Chiricahuas, perfect camping and hiking

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.)