit differently about taxpayers bearing the cost of reclamation. 

After viewing the mining area, we drove on through the desert  to Neco a border town with a port of entry from Mexico. On the trip we saw several border patrol SUVs parked descreetly along the road on small side roads and Border Patrol horse trailers sitting empty while the officers patrols on horse back. We wanted to see the fence which now stands and understand why, other than because Trump promised, we need to spend billions for some Wall of the U.S. 

The Wall we have now at border crossings like Neco is double and at least 20 feet tall. This double fence runs for at least 1 miles beyond the town and continues a single fence with lights along  the fences which I am sure burn all night. The patrols move along the fence in SUVs and horses and probably 4 wheelers. I can't imagine how disruptive a wall would be to both man and beast.