10 - PATAGONIA - PART #2

We’re still at Patagonia Lake State Park – Thursday, 5/17 we took another day trip.  Madera Canyon is about 40 miles north on I-19, off at Green Valley, then about 12 miles east to the canyon.  This is a very popular area and it’s also very special to us.  Back in 1993 we flew to Tucson, rented a car, and went to Madera Canyon for our 25^th Anniversary (15 years ago and we’re now coming up on 40).  There is a lodge that has cabins and rooms and the whole place is pretty rustic.

They have a big area at the lodge where they have a lot of birdfeeders and a covered viewing area next to the office & gift shop.  We sat awhile and saw lots of birds!

There’s lots of other things to do in Madera Canyon – picnicking, camping, and lots of hiking trails.  Back in ’93 we took advantage of the trails and did some hiking – now we can’t hike much anymore, so we sat and watched the birds!

We are reminded every so often that this whole area is very close to Mexico and the Border Patrol is much in evidence.  On I-19 north out of Nogales there is a Border Patrol checkpoint and every vehicle has to stop.  They have the drug sniffing dogs that go around your vehicle before they let you go on.  If there’s anything suspicious, they pull the vehicle out of the line and check them out further. I wanted to get a picture coming through the checkpoint, but then I figured if they saw me doing that, they might want to check me out a little extra.  So, I waited until we were southbound.  I guess they are not too worried about folks headed to Mexico – there’s no checking in that direction.

Today (Friday 5/18), we went back to the Paton Hummingbird Center in Patagonia for a little while.  Saw a few of the same types of hummingbirds as before, plus a couple of extra birds.

The rest of the day we did some housecleaning and resting up.  We’ve been pretty busy the last few days and needed some “catch up” time.  Tomorrow we’re on the road again – starting to head back east. So, until next time --------

09 - PATAGONIA LAKE ST PK, AZ

Monday 5/14, we left Kartchner Caverns State Park for a short drive (54 miles) over to Patagonia Lake State Park near the town of Patagonia, AZ.  We headed south on Hwy 90 for a few miles, then at Whetstone, we went west on two-lane Hwy 82 through Sonita and Patagonia to the park.  This park is on a lake down in a deep basin and we’ve been here a few times in the past – our favorite place in Arizona.  We arrived pretty early and got set up in our site for the week.

We got the birdfeeders up pretty quick and it wasn’t long before we had some customers. LaVerne is a happy camper again now that she can put the feeders out.

Tuesday was a day of birding.  The Sonita Creek feeds the lake and at the head of the lake is the Sonita Creek Birding Trail.  The campground sits on a little ridge above the lake and there are some pretty steep steps to get down to lake level and the trail.  We got out there pretty early before the day got hot.

The trail goes out through a pasture beside the lake with tangles of Mesquite all along.  There are cows that use the pasture so you have to watch where you step.

We did see a few new birds for this trip.

Later in the day we went into Patagonia and went to Paton’s Center for Hummingbirds (formerly Paton’s Hummingbird Heaven).  This is a place birders from all over the country have known about for years.  It was started many years ago when a lady named Mrs. Paton set up her back yard with a lot of feeders, set up a tent and some chairs, and invited birders to come and watch the hummingbirds in action.  We came here for the first time back in the early 2000’s and Mrs. Paton was still alive and living here. Since that time, she has passed away.  Her daughter kept it up for a while, but eventually sold it to the Tucson Audubon Society who now maintains and runs it.  They have made some improvements, including a nice covered place to sit and observe the birds.

When we were there, it was the hottest part of the day and there was not a lot of activity.  We did see an Annas Hummingbird, a Violet-crowned Hummingbird, and a Ladder-backed Woodpecker.

Yesterday (Wednesday) we took a day trip (about 85 miles) up I-19 to Tucson and went to Saguaro National Park (pronounced Suh-wah-row).  The park is divided into an Eastern Section and a Western Section – and they are literally on the eastern & western sides of Tucson about 35 miles apart.  We went to both!  We love the Saguaro cacti – they are so majestic when they reach maturity (takes anywhere from 70 to 100 years).  There are thousands of them in all stages of growth and right now they are beginning the blooming stage.  In addition to the Saguaro cactus, there’s also lot of types.

We’re here for a couple more days, so I’ll catch up the rest of the week later.

08 - KARTCHNER CAVERNS ST PK - BENSON, AZ

Friday 5/11, we left Caballo Lake State Park near Truth or Consequences, NM and headed to Arizona.  We took I-25 South about 20 miles, then at Hatch, NM we cut across on a two-lane red road (Hwy 26) to Deming.  Hatch is known as the Chili Pepper Capital of the World! The shortcut across Hwy 26 saved a little over 50 miles and put us onto I-10 headed west. We went through Lordsburg, NM before crossing into Arizona.

Crossing into Arizona put us another hour behind the folks at home – now 3 hours.  Arizona is in the Mountain Time Zone (same as New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming), but they don’t observe Daylight Saving Time.  When New Mexico and the other Mountain time states did the “Spring Forward” thing, Arizona didn’t do it, so basically, they are now the same as California.

One of the most scenic areas on I-10 going across eastern Arizona is the Texas Canyon – the highway doesn’t go through the canyon, but over the pass with the canyon down below.  We pulled into the rest area at the top of the pass - lots of beautiful huge rocks (for those of you that are into rocks like LaVerne).

It was only a 250-mile drive to our destination for the weekend – Kartchner Caverns State Park about 10 miles south of Benson.  The campground is roomy with lots of Mesquite trees and mountains for the backdrop.  We had stopped at Walmart in Benson and bought a couple of new hummingbird feeders.  Arizona is home to 16 different species of hummingbirds (one of the main reasons we like it here) and we were looking forward to putting out the new feeders.  While we were getting camp set up, the camp host came by and informed us that they DON’T ALLOW BIRD FEEDERS!  AARRRGGG!!  Needless to say, LaVerne is not a happy camper!

Saturday (yesterday) we went about 20 miles south to Sierra Vista.  After breakfast at a Vietnamese restaurant (and some of you are saying, “WHAT??”), then it was off to a location well known in the area for hummingbird viewing.

About 9 miles south of Sierra Vista is Miller Canyon and at the end of the narrow dirt road into the canyon is Beatty’s Guest Ranch and Orchards. Still lots of cacti – we like the Agave with the long stalks.

This is one of many places in Arizona where land/homeowners set up bird viewing stations (for hummingbirds as well as others) for all the birders to come and see the birds.  We’ve been knowing about Beatty’s for many years and have been here a few times in the past.  We climbed up the steep trail to the viewing stands and stayed awhile.  Thomas Beatty has really put in a nice facility – bleacher style seating with stadium chairs and about 8 hummingbird feeders scattered around in the trees. LaVerne likes the Manzanita tree with the red bark!

Here’s just a few of the birds we saw (sorry, the lighting isn't the best on a couple of them).

Today (Sunday, 5/13) we went to church at the First Baptist Church in Benson – about 10 miles north.  It was more of a contemporary style service rather than traditional, with an 11-member praise & worship team. Not quite what we’re used to, but the worship service was good and we enjoyed it. Afterwards, we found Magaly’s Mexican Restaurant. It was crowded and noisy, but we had a very good lunch (LaVerne with her Combination #6 and me with my Taco Salad).  HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

The last two days have been hot, but not as hot as back in New Mexico.  Yesterday it was in the low 90’s in mid-afternoon but cooled off a little later.  Today it was in the mid 80’s. The only drawback has been the wind – it has been blowing around 20-mph since we’ve been here.  It’s beautiful & sunny though – no rain in sight.

Tomorrow we’re moving again – this time a short drive over to Patagonia Lake State Park near the town of Patagonia.  We’ve been there several times over the years and it’s one of our favorite places.  We will be there all next week.  So, again, until next time ----