SWANSEA TO BILL WILLIAMS ~ February 10, 2007

We like to visit ghost towns to learn about Arizona’s history and get a glimpse of what life might have been like in past times. Unfortunately, other people apparently go there just to take advantage of the remote site and have a good time. There were a bunch of RV’s parked on one side with dune buggies riding around on the mine tailings. On the other side was a caravan of RV’s arranged in a circle around the site’s public restroom as if to claim it for their own personal use. I don’t think that’s very nice because the restroom is intended for the use of all visitors, not just them. And who would want to park so close to a stinky outhouse in the first place? The sound of dune buggies and ATV’s gets kind of annoying when you’re trying to immerse yourself in the history of a place. Here we are traveling to the middle of nowhere to get away from civilization, while other people are bringing civilization along with them wherever they go! In a quest to find peace and quiet, we drove through the town and continued on a jeep trail which was supposed to lead to the Bill Williams River (named for an Arizona mountain man who used to live in the area) and the remains of a pumping plant that brought water through a pipeline to the townsite.

This area off the beaten path is accessible by a high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle. You will find yourself literally driving along sandy and gravelly wash bottoms through a dramatic canyon. Route-finding is fairly easy but this jeep trail is not recommended for inexperienced drivers. We’ve been four-wheeling since our Bronco II days in the early 1980’s and this was one of the tougher roads we’ve been on. It has a combination of rough rutted dirt surfaces, steep rocky places, deep sand and gravel, narrow sections with drop-offs, and tight clearance. Wash crossings may have mud and water if it’s rained recently. Certain sections may cause traction problems. Flash flooding is possible in places, and even in winter we got hot and were glad to take a dip in the river, so this trip is definitely not recommended during rainy seasons or in the heat of summer.

A friendly old guy and his dog were coming back up from the river on an ATV and the guy seemed amused to see us going down there in our big SUV. Although he left the area, he doubled back later, perhaps to check and see if we were able to make it out okay. The river and both sides of the canyon are part of the Swansea Wilderness, which is closed to motor vehicles. You will have to park at the boundary sign and walk to the river (approx. 100 yards). The pumping plant was located on the east side of the canyon where it joins the river. Supposedly if you climb up the cliff you will be able to see the old remains (the ATV guy said it’s basically just a concrete slab), but we were having too much fun picnicking at the river so we didn’t bother doing that. The river was running nicely when we were there and it was safe for even the littlest child to wade in, but the water must rage through the narrow rocky canyon dangerously at flood times. In the distance we could hear the braying of wild burros, descendants of those brought by long ago miners. When the mines were shut down, the burros were set free to roam the hills. We saw some burro trails but never did see the actual animals.

After we came back from the river, we drove around the Swansea townsite once more before leaving the area. We had stopped to look at a ruin that just happened to be next to a four-wheel drive road that went down to the old railroad grade, but we had had enough four-wheeling for one day so we were going to turn around. But before we had a chance to, some guy who was sitting nearby in a lawn chair next to a trailer came running over with a beer in one hand and told us that we shouldn’t go that way because “you won’t get down there without a four wheel drive.” My husband graciously thanked him and told him that we did have a four-wheel drive vehicle but we weren’t planning on going that way anyway. Hmpfh! If only that guy knew where we had just come from! What do we look like, yuppies?

We didn’t get the Ford Expedition XLT with off-road package for driving around town, that’s for sure! We’ve always been a 4X4 family, having progressed from a Bronco II to a Ford Explorer and finally an Expedition as our family has grown. The Ford Expedition is a great vehicle, by the way, if you’re looking for a large go-anywhere vehicle that is comfortable, kid-friendly and rugged. The 4x4 Off-Road Package provides skid plates for the underside of the vehicle. It also includes black tubular steel step bars, fog lamps, special shocks, and all-terrain tires. It's too bad that SUVs are falling out of favor these days due to soaring gas prices, because some of us really do need the extra room, off-road capability, and heavyweight towing capacity that a full-sized truck-based SUV has to offer. Whether you live on a rural homestead or if you are planning a cross-country expedition – or if for any other reason you may need a large vehicle that has room for lots of people and their stuff, as well as good off-road ability and heavyweight towing capacity – the Ford Expedition is hard to beat!