Smell the pines at Chiricahua

Road-tripping Arizona is a treat for the curious traveler. There are the Catholic missions (active and abandoned), caverns (wet and dry), cities, desert, canyons, amazing geology, and the influences of many cultures. Arriving in late May, we were treated with blossoms on many of the desert plants during our 9 day trek across the state.

Driving through southeast Arizona, leaving any hint of civilization behind, we drove for 2 hours before we saw the mountains of the Chiricahua forming in front of us. It's quite evident why this part of Southern Arizona is called the sky islands. You're driving through flat desert, and suddenly, mountains start to take shape in the distance. Islands in the Sky with so much to explore.

Chiricahua (pronounced "Cheery Cow-a", according to our friendly neighborhood park ranger) is a land of hoodoos. Somewhat like Bryce Canyon, but we have a different type of rock here. Chiricahua is a land of grays and greens, while Bryce is a land of reds. Check this out...in Turkey, they've carved houses out of the hoodoos in Cappadocia.

After a drive up the deserted switchbacks of the 8 mile scenic drive, we arrived at Massai Point, where we could see beyond the hoodoos from our island in the sky, and into the desert beyond. Looking across the expanse, it was easy to understand why some Native American tribes have legends that the hoodoos were people that had been turned to stone. I really felt like we were with a tribe, and tried to imagine the Apaches during their time here. There are several trails, providing access to Punch and Judy, and Duck on a Rock, as well as formations with more staid names such as Big Balanced Rock. We took the short trail around the point, as I had made the infamous and oft-repeated mistake of trying to stuff too many things into one day.

As we made our way out of Chiricahua, we passed hoodoo formations with more clever names such as Sea Captain and China Boy. We stopped at the Organ Pipe formation, where I was quite surprised at the refreshing smell of pine in the air. I can still smell that pine, which always comes to mind when I think of my trip to Chiricahua.

Take the adventures as they come

I'm spending the weekend in Hershey, PA with my Mom. It's been raining nonstop for 2 days, and the flood warnings are running rampant. Cabin fever sets in, so we take a short drive over to Hummelstown. Oh, Sunday, nearly everything is closed.

Oh, what's this...a raging stream? And it has a walking trail beside it? Hmmm...I think this calls for an adventure. We get our rinky-dink ultra-compact umbrella out of the car, and set off on a stroll. We hear the spring peepers and the birds. Surely the birds are quite excited that the rain is starting to dissipate.


The raging water was quite a sight. You could sense the power of it. It reminded me that water is such an amazing part of life; useful, indispensable, and obviously wild. This was the unexpected highlight of our weekend.

Seasonal adventures...multiplied

Three months have passed since our last visit. March has arrived, and I just thought, where are the Spring Peepers? I haven't heard them yet. I'm sure I'll hear them soon. I'm hearing the sounds of the geese making their annual northerly trek. The songbirds are out in full force, preparing for the breeding season. It's time to learn some bird songs.

Well, we got what we wished for regarding the winter snowstorms this year. And then some! I've never seen such a thing...over three feet of snow in one week?!? Some of our plants didn't like it very much. The rhododendron took a beating and will never be the same.

We had a wonderful treat at our suet station this year. No, we weren't eating the suet...a Northern Flicker joined us! http://tinyurl.com/c2m57d We also had the typical songbirds, and 1-2-3 pesky squirrels (the squirrels seemed to multiply as the year progressed).

Today's adventure was looking for signs of perennials and bulbs starting their annual journey from the earth. I found lots of new growth, including daffodils, crocuses, tulips, coreopsis, spiderwort, coral bells, and veronica. Have you ever tried this one...look closely at the branches on your trees at this time of year. I found buds forming on the peach tree, and anxiously await the beautiful flowers. The plums and cherries are also coming out of their winter slumber.

No matter the season, approach every day as a new adventure on this journey we call life.