Silver City NM Activites

Wednesday  Feb 28

We awoke to snow, ranging from light to moderate that continued off and on all day.  Although accumulating briefly, it soon melted, but left us content to spend the morning relaxing and planning our stay in the area.  Given the ongoing drought, any precipitation was welcomed by the locals, if not us.

After lunch we walked down to the Visitor's Center in town and along San Vincente Creek that flows through the center of town.  A number of years ago, the creek flooded, causing major damage in the down town area, part of which has been turned into a lovely public park..  We also took short drive to Fort Bayard.  It was  a good day to slow down and catch our breath - we've had full days since we arrived in Phoenix.

Snow!

Silver City river walk - those white specks are snow flakes

Mosaic on the wall at the park

Prickly pear cactus in the snow

Thursday March 1st

With sunny skies Thursday morning, we headed for the Gila Cliff Dwellings, a 44 mile drive over the Continental Divide.  We had second thoughts when we got to Pinos Altos and encountered snow along the highway and a road sign warning the road wasn't plowed nights or weekends. Maybe it would be wiser to wait a  day for the snow and ice to melt before driving on the twisty mountain road.

Conditions just up the road from Pinos Altos

Museum and general store

Now we had time to check out Pinos Altos, a ghost town.  Not much was happening since everything was closed.  Not that there was much there, -it would appear we were a bit ahead of prime tourist season.  We decided to drive to City of Rocks, a state park we wanted to see, possibly stopping for a hike on the way.

Dragon Fly trail

The Dragonfly trail had been highly recommended by the woman at the visitor's center, and was on our way to the City of Rocks State Park, so we hiked the 3 mile loop.  Once again, the terrain was different - high plain grass range - from what we'd hiked before.  The trail was easy as it meandered across the range with lots of yucca, cedars, junipers, a few cactus and very dry grass.

The trail eventually wandered along Twin Sisters Creek, providing enough moisture for sycamore and cottonwoods to grow in the watershed.  There was a trickle of  running water and a few small ponds of water.  There are pictographs, including one of a dragon fly, along the creek bed, but they weren't well marked and we missed them.

Panoramic of City of Rocks, note the flat terrain beyond the rocks

City of Rocks State Park was a delightful surprise. A violent volcanic explosion eons ago and subsequent erosion left a tumble of weathered rocks in a very defined area which is a state park.  After paying the day use fee, the ranger told us to use any free campsite and suggested we explore the rocks on foot and drive the loop before leaving to get a good view of the rocks.  Fortunately it's not possible to get lost since the rocks are ringed by the park road.  Otherwise one could easily get lost in the jumble of rocks.  We spent a couple of hours wandering through them.

Big rock at City of Rocks

More Rocks!

It would have been a great place to spend the night to watch the full moon rise over Table Mountain and the rocks.  It was one of the few areas we've seen that appealed to us as an RV park location - many look like parking lots, with little shade and far from town. Most of the campsites were for dry camping (no services), and the full service portion had closely packed RV's (think of a dock in a marina). Arriving fully provisioned would be essential - it was a long drive to the closest grocery.

Another note about the area, like Chittenden County, most, if not all, gas and jiffy marts are owned by one family, hence the price is set, the highest we've seen on the trip, on par with home. While there is an active 'retired community' in Silver City who maybe able to afford expensive gas, it must be difficult for the locals who need to commute any distance for work.

Sophia Talvik at the Little Toad Brewery -
along with her own songs, she sang some lovely Swedish folk songs

We ended the evening with a walk into town after dinner to catch  a live performance by Sofia Talvik, a Swedish singer/songwriter at the Little Toad Brewery.  Along with some good music, we enjoyed stout floats made with the brewery's chocolate, cherry stout.  It was a pleasant surprise when the waitress brought more stout to add to the float.  A fun evening and we burned off some of the calories on the hike back up to our house.  It is  work to hike up hill at 5900'!

On to Silver City, NM

Tuesday, March 27

Tuesday morning we packed the car and headed for New Mexico with a stop to tour the Kartchner Caverns along the way. We'd made reservations for a 1220 tour. That gave us time for a quick Costco run for gas (cheapest in town) and to pick up a few things just as the store opened, and still have time to drive to the caverns.

Kartchner Caverns visitor center

We'd been instructed to arrive an hour early, perhaps they don't hold reservations past a certain time. People were inquiring about tickets when we checked in and were told those available were for much later in the day.  We watched the video and wandered around the displays with several school groups, hoping they would have a separate tour (they did), and visited the gift shop.  There is a 2 mile desert loop walk by the discovery center, but after watching the video we didn't have time to do more than explore the first portion.

The caverns, in cave time are geologically very young - teenagers at most, were discovered in 1974 by 2 spelunkers.  After making numerous trips exploring the cavern, they discovered several big vaults and realized what a pristine and unique place it was, and were  careful to keep its location secret.  They thought the cavern was on public land, but learned it was owned by the Kartchner family who agreed to protect the site.  Funding and liability added to the problem of protecting and opening the caverns to the public - the federal government already had lots of BLM land and wasn't interested, nor were any of the other entities queried.  The Nature Conservancy was, and after a well tuned presentation, the state agreed to help fund the project which took decades to complete.  Our ranger told us the loan was paid off several years ago, so revenues now all go to upkeep and maintenance.

The cave entrance at the cavern - hermetically sealed and the only way up is on a tram

A mining crew was hired to dig an access tunnel without damaging the cavern at the cost of over $1,000,000.  The state insisted on handicap accessibility, adding to the difficulty and cost - and while it is possible, it would be work to push a wheelchair on the half mile trail. Air locks were installed to help protect the cave environment which averages 72F with 99% humidity.   A misting system was added to help prevent lint, hair and anything else that might  drop off visitors and contaminate the cavern which has petri-dish conditions for growing nasty stuff that would damage the formations.  

We were warned to touch nothing but the hand rail and to avoid touching of the foot high curb - much less any formations in the cave.  The caverns are cleaned on a daily basis, with special care given to any area accidentally touched during a tour -and flagged by the rangers for special treatment.  The walkway/ramp is washed every other day with the water recycled and used on the plantings around the center.  Lighting is controlled by the ranger giving the tour and turned off between tours and overnight allowing the cave to rest.  The results  of these precautions were awe inspiring.  

There are several different tours, ours included the Rotunda, Throne Room and 'Kubla Khan'. Unfortunately, neither cell phones nor cameras are permitted on the tours - someone would 'forget' to turn off the flash - so no photos.  We've toured other caves, but this was the first one considered to be a living cave.  The difference was astonishing, with a variety of colors and formations not seen elsewhere.  The ranger briefly flashed a light on one of living stalactites, which glowed, while a near by 'dead' or dormant one didn't.  Our tour ended at a seating area facing the Throne Room and Kubla Khan, with an light show illuminating different parts of the room.  WOW says it all! There is a cave video at AZStateParks.com.

Blowing salt on the flats next to the road

This week's  cold front brought winter storm warnings with snow down to 4000' and strong, gusty winds Tuesday evening into Wednesday. I'd planned to take a more scenic route, but given the weather and late start, we headed east on IS 10 with a parade of semis.  With gusts approaching 40 mph, we were thankful not to be driving or towing a big RV, our Jeep was high enough profile for us.

We were surprised to see warning signs along the highway regarding dust storms and limited visibility, suggesting stopping on the shoulder, turning off the car and all lights and waiting for improved visibility.  While we saw clouds of salt and sand blowing on the salt flats near the road - it looked like smoke from a fire,  rising more than 100' - we didn't experience reduced visibility.

This is pistachio country and this was one of a number of pistachio orchards along I 10

Once into New Mexico, we turned off the interstate, taking SR90 up into the mountains, crossing the Continental Divide.  Silver City is at 5895' and our latest Airbnb was on a hill overlooking town.  We met our hosts, Becky and Mike, and settled into our home for the next few days, a rustic apartment under the main house, and since we're short the low ceilings weren't a problem, but might be for tall folks.  The gas range was an old style Norge (and I mean old, with small oven and side doors), but it worked (or at least 2 burners work), as did the heater - a good thing since temperatures dropped into the 20's during our stay.

Becky had baked fresh cookies for us and left a huge bowl of fresh fruit in the fridge to welcome us.   It was warm, and comfortable, with plenty of space to stretch out (we were thankful we weren't in an RV).

The town has a large park - Boston Hill - with numerous hiking trails, including an old mine,  that we explored briefly before heading into to town to for dinner at the local brew pub. It's a college town, known for its numerous galleries and art studios,  as well as a museum with the largest Mimbres pottery collection in the world.  Leonard says 'you've seen one pot...', but the 700 to 1000  year old black and white designs are fascinating.  (Leonard lucked out - the museum was closed for renovations.)

2018 Tuscon Mt Lemon and Saguaro Nation Park East

Monday, March 26, 2018

For our last full day in Tucson, we drove up Mt. Lemon and toured the Saguaro National Park, East.  After doing the Apache Pass and South Mountain Park in Phoenix (narrow, not necessarily paved, no shoulders and steep drop offs) Leonard wasn't sure he wanted to tackle another 25 miles one way.  No worries. It was a well paved, with wide shoulders, view turnoffs, passing pull outs, and some fantastic views.  Well worth the trip!

 Thimble Peak Vista on the way up Mt Lemon -  Thimble Peak at the top left (High Resolution Photo)

Balanced rocks by Windy Point Vista

Since we stopped at most of the scenic overlooks, it took a while to get to the top.  The change in temperature and habitat was amazing - we'd gone from an arid desert climate to that of the western Canadian border featuring Douglas fir rather than saguaro.  We stopped at Sommerhaven, a small resort town by the ski slopes, and in our case, the end of the road since the gate was closed to the slopes.  The gift shop had a bird feeder an interesting variety of hungry birds.  Our splurge was a fresh, plate sized, still warm cookie from the bakery/deli next door - we were asked if we needed a bag or planned to demolish it in one sitting.  While it would have been easy to do (the gal said folks frequently do), part of it made it to dessert.

Female acorn woodpecker

Yellow-eyed junco

Full Scale Panorama further up the mountain- Tuscon is in the distance
(High Resolution Photo)

We had planned to do a hike on the mountain, but lacked a detailed trail map.  The ranger's station, almost at the top, had trail maps for sale, and while we were allowed to take a picture of the no longer published free trail map, the chilly wind, steep slopes and remnants of the last snow fall was enough of a deterrent. We enjoyed the views and stopped at one of the lower camping grounds for lunch before heading to the Saguaro East - Rincon Mountain District.

Gate on the road to the ski area

Rock formation as we head down

The Rincon Mountain District East, more than twice the size of the Tucson Mountain District West has an 8 mile loop drive with numerous hiking trails through the desert and the Tanque Verde ridge trail up Mica Mountain, an 8,666' peak. We chose to link a series of trails for a 5 mile hike, with little elevation change, on the desert floor. While it was an interesting hike, we were disappointed to see little wild life.  We completed the 8 mile loop road before heading back into to town.

Cactus Forest Trail in Saguaro East - Rincon Mountain District

Moon rising over the Rincon Mountains from Cactus Forest Trail

While the temperature was forecast to reach 70F in town, at 8000' it had been in the 50's.  Note this was the first day on the trip that 70 was even mentioned in a forecast.  After a week with a lot of clouds, the skies cleared, giving us sunny but cooler than normal temperatures. We weren't complaining, it's easier to put on a jacket than swelter in the heat, especially if we're hiking,although we wondered why we packed shorts.

Full Scale Late afternoon panorama at Saguaro East
(High Resolution Photo)

2018 Madera Canyon and the Missile Museum

Sunday  March 25, 2018

Sunday the choice was between heading SW to Tombstone and Bisbee, or S toward Green Valley to explore Madera Canyon and the Santa Rita Mountains.  We opted for the shorter drive and headed to Madera Canyon. It turned out to be a delightful choice.   We had asked the ranger at the gate for suggestions and she said the Nature Trail was nice, with options of hiking to the top of the road from any of several parking areas along a wooded trail, and since part of it followed a creek, tended to have wildlife along the trail.  Sounded good to us.

We started from a lower parking area for a 1.8 one way hike on a trail along a babbling creek, which wound up the canyon.  With a gradual rise, the trail entered a wooded area on the N slope of the mountain and had lot of wildlife, including a small group mule deer, a ring tail (looks like racoon, but is more cat than coon) and more birds than we could identify.  With about 600' of gradual elevation change and a good trail, it was an easy hike. It had to be one of our slowest hikes as we stopped frequently to check out the birds.  By mid afternoon as we headed down, there were more hikers than wildlife along the trail, so the descent was faster.

Panorama of Madera Canyon from the Nature trail
(High Resolution- View full screen and and zoomed in)

Phainopepla

Female Arizona Woodpecker

With a few hours of daylight left, we headed to the Titan Missile Museum, one of 3 original Titan missile sights manned during the Cold War. With our impeccable timing, we caught the last tour of the day.  It was interesting, especially since we are of an age to remember the Cuban missile crisis as more than a short comment in a history book.

Titan II's Advantage was quick launch

Looking down at the missile from ground level

Silo Details

First Stage Engine

It is thought provoking to realize once the countdown procedure was initiated, it could not be reversed, and within 58 seconds a missile with a nuclear warhead would be launched with unimaginable destructive capability.  At the time, it would have been one of multiple missiles from multiple land, sea and air sources with catastrophic results.  It would appear this missile system, like most of the forts we've visited along the east coast, was constructed as a preemptive measure, with no shot ever fired in anger.

I found the juxtaposition of these simple desert marigolds blooming above the missile pad interesting

2018 Tuscon Sabino Canyon and Off Road Adventures

Friday, March 23, 2018

Starting up Bear Canyon Trail to Phoneline

Friday morning we headed to Sabino Canyon, a national park with hiking tails into the outback.  No cars are allowed in the park, trams providing the only motorized access on the road up into the canyon.   After talking to a ranger, we decided to hike up and take the tram down, not the usual choice,  but my original equipment knees prefer up to down.  It's one of the most visited national parks, and even on a weekday, there was a lot of traffic on the trails.

Panarama with Tuscon on the left and Lynnea hiking on the right
(High Resolution- View full screen and zoomed in)

Multi-striped layers of color in the rocks along the trail

Looking back on the trail up - path is halfway up on the left

We chose to take the ' Phoneline' trail  which ran along a ridge.   We started with Bear Canyon Trail at the visitors center, before joining with Phoneline, and ending with a segment of Sabino Canyon Trail, about a 6 mile hike with an elevation change of 880' before  hiking down to the top tram stop.  It would give us a chance to see what a 'moderate' rated trail was, and it was as advertised, narrow on steep slopes with a moderate incline. The terrain was interesting and the views were great, although we saw more hikers than wildlife.

We were happy to hop on the tram for the trip back to the visitor's center.  Had we chosen to hike down, we would have hiked through a couple of creek crossings with ankle deep water crossing the road, something we hadn't known in advance!

Leonard on the trail

Looking down to the top of road up the canyon with a tram arriving

Saturday, February 24, 2018

As arranged, we met the Caldwells Saturday morning at the Costco parking lot for an off road adventure to Chimney Rock.  It was an adventure.  A couple of weeks ago they did a counter-clockwise trip of the trail, but turned back when they reached a tricky area rather than get into trouble. They have a 'Spot' device they used on 'Golden', which leaves 10 minute location cookie crumbs and has alerts for either 'we're in trouble' or 'we need emergency help now' modes.

Caldwell's 'Toad' with its special 10 ply tires 'aired down' to give more grip on rough trails

We did the loop clockwise, and the trail was more challenging than when they'd done it last year.  Summer monsoons can dramatically change the trails and apparently had done so this past year.  We got out at Chimney Rock to explore the area before continuing.  Their Toad does some amazing tricks, climbing rocks and skirting washouts. However, it is disconcerting to approach a rise and not see the trail down beyond until you've started down.  Paige had the trail map on their Ipad, giving our location and keeping us on track - seeing the physical trail was difficult at times, including a short drive down a wash they'd scoped out the area on a previous trip.

Chimney Rock

Although Mike had explained to Leonard, riding shot gun,  he'd need to engage the down hill button to keep the Jeep to 3mph when he said 'down hill'.  Leonard needed reminding to press the magic button - the fact we were going down  was obvious and most vehicles don't have a 'down hill' mode!

Pond and creek where we stopped for lunch

At some of the more challenging areas we got out and spotted Mike as he drove through the obstacle course.  Even so, we scrapped bottom several times.  They have a pan under the car to protect vital parts like the gas tank.  We added to their 'Arizona back road pin stripping' as the brush along the trail scrapped against the sides.  One section required us to drive down a creek bed which was dry, but when the Caldwells did the trip the first time, it hadn't been, and they hiked down the creek scouting for the continuation of the trail.

We were surprised not to see much traffic - 2 dirt bikes heading the opposite direction at the start, and finally another off road vehicle (ATV)  just before the end of the trip.  They chose Saturday thinking there would be more folks out in case we got into trouble - safety in numbers.  The ATV folks led the last tricky passage and waited to make sure we were safely through. At the end of the trail we chatted briefly with them about conditions and some nearby, more difficult trails while they 'aired up' the tires for highway driving.

Checking the best route through a narrow section of trail

Although the official off road portion was only 10 miles, it was a long day by the time we found pavement at the west end of Redington Pass road - not considered 'off road'.    Frankly we had difficulty differentiating between the trail and the county road as we headed back to town.  That may be why most rental car companies restrict driving to paved roads.  We don't have that restriction, but wouldn't want to try it in our Jeep.

Even the ever energetic Callie, their long haired dachshund, was tired and fell sleep on my lap as we headed out. It was a lot more fun for us to be passengers and not worrying of getting in over our heads - I would have chewed my fingers down to the knuckles. As we drove out, we noticed many of the trees and shrubs had begun to show the first vestiges of spring, with leaf buds beginning to open.  It was a fun day and a chance to see some of the back country not available to everyone. Thanks Paige and Mike for the great day!

2018 Sam Xavier del Bac Mission and the Tuscon Rodeo

Thursday, February 22

Thursday morning we visited the Arizona State Museum, the oldest and largest anthropology museum in the SW, located on the campus of the University of Arizona, which has an interesting exhibit of Native American history. Once again it brought home the arrogance of European assumed superiority which does little to recommend those of us who emigrated to the New World.  There is much to recommend native culture's 'tread lightly' philosophy to respect the land that sustains us rather than overwhelming our environment.

Mission Xavier del Bac 'White Dove of the Desert'

Next on our agenda was the Mission San Xavier del Bac, known as the 'White Dove of the Desert', a working parish founded in 1692 by Jesuit missionary Father Eusebio Francisco Kino.  The current structure was begun in 1783, at which time Franciscan Father Velderrain borrowed 7,000 pesos from a rancher to build the Mission.  After 14 years, the funds ran out before one of the bell towers. was completed.  Restoration of the Mission is ongoing, however will never complete the original unfinished bell tower.  Weekly masses are held for the congregation and the mission school, begun in 1873, still educates K-8 students from the surrounding area.

Courtyard at the back of the mission

Interior of the mission

We skipped the end of the docent tour to arrive in time for the 1400 rodeo show, one of the qualifying days for the first Rodeo of the year's circuit,   Events included bronco riding, calf roping, barrel racing, and bull riding.  Most events had a minimum time limit to qualify for points and to advance to the finals, and a number of cowboys either missed lassoing or remaining on board for the required minimum time (8 seconds to qualify for both bronco and bull riding). Once lassoed, each participant was timed on how long it took to securely tie 3 legs of the calf. It's got to be disappointing to not score after traveling, sometime from great distances, and paying entry fees.  I liked the rodeo clowns and barrel racing best, and was thankful it wasn't windless and 80F as we sat in the bleachers in the sun (this was the first sunny day).  After watching the calf roping, I could understand why the animal rights groups were protesting outside the gates.

'Mud' wagon with rodeo officials - 
originally they served as smaller, less fancy stage coaches

Bronco riding

Calf roping

Clowns and their fire truck

Bull Riding

We gave Paige and Mike Caldwell a call before we left the rodeo, knowing they were in town for a Tiffin gathering - Tiffin being the brand of their RV coach.  Paige invited us to stop by for a visit and tour of their only home since they sold 'Golden', their power catamaran.  We agree, boating would be a good introduction to life in an RV - something always is either breaking or needs fixing. (A fact to which both the Finns and Schumachers can attest.)  The Tiffin gathering provided techs for solutions to problems large and small, and a chance to touch base with other Tiffin owners.  A great service.

Toto and Toad, Caldwell's RV and Jeep -Toto is currently their main residence as they tour the country

We arranged to meet Saturday for an off road adventure in their 'Toad' (Jeep towed behind the RV).  Paige offered scenic vs adventure - Leonard immediately opted for adventure.  We'd pack a lunch, hiking gear and extra water just 'in case...'. Whatever happens, it promised to  be a fun day with old friends.