Chapter 28
Sunday morning in the Superstition Mountains was greeted when the sun started peeking above the eastern horizon. It was September 25th, 2016.
The morning sun beating down on the faces of Dalton and Chrissy woke them up.
They sat up and saw their campfire was nothing but glowing ashes. They glanced over at each other, a little confused. It took them a few seconds to remember where they were.
"Good morning," said Dalton.
"Good morning," said Chrissy, then her eyes widened and thought about having bad breath. She opened up her backpack and opened up a small bottle of mouthwash.
She got up with the bottle and walked ten feet away. She opened the bottle, took a swig, swished it in her mouth then spit it in the dirt.
She walked over to Dalton. "Want to use this?"
"Sure," said Dalton knowing his breath must be awful. He grabbed the bottle and did the same thing ten feet away.
After some granola bars and some bear claws, Dalton and Chrissy packed everything back up except for a flashlight. They had their sleeping bags rolled back up on their backpack.
"Are you ready for this?" said Dalton while he kicked up dirt all over the smothering campfire to ensure it wouldn't flare up after they left.
"It's now or never."
Dalton looked at the pruning and coiled up the rope in the dirt near where they slept. His eyes widened with an idea. He picked up the saw and rope.
He walked them over to that huge rock by the cave opening.
He tucked them behind the rock.
"Why did you do that?"
"I was thinking, if we go back in time, the rope shouldn't be behind that rock."
"Good thinking," said Chrissy.
"Ready?"
"I'm ready," said Chrissy.
Dalton glanced up at the sky and saw clouds. "Getting a little cloudy this morning."
Chrissy glanced up at the sky. "It is."
Dalton and Chrissy looked back at the cave opening.
"Ready?"
"I'm ready," said Chrissy.
They slowly walked to the entrance of Crazy Hole.
They stopped at the entrance.
Dalton turned on his flashlight. Chrissy turned on her flashlight.
They glanced at each other, and both took a deep breath of courage. They both stepped inside the cave
They slowly walked into the vast cave opening.
"Man, this is a large cave," said Dalton while he shined his flashlight all over the sides and top of the cave tunnel.
"It's big enough for a horse," said Chrissy.
"Yep, said Dalton while he still shined his flashlight all over the cave walls. "And a little spooky."
"Got that right," said Chrissy while she shined her flashlight all over the cave walls.
They slowly walked deeper and deeper into the dark cave with their flashlights guiding the way.
Dalton and Chrissy hiked for five minutes inside Crazy Hole while the tunnel snaked and curved underneath Miners Needle.
They continued to walk through the cave for another five minutes.
The cave tunnel dead-ended.
Dalton and Chrissy shined their flashlights all over the dead end.
Their flashlights illuminated a stone embedded in the cave wall with a carved image of a priest holding a cross.
"I wonder who put that there?" said Dalton.
"Maybe someone trying to tell us that Crazy Hole is evil," said Chrissy.
"That sounds plausible."
Chrissy shined her flashlight at the ground underneath that carving. The flashlight illuminated two holes dug in the dirt. "Look at this."
Dalton looked down and saw the two holes in the dirt.
"I hope that's not done by some creature," said Chrissy while she started to get a little nervous.
"I think something was buried here, and someone dug it up," said Dalton, and he got curious and shined his flashlight into the hole to the right. Empty.
He shined his flashlight into the hole to the left.
He saw something. He reached inside and removed an 1880 silver dollar. "Buried loot, I would say based on this old silver dollar," said and showed Chrissy the coin.
"Any more in there?"
Dalton shined his flashlight all around the inside of that hole. "Nothing."
He stood up and shoved that dollar in his pants pocket.
They both looked at that tunnel to the left. They saw the other tunnel.
"Right is the way," said Dalton while he looked at that tunnel.
"Let's see if that saying is true," said Chrissy.
They both inched closer to the tunnel. They stopped.
"Are you ready?" said Dalton.
"I'm ready," she said. "What date should we go back to?"
Dalton thought for a few seconds. "I know."
Dalton and Christy took another deep breath of courage and stepped into that tunnel.
"We want to travel back to September 25th, eighteen eighty-three," said Dalton.
He motioned for Chrissy that they should get this show on the road. She nodded, and they headed into that other tunnel.
The split second they entered inside the tunnel, blue plasma light flashed and illuminated all around them. It stung their entire body.
"Ahhhh!" Dalton and Chrissy cried out in pain in unison while they walked through the tunnel.
Within a split second, Dalton and Chrissy were back outside by the cave opening.
"What was that?" said Dalton while he shivered until that strange tingling sensation dissipated from his body.
"I guess time traveling," said Chrissy while she shivered until that strange tingling sensation dissipated from her body.
The sun had just risen above the horizon.
"Looks like it worked," said Dalton looking at the sun just above the horizon, providing some sunlight.
"That's what I'm thinking."
Dalton glanced behind that huge rock. "The pruning saw, and rope are gone," he said.
Chrissy looked and didn't see the saw or rope behind the rock. "True. I don't think someone came by and stole it."
Dalton rushed over and looked at the right side of that huge rock. "The cacti we cut isn't here," he said, and his heart started to race with a little excitement. "There's no way someone would cart that away."
Chrissy looked around the area. "You're right. There's no way someone would cart those away," she said, and her heart started to race with a little excitement.
"We need to check out something else to make sure," said Dalton.
"What's that?"
"Follow me. It's a good hike, but it will be worth it."
"What's that?"
"Oak Creek."
Chrissy smiled, thinking that it would be cool to see a real old western town instead of the old movie sets she observed in the past.
Dalton and Chrissy walked off.
It wasn't long before Dalton stopped. "Look what we have here," he said and pointed down at the railroad tracks. They were not rusty tracks and not in a few pieces. It looked like a functional train track.
"The Southern Pacific train track," said Chrissy.
"Yes, the Southern Pacific train tracks. The same track from the old west," he said while his eyes lit up with excitement. "We traveled back in time to the old west!" he cried out and was so excited that he hugged Chrissy and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He released her from his hug.
Chrissy was a little speechless from realizing they traveled back in time and also from Dalton's hug and kiss. She smiled. "We did."
"Now what do we do?" said Dalton.
Chrissy looked around the area. "We should follow those tracks and get a glimpse of Oak Creek. That would be the final proof we went back to the old west."
Dalton thought about her suggestion. "We could do that, but need to stay clear on the people of this time."
"Got that right," said Chrissy.
"Now, from Professor Mather's lecture, Oak Creek was about six miles north of Miners Needle," he said while tried to get his bearings by glancing up at the sun. "So let's follow the tracks and head this way," he said.
Dalton and Chrissy walked along the train tracks heading north.
Forty minutes had passed, and the sun was rising higher in the sky.
Dalton and Chrissy were about two miles north when they heard something.
"Did you hear that?" said Chrissy and stopped.
"I heard it," said Dalton, and he stopped and turned around.
Off in the distance to the sound, they saw some billowing black smoke.
"The train. That's the train going to Oak Creek, I bet," said Dalton.
"That's what I'm thinking," said Chrissy.
They knew the train would be arriving soon, so they turned around and searched for a place to hide.
"Over behind that rock," said Dalton.
Chrissy agreed with a nod, and they both rushed over and hid behind this rock.
Three minutes had passed, and they saw the train operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company race down the track with more black smoke billowing out of its stack.
The train was farther down the track while Dalton and Chrissy got out from behind the rock.
"This is way too exciting," said Dalton.
"I know."
Dalton and Chrissy walked back north along the tracks.
The sun was higher in the sky.
They saw something in the foreground. Something exciting.
Dalton and Chrissy stopped and hid behind another rock.
"I don't believe it," said Dalton while he glanced farther down the tracks.
"Oak Creek. There's Oak Creek," said Chrissy. "And I can see the Salt River."
"I feel like I'm dreaming," said Dalton while he saw the Salt River about a quarter of a mile from the town.
"We, if you are, then we're having the same dream."
"We went back in time," he and got so excited that he leaned over and gave Chrissy a kiss on her lips without thinking.
Chrissy was surprised.
Dalton realized what he did and got embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that," he said and waited for her to scold him.
"That's alright," she said, but inside she was jumping for joy for having Dalton kiss her.
Dalton was relieved. His eyes widened, remembering something. He took his backpack off his back and opened it up. He removed his binoculars. He used them to get a closer view of Oak Creek.
From his binoculars, Dalton could see part of Oak Creek.
He saw the gallows in Main Street. He saw a body dangling from a rope on the gallows. He knew what just happened. "Bart Stone criminal life just ended."
"Really?" said Chrissy.
Dalton handed her the binoculars. She saw the gallows. She saw Bart's lifeless body dangling from the end of the rope. She saw the crowd disperse and walk away.
"We just witnessed history," she said while she handed the binoculars back to Dalton.
"I know, said Dalton, and he put the binoculars back in his backpack then removed his cell phone. "Of course," he quietly said when he noticed he didn't have any cell coverage. But he didn't care. He opened up the camera app and started to snap a few pictures of Oak Creek.
Chrissy saw him snapping pictures. "Great idea. We got proof and probably the only picture of Oak Creek."
"That's what I'm thinking," Dalton said while he put his cell phone back in his backpack.
Chrissy handed him his binoculars. "I guess we better head back home."
"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Dalton while he put his binoculars back in his backpack. He put his backpack on his back.
They glanced and saw Miners Needle way off to the south. They both knew they had a long hike back home.
Dalton and Chrissy started south hiking along the train tracks.
Chrissy started to think about Dalton kissing her. A smile grew on her face thinking about that moment. "Dalton, tell me about your parents," she said, wanting to learn more about him.
"Well, nothing much to tell," he said and paused for a few seconds. "Mom and dad died in a car accident when I was four years old."
"I'm so sorry," she said and felt bad for asking. "I didn't mean to bring up old sad memories," she said while she touched his arm to show she cared.
"Nothing to be sorry about. It happens. They, ah, dropped me off at Grandma Amy's house so they could go out for dinner and a little dancing. And then a drunk driver killed them when they were on their way to pick me up."
"That's horrible to think that a guy without the sense to know not to drive while drunk ruined someone's life."
"So, Grandma Amy raised me, and she was loving and caring," said Dalton with a warm smile remembering his Grandma Amy. "She was good to me and gave me a loving home." "She died six months ago but had money saved for me going to college."
"I'm glad."
"You said you were a junior. So what did you do right after high school? Did you work?" said Chrissy.
"No, I enlisted in the Air Force and spent four years as a Security Policeman. That's why I'm working toward a Criminal Justice degree," said Dalton. "I'm using my GI bill for college plus the money I saved while in the Air Force."
"That's nice."
"Plus, my parents apparently started saving for my college fun when I was an infant. So Grandma Amy did some wise investing."
"Where were you stationed?"
"Funny thing is that I was stationed here at Luke Air Force Base. I loved this area, so when I got out to go to college, I decided to say here in the Phoenix area."
There were a few seconds of silence between them.
"What about your parents? I hope they're still around."
"They are. Dad was an abusive drunk and ran off when I was seven. Then mom got hooked on drugs, and she ran off with some guy leaving me with Grandpa Henry when I was eight. He raised me and saved up money for college," said Chrissy. "He was also loving and caring."
"I don't have any brothers or sisters. Do you?" said Dalton.
"Neither do I."
Dalton and Chrissy realized that they had something in common. No families that are around to worry about them.
Dalton and Chrissy remained quiet while they hiked and took in the 1883 scenery. But it really didn't look any different from the 2016 landscape.
They were an hour away from Miner's Needle when they heard the galloping sound of some horses.
"We better hide," said Dalton.
Chrissy nodded in agreement while they both looked for a hiding place.
"That huge bush over there by those rocks," said Dalton and pointed.
Dalton and Chrissy rushed over to those rocks and bush. They crouched down behind the bush.
They waited. A few minutes passed, and they saw six cowboys on horsed galloping in their direction about four hundred feet away. It appeared that they were riding from the direction of Oak Creek.
"Looks like they're all wearing black pants, black shirts, and black cowboy hats," said Dalton while he peeked around the bush.
Chrissy peaked around the bush. "You're right."
Dalton's eyes widened. "Get my binoculars out of my backpack. I have a strange hunch," he said.
Chrissy unzipped his backpack, reached inside, and removed his binoculars. She handed them back to Dalton.
Dalton looked through his binoculars and got a closer view of those cowboys. "I knew it."
"Knew what?"
"That's Earl "Blue" Olson and his gang," said Dalton keeping his binoculars on Blue Earl and saw his trademark blue bandana's tied on his saddle and flapping in the wind. These bandanas were used to cover their mouths and noses during a robbery.
He saw his five-member gang riding behind Blue Earl's horse. "Yep, the one only Blue Earl Olson and his gang of bank robbers," he said, passing the binoculars back to Chrissy.
She looked through the binoculars and got a good glimpse of Blue Earl. "It's him, alright."
Dalton thought about what he learned about Blue Earl from the history books. "I read that he and his gang first came to this area around this time. They left the New Mexico territory area as the law was causing too much heat for them. So they figured the Arizona territory would be prime pickings for their way of life," he said.
"Cool, we're witnessing history in the making," said Chrissy while she glanced at all of Blue Earl's gang members through the binoculars.
"Blue Earl created havoc on this territory for about two years before moving on, and his whereabouts and final demise was never known," said Dalton.
"I wonder where they're heading?" said Chrissy while she handed Dalton his binoculars.
"Probably to find a hideout. I think they started robbing around this area in October about now. They believed they paid it cool for a while and drank at the local saloons in the various towns. You know, as a way of staking out the area and the law threat," said Dalton.
Dalton looked through his binoculars and saw the Blue Earl gang was no longer a threat. "We can go now," he said and handed Chrissy his binoculars.
She tucked them away in his backpack.
They walked away from the bush and headed south towards Miners Needle.
During the next hour, they chatted more about their lives and finally arrived back at Miners Needle.
They stood by the entrance of Crazy Hole.
"Well, ready to return home?" said Dalton.
Chrissy glanced around the area. "Yeah," she said but didn't sound excited.
They each removed the flashlights out of each other's backpacks. They turned them on the set foot into the cave.
They walked deeper and deeper into the dark cave with their flashlight guiding the way.
Dalton and Chrissy hiked for five minutes inside Crazy Hole while the tunnel snaked and curved underneath Miners Needle.
They continued to walk through the cave for another five minutes.
They came to that dead end.
"Take us back to Sunday, September 25th, two thousand sixteen," said Dalton.
They headed to the tunnel to the right and went inside it.
The split second they entered inside the tunnel, blue plasma light flashed and illuminated all around them again. It again stung their whole body.
"Ahhhh!" Dalton and Chrissy cried out in pain in unison while they walked through the tunnel.
Within a split second, Dalton and Chrissy were back outside by the cave opening.
"I don't know if I can get used to that," said Dalton while he shivered until that strange tingling sensation dissipated from his body.
"I know what you mean," she said while she shivered until that strange tingling sensation dissipated from her body.
Dalton glanced around the area and saw those pieces of cut cacti in the dirt by the right side of that huge rock.
He looked behind that huge rock and saw his pruning saw and rope. "We returned."
Chrissy looked behind that huge rock and saw the pruning saw and rope. "We did."
They walked away and headed back down Dutchman's Trail.
They hiked through those same small streams.
They hiked by those numerous Saguaro cacti.
They hiked by those same poppy flowers.
They hiked by those same spring desert flowers.
An hour passed, and they hiked down Bluff Springs Trail.
A little while later and they hiked back to that dirt parking lot. They were exhausted.
They got inside Dalton's Civic and headed back to his apartment.
It was quiet during the drive to Dalton's apartment.
He parked his Civic not too far from Chrissy's 2009 Toyota Corolla.
"You look totally exhausted," he said while he turned off his Civic.
'I am," said Chrissy during a yawn.
Dalton thought for a few seconds. "You're too exhausted to drive. Why don't you sleep in my apartment? My couch is extremely comfortable. I mean, I don't want you to fall asleep while driving back to your place," he said, then cringed inside wondering if he went a little too far.
Chrissy looked at Dalton. "Actually, that would be nice. I could stand a shower."
"Well, you're in luck, I have a shower in my place."
Chrissy had a light chuckle then her stomach giggled.
"We could order pizza again."
"That sounds nice."
Dalton and Chrissy got out of his Civic and headed off to his apartment.
Once they got inside his apartment. She took a shower.
Dalton ordered two small pizzas while she was in the shower.
The pizza arrived while Dalton was in the shower, and Chrissy paid for it this time.
They had some quiet time while they ate some pizza that that sure hit the spot after their old west adventure.
They cleaned up from eating and sat on the couch in the living room.
"Want to watch a movie?" said Dalton.
"Sure, what do you want to watch?"
"Whatever you want to watch."
Chrissy thought for a few seconds. "Do you have that movie Westworld?"
"I sure do," said Dalton, and he got up off the couch, walked over to his bookcase of DVDs and picked out that movie.
He put it in the DVD player and turned on the TV.
He walked over and sat back down on the couch.
While the Westworld movie started, he did a quick glance at Chrissy. He smiled as he loved having a female in his apartment. He felt like a stud.
Chrissy also did a quick glance at Dalton. She also loved being in his apartment.
The movie was at the scene where everybody entered the Westworld theme park.
"You know, it would be cool if a place like that existed. I mean. How cool would it be to go on vacation and hang around for a week just like you were in the real west," said Dalton.
Chrissy thought about what he said for a few seconds. Her eyes widened a little. "You forget something."
"What's that?"
"We can do that."
"We can how?" said Dalton, and he was too exhausted to think. It took a few seconds, but it dawned on him. "We can. We have Crazy Hole."
Dalton thought about what she said for a few seconds. "Yes, we do. We could go back there, and you know, hang around eighteen eighty-three Oak Creek. That could be our vacation," said Chrissy.
Dalton thought about what she said for a few seconds. His eyes lit up. "Yeah, we could. Take a v