I originally found Two Guns on Roadside America back in 2014. It was right on the way to where we were heading except we were majorly crunched for time. We had reservations and had to check into our wigwam before the front office closed for the night. But Two Guns!!!! It looked amazing. We had to stop, there was no two ways about it. Jeff and I agreed we’d only spend ten minutes there so we both got out of the car and literally ran from building to building snapping photos like crazy. The ten minutes was up in no time at all. We got back to the car gasping for breath and full of adrenaline. My pictures weren’t that great but it’s honestly one of my favorite memories from that whole trip.
To this day, we still talk about that visit all the time. I’ve even exclaimed that I want to get married there someday. They’re just some silly abandoned buildings but they became something special because our brief visit was so fun.
Each trip out west Jeff and I try to take a different route so that we aren’t just doing the exact same thing over and over. So far, other than the airport we fly into, we’ve done a pretty great job at this. A few days before we left for this year’s trip Jeff text me to say he had just realized we’d be near Two Guns. Swinging by this year would only add seven minutes to our drive so obviously it was a necessity to stop and actually take our time there.
When I first got into geocaching at the beginning of this year I was blown away by the fact that there are basically geocaches everywhere. One of my first thoughts was “I wonder if there was a geocache at Two Guns!” Sure enough there is but it’s WAY cooler than I could have ever imagined. Since the second we read the description, Jeff and I have been basically frothing at the mouth to get this thing. The cache isn’t near the abandoned buildings, instead it’s underground… in the Apache Death Cave. I won’t go into it but the cave has a crazy interesting history, as made quite obvious by the name. You can read more about it here. There’s even more insanity not listed in that article if you still feel like digging around!
We wandered around the abandoned stuff for a while, getting all the shots we weren’t able to take on our first visit then it came time to find the cache. We took the short hike over to where we thought the cave might be and sure enough there she was. The photo below shows where you climb down. In older photos I found on google it appears that those logs used to have boards going across so the walk down was fairly easy but these days you choose a log and hope your balance is good enough. Jeff took this really cute photo of me walking up the logs!
You guys, I love adventure. I like exploring new places, and I like a bit of danger. I love when my adrenaline is pumping and I talk a big game but when it comes right down to it, sometimes I’m a giant weenie. I was terrified in this cave. Not because of bats, or the dark but because I was afraid rocks would fall and we’d be trapped. I was afraid the cave, which is said to be cursed, would end up being our one final adventure.
Jeff, on the other hand, basically had the time of his life in this cave. He even said “I think I can retire from geocaching now.” because seriously, how could a cache be in a cooler spot than this one?! Despite being afraid, I was definitely enjoying myself. It was a true adventure! How many people can say they explored a real cave in the middle of the desert? Not somewhere you have to pay an admission fee, and have a guide. But a reeeeal cave. IT. WAS. AWESOME.
After making it out of the cave alive, wahooo, we poked around the property a bit more checking out the ruins of buildings. We didn’t get a chance to see this area last year so it was all new to us. Then when I started researching the cave after leaving I realized we missed a few more buildings that hold fairly significant history here. Guess that just means we have to go back again…
Until next time, Two Guns!!
xoxo
To see more posts from this trip + others, check out the “travel” tag.
