Kartchner Caverns

We visited the caverns with friends Jim and Shirley, touring the largest cavern on the 13th, “The Big Room” and the smaller one “The Throne Room or Rotunda” on the 19th. The tours are fairly costly but well worth the price. Kartchner Caverns is a State Park so a fee for entrance to the park has to be paid then the cost of the tour, smaller cavern is 18.95, large cavern 22.95 per person. The tour begins at the Discovery Centre where a short video is shown in a lovely theatre, explaining how the caves were discovered, some pictures and information regarding the care and preservation practices that were undertaken while the caverns were prepared for public viewing. After viewing the video there are many interpretive displays to investigate as well as a very nice little store and a small café named “The Bat Cave”. We did not make reservations for the tour of “The Big Room” until we arrived at the park so we had time to wander, grab a bite to eat at the café, food was very good, all freshly prepared and of course Shirley and I had to check out the store. The proceeds from sales at the store help support the park so we were pleasantly surprised to find reasonably priced good quality unique items, eco friendly items, example t-shirts made from fibres of old t-shirts along with samples of “how they create new fibre from old t-shirts”, many gems, books, DVD’s, CD’s relating to caving and the Caverns along with the usual mugs, hats, calendars etc. I purchased a book with some nice pictures and information after our tour of the second cavern.



A catus with interesting growth, the area around the Discovery Centre is very nicely landscaped, many plants are named, there are many species of sage growing in the gardens.

Shirley and I along with Jim and Woody wandered around the gardens, it was a very nice day.

There are benches placed along the paths as well a large covered picnic area.

Entrance to the caverns photographed from the garden area with telephoto lens.

The tours are booked every 20 or 30 minutes all day (depending on which cavern) and led by a knowledgeable, informative volunteer guide as well a volunteer who follows the group. The tour begins with the guide explaining the rules, and how careful we must be while in the cavern to not damage the cavern, we then take a ride on a tram passing the original sink hole where the 2 cavers crawled though and found the caverns and up to the parking area close to the cavern. After disembarking from the tram the guide explained that we would be entering through several sets of sealed doors to keep the inside air out, as we entered the second tunnel the guide explained how to fold our jackets so the jacket would not flap and create more lint than necessary as well so that our coat sleeves would not accidentally touch any of the formations or rock walls. The caverns are very warm and moist; we also walk through an area where we are misted with water which is done so our very dry bodies and cloths will not suck any moisture from the caverns and it also assists with keeping lint from floating around. We were very impressed by the care that is taken to preserve these caverns, they are living caverns, which is very unique, from the beginning to end these caverns are awesome and one just cannot explain the jaw dropping effect that happens when viewing the formations in the caverns. For more information and a few pictures click on the links below. No cameras are allowed in the caverns as well as any other loose items, as in food, water bottles, etc. There is a good reason for that, as people dropped their cameras over the rail, set up tripods on the rocks, dropped sunglasses, etc. when the first tourists were allowed to bring in such items.
There are a couple of videos on this site, they are good but cannot compare to visiting in person.
http://azstateparks.com/Parks/KACA/science.html
http://www.amwest-travel.com/awt_kartchner.html
http://tourcochisecounty.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/kartchner-caverns/

We enjoy the company of Jim and Shirley very much, they are fun, easy going, interesting people to spend time with. We will miss them very much, they are leaving on Thursday and said they will not be back in AZ next year but invited us to come and visit them in MN which we would love to do hopefully next year on our trip home.

Patagonia State Park and other stops

Today we took the scenic route (HWY 82) to Nogales and see what we could see. A couple of Coues deer crossed the road in front of us but they darted into the thick bush along side the highway quickly and Woody could not get any pictures. It is a beautiful drive with views of grassy plains with mountains in the background then up into the mountains where the landscape changes dramatically from grassy plains to hillsides covered with various bushes, trees and cacti with views of valleys as we drove south winding our way up over and around the mountains.

Close up of the rock formation in the above picture, I love all the colour and different formations.

We decided a visit to Patagonia Lake State Park would be our first stop, one of three lakes in the area, a small park with a fairly large marina, small campground, visitor centre, store and of course the 265 acre man made lake that is home to many species of fish; provides the opportunity for water skiing and other water sports, although there are restrictions on weekends due to the number of people the lake attracts. Lake Patagonia sits in a valley surrounded by small mountains. The lake was created by the damming of Sonoita Creek in 1968 and The State Park was officially opened April 1, 1975. For more information on the park click on the link.
http://azstateparks.com/parks/PALA/index.html

A view of the arch bridge as we walk towards the lake.

The lake is bigger than it first appears in this picture.

Looking the opposite way.

From another view of the lake.

There were a few ducks floating around enjoying the nice day.

A boat coming out of the marina onto the main body of the lake. The arch bridge in the background.

Prickly Pear catus with a hint of pink.

The park sits in a large valley, can only view a small portion of the lake from the road on the way back to the main road. This picture is zoomed in on the camera.

Another view of the valley.

Not sure where the gravel road ends up, we didn't check it out.

We continued south to Nogales, AZ just to take a look, of course it was New Years Day; we had the dogs with us so did not stop anywhere interesting in the city and plan to go back to visit this historic city. As with the rest of southern Arizona the Spanish were among the first non natives to inhabit this area as early as 1539 and there are many ghost towns in the area due to mines running out of gold and other precious metals. Nogales was named by the Spanish for the groves of walnut trees that grew abundantly on the mountain sides and was eventually split when the Gladsen Purchase was completed, creating the border between Mexico and Arizona, and splitting Nogales; Nogales, AZ was incorporated in 1893.
http://www.arizona-leisure.com/nogales-arizona.html

On the way home we drove down the main street in Patagonia, a small town of around 800 people and as with most of these little towns, after the mines shut down and the railroads discontinued trips through the town the town almost disappeared. Patagonia became a town for artists, bird watchers has some great restaurants and a theatre, it is a nicely kept little town. For more information click on the link:
http://www.patagoniaaz.com/history.html

A view of main shopping area of Patagonia.

This building was right across from where we parked, a couple of the stores were open but we did not do any shopping.

A look down the street in the opposite direction.








The whole trip was around 200 km (127 miles) and we plan on going back to visit again.

Birds & Sunset

A beautiful sunset taken at Tombstone Territories RV Park December 29th, our RV is parked with windows facing west at the end of a row so we always a wonderful view of all the sunsets, some are spectacular like this one. This is one reason we love staying at this park in the desert with views of the mountains in every direction.

Another plus of having the site we have is we have 2 trees, one just outside our windows so we can enjoy the birds every day, and another at the back of our site, there are tons of birds in the park, many different species, we put feeders up on the front tree and our neighbour hung many feeders on the tree at the back.

These pictures were taken through our window, Woody says he is going to sit outside to catch some more photos, it is amazing at how many birds hang out at the feeders and in the trees.

The humming birds should be back in February as they were last year they are many species that hang out at the park so hopefully we can catch some photos of them. .

Johnny Bencomo

Highlight of today, Johnny Bencomo playing at the clubhouse, tickets for this wonderful event, same as last year, a measly $3.00 per person and he plays for at least 4 hours if not longer, he is booked for 2 hours but loves to entertain his audience, and that he does very well. If you do not remember him from last year, he sings and plays an 18 string guitar, only one in the world, also plays a 12 string and 6 string. Johnny has a unique style of playing and singing, can sing almost in any octave, we love listening to him. He plays at a café in Sierra Vista every Thursday (as well as other places) and we take every opportunity we can to enjoy his music while here. The clubhouse is the best as all folks are quiet while he is performing a song unlike a café where people chat while they eat, but still we enjoy a meal out and his music.

Sorry the pictures are not great, as you see the window was not covered, so light is a problem, he performed from 4:00 until after 8:00 pm, we left around 7, had to walk the dogs, cannot trust Muffin for more than 3 hours.

Tried to capture the emotion he puts into his singing.

Johnny is very knowledgeable and usually shares stories about the songs he sings as well as when written, by whom and who made them famous if they are songs he did not write or if he wrote the song, the story that led him to write the song.

Overall we had a relaxing day, warmer than yesterday with little wind!

Christmas Day

Ah there were no gifts to open under our tree this year as we opened each as we received them like we were little kids no one to tell us NO wait till Christmas! One part of me wanted to wait but the kid side took over and glad it did! There is something to be said for spreading out the excitement of gift opening over a few days! We bought ourselves gifts at the Gem Show as well as gifts for our kids and grandkids, special gifts that can only be bought at such places, especially since all were Arizona created and most gems mined right here is this area we are staying at. We love to acquire items from the local area when we can. We received some awesome pictures of our grandchildren and families, as well as some great items from the HR Gift Exchange, a web forum we belong to and members who choose to, sign up for a gift exchange. There are members from the States and Canada and you never know who has your name until you receive the gift, it is always fun. One member looks after the list, picks the names and then emails everyone with the pertinent information, i.e. name of member, address and their hobbies, so it works well! We spent a relaxing day, walking dogs, cooking our contribution to the park Christmas Dinner and we shared a glass of wine with our friends Jane and Dennis. We attempted to call our kids (cell service is terrible here) and managed to chat with Michelle and Chris for a short time, they were enjoying a quiet Christmas and will drive to Calgary to spend time with Chris’s parents on the 27th. Dinner at the clubhouse and the gift exchange rounded out our Christmas Day. The gift exchange is such fun, everyone gets a number, chooses a gift, then can steal someone else’s gift if they choose to, lots of laughter, teasing and always fun to see what the hot items are, last year it was a set of Christmas Dolls that a lady in the park had made, they were beautiful. The rule is that one gift can only move twice after it has been chosen; otherwise the exchanging could carry on for days!!! Woody video taped the gift exchange this year so we could enjoy it over and over and of course we will share it with any of our friends if they would like a copy once I get the DVD created. Speaking of the DVD, I should post this now and get on with creating the DVD.
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!



Our friends Jane and Dennis from Ontario, Canada.

Left at the table, Georgina, Anne, Jim Activity Coordinators here and friends, Sylvia, Ken (hiding) park staff, right is Erica and Jerry friends from last year..

Facing the camera Jen and Mike.

Lenore and Mike friends from last year.

You can see the marvelous variety of food, myself checking out the desert table and others enjoying the food and friendship.

To the right is Kim, park staff and our neighbors Mary and Jake.

This couple really got into the Christmas spirit, sorry I do not know their names.

Jim and Shirley were here last year also, did not mange to grab a photo of Shirley though.

We meet Carol and her husband walking in the park every morning while we walk the dogs!

This little penguin was created by Jen, I just had to have a picture of him, he is too cute to eat!

He is made of nougat, jelly beans, dried fruit, liquorish and gummies. I ate the rice crispy bar but still have the little penguin!

We feel blessed to have such great friends to share Christmas with!

Christmas Eve

A wonderful relaxing day, the day was sunny with temperature of 50F 10C, a little cooler than last year but still very nice. We wrapped our gifts for the exchange tomorrow, delivered the cards I created for our friends and staff at the park, visiting as we went, we were invited to return to Jim and Shirley’s for freshly baked Pumpkin Pie with real whipped cream later that afternoon, and sure could not turn down that invitation! Lenore and Mike delivered homemade Christmas Cookies, wow what a treat, thanks guys so much! We returned to Jim and Shirley's around 3:00 pm to enjoy the pie and was it ever delicious, thank you Shirley for the pie and thanks to both for a wonderful visit! We topped off the evening at the clubhouse singing Christmas Carols and socializing with friends, Woody was invited by our leader of the carol singing (Jane) to sing a verse of Silent Night in German as he did last year but graciously declined! A truly great day!





Jane leading the carol singing.












Jane's husband and beside him Mike, good friends we met here last year!





Jim providing the music for the carol sing. Jim and his wife Anne are the Activity coordinators and good friends!

We both had a fantastic time singing and visiting!

Snow!

Woke up to snow this morning, makes it feel more like Christmas and is very pretty with the sun shinning on the wet snow. Taking the dogs for their morning walk, Muffin stood in the door, barked and did not know if she wanted to go out, she notices all changes and does not like changes, Cookie just scampered out and started eating the snow! Once Muffin decided it was okay to walk down the steps, she started playing with Cookie in the snow and decided snow was good! After returning from the walk Woody snapped some pictures before the snow melted, the desert looked gorgeous with snow covering all the bushes and trees unfortunately Woody did not get any pictures of the desert only a few of our little yard.


I am sure the birds were wondering what happened, there are hundreds of beautifully coloured birds that hang out here.










You can see it was not much snow, but it was wet and clung to everything.

Our winter home looking somewhat like winter!

The day was cool 46F (8C) with winds gusting from 13-25 mph (20-40 kph) but sunny, the snow was all gone before 11:00 am except for the mountain tops. We made a shopping trip to Sierra Vista after lunch and it was surprising how much snow has accumulated on the higher mountains around Sierra Vista. We were told snow on those mountains usually hangs around until March unless there is unusually warm weather, which we doubt will happen as it is cooler than normal most days here this year. Not complaining though, much warmer than home!

Windy Day

Woody made a trip to Tucson with a friend (Jim) whom we met last year, to look at a fifth wheel, the weather started out nice but it has become a very windy day, although not cold (61F 16c) with a few clouds floating around. Winds gusting to around 50 mph according to the weather website, I believe some gusts are blowing harder that that, I can feel the fifth rock when a gust hits it and the large slide is bouncing in at the top a little, at first the dogs would bark, but now they have calmed down, cuddled up and are asleep. There is a wind advisory for this area until 3:00 am tomorrow as well there is some chance of rain. A rain would be good to settle the dust which is blowing around pretty good right now. I am taking the opportunity to update our blog and catch up a little bit! Life here is great, we find our days flying by and some days we spend doing next to nothing except visiting with our friends, shopping, walking dogs, attending park functions or watching TV. Woody returned home around 4:00 pm and reported they enjoyed their day even though Jim could not make a deal on the fifth wheel he was looking at, no big deal though, Jim thought he might be able to make as cracking good deal on it and resell it. The wind is still howling as I expected it would and tomorrow the temps are going to dump to around a high of 49F about 9C which is chilly for here but still better than home.

Scenic drive

Went for a Sunday drive today, including Cookie and Muffin, taking the scenic route to visit a couple of campgrounds close to Tucson, thought it would be nice to stay in a little different area next year. The trip was awesome and interesting, we had driven part of the route last year and we love how the vegetation changes along the route. Travelling down highway 82 west to Sonita into wine country, west of the Whetstone Mountains, the area is open grass, turn north on 83 and into the mountains lots of green bushes, cactus and soon you see the large Saguaro which does not grow at all in the area of AZ around Tombstone and Sierra Vista. I was disappointed last year when we arrived here as I expected to see the majestic Saguaro but found out they do not survive in areas with any frost, or at least very heavy frost. Travelling to Tucson along I10 you see very few also, but along highway 83 and I19 as you get closer to Tucson, there are hundreds, they dot the mountain sides like huge tall sticks, can take up to 75 years to grown arms and some survive for 150 years! I tried to take a picture but the distance was too great. The blossom of the Saguaro is Arizona’s state flower. Follow this link for information and view pictures of this magnificent plant, there is a picture of the forest of Saguaro Cacti - Tucson, Arizona, that we saw but couldn’t get a decent picture. : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Saguaro_Forest_-_Tucson_Arizona_-_Relic38.JPG
We also saw pink Prickly Pear Cactus, which we have never seen before! Green Prickly Pear cactus grow like weeds in the Tucson area, we have not seen any in the wild in this area only planted one and then only green. We do have them in Southern Alberta but again only green. One area along our drive the hills of the mountains were covered with them, very beautiful. I looked up information on the Internet but only found pictures of green Prickly Pear, but was told by Jim that Prickly Pear cactus are in many colours in parts of Texas. We did take a picture of the pink variety at one of the parks we visited; sure glad we took the picture. For more information on the Prickly Pear click the links below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opuntia

http://www.billcasselman.com/unpublished_works/pricklypear_cactus_nopalitos.htm
We saw miles and miles of old mines, some for sure appeared to be copper mines, and of course SW AZ is or should I say was a huge mining area. I tried to find more information on the web, mostly found technical geology information and the fact the area is a combination of many mines owned by many different companies, at least 13 different mines in the area.

The mines are terraced, in the picture to the right what you are seeing is not a mountain but what was left from mining.

This is a small pink Prickly Pear compared to some we saw growing in the wild.

Oh yes, the parks we checked out just cannot compete with Tombstone Territories RV Park, the first one we checked out was Desert Trails and looked good on the web, but campers are crammed in like sardines in a can! The second one Diamond J had wider spaces and was nicely landscaped but the sites were way to short.
The parks were a disappointed but the scenic drive was awesome.