Portal, Ramsey Canyon, and Lost Dutchmen Arizona (average 50 degree temps, cool, mostly blue skies)
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| Full moon rising over the mountains |
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| Jann, Barry, John, Bob and Amy (left to right) |
After a ten day stopover in Albuquerque for some medical checkups and shopping we joined our friends Bob and Amy who had just finished their second volunteering gig with Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. We met them last year volunteering at this beautiful refuge and planned to spend some time together checking out some great birding hot spots in Arizona
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| Rusty's RV Ranch |
Our first stop was a very remote area located at the foothills of the Chiricahua Mountains in Portal (southeast corner of Arizona). We also met up with our friends Barry and Jann and we all were excited to explore this new area.
Rusty's RV Ranch is a great campground which we all liked very much. The sites are huge with full hook ups.The owner gave us a map with lots of tips on where to explore.
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| Chiricahua Mountains |
We drove all around the area and stopped at a Bed and Breakfast, cemetery, someones front patio, and lots of other areas she had suggested. We added 12 birds to our life list in just a few days.
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| This was our first time birding at a cemetery. |
We were looking at the Paradise Cemetery for Montezuma Quail here but didn't have any luck finding them. It was definitely remote.
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| Coati |
Although a Coati is not a bird we sure enjoyed watching him rooting around at the bed and breakfast we stopped at for quite awhile. They are members of the raccoon family.
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| Open range |
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| Geronimo |
This is where the Apache once lived and there were many places to hide to avoid capture
Our next stop was Sierra Vista. Jann and Barry needed to head back to Colorado for some repairs. It was sure great to spend some time with them and we look forward to our adventures in Canada and Alaska when we met up again later this spring. This time we stayed at a military base campground called Apache Flats. This is our second visit and it's one of our favorite campgrounds. There are some great places to bird here including Ramsey Canyon and the base itself. There are also lots of hummingbirds and a great place to see them is at Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast. Mary, the owner places out lots of feeders and lounge chairs to sit and view the action. It was a little early in the season to see many of them but we still had a nice visit here. The Elegant Trogan had been seen at the base in a remote canyon. With a lot of persistence John was able to see it for a brief moment. He was a very happy birder.
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| Petroglyphs located on the military base |
We liked our visit to Sierra Vista even more this time. It's a big area to explore and we shared some great meals together. One of the highlights was a cowboy concert at the beautiful
Arizona Folklore Preserve. This intimate venue offers concerts on weekends almost year round. "where the songs and stories celebrating Arizona and our western hesitate and culture are performed and preserved". If you are in the area be sure to check it out.
A great road trip one day for us was to Patagonia State Park. We took a fun birding boat trip and our guide was amazing.
Our last stop was at the Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction. What a great place to camp. It definitely has the "it" factor. Watching the sunsets at night were spectacular. The Superstition Mountains in the background glow orange for brief time and watching the twinkling lights of Phoenix in the distance around a campfire is just about as perfect as it can get. We were only able to reserve a site without hook ups and this was with a couple of months advance planning. It's a popular place.
Our best day was traveling down the Apache Trail. We did this last year with my brother and we so enjoyed showing this remote and beautiful place again to our friends. It's a long day and a jeep sure makes it a perfect adventure.
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| Superstition Mountains take on a red hue at sunset |
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| John cooked a delicious breakfast for us one morning |
The ranger led hikes we took were excellent. Be sure to inquire at the front gate or on their website. They are free and very informative.
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| Ranger led hike |
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| Along the Apache Trail |
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| Near the Roosevelt Dam on the Apache Trail |
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| Bob and Amy |
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| John and I |
One of the prettiest areas for birding was called Riparian Institute in Gilbert. This multi use area offers lots of trails and ponds to explore. We all loved it here. Our bird guide at the State Park told us about it. What a gem.
We so enjoyed our time together with Amy and Bob and their adorable dog named Maggie May. As I put this post together it amazes me how much we saw in such a short time together. We are looking forward to our next adventures this fall and feel blessed to have them as friends.
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