Helen's Journal

Today we went to Chiricahua National Monument. We left about 10:30 this morning, should have left around 8:30. It was a very full day with a stop at the Cochise Visitors center at Wilcox, AZ. We found a very informative lady there that helped us know where some things were that we had heard of before. We had already planned this trip to Chiricahua National Park but I remembered that when we were here about five years ago we heard about some places where Sandhill Cranes roost and feed. She not only told us where but gave us a map that showed two major places and about six other places where they could be seen.
We got to the National Monument around 12:00 and found that the tour for the Faraway Ranch was not until 2:30 so we had our picnic and drove on up the mountain. They had had a fire there last year but there was not as much damage to the park as I expected. There was lots of damage on the fringes of the park and some in the park but we were able to go all the way to the top. Chiricahua is a very beautiful park with a lot of history both white settlers and Chiricahua Apache. Fort Bowie is just over the next canyon about 12 miles. We didn't visit Fort Bowie this time but we did the last time we were here. There are lots of rock formations and pinnacles to see and you never tire of the scenery.
We left the National Monument and headed to the Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area to see if we might see some Sandhill Cranes. We were told that early morning and just around sundown were the best times. We got there just at sundown and the information was correct. There were hundreds in the air flying in their "V" formation and when we found the Wildlife Area we ask a few questions and found fields full of them. We couldn't see them real well without disturbing them but there were probably well over a thousand maybe more every where there in the fields and near the water. Very interesting and more noise than Chiquitas ( the little bugs that infest the south, don't know how to spell) that we have in Tennessee every thirteen years.

Helen's Journal

It has been a while since we posted anything on our blog because we haven't been doing anything special. We spent most of the winter going back and forth between Wilderness Lakes Thousand Trails in Meniffee, CA and Pio Pico Thousand Trails in Jamul, CA. We met some old friends of ours that we met several years ago, Jerry and Janice Shafer and visited several places and ate out several times. We also got to spend some time with my son Teddy and his family. It sure was good to see them again. The girls have grown so much and so has Noah.
We left Pio Pico January 13 and stopped at an RV Park just west of Yuma, AZ for five days. We saw several things of interest there and then moved to Benson, AZ. We will be here until Monday then move to St. David, AZ. We will stay there two weeks.
Friday we went to the Saguaro National Park just east of Tucson and the Sabino Canyon also in Tucson. Sabino Canyon was my cousin Lytle's most favorite place to visit in Arizona. Helen and I thought of him while we were there. Cancer stole him from us on July 5, 2010. He and his wife Sandra got Helen and me excited about full-timing in our RV. We miss him.
Today we rode over to Tombstone, AZ then on over to Bisbee, AZ. We made a stop at the Coronado National Memorial and got Helen's National Parks Passport Book stamped. We went on over to the Fort Huachuca Museum to see the old Buffalo Soldier displays. That was an awesome time in the history of the west. The fort is still in operation and has had an important place in WW1 and WW2 history. Also the invasion of Cuba.
We will have a slow day tomorrow. Church service is at 9:00 AM then we will kick back and watch the last two games of the play-offs.