Even though we were still working way back in 2004, we were able to take several vacations a year.
In February we went on our first out-of-the-country trip to Trinidad and Tobago. (See May 7, 2020 Blog).
In March we decided to take out all the grass in our front yard and put in a butterfly/hummingbird garden.
It was an instant success!
Even our owl house was busy.
In May we drove out to White’s City, New Mexico for a TOS (Texas Ornithological Society) spring birding trip. We stayed a few days after the birding trip to visit Guadalupe Mountains National Park - Dog Canyon. The interesting thing about Dog Canyon is that, even though it is in Texas, you have to access it from Carlsbad, New Mexico, about 90 minutes away. You really have to want to see this place, as it is incredibly remote.
We drove our truck and left our RV in New Mexico. We had a great time. The spring wildflowers were in full bloom. This is a beautiful area with an elevation of 6300 feet.
Our dachshund (Beau) loved to travel.
He would sleep in the front of the truck all day if we let him!
We asked about RV reservations but were told it was first come, first served but that the 4 RV spots were seldom in use. There are no hook-ups, no dump station and no RV’s over 23 feet. The RV spots are on the parking lot.
We visited Sitting Bull Falls on the way back to Carlsbad. Another remote destination, but closer to Carlsbad and more popular.
In July we flew out to Arizona with friends Sharon and Rick. This might seem like a bad time to be in Arizona but it is the monsoon season and great for birding.
The first part of our trip we stayed at Santa Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon. It’s in the Coronado National Forest. Mark and I stayed at this lodge for the first time in 1998.
This is a
beautiful area with lots of flowers and many hiking trails to explore.
The 2nd half of our ten day trip we stayed at the San Pedro River Inn. This was a bed and breakfast. It was interesting in that we each had our own two bedroom house. We were the only people there at the time. The Inn is now closed and for sale.
There was some easy bird watching around the inn. There was a Barn Owl nesting box there, and it was full of owls who would sneak peeks at us now and then.
There are a number of amazing canyons and bird watching sites in this part of Arizona. This is some easy birding, watching hummingbird feeders at the Nature Conservancy Ramsey Canyon Preserve.
The hiking could be pretty strenuous at times but the views were amazing.
One interesting "non-bird" that we discovered in Miller Canyon was this Rock Rattlesnake.
There are numerous places to go birding in SE Arizona and one of the most popular is Scheelite Canyon in Fort Huachuca.
Fort Huachuca was established in 1877 and is still an active military post. The fort was the headquarters of the 4th Cavalry patrols that pursued Geronimo and his band of Chiricahua Apache and ultimately brought about their surrender in 1886. It also served as home of the famous “Buffalo Soldiers” who chased Pancho Villa in 1916 following attacks on Columbus, New Mexico.
There are many rare birds and animals found in the higher elevations of the Huachuca Mountains.
Scheelite Canyon is famous for it’s resident Mexican Spotted Owls.
The trail
is steep and rocky.
We have been to Scheelite Canyon several times and have always found the Owls.
Garden Canyon is about a mile before Scheelite Canyon. There is wonderful birding in this canyon too.
The road to Garden Canyon is closed occasionally because of military maneuvers.
There is a short walk and a climb up boardwalk steps to prehistoric rock paintings.
There are many mines in Arizona. Some have been turned into museums with tours. We drove past the Lavender Pit (named after Harrison Lavender, Vice-President and GM of Phelps Dodge Corp.).
The Lavender Copper Pit opened in 1950 and ended operations in 1974. It’s 300 acres and 900 feet deep.
We didn’t tour any of the mines when we were here but it’s certainly on our list of things to do in the future.
Next time: The rest of our year - Rocky Mountain National Park and back to Texas.
You must keep a diary. You've really documented in great detail. Michael Marsden was our guide at the San Pedro River Inn. As far as I know he's guiding from San Benito, Texas now.
ReplyDeleteWe had heard that Michael was back in Texas. I didn't hear if his significant other was with him. I write a lot of things down on a calendar. Some years I do better than others. We've been to both RMNP and AZ so many times it's easy to remember those places.
DeleteGuadalupe National Park is on our list, but as you said, getting there and sleeping anywhere in the vicinity is challenging....someday. Also enjoyed learning a bit more about AZ!
ReplyDeleteWe really like AZ. There are a lot of interesting things to do there. Especially out door things, if you're interested in that type of entertainment.
DeleteThe Dog Canyon part of Guadalupe NP is in "the back". 99.9% of the folks visit the Pine Springs side, which is much more accessible and has a decent sized campground.
ReplyDelete