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.