More from Cave Creek Canyon

4/25/2017 cont.
A few hours after we arrived, Barney, the local herpetologist who owns and maintains the the reptile exhibit in the visitors center, came by to clean one of the cages.  We all stepped back to a respectable distance while he removed the two Diamondback Rattle Snakes.

The volunteer we're replacing would leave May 1.  We dry camped in the parking lot of the visitors center till then.  A little better view than a Wal-Mart parking lot any day.

4/26/2017

As part of our training, we visited the Chiricahua Desert Museum. As you can tell, the focus is reptiles.

4/27/2017
Today we visited most of the sites we'd be sending guests to.  Our first stop happened to be the most spectacular.  This view is at the end of an easy  200 yard trail that gets you just above the tree tops.  I read somewhere this is considered the Yosemite of Arizona.

Here's some other views in the area...

American Museum of Natural History
Southwestern Research Station

Late afternoon view into Cave Creek Canyon

4/29/2017

A Blustery Saturday evening at the Portal Cafe with live music.

On to Cave Creek Canyon Visitors Center

4/25/2017

After an overnight at the Deming NM Wal-Mart to stock up on food and supplies, we're on our way to Portal AZ.  The forecast was for high wind warnings with possible road closures so we were up at the crack of dawn to get to the canyon before the wind got severe.  With the one hour time change we arrived at the Cave Creek Canyon Visitors Information Center at 7:30 am and had to wait for our friend, Laura, to open the center.  

We jumped right in and started training for our new workcamping job for the coming month.  As the day wore on the wind kept building and we started hearing reports that I-10 was closed due to dangerous wind and dust storms limiting visibility. There was also a downed tree on one of the canyon roads, stranding some birders for a time until locals jumped into action to partially clear a path down the mountain.

Over the next month there'll be more interesting pictures and stories from Cave Creek Canyon.

Here's some pictures of the drive to and into Cave Creek Canyon...

Heading south into the hart of the Chihauhuan desert.

The Chiricahua Mountains appear on the horizon.

After turning onto Portal road, a pass through
the mountains appears.

The Cave Creek Canyon Visitor Information Center.

City of Rocks SP

4/20/2017 cont.

City of Rocks State Park in New Mexico is a unique camping experience.  Most of the campsites are nestled in among the rock pillars.  The park is located in the northern edge of the Chihuahuan desert.  35 million years ago, a violent volcanic eruption (1000 times greater then Mt. St. Helens in 1980) deposited a layer of pumice, ash, and hot gas that compacted and welded  to form dense rock. Erosion did the rest to form the rocks we see today.

Here's some pictures from in and around the park...
 .

See picnic table and fire ring for this campsite surrounded by rocks.

View from a bench on one of the trails

View of our campsite facing east as the sun sets in the west.

View from our campsite picnic table.

Colorful eastern sky after sunset.

On-site observatory opened up for Star Party on 4/22/2017.

There were about 5 telescopes trained on various objects. 

During the Star Party we saw some of the colored bands of Jupiter and 5 of it's moons, Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), Andromada Galaxy (M31) among other heavenly bodies.

These astronomical signs a places all over the park.

Ancient native american grinding stone.

End of another day.

Another beautiful sunset over City of Rocks SP.

Spent 4 days at City of Rocks and had a great time.  We plan to return.

Coming next , On to Cave Creek Canyon Visitors Center - Portal, AZ and our new workcamping job for the month of May..

On the way to City of Rocks State Park NM

4/20/2017
Silver City, NM was hosting the 37th Tour of the Gila bicycle race during the time we were at Mesa Campground.  On the day we planned to leave for City of Rocks SP a leg of the race was to come down NM 35, the only road down the mountain. We didn't know this till the camp host mentioned as we were leaving... "we better hurry before they close the road for the bike race".

After pulling onto the road, I looked in my rear view mirror to see a truck with a sign "Bike Race" on the roof. Before long we came across a lone biker ahead.  The winding road didn't offer many passing opportunities so we just followed about 100 yards back, hoping we didn't distract  him.  Eventually we got around him only  to come across another one.

As we came to the intersection of NM 35 and 152, the race turned west toward Silver City.  We turned east and pulled off to watch some of the racers make the turn for home.

The following video shows the men's pro group, along  with their entourage.

Coming next, City of Rocks SP

Gila Cliff Dwellings National Mounment

4/16/2017, Easter Sunday.

Belated Happy Easter to everyone.

Arrived at Mesa Campground in the Gila National Forest, about 18 miles form the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument.  No cell service, internet or TV!

We’d spent Friday and Saturday of the Easter weekend in the Alamogordo and Las Cruces Wal-Marts, leaving the crowded campgrounds to the locals.  On Sunday afternoon we found a nice site with afternoon shade and a great view of the surrounding mountains.

4/17/2017

Day trip to the Gila Cliff Dwellings, one of the few such sites where you can walk around inside the ruins.

4/18-19/2017

There were numerous hiking/sightseeing opportunities in the surrounding area but we decided to stay close to camp and simply enjoy the peaceful setting. Wild temperature swings, 31 to 78 degrees in the same day, humidity running 10 to 20%.

Next stop, City of Rocks State Park NM.

Here’s pictures from Gila Cliff Dwellings and Mesa Campground.