Chiricahua National Monument Rocks! - Arizona

Wilcox, Arizona

Wilcox Elks Lodge

The Chiricahua National Monument in southeast Arizona is known for its rhyolite rock pinnacles. Some rising hundreds of feet into the air balanced on a small base.  It's a simple park with one road in that passes the visitor center and a small campground.  It's for smaller rigs and since we could not find boondocking close enough we stayed 45 minutes away at the Elks Lodge in Wilcox.

 

The road in passes through some pines as you rise in elevation.  It's much cooler up here too.

Then you pass through some of the spires and pinnacles.  Very impressive.

We stopped at the visitors center to get some suggestions on which hike to take as our time was limited.  We drove up to the Lookout and walked the short path to the top. Beautiful 360 degree views.  We then drove to the Echo Canyon Parking and took the Echo Canyon Trail to the Grottoes.  We hiked about 4 miles in total.  You could have continued further but this gave us the most variety and we could hike among the boulders and spires.

What a great view looking East.  You can see New Mexico.

Love the bark on the Alligator Juniper.

So many stacked rocks.  Some on very small bases.

A castle like look out.

We named these The Kissing Rocks.

The triangle shaped peak really stood out with the pinnacles.

On the Grotto Trail you hike all around them.

 

In 1976 these 9440 acres of Chiricahua National Monument are Class I Wilderness.  No developments that alter the land such as roads, buildings, utility lines etc are allowed.

We did a little rock climbing too.

Some amazing balanced rocks.

Beautiful views are everywhere.  We'll need to come back and hike on some of the other trails.

The rocks are covered in colorful lichen.

   

 

This was a fun spot to climb around and explore.

We had a picnic lunch and the Blue Jays were very friendly.  They kept coming to my hand to take peanuts.  Angie got a great slo-mo video of them.

How cool is that?!

What a great, long day we had!

Sandhill Cranes and Smoked Tequila - SE Arizona

McNeal, Arizona 

Sportsman's Access

The migration of the Sandhill Cranes is an amazing sight to see when you catch them at peak numbers before they head out of southwest Arizona.  We decided to stop by for a few nights so Rick and Angie could see them.

Instead of staying right in the White Water Draw Rec Area, we went down the road a bit to the Sportsman's Access Point.  Much smaller and almost no one there.  While we would have to drive back to the Draw to see the cranes in the ponds where they congregate, this was the best spot in the end.  You could fit several rigs and still have room to turn around to exit if it were crowded.

Rick & Angie checked out the path on their e-bikes.

I think we caught them at close to peak numbers.  It's a spectacular sight to see them take off in the morning to feed back in the nearby fields or fly back into the ponds in the evening for protection from predators.

Sunset is the best time to be here.

The skies turn pink and purple drenching the mountains to the east in rosy colors.

The reflections of the reeds made interesting designs in the water.

Then bright oranges appear as the sun sinks down for the night.

I really loved the tree reflection.

While Rick and Angie spent the day in Tombstone, Steve and I watched the crazy amount of Sandhill Cranes fly above us.

I've been wanting to visit the Historic Gadsden Hotel in the town of Douglas for a couple years now.  Off we went towards Mexico to visit this stunning old hotel.

That's Mexico behind us!

Murals across from the hotel.

The hotel was built in 1907.

When you enter the lobby you see the impressive staircase made of white Italian marble with massive pink marble columns.  They are layered with 24K gold leafing.  The window above is stained glass depicting the southwest desert.  It is 42 feet long and 6 feet tall. 

   

We ate dinner and then walked around the lobby and museum.  So much to see.  We were able to go downstairs to see the Old Speakeasy.  You must be guided down.  We tried to catch up with our guide but she was too far ahead before we joined up so we didn't get to see the Bomb Shelter.

Old phone booth and water fountain.

   

The Saloon is known for their special drinks.  Ever have a Smoked Cocktail?  Really Cool.  Angie and I chose Tequila.  We got to choose which woodchips we wanted to use to infuse the smoke into the drink.  We chose Maple and Steve chose Pecan.  It was awesome to watch and they were delicious.

Some of the famous people that stayed here.

Benson, Arizona

Kartchner Caverns State Park

We couldn't pass through this area without stopping at Kartchner Caverns to show them a spectacular different cavern system.

This newer park is wonderful.  Sites are large.  30/W, dump, $25, #7.

We only stayed two nights and we did each tour.  These caverns are the most amazing.  We've been here before a couple of times.  What makes this cavern so special from the dozens of others we have visited is that it's warm and humid inside, not cold.  The fact the two discoverers and many others were able to keep it a secret for 10 years, so they could protect it and find the best way to share it with the public is crazy.  You can read more about this cavern HERE. 

We enjoyed our last wood fire.

Aw we are getting ready to head to our last destination together, we stopped over at the Kartchner Visitor Center so Steve could finish some work.  Rick, Angie and I did part of one of the hiking trails.  Next up we get to hike in the Chiricahua's!