Arizona XIII

Several hours northeast of Tucson is Clifton and high above the town, perched on a bluff is a memorial to all who have served from the area.

The memorial is accessed by climbing a VERY rough trail. At times, I had to find something to hold on to to keep on going. About half way up, I began to regret my decision to try to make the climb. I didn't think I could make it, but, after resting, several times, I did finally make it to the site. I would caution anyone that wants to make the journey to be well prepared and expect difficulty.

It is called "America's long walk for freedom" and you will understand.

The path leading to the site has a number of signs, honoring those from various wars who are remembered here.

All that I had read about the site said that there were 1800 dog tags on display, but when I got there I could not locate them. However, if you look at the pics, here, you can see them strung between the flag poles.  I have no explanation for why I couldn't locate them. Perhaps, it was because I was truly exhausted after the climb up. I am already thinking about trying to get back sometime.

Note the Dog Tags strung between the poles. I am told there are now more than 2000.

There are flags, a field cross of sorts and a large bell, the bell says "Ring for Freedom" so, I did. It was startling how loud it was. I guess the altitude and silence of being that high up made it seem louder. I wondered if anyone on the ground heard it.

The way back down was much easier, but I did actually fall, twice. Almost predictably, I landed in a patch of cactus and spent quite some time pulling needles out of my hand and arm. No real harm done and I am glad that I made the climb.

The bluff is called Mares Bluff and is unmarked from the main road, but anyone in the town can direct you to it, where you will find this sign at the trail head.

You can read more about this unique site, here:

 http://www.eacourier.com/news/uniqueness-marks-mares-bluff-memorial-in-greenlee-county/article_3aabb3a4-ea88-5eae-b2b7-74654c2c0f7b.html

On the 15th, next time, we will visit a memorial in California with a rather unique story. Check it out, as always, at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from Arizona, or any other state, click on the state name on the left side of this page.