Saguaro National Park & Chiricahua National Monument

Another week of work and another week with two great stops on our itinerary. We arrived in Saguaro National Park outside of Tucson about 2 hours before sunset so had to set up quick and get a move on. We hit the visitor center to get our Park stamps and maps and then found a great dirt road and scenic viewpoint (with a structure built by the CCC in the 1930s) to catch an amazing sunset and then moon rise. We were both amazed by how quickly the day ended and the amazing full moon took over the evening.

We camped at Gilbert Ray Campground near the east side of Saguaro N.P., which was so beautiful - it felt like we were camping in a beautiful cactus garden. Liz was able to get a number of hikes in during the days which was wonderful. The first Ocotillos were starting to leaf out and bloom with their brilliant red flowers. And the Teddy Bear Chollas are now Liz's favorite cactus! They look soft and cuddly, but they definitely are not - they're known as the "jumping cactus" because of how easily their spines break off and stick to you when you brush against them.

Flowers were also on their way to announce winter is over!

Liz visited the Arizona Sonora Desert Wildlife Museum, which was like a combination of a zoo and a botanical garden (it's all outdoors). They had three endangered Mexican Gray wolves that were originally part of a breeding program for reintroducing these wolves to the wild, but who are now here just for educational purposes. The zoo also had other animals native to Arizona including Ocelot, Grey Fox, Coatis, Bighorn Sheep, and Javelinas.

It was finally time to move on. So had to say so long to the mighty Saguaro, the namesake cactus for the national park. The Sonoran Desert is the only place in the world where the Saguaro cactus live, and they grow incredibly slowly, sometimes taking 50-70 years before they grow their first "arm". They also grow in all kinds of shapes, including the creative one below.

Life does not always go as planned...

Chiricahua National Monument

For us this park was a bit of hidden gem, tucked way out in the wilderness on the border with New Mexico. We'd heard about it and wanted to visit because the Chiricahua Mountains are one of Arizona's Sky Islands, but we really didn't know that to expect. We were lucky to get a spot in the small, lovely Bonita Canyon campground in the park. We hiked the gorgeous Echo Canyon loop trail through the Grotto, and the rock formations we saw were just amazing! All of the balanced rocks, pinnacles and columns were the result of many volcano eruptions millions of years ago that laid many layers of ash across the hills. These layers eventually started to erode, leaving behind the harder rock surfaces that now form these amazing fragile towers. Lots of great rocks to scramble or climb.

We saw birds, streams and had perfect weather. What more could you want?

A family of Coatimundi!! Yes, they have Coatis in Arizona!!

We saw Coatis when we travelled to Belize but had no idea they were here too. Their range has slowly spread from central American and Mexico up into Arizona.

The rock formations were just amazing. Lots to see with miles and miles of trails.

Our campsite was perfect but for the first time we had to bring the Starlink off of its flat mount on the roof to get better reception. Seems crazy to watch TV while out in the wilderness, but hey, the Olympics were starting and we had to watch!

Chiricahua is a must stop even if just for an afternoon. Lots of great history and places to explore - we were only there for one full day and could have used one more.

Onto the next adventure and Ramsey Canyon for a few days of birding