March 31, 2023
Mixed feelings today. Our friends Dennis and Jane are leaving. The good news is that we will see them in September. Before we left for our adventures today, we went up the hill to say adios. They were walking their dogs, Tater and Charlie, and were with Ron and Janice. We all stood in the roadway and talked a while. After a couple of pictures were taken it was time for us to head out for our adventures today.
The first stop is Chiricahua National Monument outside of Wilcox. On the way to Wilcox on Interstate 10 there are some beautiful rock formations around Dragoon Road. Our first stop is the Visitor’s Center. The scenic drive started once you got off the main road. It is a two mile drive to get to the center. On our way we actually saw some wildlife. There were 5 young deer grazing along the road. While at the visitor center we sat and watch a short video on the eco system in the park and how it was formed. It is home to a very diverse flora and fauna populations. Again, we learned a lot.
From the visitor’s center we had another 6.2 miles to get the best views at Massai Point. There you could take a couple of trails to get great pictures. One trail was dog friendly and was all concrete. The views were magnificent. Once we were walked out and pictured out, we got back on the main road and headed to our next destination, Fort Bowie National Historic Site.
We reached the turn off from the main road and according to Apple Maps, we had 10 miles to get to the fort. We that 10 miles was on a dirt road. As dirt roads go, it wasn’t too bad. We finally reached the parking area. The thing is from here you still had a 1.5 mile hike to the Visitor’s Center. We were not going to do that. Since I had read about the park on the National Parks app, I knew that you could get closer. We followed the Handicap Parking signs. That route took us another 5 miles, mostly dirt roads, to a spot where the rangers and maintenance people park. Then you only had to walk, up hill, another 350 yards to get to the Visitor’s Center. We made that hike. We got there just in time to walk around the displays for a few minutes before they closed. We did get the chance to talk to one of the ranger volunteers. He was very knowledgeable. It was cool to see what was left of a fort that was abandoned 150 years ago. When the fort was abandoned, people in the area would come salvage what they needed. The fort never received any maintenance until 1960 when it was declared as a national historic site. Since then the efforts have been to maintain the ruins as is. Wind, rain, harsh sunshine have all played a part in the formation of the ruins. We walked back to the truck and hit the dusty trail. Pun intended!
We stopped in Wilcox for fuel and found the Double S Restaurant for dinner. Dinner was good but not outstanding. As we had the night off from work, we had taken our time today. It was after dark by the time we got back home. Time to rest our weary legs.
