Map of this blog's locations click this link to open the map We decided to head back over to Sabino Canyon since we had such a great hike the last time we were there. This time we opt to take the main tram ride. It costs $10 per person but will save us 4 miles of walking up into the canyon. Plus this tram ride is narrated and provides a lot of information about the park during the half hour or so ride. There are 9 stops along the way but we stay put until we get to the end of the line. From here we start up a steep trail with the intention of hiking the Telephone Line Trail back tram stop number one. We blindly follow two groups of people and are quite surprised by how poor the trail condition is. After a few minutes of climbing, we come to the conclusion that we are not on a trail but simply heading up a gully. So back we all go only to find the turn we had all missed. The initial trail is a series of many switchbacks as we gain elevation overlooking the tram stop. We discover that most of the people that get off at the end, simply walk the 4 miles back down the road possibly to hop back on the tram at one of the other stops if that distance is too great. Even some of the people that headed up the trail only went far enough to get a great view then turned around.
Sabino Canyon Visitor Center
A Tram Sits Waiting
Bright Flowers
Overlooking Stop #9
We eventually got to Telephone Line Trail which is probably 500 feet above the road. It then turns and runs roughly parallel to the road. Even after the climb up to this trail, it is not all downhill. There are plenty more ups and downs as the trail navigates around many of the valleys that have formed along the sides of the canyon. There are a couple caches to be found along the way. At one of them, we come to the realization that the cache is hidden underneath the huge rock (20 feet tall, 30 feet wide and 40 feet long) we had been sitting on while eating a snack and waiting for a family to pass by. Of course they wanted to come up top on rock to take some pictures, so we had to wait a bit longer. Once they left, I realized getting down to the cavelike opening beneath the rock was not going to be real easy. In hindsight, I should have asked to borrow the 10 year old boy since he would have had no problem (or fears) going for the cache, plus it would have been a good introduction to geocaching. I found a way to get beneath the rock and crawl around until I spotted the cache. Chris managed to take a few pictures as I eventually squeezed my way out of the opening.
A Saguaro Sprouts a New Arm
Viewing Sabino Canyon
View Up a Side Valley
Jack Emerges from Opening
Success. Just Don't Look Down!
We work our way down the trail and never saw any telephone lines or poles. Not sure what the history is to get this name. The trail wasn't completely deserted but it was much less crowded than the Bear Creek Trail we had done a couple weeks earlier. We headed down a side trail with a series of switchbacks to get back down to the road and came out at tram stop #1. Instead of simply following the road back to the starting point, we did a couple side trails that headed in the right direction. It was a nice 7 or 8 mile hike.
Puffy Clouds Over Sabino Canyon
The Road Below
Our Trail Down
Water Crossing
Not far away from our campgrounds is the International Wildlife Museum. We weren't exactly sure what it was but it was close by so we gave it a shot. It has animals from all over the world - if you count ones that are stuffed. Actually the taxidermy is quite impressive. They have many of the scenes setup like you might see in nature. A lion pouncing on its prey or a family of javelinas. One of the large rooms contains a large number of mounted animal heads - a couple hundred. After our visit, we stopped at an overlook at Gates Pass. It is a popular spot for people to stop for a picnic or pictures.
Leopards Above
Bullwinkle? Is That You?
Zebra and Warthog
Ready to Pounce
Numerous Mounts
Bighorn
Stalking Us
View Through Gates Pass
Another Desert View
Our stay at Justin's Diamond J RV park was coming to an end. It was a nice spot to spend the whole month of March. The place has definitely thinned out in the last week or so. Many of the Canadian snowbirds need to start their trek back home in order to keep their stay within the US to the permitted limits. Some of them just store their fifth wheels on their site and come back each year. We had tried to order in replacement tires for the motorhome when we first arrived in Tucson but even after a month, they have not come in. Guess we will need to plan ahead for when we are in some civilized area in the next few months. The plan is to spend a few weeks in New Mexico as we head towards Dallas but we do have one more stop in Arizona before leaving. We head to Willcox to spend a couple nights at my "home" Elks Lodge. We were last here for initiation just a little over a year ago but had never spent the night. They have a dozen or so pull thru sites with 30 amp electric and water and a dump station behind the lodge itself. We do the short drive on Easter Sunday and pull into the Elks just at the tail end of their Easter gathering. Many of the people had already headed out but a few were left. Looks like we just missed a water balloon fight. We chat with a few of the members and then head back to the rig. We are one of three rigs spending the night. Others that have stayed here have complained about the train noise. Admittedly, our site is within a quarter mile of a very active train track, but they do not blow the horn as they come through town so it was tolerable. Actually the larger noise issue was from a residence just across the street from the camping spots. The guy is a truck driver and he started his rig at 2:30 AM and let it idle for nearly 40 minutes before pulling out. How do I know this? Just guess!
Welcome Home
Our stop here wasn't solely to visit our home lodge. Chiricahua National Monument is less than an hours drive from Willcox. We had gone there last year out of our spot in Benson which was a much further drive. Last year we did a shorter hike around Echo Canyon (link to old post) and had found the place fascinating. Chris discovered that the park offers a 9 AM shuttle from the visitor center to the other side of the park. This service will allow us to pick a longer one way route rather than an out and back or loop route. Choosing this option does have one drawback - we need to set the alarm! We have what looks to be a beautiful day for our hike and have no trouble getting there in time to sign up for the shuttle service. We end up being the last 2 on a very crowded shuttle. They have a 15 passenger van and since everybody has brought along backpacks and other hiking gear, it makes for the feel of sardines. Good thing the drive is not too far - only several miles or about 10 minutes or so.
We get off at the Echo Canyon parking area. The goal is to follow a series of trails that are on the far eastern side of the park and head south. We start on Ed Riggs trail and then follow Mushroom Rock trail. Good thing there is a sign to point out mushroom rock since it is on the opposite side of the small canyon we are hiking up.
Mushroom Rock
During this portion of the hike we have some real trees and seems to be more like the hiking we have back in western New York. Some sort of jay - possibly an Arizona jay - starts to accompany us along our hike. It lands in a tree just ahead of our path, then watches us as we walk underneath. After we get 50 feet ahead, it will repeat the behavior several more times. It permitted me to get fairly close to take a picture before it flew off. We eventually got out of the wooded area near a dry stream bed and the jay never came back.
Our Jay Friend
When we got to the side trail for Inspiration Point, we decided to give it a try even though our original thought was to skip it since it adds one mile to the hike. It is a relatively flat trail so it wasn't too difficult. The views from the point were truly inspirational. It is possible to see most of the valley below and get a good view of all the crazy rock formations from a distance. The wind really started to pick up while we were there and would stay that way much of the rest of the hike.
Incredible View from Inspiration Point
Along Trail from Inspiration Point
From here, we follow Big Balanced Rock trail west. It is along here when the rock formations get interesting. We find a big balanced rock and assume it is the namesake of the trail. Of course, in about another half mile, we come upon an even bigger balanced rock. This one was worthy of a sign describing its size - 22 feet in diameter, 25 feet tall and weighs in at 1000 tons! It really doesn't seem like it should be able to perch there without toppling over.
A Big Balanced Rock but NOT the Balanced Rock
The Views at Chiricahua are Amazing
THE Big Balanced Rock!
Next we get to the Heart of Rocks Loop. It too adds just over a mile to the hike and turns out to be anything but flat. But it is a must do diversion if you make it this far. There are about 10 of the rock formations that have names and are given signs so you don't miss them. We can only imagine how the various formations got named since some of them are more along the lines of staring at clouds and describing the animal or thing you see. However, several of them are truly well named, or were we simply pressured into "seeing" what the sign told us? In either case, the loop is very enjoyable. We find a spot behind one of the huge rocks that is somewhat sheltered from the wind and have our lunch before continuing back to the main trail.
Pinnacle Balanced Rock Looks More Precarious
Camel's Head
Thor's Hammer
Rock Formation Overload
Punch and Judy
Kissing Rocks
The next section is on Sarah Deming trail and heads west then northwest before hitting Rhyolite Canyon trail. Heading on Upper Rhyolite Canyon trail would bring you back to Echo Canyon but following the Lower Rhyolite Canyon trail will take us right back to the visitor center and our car. The full hike came in at 9 miles. Tiring but well worth it. There are so many places along the route where you are nearly forced to stop and soak in the odd beauty of the rock formations. Very reminiscent of Bryce Canyon National Park if on a smaller scale.
Big Balanced Rock from Afar
Heading Back to Visitor Center
Our Chiricahua Track
When we got back to the Willcox Elks Lodge and headed in to the bar to pay for the two nights we are staying here. All lodges provide their members a key card that permits them to enter the building. At all the other lodges we have stayed at, we typically need to ring the doorbell and be buzzed in. I tracked down my key card and was looking forward to using it. Of course the door was unlocked so it wasn't required. Oh well. The place was pretty empty with only one person at the bar and four workers including the bartender. We asked if they might get the NCAA basketball final later that day. The bartender checks and we find the channel. Since the lodge wasn't serving any food on Monday, we headed back to the rig for dinner then went back over to watch the game and have a couple beers. By halftime, it was just the two of us and the bartender and his buddy. We decided to head back to the rig so he could close up and head home.
We had planned to head to the Escapees park in Deming New Mexico. We had spent one night there 15 months ago and we knew it would work for a couple nights. But we had read about City of Rocks State Park and it sounded interesting. It's about 30 miles north of Deming. We knew there were no electric sites available based on the online reservation system, but they do have first come first serve boondocking sites around the park. Before getting to Deming, Chris calls to see if they might have any sites available large enough for a rig our size. The woman wasn't positive since occupants simply fill out a self serve envelop and drop it in an iron ranger, so there really isn't any way for her to know. We decide to give it a shot and head there.
While still on Interstate 10, we had a fifth wheel pass us. I had seen the truck and trailer coming up from behind for some time. It wasn't like they were going all that fast. I was doing about 63 or 64. They may have been doing 70 but the speed limit was 75 at this point. He passed and safely pulled back over into the right hand lane to allow a SUV pass him. Just as the SUV was next to the trailer, a tire on the driver's side of the trailer blew out. We were quite fortunate that there weren't more cars behind the SUV so I knew I had a clear lane to slide over. Of course I wasn't able to react fast enough to avoid some of the tire and wheel well parts that came flying out. I carefully watched my tire pressure monitor for quite some time after the event for fear I may have run over something. Even though it was scary for us, I suspect it was way scarier for the truck driver and since the SUV was practically next to the tire as it blew, that driver may need to get fresh underwear.
The park is definitely in the middle of nowhere. We do see a private campground along the way that can be our plan B if required. Since we got there mid afternoon, there were still workers in the visitor center. One of them offered to drive me around the park on his Gator to see what if any sites might be open that are big enough. There were plenty of smaller spots if you just had a truck camper or small travel trailer or better yet a tent. As we drove past the group camping area, he realized nobody was there. We went back and asked the ranger if we might be able to stay there for two nights. I'm not sure if my pathetic look helped convince him, but he said they had no reservations until the weekend, 4 nights from then. We pulled the rig right into the nice flat spot next to a large shelter with 8 picnic tables under it. I don't think we could have asked for a nicer spot.
Entrance to City of Rocks State Park
Our Rig is on Right Side
Commanding View
The name of the park, City of Rocks, is a completely appropriate name. It consists of an outcropping of rocks that have weathered into these interesting shapes. The rocks are just in an area maybe half a mile long by a quarter mile wide with the surrounding landscape being typical desert scrub. They have located many of the campsites in the openings between the rocks, so the sites are all different sizes and shapes. It is unlike any place we have ever stayed. The first night we are there, we have a couple other small class B vans pull in and stay in spots on the opposite side of the group area. The night skies are pretty spectacular at this park. It is isolated from even the surrounding small towns and we luckily had clear skies the first night. It had been some time since I had attempted night sky photography but I took advantage of our time here to try.
Star Trail at City of Rocks SP
With the park being this remote, it doesn't work well as a home base to explore nearby towns like Silver City. But that was okay since we are only here for two nights, we can spend our full day exploring this park. About a mile to the northeast of the park is Table Mountain. It rises about 500 feet above the surrounding land but has a rather large, nearly flat top to it. There is a trail that leads from the campground to the top and there are a handful of geocaches to be found along the way. So we headed out from our site and found the trailhead. The first mile or so only gains elevation gradually so it wasn't to tough. But eventually it starts to climb and uses a series of switchbacks to do so. In about 3 miles we are at the top looking for our first cache. I spotted it and was signing in while Chris was 50 feet away where she had been searching. The next thing I hear is a blood curdling scream. Apparently a large flying bug was attacking her. It stung/bit her once on the neck and again on the arm. It wasn't clear to me where the danger had come from - a ground nest? or one of the nearby trees. When things settled down, I was able to get some good pictures of the campgrounds from this overhead vantage point.
Table Mountain
View on Way Up
Campgrounds and City of Rocks from Half Way Up
Good View of How Remote City of Rocks Is
There were several more caches to be found, but the top was covered in a lot of thigh high grasses and weeds and wasn't real pleasant to walk thru with shorts on. Apparently not many people come up here so there really aren't any trails once up at the top. After finding three of the caches, we decided to head back down for lunch. I suspect Chris and I may have differing opinions as to whether this was a good hike or not!
After lunch, we switched gears (literally) to our mountain bikes. There is a 3.5 mile perimeter trail that encircles the park. They have several benches with canopies every so often along the trail. It works out pretty well. I found the trail to be challenging at spots but rideable. As we got back to the spur which leads to the visitor center, Chris headed back while I continued onto another trail that leads up to an overlook. It is only 150 feet above the campground but still a reasonably good workout especially after having done a 6.5 mile hike in the morning. There is a road that circles up to the top as well. I came down this way and needed to ride the brakes nearly the whole way down.
View from Bike Ride
Rocks, Rocks, and More Rocks
Index Finger?
The clouds that had come in during the day started to break up enough to try another night of photography. For this shot, I setup aimed to the south rather than the North Star. It gives a completely different type of star trail but permitted one of the boulders and trees to be in the shot. I could see coming back to this park and trying other night shots.
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