Exploring the desert

 

When there is free time to explore the desert surroundings, you can always find some ghost town nearby.  We were intrigued by the 'Cemetery' in the ghost town and found it a bigger deal than expected.

Unlike typical Arizona ghost towns based around mining, Agua Caliente ("hot water" in Spanish) was built around a natural hot spring and a stagecoach line. The natural hot spring in the area had been used by American Indians and later by travelers along the Butterfield Overland Mail Route in the early 1860s.

The 'old' section with dates of 1800's

I always love the metal sunflowers in the desert!

The newer section (with the white fences) has dates as recent as 2019.

This is a very well cared for cemetery,

note the abundance of new flags.

We noticed the name on the current 'convenience store' 

("Conde's Middle of Nowhere Chevron")

 in the tiny town of Sentinel had many Conde relatives buried in this cemetery.

 By the year 1897, a 22-room resort was built, complete with a swimming pool fed by the hot springs. Many used the resort for its healing properties, but farming in the area ultimately sucked the springs dry.

A very few of these building remains were visible.