Chiricahuas, perfect camping and hiking

May 6, 2013 2 Comments

Incredible rocks and hoodoos, beautiful skies, clean air, night-time temps in the 50s, and no mosquitoes – this is a great, powerful place. We drove through Willcox (the people there might be very nice but the town is zero except for the excellent coffee shop) and then put the convertible top down to drive through the valleys and mountains to the Chiricahua National Monument campsite. Few real trees grow in the Valley of the Sun, so seeing the Apache Pines, Oaks, Arizona Sycamores and Madrones, and Alligator Junipers, even these twisted dwarf versions, was a refreshing change of pace. (Two days later we drove to Jerome and saw giant pines and other trees at 7000 feet.)

IMG_9875campground

Filed under Arizona, Travel Tagged with , ,

Geronimo, Ft. Bowie, Gila Monster

May 6, 2013 1 Comment

In the southeast corner of Arizona, the Chiricahuas are one of the mountain ranges and valleys inhabited by First Nations for centuries before the Europeans. Fort Bowie was established close to Apache Spring to attack Apaches led by Cochise and then Geronimo. (The “official” history portrays Fort Bowie as protecting settlers and travelers but we can read between the lines.) In any case, here are pics of a two-foot+ Gila Monster at Apache Spring, the grave of Geronimo’s son, and the fort’s ruins, its decay accelerated because locals looted it for wood and other materials when it was disbanded a century ago.

The Fort Bowie ranger said she’d only seen two small Gila Monsters in her 18 years on the job, so seeing this big monster was unusual and very lucky.

Gila Monster

Gila Monster

Fort Bowie in a beautiful valler

Fort Bowie in a beautiful valley. Click for larger version.

Filed under Arizona, Travel