7) Saguaro National Park June 25 – June 29, 2009

On June 25 we left for Tucson minus our truck and trailer. Remember the transmission was out on the truck, and we were trying to have it fixed. Without the truck we couldn’t pull the trailer so we put it in storage and rented a car to continue our journey. Since Saguaro doesn’t have a campground this was not a big deal. We found the local Hampton Inn, and all was great. Saguaro is divided into the east and west districts with the city in between them. We visited Saguaro East first. After going to the visitor center, talking to a ranger to get oriented, and watching a film about the saguaro and Sonora Desert, we drove the 8-mile Cactus Forest Loop Drive and hiked the Desert Ecology Trail. The dirt road drive gives a good glimpse of the plants - the saguaro cactus is the most prominent - and animals that call the Sonora Desert home. Saguaro cacti are like the sentinels of the desert towering over the other desert plants that grow much closer to the ground. They stand so tall and erect, and each one has its own personality depending on how the branches grow. There was the dancer, the orator, the comedian, the director and the list could go on and on. You are limited only by your own imagination as you look at these elegant, magnificent plants, some of which are over 200 years old. Another interesting plant was the Palo Verde tree, characterized by its lime green bark. One has to look closely to differentiate its branches from its slim leaves. The green bark performs much of the plant’s photosynthesis, because a lot of large leaves are a real detriment in the desert. The Ecology Trail was a paved, 0.3 mile trail that identified most of the plants of the desert. It was too hot for much hiking even though we were there in the late afternoon. To cool off we had dinner at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse-another restaurant we could recommend.

Do You Need a Hug?

The next day we went to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, a combination botanical garden, zoo of rehabilitated wildlife, provider of educational programs and desert research facility. It is a must see if you happen to be in this area. We went to two programs, Live and (sort of) on the Loose and Running Wild. Live and on the Loose was about venomous reptiles of the desert and, our program spotlighted the Gila monster and one of the rattlesnakes. It was fun not only learning about the habits of these critters but also watching the handlers control them with the use of their long handled snake hooks. The Running Wild program focused on small animals of the desert and featured a skunk, porcupine, gopher snake, and macaw that flew out over the audience; quite impressive. The four legged animals had been trained to walk along a tabletop on the stage as a slide show ran, and the handler talked about the animal’s diet, habits, etc. We took the docent-led tour of the desert and learned about the history of the area, the plants that grow there, the animals that live there, and issues related to the desert and maintaining its viability. Our guide was very knowledgeable, humorous, and interesting. What we didn’t cover during that tour, we were able to go see on a self-guided basis. Once again, because of the heat, we sped through the rest of the exhibits and headed for the café to have lunch and rehydrate. The museum is really a treasure and one you could spend a couple of days visiting- there is so much to see. We left after lunch and headed for Saguaro West.

Skunk, Star of Running Wild Program, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Big Horn Sheep at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

Good Camouflauge

Panorama of the Sonora Desert from Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

We stopped at the Visitor Center to talk with a ranger and see another orientation film. This film was very good, and there is a real surprise included, which we won’t spoil here. There was also a special presentation about the bats of the abandoned mines within the park, so we stayed for that. The main issue was how to secure the caves so that people could not enter them but so that the bats would be free to come and go. They are experimenting with different gate configurations to see which one has the least effect on the bats.
After enjoying the museum, we drove the Scenic Bajada Loop Drive, another unpaved road 5 miles long through the desert. It closely resembles the drive on the east side of the park, but the west side has many more cacti, and the drive is shorter. While on the drive we hiked the half mile Signal Hill Trail. It went up the side of a hill to an area of petroglyphs. It felt very good to get back into our air conditioned car. We then drove through part of the Tucson County Park that adjoins the national park, and which has a few examples of the crested saguaro, which you can find if you ask a knowledgeable ranger. We continued our drive by heading over to the Old Tucson Studios, but it had closed for the day. I think that was no big loss, though. It looked pretty touristy.

Petroglyphs, Signal Hill Trail

Saguaro Cactus, Saguaro National Park West

The next day, we went out to discover the secrets of Biosphere 2. It’s “2”, because the other biosphere is earth, and it comes first. This is an amazing structure that we had heard of years ago, in which, a small group of people set out to live for a period of time completely shut off, physically, from the rest of the world. This isolation includes a seamless, stainless-steel shell that surrounds the section of the biosphere that is below ground. The idea was for the biosphere with the people in it to be self-sustaining. Their experiment was a bit shorter than the original plan, because they couldn’t maintain the caloric intake needed over a really sustained period. They made it for 2 years, which is not bad. The system is currently used for research by universities and others interested in utilizing the largest, enclosed, fully controlled environment in the world. The system includes multiple environments: desert; rainforest; ocean, with coral reef; tropical savanna; and mangrove wetlands. There is also a human habitat area where the original crew each had a separate apartment that they could furnish to their own taste. The guided tour also includes a lot of the technical areas of the biosphere, including two massive “lungs”, which kept the biosphere from imploding or exploding when it was hermetically sealed. It is a truly remarkable structure.

Biosphere II

Tombstone, AZ was next on our list. We strolled around town for a while and visited the old Courthouse which has been turned a state historic park. The exhibits focus on the history of Tombstone and Cochise County. We saw the OK Corral but did not stay for the reenactment of the famous gunfight. Tombstone was a tad on the touristy side, so we decided to move on. We did stop at Boothill Cemetery on our way out of town. Three of the victims of the famous gunfight have Boothill as their final resting place.

OK Corral, Tombstone, AZ

On our way to Silver City to check on the truck, we stopped at the City of Rocks State Park in the Mimbres Valley. Out in the middle of the flat dessert is a collection of rocks left as a result of volcanic action 34.9 million years ago. They were big, and their shapes and distribution really remind one of a city. But most of all they seemed so out of place. To make a long story short regarding the truck, the repair did not go well, so we headed to Las Cruces to buy a new truck. That was much more successful than the truck repair phase of the trip.

Rock Foramations, City of Rocks State Park, NM

Between Carlsbad and Saguaro June 11 - June 24, 2009

From Carlsbad Caverns we headed to Roswell, NM to see the Roswell Museum and Art Center. One wing of the museum is dedicated to the work of Robert Goddard and has his reassembled workshop in one of the galleries. The exhibits include his early work with rocketry and his inventions and advancements in rocket science. There is also a comprehensive exhibit on Native American history and the role it played in the development of New Mexico and parts of the Southwest. It was time well spent and we both enjoyed the museum as well as the art center. From there we went to the International UFO Museum and Research Center. The museum is “organized” around the 1947 crash of “something” in the desert in the Roswell vicinity. You really have to see the displays in order to come to your own conclusions. We have our opinions but don’t want to prejudice anyone. Everyone should go at least once in their life. Enough said.

UFO Museum, Roswell, New Mexico

From Roswell we headed to Taos, NM. Our first adventure was driving to the Rio Grande River Gorge Bridge. You are driving across the desert and out of nowhere this bridge appears. If you didn’t know it was there you would have no clue you were coming up on it and you would not recognize a gorge was there until you were in the middle of the bridge. There is a pull off area for parking, complete with vendor’s selling out of their vehicles. Sidewalks with observation platforms allow you to walk across the bridge and look straight down into the gorge. It is a 650 foot drop to the gorge’s bottom and quite breathtaking. If the weather were a little cooler there are hiking trails that would be great to explore. Next time we’ll do some hiking.

Rio Grande River Gorge

We walked around Old Town Taos Plaza, and then to the Ernest Blumenschein House. Blumenschein is one of the co-founders of the Taos Society of Artists. His wife was also an artist, and their Southwest home, which evolved over the time span of their occupancy, is both homey and quite beautiful. We had lunch at Café LoKa which was quite yummy. From there we went to the Taos Pueblo, one of the oldest continually inhabited communities in North America. What a treat! We happened to visit on one of their holy days and got to watch their Corn Dance Ritual. Because it was a holy day no cameras or cell phones were allowed in the Pueblo. They WILL confiscate and keep any that they see or find. Neither electricity nor plumbing is allowed in the pueblo and the residents live much as their ancestors did long ago. Several of the homes had shops on the bottom floors selling jewelry, pottery, baskets and other native crafts. We ate our first blue corn frybread and it was delicious. Served with honey and cinnamon sugar; you can’t get much better eating. One modern convenience in the pueblo was Coleman camping stoves to cook the bread. A totally refreshing point of the day was watching a pueblo resident reach down into the river running through the pueblo, scoop up a handful of water, and take a drink. At how many of our rivers can we do that? The tribe controls all the land from the river’s source through the pueblo and they are very protective of this resource. Our next stop was the San Francisco de Asis Church made famous by Georgia O’Keefe and Ansel Adams. It is supposedly the most photographed church in America, so we had to take our own photographs. They turned out lovely.

Artists in the Courtyard at the Blumenschein House

San Francisco de Asis Church

We tried to visit the Kit Carson House, but arrived 5 minutes before it closed. We’ll save that for another trip too. Our next adventure this day was a trip to Taos Ski Valley just to check it out. We didn’t see anybody skiing, but there were some people playing in a small patch of snow. Can you believe snow still on the ground in June? It was probably 10-15 degrees cooler up in the mountains than down in Taos, with a crisp breeze blowing. Quite amazing! On the way back into Taos we stopped at Orlando’s for dinner. It is supposedly the locals’ favorite eating spot and it did not disappoint. The next morning we had brunch at Doc Martin’s at the Historic Taos Inn. The Huevos Rancheros are to die for and enough for two. I made the sacrifice and ate the whole thing. Johnny had blue corn flapjacks that were wonderful, too. It was then time to pack up and head for Santa Fe.

Taos Ski Valley, Yes the White is a Patch of Snow

Arriving in Santa Fe we dropped the trailer at the Los Campos RV Park and headed for the Georgia O’Keefe Museum; another jewel of our trip. We were fortunate to arrive just as a docent was beginning a discussion of O’Keefe’s life and work. She was extremely knowledgable and interesting. After her presentation she roamed the gallery and talked with various patrons. We were fortunate to talk at length with her and learn even more about O’Keefe.

Santa Fe Campsite

It had started to drizzle off and on, so our walk around the plaza was hopping from awning to awning. We went to the Loretto Chapel with its Miraculous Staircase that makes two 360 degree turns before reaching the choir loft. There are no signs of visible support for this staircase and it is truly amazing. We tried to go to the San Miguel Mission but it was closed in preparation for the evening mass. Because of the rain, we drove the length of Canyon Road and got an idea of the numerous art galleries that line the street. We will definitely go back to visit some of them on our next trip.

Miraculous Stairway, Loretto Chapel

The next day we went to Bandelier National Monument to see Frijole Canyon and the Anasazi Pueblos. All I can say is those people had to be very athletic to climb the ladders leading to their dwellings every day. I climbed some of the short ladders and that was fine for me. Johnny climbed the 140 feet to the Alcove House using the ladder system but I stayed on the flat to watch him. Crazy. It was not recommended for people with height issues, so I took that recommendation to heart. He said it was a wise decision. We saw our first mule deer and they really were not bothered by people as they ate their noontime meal. We then drove to Los Alamos and had lunch at the Blue Window Bistro. Very tasty. We visited the Bradbury Science Museum which focuses on Los Alamos National Laboratory’s role in the Manhattan Project and its contributions to modern science and research. So much to read and not enough time, but extremely interesting and well presented.

Frijole Canyon, Bandelier National Monument

JEK Exiting a Cliff Dwelling at Bandelier

The next day we drove from Santa Fe to Albuquerque to see Petroglyph National Monument. It was very hot but we managed to get in two hikes. The first at Boca Negra, consisted of three short hikes, Mesa Point, Macaw and Cliff Base takes you up and down the side of a hill in several different locations where you can see between 150-200 petroglyphs. If only we knew what the ancients were trying to tell us or their contemporaries. The second hike at Rinconada Canyon is a loop trail that followed the base of another hill with more petroglyphs. You then make your way across the dessert, back to the parking lot. That part of the trail was was to showcase the desert flora and fauna. But there was not much fauna because of the heat. Why were we out there? Being parched, we went to Chama River Brewery for a late lunch/early dinner. Wonderful food and good beer, what more can I say?

Petroglyph National Monument

JEK taking a Picture of Me Taking a Picture of Him, Rinconada Canyon

We strolled around Old Albuquerque and went into several different art galleries and other stores. There was an abundance of beautiful silver and turquoise jewelry and Native American crafts. Next we drove to the Three Sisters, inactive volcanoes on the southwest side of the city. We decided it was just too hot to do anymore hiking, so we admired them from the comfort of our air conditioned truck.

Three Sisters

We spent our last night in Santa Fe and headed the next morning to Las Cruces to visit our friends, Susan and Dick. It’s a 6-hour drive and we enjoyed following the Rio Grande River through the middle of the state. It provides a green ribbon through the desert for the length of the state. We visited with Susan that afternoon and got settled in their lovely and comfortable casitas. The next day we went to White Sands Missile Range to see the Museum and Missile Park. There was, among many others, a sectioned V2 rocket on special display. That’s the one used to bomb England during WWII. We then continued on to White Sands National Monument and what a treat. It is the the world’s largest gypsum dune field. Have you ever been in a snow storm in the height of summer in the desert. The roads were even plowed like after a snow. We had borrowed sledding disks from Susan and tried our hand at sliding the dunes. We discovered that you had to be on an almost vertical slope to move. A little scary if you’re standing at the top of a tall dune and used to slippery snow. We drove the 8-mile driving tour and walked a few of the short trails, but it was very warm. The exhibits at the Visitor Center outlined where the sand comes from, how it moves across the desert, and how the dunes are formed and change over time. The landscape is constantly shifting and evolving with the varying winds, and it is gorgeous.

JEK Sledding at White Sands National Monument

The next day Susan, Johnny and I hiked the Dripping Springs Trail in the Organ Mountains. Yes, it was hot, and we carried a good supply of water. The trail wound up the mountain to the Van Patten Mountain Camp (a hotel), the Boyd Sanatorium for TB patients, and, of course, the Dripping Spring. In the early twentieth century, for people to get to the camp or sanatorium, it was an eighteen mile trip by horse and buggy from Las Cruces and took all day. The roads were not very good. When we finished the hike we went to Mesilla, a historic town that at one time was the largest town between Los Angeles and Santa Fe. We had lunch at Josefina’s and it was very tasty. We walked the historic square and poked around in some of the shops. A leisure afternoon that was both warm and fun. We visited the I10 overlook that had a commanding view of Las Cruces and featured the roadrunner sculpture made completely of recycled materials. He was a delight, bobbing in the wind and greeting travelers as they came into town. Dinner was at Lorenzo’s, which as you might imagine is Italian and is very good. A change from Mexican food was a delight.

Roadrunner Sculpture, I10 Exit at Las Cruces

Van Patten Montain Camp, Dripping Springs

On Saturday Johnny, Dick, and Annie (Dick and Susan’s lively, friendly, wonderful dog) poked around the hills above their house, finding the hiding place of a desert fox and some interesting rocks. Then they hiked Achenbach Canyon. What amazing views from several points along the trail, a huge variety of geological formations, and several ecotones (transitions between microclimates) there were, among other interesting things to see. While Johnny, Dick and Annie were frolicking in the hills, Susan and I went to the Las Cruces Farmer’s Market. There was a little bit of everything there from fresh vegetables, artwork, baked goods, jewelry and clothing; you name it you could probably find it. I found a pretty sterling necklace and mesquite honey that we are enjoying. We stopped in what must be the world’s largest used book store. I have never seen so many books. Just about the time you thought you were at the end, you turned a corner and it there was more, lots more. A true treat, and we could have spent hours just browsing. That night we joined Susan and Dick for their supper club dinner and met three other delightful, interesting couples. The host served a tuna filet prepared Japanese style, and it was delicious. We enjoyed the evening and getting to meet some of Susan and Dick’s friends.

Looking Toward Las Cruces from Achenbach Canyon Trail

Sunday morning we got up, had a wonderful breakfast, packed up and headed for the Gila Cliff Dwellings close to Silver City, NM. We had had a wonderful visit with our friends. After visiting with them in their new home we can fully appreciate their decision to move. Las Cruces is a vibrant community nestled at the base of the Organ Mountains. It is beautiful.

We decided to make Silver City our base to visit some of the sites in the area. While driving around downtown taking in the historic part of the town, the truck’s transmission decided it was time to retire. We can relate, it’s just that the timing could have been better. Trying to get it repaired was not successful, so we ended up buying a new truck. We are enjoying it but the experience has had its difficulties. It is a story for another time.

We went to the Gila Cliff Dwellings by way of the Trail of the Mountain Spirits National Scenic Byway--don’t you just love that name?--a gorgeous drive through the Gila National Forest. I still marvel at how the Native Americans built these structures and then continued to climb these hillsides up and down on a daily basis. They definitely were extremely physically fit and probably did not have the obesity problem plaguing Americans today. My hat is off to them. We learn a little more about the current theories of the ancient people and their lives at each site that we visit. Near the end of the drive along the Byway, one comes across the Chino open pit copper mine. It is awe-inspiring to think of the cubic miles of dirt that have been moved. The pit and tailings spread for over five miles along the road and extend at least a mile off in the distance from the road. The gorgeous varying earth tones of the barren hillsides are in stark contrast to the destruction done to the mountains.

Gila Cliff Dwellings from the Trail

Ponderosa Pines of Gila National Forest

Chino Open Pit Copper Mine

On Wednesday we visited Whitewater Canyon Catwalk, and we are so thankful that we made the trek. You are on a steel mesh bridge anchored in the canyon walls, suspended at times at least twenty feet above the creek. With the giant boulders, numerous waterfalls, lush greenery, and the rushing mountain water you are truly in a special place. Its one of those places we had never heard of and glad someone told us about it. A true treasure. After the catwalk we went to Mogollon Ghost Town. It was the site of a long ago abandoned silver mine. You can still see the remnants of the mine on the hillside. Since people are living there now and businesses are open on the weekend for tourists I am not sure how it qualifies as a ghost town, except the mining part is the ghost I guess. When finished exploring we headed back to our campsite to plan our trip to Tucson and Saguaro National Park.

Catwalk at Whitewater Creek

Mogollon General Store

6) Carlsbad Caverns National Park June 10 – June 11 2009

Arriving at Carlsbad Caverns

It is only 30 miles between Guadalupe Mountains National Park and Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The drive takes you across more of the Chihuahuan Desert and once again into The Guadalupe Mountains, which are part of the Capitan Reef, a prehistoric, barrier reef. It is the world’s largest reef and was made by sponges and algaes instead of the typical coral. At the caverns, we completed both of the self-guided tours--Natural Entrance Tour and the Big Room Tour--and the ranger-led King’s Palace Tour. The Natural Entrance Tour has a long, steep descending entrance that showcases the caverns vast size and goes past such formations as Iceberg Rock, a 200,000 ton rock that broke from the ceiling long ago, and the Boneyard, a maze of limestone rock. The mile long Natural Entrance tour is recommended only for people in good physical health because of the 750 foot descent and the steep and narrow trails. In contrast to this, the Big Room tour is mostly wheelchair accessible. The Big Room Tour takes you through an 8.2 acre room that is full of an amazing number and variety of flowstone formations. One would have to go to Borneo to see a larger cave room. The well-marked path meanders around the outside of the Big Room and has a “shortcut” about ½ way around, for wheelchairs or if you’ve seen or walked enough. Along the path you will see formations with names such as: the Bottomless Pit; Giant Dome, a 62 foot tall stalagmite; and Painted Grotto. This mile long trail took us about an hour to complete and was very beautiful. The King’s Palace Tour visits four rooms of which the King’s Palace and Queen’s Chamber are the most elaborate. The Queen’s Chamber is framed at the entrance and exit by formations called draperies that are so delicate and feminine, it is easy to see how this room got its name.

The Natural Entrance

After these three tours we had a really good dinner at the Visitor Center. Johnny ate a green chili chicken quesadilla and I had a pecan crusted tilapia. Both were very tasty and enjoyable. The highlight of our trip, though, was the evening bat flight. From April through October approximately 400,000 Mexican free-tail bats migrate from Mexico to make Carlsbad their home. Each evening these bats exit the cave in a spiral formation, looking like smoke swirling up from a large fire, and head southeast to hunt for their evening dinner. It is quite an amazing sight. Cameras and electronic equipment of any form are not allowed at this event because the electronic power supplies generate audio signals that interfere with the bats’ sonar navigation. It was truly a remarkable way to end our visit at the caverns.

The Amphitheatre at Carlsbad Caverns: Waiting for the Bats to Emerge