March 22, 2022

The Fourth Fortnight in Benson, AZ


 The fourth and final fortnight, to be clear, then we embark on our five-week seven-stop route north to Washington. Since the rest of the country sprang forward (only two more time changes to go ever?! could it really come true at last?) we are now aligned once again with Pacific Time, on which we will remain. Essie is behaving, although a few weeks ago, it seemed that every time we turned on a bank of interior lights, one in the row was blinking, and -- no exaggeration -- TBG replaced all but maybe two in the span of just a few days.

Much of our last two weeks was spent birding. The canyons of SE Arizona are famous in Birder World, and charmingly, many private ranches and properties welcome the public, often at little-to-no cost. Donations are always appreciated because bird food doesn't grow on tre-- ok, it does, but everything else they provide doesn't. There are also several formerly private ranches that have been acquired by various organizations to be preserved and protected while still welcoming the public. We started with the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, part of the Nature Conservancy. 


We meandered along 2+ miles of trail bordering the creek then following an old railroad bed. There were dozens of birds to be seen, most of them too busy to want to pose for their portraits. The Vermilion Flycatchers were very well represented along with the bluebirds, some of which could very well be the "Mexican specialty" subspecies of Eastern Bluebird, the Azure Bluebird. If they were, they were the only new ones we saw, but it was a beautiful, peaceful walk nonetheless.


 Though we didn't, it is possible to have walked from that location to our next stop up the road, the Paton Center for Hummingbirds. The first eye-catcher was the group of birders with their binoculars trained on a snag. I sidled up behind them and quietly asked, "What are we seeing?" I was told it was a Ruddy Ground Dove, and just as I got my camera focused on the snag, it ducked back into the sticks. TBG, fortunately, hadn't wasted time asking and had just started taking pictures in the direction everyone was looking. That is why we have the picture, bottom left, of that dove which isn't rare, but is more of a Central and South American resident, increasingly showing up in some southern U.S. locales. Also new to us in the wild, having seen them at the desert museum's hummingbird enclosure, were the Broad-billed Hummingbirds, top left. They may be, in my opinion, the prettiest hummies in the U.S. with their flashing multi-hued feathers and glowing orange bills.

Not every outing was a birding one, although our next location is known as one of the local hotspots. We picked up TBG's old Army buddy, Mark, for a hike at Brown Canyon Ranch. Buddy-Mark, understandably, does not like birds since they decimated his roof a few years ago. He does, however, appreciate a nice hike and catching up with his friend, so that's what we did. 

The signage along the trail became mostly nonexistent after we rounded the apex of the loop until it became a single-track path that paralleled the road. Both Buddy-Mark and I saw the sign that said that part of the trail was a Nature Conservancy one. Therefore, we were all puzzled and a little alarmed when it eventually dumped us directly onto the asphalt driveway of a private residence, and we found ourselves behind the bars of a driveway gate and barbed wire. Wiry Buddy-Mark quickly scaled the bars, I followed, and TBG brought up the rear. I was just glad it wasn't electrified and that no one at the house had a shotgun trained on us. This whole escapade added a mile to our planned hike, which justified the delicious sandwiches we got at Urbano, where we met up with Buddy-Mark's better half, Moni, for a great visit.


I'd been avidly watching the eBird Hotspot reports to see where the Elegant Trogon(s) were being spotted. Very reliably, one was visiting the bushes adjacent to the Portal P.O. as well as one (the same one?) hanging out all winter at Cave Creek Ranch. Dodging windy days and hoping to increase our chances by waiting for warmer ones, we finally made the 2+ hour drive to the tiny town of Portal, AZ.



Our first stop was to park and walk up to the P.O. As you can see, I wore hummingbird-attractant colors. Gathering in the small parking lot was a local birding group, and I sort of hung back from them to listen to their leader and see what they could see. Before very long, though, it was apparent their guide was far too talky for my liking, and they weren't seeing anything I couldn't I.D. myself. I continued to the end of the road, delighting in the way the residents kept their yards as bird sanctuaries, some even offering benches placed by their fences with signs inviting passing birders to sit and enjoy. Next, we were off to hike the South Fork Trail!


The South Fork Trail is about four miles total, and it parallels the South Fork Creek, making it a great birding trail and one where the trogon is often spotted, but hadn't been reported there recently. It wasn't going to be reported there by us that day, either, but there were plenty of feathery and furry friends flitting along the pretty trail.

After our walk, we returned to the "downtown" area where I once again checked the pyracantha bush by the P.O. which was still trogon-less. We had some Hatch Chili burgers at the Portal Peak Lodge, Store & Cafe that were a little bland for Hatch chilies, but the sweet potato fries were outstanding. The service was prompt and friendly, there was plenty of indoor/outdoor seating with a bird guide on every table, and lots of birdfeeders all around so you could eat and bird (or butterfly) at the same time, of course.


While TBG settled up, I walked back to the P.O. again with no luck. Then we were off to the nearby Cave Creek Ranch. The eBird reports maintained that a trogon was wintering there and had been seen just about every other day. I felt certain we'd find it, but I'll rip the Band-Aid off now and tell you that we did not. I cannot claim complete disappointment, though, because we did see a bird that is a lifer for me, one that I'd hoped to see even more than the Elegant Trogon. Say what?! I tell you true. The Elegant Trogon is beautiful, elusive, much sought after, and one that every U.S. birder hopes to see someday, including me. But it is not the jewel in my birding crown. This one is:




It's the Blue-throated Mountain-gem! As you can see, it is a hummingbird and formerly known as the Blue-throated Hummingbird. The mountain-gem distinction is a genus one that field birders need not fret over. As soon as we walked up to the porch, I saw one in a tree out front. The difficulty was that it preferred to perch in the shade, obscuring the beauty of its sapphire-blue gorget. After we had walked around the grounds a bit scouring for the Trogie, we returned to the veranda, and I noticed the Gem liked to perch just around the corner on the bush, providing a good opportunity for photos. When a second showed up, that's when the first would become agitated and territorial, puffing up those splendid blue feathers that really are that blue.

Below, I included the eBird range map for both the trogon and the gem, and as you can see, the size of their U.S. territory is nearly equal.


After we'd nearly run our camera batteries out and not wanting to make the long drive home in the dark, we returned to the Portal P.O. area where we just hung out for a bit to see if that darned Trogie would make an appearance. We listened for its chicken-duck call, the sound of which is how most folks locate it, but it was not meant to be. We appeased ourselves with an ice cream treat from the store and headed home.

Around the resort, the rest of the week involved a visit from long-time friends, Erik & Theresa, who Faithful Readers will recognize from Somewhere Near Flagstaff, AZ and Grand Teton N.P. WY (GRTE) Much of their first few days here were, unfortunately, taken up with some unexpected RV repairs, but TBG and his since-college friend got it handled, and we all enjoyed a hot tub soak and some great food. They were still able to visit Tombstone as they'd planned, while we stayed around the park for a hike in the wash and to cheer for the golf cart St. Patrick's parade, which made us laugh and laugh. Plus candy!


The weekly veggie haul from the local food bank that is offered up to anyone who wants some after items have been distributed to those in need, included the cutest baby eggplants, and I grilled some up for dinner one night. The verdict: Tasty but a bit mushy even though I salted and "sweated" them all day. But, hey, free nutritious veggies! Over the weeks, we've also relished grapefruit, clementines, jalapenos, and red peppers that showed up alongside bags of brown rice prompting me to make stuffed peppers that week.

E&T added another day to their stay here so that they could enjoy a golf outing, and we spent that day at two more birding places, the first a place we'd visited in early 2019 FAIRwell & Hasta la VISTA.

Ramsey Canyon Preserve was just as lovely as we remembered. There is rumored to be a resident trogon there, but only one unconfirmed report this year that we could find, so while we kept our eyes peeled, we didn't hold out much hope for it. Not more than five minutes into our walk, TBG needed to return to the car for a business call with our builder, but he encouraged me to continue on my own. I had a marvelous time making my way slowly around the loop trails with so many birds, deer, and squirrels to say Good Morning! to. Just as I was returning, TBG was coming back up the trail, and I was more than happy to go around again.


Next we decided to make our way to the nearby Ash Canyon Bird Sanctuary It used to be a private B&B, the owner of which encouraged visitors to enjoy her birdscapes for a nominal fee. When she passed, her beautiful gardens were acquired by the SE Arizona Bird Organization, and still for a nominal donation, birders can stay as long as they like to watch dozens of birds in several feeding areas.


It was warm enough that day to comfortably sit in the shade and just enjoy. I'm a bad birder because I like the squirrels, too. They're cute and damn funny.



All apologies if you read the original post and are wondering what happened to the ending. I was trying to work on my phone and mini iPad to help alleviate the times TBG and I both need the laptop, and obviously, the solution is that I should have the laptop whenever I want for as long as I want. Seems reasonable, no?


 

**********COMMENTS**********

  1. This whole post had me thinking about a podcast I listened to recently about a movement called “Birds Aren’t Real.” The group argues that the U.S. government killed all the birds in the 1950’s and replaced them with drones that are constantly watching and recording us. They have quite a following on social media and regularly show up at public events to protest.

    Anyway, it’s obviously a joke designed to make fun of idiotic conspiracy theories…. or is it???

    LOLOLOL.

    I’m just saying, if those ARE birds, they are very pretty. But if they AREN’T birds, the government now has a LOT of information about you two.

    Just something to think about. 🙂

    • I swear I thought I replied to the comments on this post, but obviously not. 😬

      Anyhow, what with being a veteran, working in emergency services, and sharing everything else on this blog, if the government’s missed anything, that’s on them! Bring on the drone birds!

  2. Eating AND birding – be still my beating heart! I really enjoyed this post, such a variety of birds in one blog! I’ve seen many of them, with the exception of the beautiful blue Gem, the Redstart and, of course, the Elegant Trogan. I think they are just a myth designed to make us feel like bad about ourselves. When we were camped at Catalina State Park one year we had a (or more, possibly, they didn’t wear name tags) broadbilled hummingbird visitor daily – such beauties! See you later!

    • My favorite photos are the colorful hummies, but I also love the determination on the face of that birder that TBG captured.

      This nice long stay in Benson sounds like it was a good mix of activities: revisiting some known favorites, exploring new spots, doing necessary repairs and maintenance, and meeting up with friends. A long stay is particularly nice for learning about and getting to take advantage of things like the fresh veggies and local events like the parade. Just think how much more you’ll be able to do when you are well and truly settled into a new 

    • Chasing Dirt's avatar

    • It’s been a strange mix of both wanting and not wanting to be where we are. I’m sure you remember that feeling of being between worlds. As always, though, nature keeps us from completely losing it, although as I write this, nature is gearing up to be the cause of us losing it 😳

  4. Oh, how I would love to see that Blue-throated Mountain Gem! It truly is a gem. Those colors! We saw many different hummingbirds when we were in that area in 2014, but I don’t believe I even knew about that little jewel. And your photos are fabulous! Nice job on the bokeh background.

    Your wonderful birding adventures make me want to return. By the way, you inspired me to finally get our blog photos fixed from our visit there, LOL. Which just makes me want to go back even more. I think we should meet sometime in the thick of spring migration! In May, we saw Red-faced Warblers and a Mexican Spotted Owl. (I’m trying to entice you. And you can show me the blue gem hummie.) Looks like you had very fun visits with your non-feathered friends, too. :-))

    • I have no doubt you will eventually add the BTMG to your list, and now you know exactly where to find it! I would’ve loved to have found the Red-faced Warblers. We were lucky to have a resident Mexican Spotted Owl at Gila. But I do still need to find that mythical Trogon, so there you go!

chapter3travels's avatar

March 06, 2022

The Third Fortnight in Benson, AZ


 Our fifth week in Benson started off by leaving Benson for the day to take the RV into Tucson for an oil change and a propane top-off. Because we are loathe to make a bigger drive for just one thing, after dropping off the rig, we treated ourselves to a Mexican-style breakfast at Teresa's Mosaic Cafe. I'd seen it featured on an old episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, and their Huevos Rancheros was said to be darn fine eatin'. TBG ordered that, and I chose the Huevos Divorceados (divorced eggs -- ha?) so we'd have more to share/sample.


I'm sorry to report that the tastiest part of my meal was my Diet Coke. TBG liked his marginally better, but we both agreed that it was not tasty enough to merit the price, unfortunately. As much as we eat out, which is not much as most of you know, it is doubly disappointing when it's not all that great.

After breakfast, we took care of a series of shopping stops at places only located in a bigger city (Sprouts, BBB, Costco) as well as a private residence where TBG purchased a compressor. We already have a compressor for tire inflation, but this one is for stuff we'll need to do on the house. The weather was turning by that point, and TBG got a good arm workout keeping the rig steady in the wind, while I followed, hoping we'd beat the predicted rain. We did.



Waiting for us at the park office upon our return was the little package containing the new dryer handle. Fixed! It was good to "exercise" the slides and give the engine a work out to break up the long time Essie is sitting, and as of this writing, she has been behaving.

The weather cleared in a few days, and we headed down to scout out Coronado National Memorial. Unusual for us, we didn't have an exact plan as to which trail(s) we'd hike and decided we'd decide when we got there. The drive, as with all of them down here between home and whatever attraction we're headed for, was quite blah until reaching the border of the destination, although we did see both a family of javelina and several deer. After the requisite pit stop at the VC's facilities, our first decision was to check out Coronado Cave.

Wait, hold up. A cave? you may be asking. Aren't you the people who, you further question, stayed at two national parks featuring caves but completely ignored the caverns (Great Basin and Wind Cave,) and literally drove right by another (Carlsbad) without so much as a glance in its direction? Yes, that was us, and as a rule, caves are not our jam, falling into the "seen one, seen 'em all" category. This one was different, though, because it was unrestricted and able to be explored on our own i.e. no tours, no guides, no monitoring. Let's spelunk!


If you were to zoom in on this sign, you'd see the warning "For Your Safety" regarding smuggling and other illegal activity in the area. This park lies along the southern border, and we did indeed see racing Border Patrol vehicles as well as their helicopter working the canyon to our west. We watched them as we made the steady climb to the cavern.

Anticipating that we'd might want to explore this cave, we'd come prepared with headlamps, flashlights, and spare batteries for both, having read that should you choose to continue to the back of the cave, you'd best be sure you had ample light sources. At the mouth of the cave, we put anything necessary and valuable in our pockets, and ditched our backpacks in order to climb and slide down into the semi-darkness.


TBG had the camera that was going to work the best in such lighting, and he insisted I go first because of that. I let him think I believed his reasoning. Except for accessing the cave, which required a slide and drop of about 10', once down and in, there was no need to stoop or climb at all, and it was unexpectedly warmer inside than outside.


I went slowly at first, him following and directing me where to aim my headlamp for photos. It was perfectly quiet in there, and before long, if we covered or turned off our lights, it was the dictionary definition of pitch-black.


 It is about 600' from the entrance to the back of the cavity, and the floor is smooth, covered in fine dust. We were the only ones there, no smugglers or illegal activity-doers, not even any bats, though a small blotch on the ceiling fooled me for a minute.


We didn't know how comfortable we'd feel about going all the way in -- it is creepy once you cannot see natural light anymore -- but we did and were glad of it. At the terminus, there is a skylight that offers a very weak illumination if you turn off your lamps. While it was too high up and not large enough to crawl through even if someone wanted to, it made it feel a little less confining. The walk back went far more quickly, then there was the problem of me getting out. The rocks were tall and slippery. Before I experienced the pain of rolling a rib twice last year, I would've hoisted myself up on my belly like a fish. Since I couldn't do that, TBG couldn't be of much assistance either pushing or pulling. As it was, I sort of worked myself up backwards and crab-walked, TBG making me freeze for a photo op mid-crab.


Looks like I'm just lounging on the rocks, eh? Well, I ain't.

Just after this, another explorer showed up, and we passed a few other groups along the trail back. What great timing, and what a unique experience that was!

Next, we drove up the winding dirt road to Montezuma Pass Overlook, where we accessed the Coronado Peak Trail.


The overlook sign board taught me things about some foods I hadn't known, such as chocolate, tomatoes, and potatoes all made their way to countries with which they have become synonymous like Belgium, Italy, and Ireland as a result of the Spanish conquests in what are now the Americas. In another life, I would've been a food anthropologist.


The most terrifying thing was not the heights, the dark cave, nor the threat of encountering scofflaws, but two other park visitors asking us if you could see Mexico from up here and if that line was really the wall. You can, and it is. These are the people the signs are made for, unfortunately, they don't read them. We also walked out a ways on the Yaqui Trail, which terminates exactly at the border and is the southern beginning of the Arizona National Scenic Trail, but we stopped far short of that due to the windy conditions.


While we could have put a few more miles on our boots, we were satisfied with the exploring we did, the highlight definitely being the cave. With so many other places in the general area to investigate, this was to be our only time at CORO.

Having located more gourds previously, I spent the better part of a rest day finishing the last two I'd started months ago.


We took another drive out to San Pedro House and trekked to the pond to see if we could spot the Green Kingfisher again. We couldn't, but I did finally see a couple Green-tailed Towhees foraging around the brush piles near the house. It's not an unusual or rare bird at all, but it's one that won't come see us up north, and it's colorful for a sparrow. We also saw a Great Blue Heron, another of those birds I think we've seen in every state we've visited, and a Bewick's Wren, which will visit us up north but one that I hadn't seen before.


We've been trying to get out for two or three bigger hikes per week, and in that vein, our next outing during this two-week period was to the Perimeter Trail connecting Carr and Miller Canyons.


It was not a particularly scenic hike, the highway below was visible and audible during half of it, but it had a nice distance, a few good views, and some interesting things along the way.




Some days are becoming warm enough for snakes, so avid photographers beware.

At the begining -- or the end in our case, a spur trail leads up to the Carr House ruins. Beyond that is a one-mile nature trail leading to the USFS info center area. There was a host RV up there, and TBG said he'd looking into that position previously, but our rig was too large. It looked like a really pretty and quiet place to work, though our photos don't show that well.


Not far from completing our hike, we came upon a pair of Coues' (COWZ if you want to be correct, KOOZ if you want to fit in) white-tail fawns. They were so unafraid, we almost could've just picked one up to be our new puppy. Wondering where Mama was, we were surprised to see her emerge from behind a tree mere feet away, as unconcerned as her babies.


The following morning, TBG went out early-early again for some milky way photos at the monastery.



He doesn't like them as much as he was hoping, but I think he's nutty, and they're outstanding.

A (relatively) nearby NPS site was up next on our hit parade, and that's how we found ourselves at Fort Bowie National Historic Site on a mostly overcast but warm day.


The pleasant trail, peppered with interpretive signs, led us through the history of the area and the many peoples who inhabited it.


Apache Spring, the whole reason for anyone to have chosen this area to settle, is choked off to a mere trickle today. The signs at both the first and last fort sites told of the misery of the freezing winters, but oddly none mentioned the scorching summers. I am continually amazed at how animals, including humans, managed to survive just about anywhere. A few of the above photos make it clear that not everyone did, mostly because of fighting over those very resources. As we wove through the grave markers, we noted that we were the oldest ones there.


We took our break on the veranda of the small, but new-looking VC. I went in to check it out, and there were a surprising number of displays for the space. The ranger told me it was a light-visitation day and a busy weekend might see up to 80. Sounds either boring or heavenly (I vote the latter.)


On the trail-sign's advice, we took the steeper, rockier Ridge Trail on our return. Overall, we really enjoyed our hike at Fort Bowie (BOO-ee, no relation to Jim) and soaking up some history along the way.

Rounding out our sixth week in this area, we made the long drive out to Chiricahua National Monument once again, this time for The Big Loop Trail. According to the website this trail is For folks wanting to do everything, this route consists of the Echo Canyon, Upper Rhyolite Canyon, Sarah Deming, Heart of Rocks, Big Balanced Rock, Inspiration Point, Mushroom Rock and Ed Riggs trails. The first point of interest that I saw, however, was in the restroom. I had never seen so many advisory notices papering a pit toilet's walls. There was the ubiquitous, though now updated, C19 instructions and a not-uncommon heat index warning. The Urine Color Test poster is also a prevalent sight in the SW, although how you'd perform this test in a pit toilet was a head-scratcher. The Rabies Warning! seemed reasonable, but the one that most caught my attention was the Hep A data sheet. Reading the list of risk factors left me completely puzzled as to the need for such a cautionary sign at this location. Anyhow, happy hiking!


Since we'd done the Natural Bridge Trail on our first visit, TBG planned for us to take in a couple of the spur trails around this loop to exhaust most of the park's offerings in one long day.


It was a beautiful, clear day, and it was cold. The sun did warm the breezy day as we progressed, but it never got really warm, which was good for the distance, but chilly in the shady parts.


 We did the loop in a counter-clockwise direction, which meant some of the best stuff came first in The Echo Canyon Grotto. As is my wont, I did my Elvis impersonation, "In the grottoooooh!" as we made our way in and around the formations. The trail was nicely planned through these rocks.


Speaking of trail construction, this loop had a lot of stone erosion stairs. A lot.


There are many differently-shaped balanced rocks along the way, often appearing as if they're ready to flatten passing hikers at any moment.


About midway around Big Loop is the one-mile Heart of Rocks Loop, one of the most notable sections of the park with several named rock formations, like Duck on a Rock and Punch and Judy. I thought the "duck" looked more like a swallow, and we couldn't make out the obsolete Punch nor Judy at all. Big Balanced Rock was exactly that, even if its name wasn't as creative as the others. I submit for consideration Beaver-Gnaw Rock.


At the northernmost point of this trail, we took our briefer-than-normal lunch break because the wind was still too chilly to make being immobile comfortable.

After another mile along the Big Loop, we reached the half-mile out-and-back Inspiration Point Trail.


It definitely offered the most encompassing views of the rhyolite formations, but in our opinion, the trails that brought us right up to and into the rocks were far more inspiring.

Early on, TBG said the area was ridiculously beautiful, and before the day was done, he'd proclaimed it to be in his top three hikes of all-time. I didn't feel quite as enthusiastic about it overall, but it certainly did have a lot to offer in both scenic and trail variety, and it was well-worth the drive and effort.

On the House

When you haven't even broken ground on a new house build, you wouldn't think you'd have to know the color of things, but you'd be wrong. As I mentioned last time, every little choice has a butterfly effect. Do you really need to choose the exterior paint color(s) before a backhoe shows up? No. But, then again, yes because every selection trickles down to affect budgeting. If we had unlimited funds, we could just say to our builder, "We want a solid wood chartreuse garage door -- do what you must to make that happen and quit bothering us so much!" But we don't, so we can't, so what did we do? Why what any critter-loving house-building people would do. We picked animals whose color patterns inspired us!


Because, seriously, look at it! You can hardly stop looking at, can you? I'm going to have a hard time finishing this post because I keep looking at it. Back to color, though, and how we (mostly me since I'm the temperamental creative one, and he likes all my color choices or says he does, same thing) translated the panda into the exterior color scheme and why we needed to in the first place.

The builder is helpful by providing the resources for the companies and materials they normally use, and though we aren't confined to them, they usually offer the best prices and the fewest headaches. For example, our builder gave us the roofing options, we decided what material it would be, and that determined how many colors were available. Same for the gutters and garage door, so I started with those three elements, the panda, and and an online painting tool. Behold! The Red Panda House!


If we ever want to turn it into a Chinese restaurant, we've got the name nailed. The first pic is not really our house but one we used for design inspiration, though it's a pretty good facsimile of the overall shape. The drawing is the actual one from the elevation profiles done up by our builder.

Having the exterior hues decided helped us with some the interior color selections, as well, but those will wait for future posts, probably as they happen in real-time. Real-time is getting more real by the day, and if our call with the builder yesterday is any indication, they may be breaking ground next month. Gulp!

**********COMMENTS**********


  1. Ok, I have to agree with you that TBG night photos are amazing!
    Love the panda house colors.
    Yes, building from ground up is just one decision after another and they all do rely on the last and often next decision too. Crazy process but so exciting too.

  2. I was delighted to vicariously visit Coronado NM through your post. I’ve been interested in it since we visited the De Soto NM in Florida, which is a bit of a counterpart. (The advocates of De Soto basically argued that FL was entitled to a historic site, too, because Coronado had been designated a few years earlier in AZ. That’s politics for you!) I loved your cave exploration but like you I might have been a little hesitant to proceed beyond the end of natural light. Glad it was a thrilling and not harrowing experience. And the hiking looks pretty good, too. Now I’m sad that we didn’t made it there or to Chiracahua when we were in Arizona. It could still be on the agenda for a future trip.

    TBG’s Milky Way photos are fantastic! The fact that he thinks there is room for improvement is just a good motivation for finding more photo opportunities … so far the results are marvelous.

    • I, too, love the smaller NPS sites. They’re almost never as busy as their bigger cousins and can really focus on their reasons for being. I’m glad we could take you on a virtual tour of CORO!

      I think that once you’re in that cave and realize you can not only stand, you have a ton of room above and around you, it’s much less scary than you think it will be. It’s still very dark, though, and I can’t even think about what you’d do if your lights went out. Eeeek! If you are ever out this way again, you would definitely enjoy both places.

      TBG is already talking about where his next full moon and/or Milky Way pics might occur. 😉

  3. Your Red Panda House/Chinese Restaurant is going to be beautiful! I love the colors and I love the fact you took your inspiration from such a beautiful animal.

    I was completely OK with your cave explorations, right up until you got stuck and couldn’t get out. It’s good that you kept a level head about you. I would have immediately given up and accepted my fate – to die of starvation in a bat infested cave in the middle of the desert.

    Speaking of which, in thinking about all those warning notices, I wonder if maybe they’re related? Like, perhaps people trying to social distance to avoid C19 are spending too much time in the desert and ending up dehydrated, but then they try to measure the color of their pee while using the pit toilets and fail to wash their hands well enough and end up with hep??? Would explain some things…

    Oh, and TBG’s night photos are fantastic. He is crazy.

    • I hope it looks as good when it’s done as it does on the panda!
      It was a little alarming for a moment at the cave when we got back and realized the slippery rocks made a a better chute than a ladder. Hahaha, I can picture you just sitting down in the dust and saying, “Well, too bad for me!”
      Your theory of the pit potty signs may be correct. Reading through some of the finer points, I didn’t want to think about it too awfully much…
      TBG is crazy, you are right about that!

  4. I also think TBG’s night photos of the monastery and the Milky Way are gorgeous!! Such a cool perspective. And I’d have to say hiking in Chiricahua Monument is among my top favorite hikes, too. I went back and looked at our photos and see why you think the duck is a swallow. You have to look at the rock the swallow is perched on, and then you’ll see the duck! And I could clearly see Punch and Judy in from our perspective. Take a look at our photos here and tell me if you see it, too. :-)) https://ravenandchickadee.com/2018/02/a-wonderland-of-rocks-chiricahua-national-monument/

    I loved your photos of the grotto. We intended to go back and hike that trail the next morning, but we got snowed out and only hiked part of it. As far as that hike you did into the cave, a big NO to that. So thank you for doing it for me. The photo of you getting yourself out of there is priceless, LOL.

    I love, love, love the colors you chose for the exterior of your new home. And the design is fabulous. I think you need a Red Panda as a pet! Cutest thing ever! You are so right that choosing colors has a butterfly effect. The color of our countertops/walls/floor is making it very challenging for me to figure out the color to paint our cabinets. Had I known we were staying here and that I would be eventually painting the cabinets, I might have chosen a different countertop. Oh well….

    • He was just a little disappointed in the amount of ground light there, but that’s what made the cross look like it was lighted, so I think they’re really cool.

      Oooohhhhh, the “swallow” is the duck’s HEAD! I think the plethora of swallows that were everywhere must’ve influenced my sight. I see Punch and Judy’s heads better in your pic, for sure. After reviewing your pics (and how I hadn’t gone back and re-looked at your post about being there, I do no know! I always re-read your posts when we’re in a similar area — big miss on this one!) we’re a little sorry we didn’t make the extra drive up to Massai Point because that Nature Trail looks very pretty. I thought of you two specifically when we were in the cave, and I even wondered aloud if you’d come in there. I still can’t believe *I* did. Getting out was ridiculous! 😐
      I love the colors we’ve chosen, too, and I absolutely need a red panda for a pet. Your floor, I happen to know, is neutral and will go with any color, but I never got to see your countertop color, so I’ll need to see it before I recommend blue again 😀

  5. Love the colors. Should fit nicely on your lot. That cave was cool but I don’t think I would have gone in but thx for posting that.

    • Hi, Peggy! We hope it will look nice and natural on the lot. I thought long and hard about doing an adobe house anyhow, but there’s a good reason they work in the SW climate and not so much in the PNW. I didn’t think I’d go very far in that cave, either, but I surprised both of us — I really don’t like closed spaces much. It would be great to get together once we’re back in the area if you’re up for it sometime!

  6. Your cave exploration took me right back to the Guler ice cave in Washington, the complete darkness and how I felt trying to walk in it. Our experience was COLD and had stairs, otherwise I could have never ever gone in. I loved the picture of you crabbing out though, so all was not lost!
    The Red Panda colors are just perfect and we both love the shape of the house. Our little cottage had that sort of roof line and it made for nice rooms inside. Fun times ahead for you!
    Looking forward to seeing you in a couple weeks, while you are still “on the road”~

    • I think caves, as a rule, are scary, but sometimes ya gotta! We’ve never been to the Guler Ice Caves, but they sound freaky, too. Crabbing out was a good reminder to keep up with some upper body exercises a bit more often (ouch!)
      We love the rooflines, too. Stuff like that adds so much more interest and charm. It won’t, unfortunately, be reflected on the inside with any vaulting. Keep your fingers crossed the times ahead really *are* fun — the supply chain, inflation, fuel costs, good golly Miss Molly.
      Can you believe it’s only a few weeks until we’re visiting again? We’re excited to get going, especially with good friends to see along the way 🙂

  7. Oh, my, you’re the first people we’ve ever seen hike into the cave besides us!!! We did it on a drizzly day and no one was around. So scary!!! It was so exciting and totally crazy how dark it was down there. We had double flashlights and headlamps…just in case. I’m glad to see the column is still there. I was so excited to see some cave features. The climb down in and out isn’t for everyone, for sure. Wahoo!!! You did the Big Loop. I’m with Mark. That was one of my favorite hikes. I loved it and was totally exhausted at the end. We did it clockwise. Sooooo many very unique and beautiful features. My mind was spinning. The house is great. Nice color combo!

    • That cave was definitely a fun adventure, and though it was weird to be totally alone in complete darkness, we were glad no one else was in there at the same time as we were — much better experience that way! The Big Loop was definitely fun, though I don’t think it cracks my top five like so many others lists, but that’s good since it means we’ve done so many great hikes!

  8. I had been derelict in reading blog post since my new focus now is vegetable gardening. Anyhow
    I would love some tutorial on night photography from Mark, for we have lots of opportunities here to point the camera to the sky. Good job Mark of the Milky Way shots, when you’re here show me the settings so I can practice 🙂
    CNM was our first intro of big rocks hiking and snow hiking in 2012. Wow that was a long time ago! It was not even in our radar until we saw a brochure at the VC while waiting for our Kartchner Caverns tour but we did not go into that cave that you just had a scary situation.
    Can’t wait to see more details of your house construction during your visit and it won’t be long now!

    • I’m excited to see your progress in the vegetable gardening since we were last there and maybe get a taste of the bounty, too. TBG will be happy to share pointers on night photography. We are very excited that we’ll be together again soon!!!

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