Chiracahua Mountains ~ Hoodoo You Think You Are?

Chiricahua Mountains…ancient homeland of the Apache, sky island, “Land of Standing-up Rock”?  The Chiracahuas are all this and so much more.

Chiracahua Mountain Range

As I walked among the towering hoodoos I marveled at the fact that we spent 25 years of our lives in Phoenix and Sedona and had never traveled to the Chiracahuas, being the hikers we are.  Granted, it is not a short jaunt across town,  just 50 miles north of the Mexico border, but the mountains are so breathtaking and the history of the area so rich, I’m not sure why we waited.  Perhaps we just needed to be a little more seasoned to appreciate all that is here.

The Chiracahua Mountain range had its origins roughly 27 million years ago, when eruptions from the Turkey Creek volcano spewed ash over 1200 square miles.  This sky island, which is essentially an isolated mountain range rising above a grassland sea, developed over many millenia into the rock pinnacles that we see today.  They stand like guardians of the forest and send the clear message that you are now in Chiracaqua country.

A little perspective on these giants

Can I squeeze through that crack?

Not a good time for an earthquake!

The Chiracaqua Apache claim this land as their ancestral home, with evidence of their existence in these mountains dating back to the early 1400′s.  They named this range the “Land of the Standing-Up Rock” and lived peacefully here until the Europeans stepped in to declare this land theirs.  Led by Cochise and Geronimo, the Apache staunchly defended their ancestral homeland.  The last of the Apache finally gave up the fight in 1886, surrendered, and were later relocated by the government to Oklahoma and New Mexico, never to return to this sacred land. So much more could be said here but I will just add that I felt a sadness as I walked the trails, reflecting upon all the Native Indians have so unjustly lost .

There is such an interesting blend of local and exotic plant and animal species here that it is said to be one of the most biodiverse regions in North America, boasting over 1200 species of plants alone.  Plants and animals from four different ecosystems come together in this range.  Birders flock here for the diversity as well, seeing many species of birds that can normally only be seen in Mexico.  We visited for the hiking, to witness Mother Nature at her finest, rock formations precariously balanced in such a way that it appeared a strong wind could topple these giants.

Mushroom rock

Big Balanced Rock

Burned area near Inspiration Point

Terry in the grotto on the Echo Canyon trail

Chiracaqua National Monument was established in 1924 to preserve and protect these 12,000 acres and in 1934 the Civilian Conservation Corps began to tackle the job of roads and trails.  Today there are ~20 miles of trails for your hiking pleasure and 86% of this sky island lives on as pristine wilderness.

To experience as much of the Chiracaquas as we could in one visit, we chose the Big Loop, a combining of many trails that resulted in a lovely 10-mile hike.  There are a few ways you can tackle this trail and, based on a tip provided to us by a Park Ranger at Fort Bowie the day before, we elected to take the shuttle from the visitor center to the Echo Canyon Trailhead (arrive prior to 8:30 am).  From there we followed this route:  Echo Canyon Trail> Hailstone Trail > Mushroom Rock Trail > Big Balanced Rock Trail > Heart of Rocks Loop (where most of the named formations stand) > Sarah Deming Trail > Lower Rhyolite Canyon Trail. This and a little other meandering will get you a fabulous 10-mile hike, with the last three miles being downhill.

Heart of Rocks Loop:

Pinnacle Balanced Rock

Duck on a Rock

Kissing Rocks

Camel’s Head

Punch & Judy

Wandering among these geologic wonders that time and weather have painstakingly created, you just might feel the spirits of the ancient ancestors who walked this ground…truly a sacred experience.

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“Preposterously Beautiful” ~ Patagonia, AZ

This is the way part-time resident, novelist and screenwriter (Legends of the Fall) Jim Harrison describes Patagonia.  We just blew through this funky little town several years ago when we visited so we decided it was time to show her some respect.

Our good friends Stan and Marilyn were hunkered down here for a few days while a winter storm passed by and we wanted to see them one last time before they began their journey back home.  Even though the weather wasn’t perfect, what better place to enjoy nature for a few hours than in a world-class birding hot spot.  Even if you are not a birder, once here we are told, you may discover your inner passion for these colorful, feathery creatures who far outnumber people. This little gem has been named in the publication Fifty Places to Go Birding Before You Die:  Birding Experts Share the World’s Greatest Destinations.

Bridge over Patagonia Lake

Nestled between the Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains at a 4000-foot elevation, this town has a unique vibe, a quirkiness about it that suits its residents just fine.  Preserving its history, its rich riparian area, and sustainability are some of Patagonia’s top priorities.

Just west of town lies the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, “home to one of Arizona’s few permanently flowing streams, endangered fish, butterflies, and birds”.  Adjacent to town the Nature Conservancy has also staked its claim and the organization Native Seeds/SEARCH maintains a farm for preserving and growing seeds of endangered crops that grow in this area.  Scratch below the surface, dig a little deeper, and you will find some hidden gems in small town America.  We will definitely be back.

Patagonia Lake

Although I have bemoaned the fact that I need a camera with better zoom ability to catch the beauty of these little feathered friends, we headed out to Patagonia Lake State Park & Sonoita Creek Natural Area with binoculars in hand (and camera just in case I got lucky).  Our first stop was to the visitor center to ask where the most birds can be seen.  Many agreed that if we stood in their side yard, where their feeders are, we would see a wide variety, but they also decided to share a couple of trails that might offer some enjoyment.  We opted for the birding trail, sans tour guide, where we could get a little exercise and hopefully see some birds.

A pair of cardinals hiding in the thicket

For the record, I am not a birder, but I must admit to sending out a little prayer into the universe to have a chance meeting with the reclusive Elegant Trogon, the colorful, tropical bird that brings birders by the thousands to southeast Arizona each year.  Patagonia and its surrounding  mountain ranges are the farthest north this little beauty ventures so I wasn’t very optimistic about my chances.

Who are you lookin’ at?

The first mile didn’t offer much to entice our sense of sight, other than some inquisitive cows, a burbling creek and the sound of many bird species that filled the air.  We were relishing the fresh air after being cooped up inside waiting out the winter storm.  Following the creek around a bend, our friend Marilyn whispered, “there he is”.  The gods were smiling down on us as we watched this little beauty quietly perched on a branch.  I kept snapping away in the hopes of having a few viable photos then traded off with Terry so I could see him in all his splendor up-close through the binoculars.  Terry was able to creep even closer when the Elegant Trogon flew from his perch to the ground and back up again. Here is what he found to be much more interesting than us:

Elegant Trogon meets Mr. Lizard

Hammin’ it up for the camera!

The big question from everyone we met on the trail was “did you see it?”.  We showed our photos many times before we got back to our vehicle.  We were ready to take off when someone tapped on Stan’s window.  Rolling it down, the group standing there asked to see the photos.  Guess this colorful little fella is something of a rock star!

Velvet Elvis

Namesake on velvet

Lovely dining setting

Our time with Stan and Marilyn was coming to an end, and what better way to find solace than to nourish our bodies and toast this heart connection with a glass of nice French wine.  We headed over to the Velvet Elvis Pizza Company, where the lovely Ecuadorian proprietor and executive chef, Cecilia, creates the most delectable dishes.  Her pizzas are gourmet and the remaining menu has a Latin American flair.  What a find in this funky little town and the perfect way to bid adieu to our friends, with the promise of a visit later this summer.

“Last supper” at the Velvet Elvis

For a great gallery of Arizona birds, check out the Lowe’s RV Adventures, and while you’re there, spent some time reading about their many wonderful travel exploits.

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To the Bat Cave We Go ~ Kartchner Caverns ~ Benson, AZ

Advice from a Cave:  Breathe deep; find beauty in unexpected places; search inward; see the hole picture; good things take time; look beneath the surface; hang tight!  (c) Ilan Shamir  www.yourtruenature.com

We are spending a few days at Kartchner Caverns State Park, at the base of the Whetstone Mountains, near Benson, Arizona, a lovely campground with 360º views of wide-open desert and mountain ranges touching the heavens.  An added bonus is the brief walk to the famous Kartchner Caverns.  Large bands of billowy clouds surround us, whipped around by brisk winds, as a storm fast approaches. There is probably no place better to be right now than underground, so to the “Bat Cave” we go.

Kartchner Caverns Big Room ~ photo credit Wikipedia

Since we had seen Carlsbad Caverns last year we didn’t know what to expect.  We found the “Big Room” tour at Kartchner to be a wonderful experience, enhanced greatly by our tour guide, Park Ranger Lisa.  A 6-month veteran of the park (impossible to believe), she is a walking encyclopedia of Kartchner Caverns history, presented with passion and humor.  She followed very strict protocol, as we traveled through six air-lock passages and a misting machine, to preserve the cave’s inside temperature of 72º and 99% humidity year-round.  Nothing was allowed inside that might disturb the cave’s health, including cameras.

Photo credit azstateparks.com

We found the history behind the discovery of this cave to be fascinating.  Two cavers, Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts, knew that where there’s limestone, there most likely would be caves.  They set out to explore the limestone hills at the base of the Whetstone Mountains, looking for that perfect cave but anticipating another dry, dusty hole in the earth.  What they found instead was a sinkhole, with a narrow crack in the bottom, breathing warm, moist air.  Two hours of digging around this “blowhole” allowed them enough space to wiggle through and explore 2.5 miles of pristine cave passages.  They knew they had found something very special, something to be preserved.  Fourteen years of arduous work resulted in a bill that protected this cave and in 1999 the Rotunda Room opened to the public, with tours of the Big Room following in 2003.

Breathtaking soda straws – photo credit azstateparks.com

Kartchner Caverns is a wet cave, very much alive, and if the spectacular displays of stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws and “cave bacon” weren’t enough, the Big Room is closed from mid-April until mid-October when it is turned into a nursery roost for ~1,000 female common cave bats.  The females give birth to a single pup in late June and the babies remain in roost until mid-September, when they leave to begin the migration to their winter home.

Advice from a Bat:  Trust in your senses; spend time hanging around with friends; don’t be afraid of the dark; get a grip; enjoy the nightlife; sometimes you’ve just gotta wing it; guano happens!  (c) Ilan Shamir  www.yourtruenature.com

Our tour guide Lisa explained the birthing process in a rather unique fashion. Picture a 5-foot tall, 100 lb. woman giving birth to a 25 lb. baby (size of a 2-year old), while hanging from her thumbs, enduring a breech birth, worrying about catching her baby before he plunges to his death, and that is what birthing a bat pup is like.  I don’t know about you, but I have a new-found respect for bats, at least the female variety!

Prelude to a storm

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An Artist Colony, A White Dove, and Friendship ~ Tubac, AZ

Combine a growing artist colony, a White Dove of the Desert, and friendship and what you get is a nice day trip from Catalina State Park in Oro Valley, where we are camped, to Tubac, AZ.  I have been mute on our time at Catalina State Park, not because we are not enjoying looking out over and hiking into the Santa Catalina Mountains, but because this is our second visit (here is our first).  We have chosen to lazily pass the time in the company of good friends Stan and Marilyn (also camped here) over posting again about this great state park.

Mission San Xavier del Bac

Stan, Marilyn, Terry and I began our trip to Tubac with a stop just 10 miles south of downtown Tucson to a place I hadn’t visited in many years, Mission San Xavier del Bac, the ”White Dove of the Desert”.  This historic Spanish Catholic mission was founded in 1692 by Father Eusebio Kino.

In the late 1600′s, a stranger in dark flowing robes on horseback, a Jesuit missionary, ambled into the village of Wa:k.  The desert people who resided there, the Tohono O’odham, welcomed him with open arms, thus beginning the tenure of Father Kino’s mission work.

Ornately decorated mission facade

One of the original frescoes

Small chapel for prayer offerings

Gold-leaf back altar

Original statuary

Present-day church construction began in 1783 and was completed in 1797. Following Mexico’s independence in 1821, Mission San Xavier became part of Mexico, but with the Gadsden Purchase in 1854, ownership changed to the US.  It is said to be the oldest intact European structure in Arizona, still containing the original mural paintings and statuary within its chapel, the frescoes and back altar quite striking.  It is very much an active mission today, with services being held daily.  A separate, smaller chapel to the side of the church is available for special prayer offerings.

Mission San José de Tumacacori

Mission San José de Tumacácori (Too-muh-ká-ko-ree) was our next stop, four miles outside the town of Tubac.  This historic mission was also founded by Father Kino, one year earlier than that of Mission San Xavier.  No one knows the meaning of the word Tumacácori but it is believed to be an O’odham word.

In January, 1691, on the east bank of the Santa Cruz River, the oldest mission site in what is now Arizona was built, a very modest structure compared to Mission San Xavier to its north.  It’s original name was Mission San Cayetano de Tumacácori and was renamed to Mission San José in 1751 when the mission was moved to its present location on the west side of the river.  The structure was never completed, due to many woes:  Apache hostility, lack of government support, and disease, to name a few.  When Tumacácori lost its last resident priest, scaffolding still hung from the bell tower.  The mission is unfinished yet today, although restoration work has begun on what remains.

Lone unfinished bell tower

Rendering of the original mission interior

What remains of the back altar

Mortuary chapel still needing a domed ceiling when it was abandoned

What remains of the mission cemetery

Burial cross

White mission dome against azure sky

Having had our spirits rejuvenated and broadened our knowledge of Arizona history, we headed to the growing artist colony known as Tubac “where art and history meet”.   Established in 1752 as a Spanish Presidio, it houses Arizona’s first state park and European settlement, the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. There is a museum that is open to the public, but quite frankly, a girl can only fill her head with so many facts and figures in one day.  We chose instead to wander among the roughly 100 eclectic shops and world-class galleries, a very nice way to wind down our day.

Mesquite furniture & gourmet kitchen stores

Sculpture garden bronze

Colorful pottery

Ironworks gallery

Funky birdhouses

But wait, there’s more!  Our exciting finish to the day took us to Elvira’s to dine at what is probably one of the most popular and funkiest restaurants in Tubac, featuring gourmet Mexican fare.  The is the second Elvira’s restaurant to open, the first being in Nogales, Mexico.  We were thrilled to have friends Stan and Marilyn with us, along with new friends Gary and Christine, who we were fortunate to meet up with while camphosting in San Elijo State Beach in CA.  The food and drinks were yummy, the restaurant interior delightful (so sparkly) due to the hundreds of teardrops and colored balls hanging from the ceiling reflecting the light, and the company superb.

L-R: Marilyn, Stan, Christine, Gary & Terry

We could not have asked for a better ending to our day and with the knowledge that we would see all four of these great folks again next winter in CA, we said goodbye to Gary and Christine.  Tomorrow will be a sad day for us as we part ways with Stan and Marilyn, two amazing friends who have crept into our hearts and will definitely remain there.

Elvira’s in Tubac

Stan & Terry deep in conversation at the bar

Quirky masks, sparkly teardrops

Colorful ceiling stars

One of many scrumptious mole dishes

Inviting patio at Elvira’s

I must share one final photo of this area, as it speaks to the gentle spirit of this man.  He is not near old enough to be my poppy (papa) but I’m certain he was a sweet and gentle poppy to his children.  Sorry Stan, I couldn’t resist!

Stan, one sweet man and our dear friend

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In Search of the Proverbial Needle ~ Superstition Mountains, Apache Junction, AZ

Our hike into the Superstition Mountains took us in search of a needle, Weaver’s Needle to be exact.   There are several hikes in this wilderness area that allow for views of this well-known landmark (and the Needle presents differently depending on the angle), but the Terrapin Trail we chose gets you closer than most.  The entire hike is a 13-mile loop that circumnavigates Weaver’s Needle but we weren’t able to start early enough to do the entire hike so we opted instead for an 8-mile out and back.  This actually was just about perfect, given the section we trekked was fairly aggressive, over rough terrain, and required some boulder-hopping.  We threw in a little bushwhacking just for fun so we could enjoy lunch gazing at Weaver’s Needle.  If you long for isolation while hiking, this trail is far superior, in our opinion, to the Peralta Trail, one of the most heavily traveled in Arizona.

Weaver’s Needle

Weaver’s Needle was named after mountain man Paulino Weaver and was formed from the erosion of fused volcanic ash.  It has played a major role in the stories told of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine. Supposedly the Needle’s shadow points to the location of a significant vein of gold.  Many have searched for the Lost Dutchman’s Gold and some have lost their lives in this pursuit.  There are even those who feel that the Dutchman mine doesn’t exist within these mountains at all.

The Superstitions are not kind to those who don’t respect her and the wilderness is rugged and vast, with  many trails not well-marked.  If not careful, you could easily get yourself turned around and never leave.  The stories are endless of those who have disappeared, with some estimates of over 600 deaths or disappearances.  Earlier this week on the local news we heard of a 51-year old woman who had to be rescued from the Superstition Wilderness and this was not a first for her but has occurred many times during her quest for the Lost Dutchman’s Mine, the last rescue as recent as December 2012.

Lots of running water in the canyon due to snow melt

Terry getting his bearings at the trailhead

Gorgeous agave plant

First view of Weaver’s Needle from the trail, with century plant standing guard

Lovebird menage a trois?

A tough balancing act

Silhouettes at sunset

Many feel there is a curse in this desolate wilderness.  The fantastic tales of strange phenomena involving the Superstitions are lengthy and quite bizarre, from Aztecs still holed up in caves, to UFO sightings, to portals into other worlds. Strange coincidences swirl around these mountains as well.  Stone from the Superstitions was used to build the Roosevelt Dam on the Apache Trail and 22 died in the construction.  The first water that came over the dam was saved and used to christen the famous battleship USS Arizona.  Twenty-five years later this same battleship became known as the most devastating loss in the attack on Pearl Harbor, with more than 1000 men going down with the ship.

Wicked accidents are a common occurrence as well, as my husband can attest to. Some years ago, while hiking down a rocky trail out here, he stumbled and fell into a teddy bear cholla forest.  Neither he nor the teddies fared very well in this encounter.  Lots of blood and a few tears were shed (mine) as I pulled hundreds of barbs out of his body.  Luckily his face was unscathed, but the palms of his hands took the brunt, along with a shoulder, stomach, and hip.  For weeks afterwards, the teddy bears enacted their revenge on him in the form of secondary barbs that continued to surface in the palms of his hands.  Guess they didn’t take too kindly to him tearing away their appendages in his rush to greet them!

Happiest in nature without teddy bear cholla!

The Superstition Wilderness is fiercely rugged country and a fabulous place to hike in pure isolation, provided you watch the signs and follow those stacked rocks (cairns), which could literally save your life or prevent a rescue mission.

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