Travels of Bob & Sharon: February 2013

Among the interesting people we met in Tucson were:
Ed, probably in his early 70's, and who became a good buddy for Bob in yoga classes (we marvelled at his flexibility and obvious Ashtanga training), and who also gave us the greatest recommendations on places to visit in Arizona and New Mexico. All of them where superb.
Joyce, a woman in her mid to late 80's, who was always first at yoga in the morning, and another very flexible practitioner of the program. She's been doing yoga for 25 years and is simply amazing. In our last class, she announced that she had just reached another milestone by cycling 25 miles the previous day. When we congratulated her, she said "That's nothing! Ben, who organizes the big cycling trips, is 87 and he leads the group through the mountains on 100 mile trips".
Jay, 52 yrs old from Chicago, a young grandmother in her second year of retirement, who, along with her husband are spending their second winter at this campground and loving all the programs. When their kids asked them why they come to the park with so many old people, she responded "Don't let chronological age be any indicator of youth. I feel ancient when I'm among these people! They have way more energy than I do and I plan to ramp up my own energy by spending time with the residents".
Jay recommended that we attend the enormous Gem Show in Tucson, and when we left the camp, we spent a few hours at one of the venues, a tent the size of a football field. Wow! The gems were fabulous but it was the ancient crystals and wood that impressed us the most. After a wonderful organic meal from one of the food trucks outside (and I'm not kidding, they all offered the best food!), we headed to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument where we spent a few days hiking and enjoying the national park campground.

Steve and Tina, we found your new counter top
for you!

It has history, is reasonably priced,

and is absolutely beautiful! We found it at the Gem Show.
Bringing it home for you...send cash!!

Gorgeous lump of crystals at the Gem Show

Airplane cemetery on the edge of Tucson-hundreds
and hundreds of old planes on both sides of the highway.

The first 1 1/2 miles of this hike were pretty easy, but
the last 4 miles were quite rigorous. We were pretty
happy with ourselves when we got back.

Our destination, the top of that ridge.

Teddy bear cactus....we are bringing one each back to
the grandchildren

Mr. Seguaro and me, giving Bob an encouraging wave

Coming off a week of yoga, I couldn't help but notice
a variety of asanas among the cacti, so I began to take note.

Mr. Moon...nice corpse pose (Shavasana)

Prayer pose at sunset....."Ooooommmmm"

Tree pose, or possibly sun salutations

Organ Pipe Cactus

Yup, just like a pipe organ!

I'm hole collecting and here are not one, but two!

Then I learn that they are called "Arches", not holes....jeesh.

Beautiful black Jay-like bird that no one could tell us
the name of.......anyone??

Corpse pose

Tree pose x 3!

The desert is dry as a bone, and yet, we discover these beautiful spring flowers

...and these....

An entire store full of teddy-bear cacti....enough for ALL the
grandchildren!

Can't think of a yoga pose but it's beautiful and very, very prickly!

Look closely and you will see the moon above the ridge

Steeper and steeper, and less and less oxygen

Cacti coming into bloom

Nearing the summit...

Just over there...where you see a darker landscape and mountains, is Mexico.
The road you see in the distance has a constant flow
of Border Patrol vehicles

At last, the summit and Bob begins to unpack our lunch

Bull roar! What bull would ever attempt this hike?

Banana-rama-ding-dong

Bob actually brought his 55 year old Boy Scout
magnifying glass all the way to the Arizona desert, so that
he can prove to me that he can start a fire......perfect!!!..and he did,
by the way. It was awesome!

As we begin the trek down, we decide to take an "alternate" route that will take us another mile or two around the mountain. Bob went low and I went high to see if we could find a path, always keeping each other in sight. After 20 minutes of uncertainty, we thought we might return the way we had come. I was still a few hundred feet above Bob, when I looked up and saw a blonde god coming over the ridge...kind of like discovering Les Stroud in a remote location. This intrepid hiker had the sun behind him and his hair was in halo (convinced me he was a force!), so I called Bob to join me on the upper path. This lovely guy chatted with us for almost an hour. He's a young retired teacher from New Jersey, who visits Arizona every chance he gets. He hikes the desert and often spends overnight under the stars, with nothing but a sleeping bag and a ground sheet. No illusions here however. In spite of the fact that he loves the solitude, peace and quiet of the region, he reminded us that the first rule of hikers (planted in our brains by state park officials) is that we must not engage with anyone we encounter who might be illegals and who might approach us for water (or other things), or drug smugglers. The other rules we learned were to carry at least a gallon of water, wear sunscreen and high hiking boots. He also pointed out that for all the beauty of the area, Arizona has constant nuclear testing going on and is probably the least "peaceful" of states. Also intriguing was that he was the 3rd of 6 (so far, and counting) who apologized to us on behalf of Americans (embarrassing for us, and apology refused) for having to live "next door" to them.

A few years ago, he stumbled over an old illegal campsite. It had been a long time since anyone had actually inhabited the site, however there were jugs of water, a make-shift tent and the remains of meals, evidence that the inhabitants had left in a hurry, or been picked up by friends or officials. He said that illegals face huge risks in their efforts to move to a "safer" existence. Most mountain-tops hold infrared heat detection devices and there are motion detectors on the ground. Add to that the abundance of border patrol vehicles and border stops (9 so far) and fences, one must be incredibly desperate to make a run for it across the border. His view? Welcome them and make 'em legal...they are the only Americans willing to do and doing most of the manual labour in the U.S. anyway.

Sun salutations

And as night falls, another prayer pose and a huge "Ommmmm".
I sat outside after dark and a brilliant comet streamed from west to
east...a beautiful omen.

Loved this solar powered unit in the campground

We leave the beautiful Organ Pipe State park and head for another of Ed's suggested spots, Patagonia. The terrain changed dramatically as we headed south-west about an hour and a half from the park. The land undulated and cactus disappeared.

One of the beautiful homes along the way

The state park was lovely and the sunset brilliant. There
was a halo around the moon, the stars were so bright
and there was so much milk in the sky that night. As we
wandered about the camp, gazing at the moon and stars,
two people sitting in front of their tent were softly playing flutes.
It was magical.

The bushes appear to be on fire

And the birds make their way home to roost.

The best shot I could get of this critter

Nice to be close to the water again

So many red-winged blackbirds

A bridge crosses the water and the water attracts many fisher-people.
The bridge offers a pretty moderate climb - right?

Not so....

We've never encountered a walking bridge like it...
very, very steep.

We stand at the top and give you all a wave in our reflected
images.

The next morning, we leave the park and visit the town of Patagonia, a pretty, pretty town.

Phil and Peter....would you like a one or two of these babies?
Oh ya, forgot you already have a couple.

All original architecture

Rats! We gave away pillars like these! Look what
we could have done on our fabulous acreage!

Driving....driving...driving....to the Kartchner Caverns

In 1977, a young man discovered a sink-hole in a valley. The entrance was no bigger than a stretched coat hanger. He called a buddy who was also a caver and they climbed into the tiny hole and discovered caverns that are so magnificent that they kept the information secret for 14 years, until they convinced the owners of the land (the Kartchner's) and the US government to protect the caverns and area. These are called "living caves" because micro-organisms, stalagmites, straws and stalagmites are continuing to form. Thousands of bats return to the caves, deep in the mountainside each year, to bear and nurse their young. Of the 4000 different species on the planet, there are 1000 different bat varieties. Fascinating! Our entrance to the caverns was tightly controlled with at least 5 doors that sealed in the humidity and us. The door behind us had to be sealed before the next was opened. We felt a light spray of purified water, that served to reduce the impact of our skin tissue and hair eliminations. Curbs ran along the paths to prevent anyone inadvertently or deliberately, stepping on or touching the rocks, and the curbs are cleaned every night. If one of us were to touch a rock, we were to tell our guide, the spot would be marked with a ribbon, and cleaned with a special solution. A 36,000 year old horse head and the skeleton of a huge and ancient sloth were found deep in the caverns. Our guide suggested that the belief that the Spanish introduced horses to North America thousands of years later, was being challenged by the age of the one discovered.

Since cameras are not allowed in the caverns, I
"borrowed" the one above from the Kartchner website.

From the campsite at Kartchner Caverns, we see the sun reflected on the
mountains behind us.

While in front of us, the mountains are cast in shadow.

On our hike the next day, we find two enormous Yucca plants.

There always seems to be a helicopter presence, everywhere
we go.

Beautiful colours in the stone on the hills above the caverns

Signs of ancient civilizations - grinding holes where maize
was ground for cooking

Our good friend Ed, also recommended a visit to Bisbee, a mining town built into the hillsides in south-western Arizona. This is the prettiest town so far, because the houses are built in tiers and the architecture is quaint and comforting. Like old Victoria, BC on hill sides. Ed told us that we would find the best Mexican restaurants in the South West and we did! A little hole in the wall block building where we never would have stopped without a recommendation (manager of the museum) served the best chimichanga's we have ever tasted!

Bisbee is famous for copper mining and so it was no surprise
to find gates of copper

Interesting artistic detail on construction cladding

Copper mine at the edge of town

Copper on the left and right.

We stopped at the Visitor Centre in Douglas, Arizona, and as we asked questions a traveller from Long Island approached us and told us about a little lodge in New Mexico, that had only 4 camp sites. He had stopped in at the Mountain Valley Lodge with the intention of staying only one night in one of the cabins, and over a week later was still there. He strongly suggested that we drop in and meet the owner, DiAnn. We figured that if someone makes the effort to approach us with such a passionate recommendation, we would check it out and we are happy we did. The lodge is located in Rodeo, New Mexico. Rodeo is a gathering of a few homes and businesses along the highway and we probably wouldn't have even considered staying there if not for the recommendation. DiAnn is from Wisconsin and the most laid-back woman we've ever met. She told us that she would be around to collect at some point, to go ahead and plug in and make ourselves at home. Hours later she got around to dropping by (still not asking for her money) and invited us to join fellow campers (they arrived for a couple of nights in December and are still there), John (the fellow who approached us at the Visitor Centre) and the local hiking club the next day for a trek to the mountains for a really unique experience.

We awaken the next morning, to snow on the fence behind us.

About an inch had accumulated during the night and we
were amused to hear that flights from Tucson were cancelled, and
schools were closed for a "snow day". Imagine!!

We followed DiAnn to the Painted Pony Ranch where we met
Bruce, the ranch manager. Bruce is a biologist by profession, who
was hired years ago, by the now notorious John McAfee (anti-viral computer
whiz who was arrested in December, for the suspected murder of
his neighbour in Balize) to work with him on his New Mexico
property. John sold the land when he sold the business, and
Bruce was offered the ranch management position with the new owner.
If you want a gorgeous place for a family reunion or friends vacation,
check out this estate. It houses 18 people in two houses, has a geothermal indoor swimming pool,
hot tub and beautiful gourmet kitchens and gorgeous furnishings, for $750/night....a deal!

That's Bruce, giving us a bit of background on our hike to an
outcropping near the base of the mountains in the background

The old railway ran here years ago

Bruce tells us this is an unusual find; a willow tree.

Our destination is this outcrop

A hole! Oops...an arch!!!

We stop here for a group photo. This is our photographer.

Our group with the Chiricahua Mountains in the background

22 very unique and interesting characters made up the hiking
group. We had two authors, a paranormal investigator (lots
of activity in New Mexico we learned) and a UFO photographer,
a historian, an art director, teachers, and those were just those
we heard about!

You can see that we spread out as we hiked, and some were
climbing the outcrop while the rest of us were still walking.

The woman to the right has a horse ranch at the base of the
Chiricahua Mountains nearby, and spends 6 months there and
6 months in Homer, Alaska. We had lots to discuss with her
about our wonderful time in Homer. She was a mountaineer in
her "younger days".

Reaching the outcrop, we are all excited to see the petroglyphs
and grinding holes

One of many grinding holes

An ancient and natural granary

More grinding holes. In all, we discovered over 30

What views!

and more petroglyphs

Nearby, another outcropping

We hike to the other side and discover intense heat
compared to the north side. We sit here and eat lunch.

Crazy formations in the middle of nowhere!

We are always watchful when we hike, however we have increased awareness upon hearing that this area is host to about 17 different types of rattlesnakes, some of them very small, and several that are very large. There are also scorpions and spiders. The warning is "don't put your hands into dark crevices or on top of warm rocks where these creatures might be sunning themselves". Aha!!

We learn at the end of the hike, that we had walked between 7 and 8 miles. It was a truly wonderful experience, being with other travellers, locals and people who came from distant places to make Rodeo and Portal their homes. Another terrific experience!

As we headed into the mountain passes, a cute little
javelina, just like this one, ran in front of the van.
They look like pigs but are actually peccaries...come on,
you know what a peccary is don't you? Google it!
On our way to our last yoga class in Tucson, a herd
of javelina's ran past us in the early morning dim light.
Quite a sight!

After the hike, we visit the Desert Museum and see the 17 species
of live rattlesnakes and had a bit of a reality check. We haven't
seen any dangerous species so far and we'd like to keep it that way.
Then we drove to the Chiricahua Mountain passes
and the tiny village of Portal...tiny but very, famous.

Caves high on the mountain

We found these historic postcards in the General Store and
Bar in Portal. These were drawn by the man who documented
Route 66 and his postcards can be found across the U.S.
He had a home here, although he died in New Jersey in '09,
at the age of 64. I'd tell you his name but can't remember it and
am too tired to google it! (It's Bob Wildmire..I just looked it up!)

His "rig"

A rancher with a rather unique fence decorating style

Is this some kind of warning, and if so, for whom?

Back at the camp, we are delighted by the presence
of this adorable little cardinal

Mountain Valley Lodge

DiAnn's Koy pond out back

Love the office hours!

Our host - DiAnn

Our view

After three days enjoying DiAnn's kind hospitality, we leave for Silver City, mostly known for all the interesting criminals who lived here in the 1800's. This is where Billy the Kid lived and began his illustrious career. Butch Cassidy also passed through. We visited Billy's mother's grave in the cemetery directly behind the campground. Not ghoulish but admittedly, the quietest campground we've ever stayed in.

Lovely colours and architecture of Silver City

So, as we headed for a recommended Mexican restaurant for
lunch, we pass a more upscale restaurant and see a hand
waving at us from inside the window and can't believe our eyes
when we see that it's DiAnn! This seems to happen to us
on our travels....a lot...

Early the next morning, we drive 80 miles on a twisty road, across state park
land, to visit the cave dwelling homes of the Mongollon people, built
in approximately 1200 AD

All the scenery in Arizona and New Mexico is fabulous!

Pointy rock formations appear out of nowhere and just don't make any
logical sense, contrasted with the rolling mountains.

Yup - Geronimo existed and he came from these parts!

A terrific quote from the man who discovered the cliff dwellings, and who
worked with President Roosevelt, to
preserve the cave dwellings from men whose purpose was only to
steal or destroy the precious artifacts and history present here. Much had
already been smashed by the time he arrived here. Thank you
Aldo Leopold!

The homes were built within the caves and made the most of the south-facing
caves to heat the residences in winter, and take advantage of the shade and cool
in summer. It is a peaceful and beautiful place above the river, their source of water.

Blackened ceilings from ancient cooking fires

Granary

The largest open-pit copper mine we have ever seen. It is
chewing through the mountain range near Silver City and
won't be satisfied until the range is gone. Apparently, the mining
companies have to "rejuvenate" the area when they have depleted
the resource, however they state clearly that evidence of
what they have done here, will be seen forever.

The mining machinery chews and chews every day,
closing in on the Praying Nun, Irony!

Back home, some people like to mount Christmas wreaths on their car grills.
Here in New Mexico, the choice is tumbleweeds.

Dust storms along the highway to Las Cruces

We loved this area of Las Cruces; the old town of Mesilla. We could
have been in Mexico or South America. Roosters crowed and the feel was
very Spanish. Lovely!