All on the Turn of a Card

Tonight we are in a small motel in a town in the mountains of eastern Arizona called Show Low which is just north of the White Mountain Apache Reservation lands. After yet another drive through breath taking scenery down one side of the San Carlos Canyon, across the Salt River then up the other side after driving over the El Capitan Pass which was first discovered by Kit Carson some years before he guided an American Army expedition into California over it in 1846, we reached a viewpoint called Becker Butte Lookout which gave us a true 'Kodak Moment'.





Later on, after driving through the Tonto Forest we got to Show Low and checked into our motel on a road called West Deuce of Clubs. Great names if a trifle unusual. What is the story behind them?
Back in the 1860s two men who had set up a large ranch in the area decided that they wanted to end their business relationship. But how were they to decide who would buy out who? Through a card game of course. They played and played but neither one was able to eliminate the other so finally they decided to cut cards and whoever 'showed low' would buy out the other and keep the ranch. The first player cut the pack and cut the deuce of clubs! Game, set and match to him. So that is why the town that was incorporated on part of the ranch land in 1870 is called Show Low and the main road through it is named Deuce of Clubs.
So here we are tonight, in a motel in Show Low, dining from a surprisingly good selection of kosher food from the local Safeway heated up in the room microwave and drinking Red Hook Long Hammer IPA. However, since there doesn't appear to be any Jewish community within miles of this place, did Safeway decide to stock a kosher range just for us? The mystery deepens.