Is Paradise Perfection?

Back in 1990 Tremors was released.  The first of 4 movies followed by a single season of 13 TV episodes, the series became a cult classic.  Developed by Stampede Entertainment  the original idea was a germ born in the deserts of California.

The geographical location for Tremors is the small town of Perfection, Nevada.  But where did the idea for Perfection originate?  Was there a template that gave rise to Perfection?  Is there some place which combines all the characteristics of Perfection Valley that actually exists in the desert southwest?  Could Perfection valley actually be a compilation of Paradise and Portal Arizona, with Rodeo New Mexico, in the San Simon Valley?  There are a number of correlations between the fictional setting of the Tremors series and this valley in southeastern Arizona/southwestern New Mexico and anyone who has spent time in this isolated valley can easily imagine graboids inhabiting the area.

No cell phone service characterizes Perfection Nevada and over 20 years after the release of Tremors the San Simon valley still has no cell service.  The rumor mill is constantly reporting “it will be next month“ and there will be cell phone coverage.  In fact it is walkie talkies or radios which are frequently used by local residents.  Local businesses have introduced femtocells and other devices to create small areas of cell phone reception within the valley, but there is no general cell phone coverage.

Perfection valley is orientated north/south while the San Simon valley is also orientated north/south as part of the basin and range province of the southwest.

Perfection valley is bounded by mountain ranges on both the east and west.  While the San Simon valley is bounded by the Chiricahua mountains to the west and the Peloncillo mountains to the east reaching its narrowest point between Rodeo and Portal.

The reported length of Perfection valley is between 30-50 miles.  This corresponds to the length from 1-10 south to the San Bernardino valley, basically the length of the Chiricahua mountain range.

The north end of the valley is described as composed of cliffs.  The San Simon valley actually ends at the base of the Mogollon rim, the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau, although much further north than depicted in the movies.  While the southern edge is described as a rock ridge.  The San Simon valley rises to the south with a drainage divide separating it from the San Bernardino valley in the Gerinomo lava field.

A single road through the area connecting Perfection with Bixby.  Rodeo sits on Highway 80 the only paved north/south road through the San Simon valley.  A portion of the original coast to coast highway known as the Broadway of America, this segment of highway 80 runs from I-10 in the north to Douglas (on the way to Bisbee) in the south.

Hot springs are described and the source of heat to incubate graboid eggs.  The San Simon valley has a number of geothermal resources of it’s own.  Including the Hot Wells Dune Recreation Area, and several hot springs are located to the north in the valley.  Residents on the east side of the San Simon valley around Rodeo also have hot wells.

A silver mine plays a prominent role in Tremors 4.  The Chiricahua mine above Paradise as well as the Cochise Mine, Hilltop mine, and other small claims in the area produced a variety of minerals including silver. 

Perfection was founded in 1902 the same year as Rodeo.  Although Rodeo was built by the railroad and utilized for cattle shipping, not as a mining town.  The town of Paradise was a mining community.  Paradise received it's post office in 1901, a year earlier than Perfection.

Perfection is described as the only town in the valley, south of I-10 Rodeo is the only community out in the valley.  Both Paradise and Portal are within the Chiricahua mountains.

A small number of residents.  Paradise only has a couple of full time residents.  It along with the valley is isolated with a population density of about 1 person/square mile.

A single Asian family is prominent in Perfection operating Chang's Market for several generations.  In the book “A Portal to Paradise” an Asian ran an establishment in Paradise during its heyday as a mining town.

Changs Market, the only store in Perfection is old red building measuring 60 x 30 feet and bears a significant likeness to the Portal Peak Store, in Portal.

Scientists abound around Perfection.  The American Museum of Natural History has maintained a research station for over 50 years in the canyon outside Portal.  Known for the high biodiversity in the Chiricahua mountains there are many scientists who not only live in the area but also study the wildlife.

The closest town is the fictional town of Bixby.  Bisbee lies in the San Pedro Valley on the west side of the Chiricahua mountains (outside of the San Simon valley).  Although not the closest town it is perhaps the best known.  Bisbee lies 65 miles (straight line) from Paradise.  Like the fictional town of Bixby, Bisbee is also the location of the Cochise County Sheriffs administrative offices and jail are located.

The final episode of Tremors actually takes place in Cochise County, Arizona, the county where Paradise and Portal are both located.

While correlations are not causation the number of similarities suggests one of the creators or writers spent time in the area and used their observations in creating the geographical setting for Tremors.  Alternatively, to much time was spent out fencing in the hot sun.

Note:  This Mimbres style pictograph from the Chiricahua Mountains is labeled as a dragonfly, but it may also be interpreted as an AssBlaster, the aerial morph of a Shrieker,  suggesting these "death-dealing denizens of dirt" have been in the valley for a longtime.

Another Kid Friendly Family Reunion

Another family reunion is underway at the Painted Pony Resort and this one is all about the children.  A kiddie carnival was set up in the courtyard and 2 jumpers were rented for the kids to play in during the carnival.  Family centered activities are the core of family reunions and the with 80 acres and 3 buildings people can spread out and have private time or congregate and participate in group activities.  A family Olympics is also planned and the ping pong, pool table, and basket ball court will see lots of activity.

Carnival Preparations

Jumpers for the kids

Nature Deficit Disorder, the Cure is Here.

Coined by Richard Louv in the 2005 book "Last Child in the Woods", nature deficit disorder is a description of a trend occurring in young people as well as adults.  Simply put, as people become more urbanized a disconnect begins to develop between individuals and nature.  Children no longer spend as much time outside exploring nature but rather spend more and more time indoors.  Playing video games, watching TV, or on the computer.  According to Louv, the result of this disconnect is a variety of behavioral problems and a limited respect for their natural surroundings.

Based on these observations the question arises, what can a parent do to counter act this trend?  How can parents expose their children to nature when so many other demands on time exist? 

While cleaning after a recent 4 generation family reunion held at the Painted Pony Resort the item shown below turned up.  It was found in one of the courtyard planters.   A clear plastic box with a removable top and air vents along with a magnifying viewing port.  All hanging from a string just the right length to hang around a little ones neck.  It’s an insect collecting box.  An interesting find and its presence is very telling.  The insect collecting box is not something that would attract the eye of a child under the age of 10 in a store.  It is not particularly flashy, no electronics or flashing lights, just a simple plastic box for collecting and viewing insects.  This suggests that the purchase was not made by a little one but rather a little one’s older relative and this relative wanted to expose a child to nature, specifically entomology.  Clear evidence of a parent's awareness of nature deficit disorder and their attempt to combat it while enjoying the surroundings at the Painted Pony Resort.

A child's insect collection box

Another Wedding at the Painted Pony Resort

Two weddings in 2 weeks, things have been very busy at the Painted Pony Resort.   With our extensive local contacts a cleaning crew was recruited to reduce the turn around time and prepare the facility after the last wedding party departed.  This compares with a couple of weeks it takes a single person to completely clean and prepare the facility.  Even the gravel driveway into to facility was raked and prepped.

The new guests arrived and they also planned an outdoor wedding ceremony. These guests combined the wedding with a world wide family reunion.  The couple were originally married in Europe but family members from the states were unable to attend the ceremony, so plans were made to have a duplicate ceremony here in the U.S.  The place was full with both sides of the family and had an international air with French and English being spoken.

During their stay the guests have enjoyed some birding in the Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge,  a trip to Bisbee, and morning walks which turn into archeological surveys of the property.  So far a nice bifacial scrapper, a stone bell, and a 2 cm chert arrowhead have been recorded from the property.  A petangue  tournament was also organized and the past several evenings have involved heated matches between half a dozen teams.  A game of French origin, petanque appears easy but tossing the metal balls and having them stop closest to the cochonnet (the piglet) proves difficult.  A petanque court was set up next to the runway with easy access to the main house and bungalow.

Courtyard wedding preparations

Outdoor wedding in front of the Peloncillo Mountains