John & Allison's Adventures Down South: November 2013

Left Willcox by 9:30am which seems to be the time we get away on "moving days". The drive to Marana only took 2 hours and the campsite was quick to get to.
You may ask, "why only a 2 hour trip to Marana instead of just another 2 more to get to Phoenix"? Well, Marana is just north of Tucson and Tucson is where the Saguaro National Park is. The park is in two parts. The older Saguaro forest on the east and the younger on the west. We weren't sure if we'd go to both but I knew I wanted to see the west for certain.
The morning after we set up camp in Marana, we set off to Saguaro, pronounced: sa wah ro, National Park West. First we stopped at the Marana Visitors Center to ask about the nicest route to take. We like to take more scenic routes whenever possible in the car as we stick to the Interstate hiways with the coach and car hauler.
The young lady at the centre gave us a local map and showed us the route that took us through the preserve and out and back in, to the park gate. Very pretty and awesome. I just love those crazy saguaro cacti. They are a big part of what sets the Sonoran desert apart from other deserts. Each one is a unique wonder!
We headed right to the Visitor centre at the park, as we have learned that is the only way to start a visit in any of the parks/monuments. You get excellent suggestions by the park staff and wonderful introductions by a video presentation.
I'm not sure if I mentioned that we decided to buy a US Nat'l Parks Pass but it's almost already paid for.
Here are the photos:

The first Saguaro sightings as we neared Tucson, AZ

Driving through the preserve via the scenic route

The road into Saguaro National Park

The short Nature Trail in the park, paved and markers with plant and animal information

A couple of outstanding specimens!

Holes made by woodpeckers and flickers become homes for many others.

An apartment complex, The Saguaro Arms.....

Looking out over the Sonoran desert

Ancient carvings chipped into rocks on Signal Hill in the park

Rock carvings

Our picnic spot on top of Signal Hill

After our picnic we decided to take one of the hiking trails from Signal Hill. A 4.8 mile loop or nearly 8km hike, as per the map. The trail wound through the desert and because it was open to horse riders as well as people, much of it was pretty loose from being horse trodden. This made it tough going at times. The trail markers were few and far between and not very visible, kind of blending in with the scenery. Good thing we always carry a map! At one point where the loop trail should have been heading back we came to a bit of a dead end with what looked like trails used by animals around. We started following one that looked more traveled only to find it disappear. We decided to head back to the original trail. If we had to follow it back, so be it. We would see it from a different angle, that's all. As we headed back down the trail there in front of us was the trail marker. We'd walked right past it. It took us back to Signal Hill before our water ran out, thank goodness.
A little Sonoran desert info. There live in this desert a formidable type of cactus called Cholla, pronounced choy ah. One particular variety is called Jumping Cholla and it gets it's name because even a light brushing past it will leave you with bits of the cactus stuck to you! The cactus also drops pieces on the ground, many of which will take root and start a new plant or get stuck on a passing animal or person and carried to a new location. John became one of those as he was walking along the path. A piece of Cholla "jumped" and stuck to his ankle. Luckily we had read about how to use a comb or stick to remove the offending plant. We both ended up carrying a small stick to remove subsequent bits from our shoes along the way....
The last but not least note on this hike, we saw a coyote and a roadrunner!! (the coyote was not chasing the roadrunner....)

Jumping Cholla cacti, do not mess with this plant!

A Teddybear Cholla. Looks fuzzy from a distance but beware, formidable spines!

The piece of Jumping Cholla that "jumped" onto John's ankle

A sign near our hike entrance.......

A mine on the edge of the park

So many prickly plants!

These "guys" kill me!

Part of the hike, pretty loose, soft footing.

A cute baby cactus.

A nest build in the arms of a Saguaro

Someone made a lovely rock design around this little cactus along the trail!

An interesting grouping

Ha! So unique!

The sun making the prickly pear all glowing

You see lots of holes around the cacti. Homes for all sorts of critters.

Growing up the mountain side

Nov. 18th and backwards and kinda jumping around:
I've decided this post will start with today and work into the past as once again we've encountered less than optimal wifi which causes a "backblog".
We packed up from the Willcox, AZ campsite this morning and headed not too far up the road. Just north of Tucson to Marana. I am keen on seeing the Saguaro National Park which is split into two sections. One on the east side of Tucson, the other on the west. It was just a bit too far to take the car for a day trip and take in both parts of the park from Willcox, so we moved to Marana.
Saw the first saguaro cacti on the way which means we have left the Chihauhaun desert and have now entered the Sonoran desert, one of the hottest and driest regions on the continent.
We were in Willcox, AZ for 5 nights, not because we planned that but because when we left Las Cruces on Nov. 13th we didn't quite make it to our planned destination, Benson, AZ, as the water pump on the RV broke. Good thing John knows a bit about engines and such because he noticed the temperature gauge going up and felt it shouldn't be as we weren't pulling any hills and it wasn't particularly hot out. We pulled over at an exit and John got out to check, coming back to say that there was "coolant all over the place".
John contacted the Good Sams Road Assistance and within a couple of hours a huge tow truck (called a wrecker) was dispatched to help. The operator (Don) was excellent with 28 yrs of experience, John felt confident all would be ok. He had to take apart the drive shaft and breaks in order to tow it. He said he could tow the RV with the car hauler attached (we took the car out) if he went slow and took the back way into town.

Texas canyon

Texas Canyon between Wilcox and Benson, AZ

Good Sams had contacted a local auto shop, Dick's Auto Service, in Willcox and they said they could take the RV. This was fortunate in a few ways:
1. It was very close to where we broke down so the cost of the tow would be covered.
2. The mechanics at the garage that fixed it, Thomas and Robert, were very proficient.
3. The owners of Dick's, Gary and Dina Ellis, were super friendly and helpful.
4. Willcox is near the Chiricahua National Monument, which we would not likely have visited if we had not ended up in Willcox.
So, there you go.

The Chiricahua National Monument is quite a sight to behold. As you may have figured by now, I love rocks!! This park is all about the rocks. More crazy rock formations due to ancient volcanic activity in the area and then other forces of nature sculpting them into incredible forms. Just too cool!

The road through Chiricahua Monument

This group was heading up by horse. The fellow in red is from Ponoka, AB!

John at the very top of the park at Massai point.

Looking down from the top. The rocks are supporting a lot of lichen growth.

Crazy, awesome rocks!

There was a big forest fire in the park in 1994. It is slowly coming back.

Spent a day in the park and it would have been perfect except for high winds.
There were possible dust storms predicted for the next two days so no way were we heading anywhere with the RV. We could see the dust storms in the distance when we were out of the mountains and back onto the plains. Dina (from Dick's Auto) had shown me a video she had taken coming through a dust storm where there had been a 19 vehicle pile-up on the other side of the freeway. It was horrible, both the lack of visibility and the number of vehicles smashed up.
We also went to Ft. Bowie National Historic Site. It was back in the mountains on an "unimproved" road which got worse as we got closer to the site, but not so bad as to turn back. There was an easy 1.5 mile hike in to the main site and visitor centre. Very interesting with historic markers along the way. This was the area where the Apache spring was located and because it is desert, water is very precious. Wherever there is a reliable source of drinking water it was protected. The Apaches were curious, at first, about the white men traveling through their territories but started to dislike what was happening on their land and started raiding the convoys. Soldiers were sent in to protect the convoys but in the end, due to a misunderstanding and probably miscommunication(s) a war broke out with many on both sides being killed. The Apaches lost in the end and the rest, as they say, is history.

What's left of Ft. Bowie

Gnarly old tree on the trail up to Ft. Bowie

Yesterday we decided to visit Tombstone, AZ. The place of the infamous shoot-out at the OK Corral. You know, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday and the Clanton gang. We knew it would be touristy and boy, was it ever! The whole of the historic main street has been turned into a retail/historic area where, yes, there are historic buildings but they all have entrance fees to see more and a retail shop with souvenirs and trinkets etc. galore.
Happily, the old Courthouse was turned into a State Historic Site and although there was a fee to enter, it was very good.
After Tombstone, we took the loop route home to check out Kartchner Caverns State Park. This cavern site is very different from Carlsbad. There are no self guided tours and you get misted down with water so fibres, skin flakes, hair etc. don't end up polluting the cave. It was discovered in 1974 by two cavers. When they saw what an amazing cavern they had discovered, they kept it a secret for 7 years because they were afraid if it was found out it would be destroyed by random curious people. They eventually told the landowners about their discovery and they were thrilled and also concerned about preserving the cave. They approached the Arizona state government and after many meetings and much planning, turned it into the state park it is today. Now having said all that, we didn't go into the cave. John didn't want to at all and you have to make a reservation in advance as they only take small groups a few times a day. The photos they had in the Discovery Centre were great and the little video about the cave (where I got the info. I just shared) was super!

Oh, yes, I almost forgot. We saw our first Roadrunner on our way to Tombstone! What a lovely, funny bird. I hope to see more. We also had to play dodge the dead skunks on the way to Tombstone..... :P


A Roadrunner. Doesn't look much like the cartoon version!

The historic Tombstone Courthouse, now a museum

Main street, Tombstone, AZ

All kinds of retail in Tombstone

Now, jumping back a bit.
Before we left Las Cruces, NM:
We spent Nov. 11th doing some housekeeping inside and out of the RV and car, observing a minute of silence at 11am. We did such a nice job of cleaning and polishing our vehicles we treated ourselves to dinner out at La Posta Restaurante in Messila.
It is in an old historic building near where Billy the Kid was captured.
We enjoyed a Mexican meal with leftovers taken home to be made into lunch using the most delicious flour tortillas, purchased from the Andele tortillaria, also in Mesilla.
There was one other place of intrigue for me, Rockhound State Park, one hour west of Las Cruces.
We stopped at the local Tractor Supply Company, first, to pick up a few rockhounding supplies for me including a small pick, a hammer, some chisels, a small bucket and a lovely little shovel. None of which I needed, as it turned out.
There were plenty of pieces of jasper and perlite and geodes just laying on the ground along the hiking paths.
Well, now I'm ready for future rockhounding forays!
I have yet to break open the geodes, or what I think are geodes, that I picked up on my little hike.
John stayed down in the little campsite while I wandered around in the hills.
I saw lots of little Black-chinned sparrows, Yellow-eyed Juncos and White-winged doves, a little snake and a tiny, perfectly camouflaged lizard. It was a nice little hike followed by our picnic lunch.
There, I think I'm caught up, for now.