Monday Nov 14, 2022 - Kartchner Caverns

This morning we arrived at the Kartchner Caverns Visitor Center at 08:00 sharp. They opened at 5 past and we secured two tickets for the 9:00 tour. Walked back to the van and had cereal and coffee/tea then back to the tour. We think we remember touring the Big Room some years back so we signed up for the Rotunda/Throne Room tour.Our tour guide was Becca who is a 4’8” fireball and a lot of fun. 

The caverns were a 20’ sinkhole in the ground that nobody really explored for thousands of years. They used to call it the Snake Hole because rattlesnakes liked it down there so I guess that alone was reason enough to not go down there for thousands of years.

Two guys, Randy Tufts and Gary Tenen heard about it in 1967 and they went down but only about twenty feet (maybe as far down as the rattlers??). They came back in 1974 (when the rattlers were on vacation??) and started digging. A low pressure front came through that day and caused the cavern to “breathe” out which told them there was something big under there. They dug until they got to a grapefruit sized opening (maybe the rattlers helped?) that air was really streaming out of, and widened it until they could just squeeze through. They wandered around inside amazed at the huge size (perhaps the snakes gave them a tour??).

Fortunately, being experienced cave guys (spelunkers), they knew that it had to be protected from vandals and biological invasion, so they kept it a secret. The other genius stroke was knowing that the then governor of Arizona, Bruce Babbitt, was a geologist. The state got behind it, bought the property from the Kartchners (the farmers that owned the land) for $1.5 million and spend another 30 million or so to develop it into a tourist business and state park. Now its a “golden goose” for the state, charging $23 per person to take the tour. 

They are very careful about protecting the cavern. It stays pretty much the same temperature (70 degrees) all year, has been pitch black for thousands of years and has a humidity of 90+ percent. So they don’t want any foreign species in there. They ask if you have been to any other caves in the last year with your current shoes on, and then spray them with a disinfectant if you have (one couple on our tour got sprayed). A bat issue.

We then took a tram (like Disney world) to the cavern entrance, where we had another talk about not touching anything with our greasy hands. Then we went through two interlocks and got misted in the first one, to reduce any lint or other foreign objects that us nasty humans might bring in. Becca did a great time explaining everything and in and hour and a half we came back out into the cool dry air.

Back to the van where we had a snack and then off to hike the “4 mile” Guindani Loop trail. When I got back tonight my Google Fit app said I walked 8.7 miles, so the 4 miles was after you made it to the trailhead and does not include walking back and forth to the Visitor Center.

Great trail up an old abandoned road and then right up over a ridge for a beautiful view. We peaked at about 5700 feet elevation and then started the long traverse back down to the campground. My knee (high school football injury) and right toe (recent medical repair) were both at their end. Cold beer, hot shower, supper (spaghetti in the InstaPot) and done for the day. Read like 2 pages of my book..

Never saw a single snake all day..

Sunday Nov 13, 2022 - Bisbee AZ to Kartchner Caverns State Park

It’s about an hour's drive from home to Kartchner so a leisurely morning at home. We packed the usual stuff and the plan was to have a late breakfast in Sierra Vista, stop at Home Depot and then Wally World to pick up some stuff. We will be at Kartchner Caverns for 2 nights. This will be the 10th and 11th night in the van. The big luxury will be shore power and showers at the campground. We tried a few places for breakfast but everyone else had the same idea or it was too late for breakfast. So we picked up our stuff and stopped in Huachuca City for lunch at Sunny D’s diner. I had breakfast and Deb had lunch. We got to Kartchner at 1:30, 30 minutes before check in but they said everything was fine. Quite a few people here tonight. Lots of big rigs. We did a 3 mile hike around the Foothills Loop Trail and then closed out the Visitor Center. They said if we want a cave tour we need to get there at 8 am and there should be lots of room.

Hot drinks to warm us up (it’s cool and very windy). Read our books for a couple of hours and then a chicken parmesan dinner in the Hot Logic and salad. The van is rocking a bit from the wind tonight but it’s cozy in here.

Tuesday November 8, 2022 - Chiricahua National Monument to Bisbee AZ

 

Today we closed up shop and headed home. We kind of skipped breakfast, but nibbled at all of the extra food we brought. The plan was to stop on the way home at Whitewater Draw and have lunch. Deb N did get the percolator going this morning so we all had morning coffee. Dave has been the fire builder and had a nice fire started first thing. We loaded everything up and then we all walked to the Visitor Center one last time. We saw the deer and turkeys again on the way. Deb V bought a park passport since we hope to hit a bunch of national parks in the next few years.

A Vermont rig pulled in last night and I walked over to see if they were out and about, but they left early this morning.  The bathroom thermostat must have been broken because it was like a sauna in there all weekend. It must be electric because I saw no propane anywhere. This campground has no electric hookups but the campground host has power and there is power in the bathrooms. 

The van so far has been a perfect balance of simple but enough. The battery reported 53% this morning after two days without any sun to speak of since it's very shady here. The main loads are the refrigerator and the heater. Shady works because most of the year it is so sunny that you would want shade. This campground, like most here in the southwest, are open year round because the weather is so nice. It gets cold at night but as soon as the sun comes up, it is warm again. So the van with its heater ensures year round use.

An older couple were trying to figure out the constant beeping in their Winnebago. I poked around inside the cabinets and found the inverter complaining that the batteries were too low. Once they knew that, they simply pushed a button to turn the generator on which would recharge the batteries. These big rigs are complicated.

We all pulled out around 11:00 and drove the hour plus to Whitewater Draw. Carmen has camped here before and there seem to be about 4 sites for overnighters. Not sure who maintains it but there isn't any ranger station on site and I don't think they charge anything to stay. We pulled out all of our lunch stuff and had a nice brunch/lunch. Then we walked the loop to see the Sandhill Cranes which migrate through here. There were quite a few there today. 

We said our goodbyes and headed back to Bisbee. Deb and I unloaded everything from the van, drained everything that needed to be drained and refilled everything that needed to be refilled so we'd be ready for the trip next week to Kartchner Caverns State Park. This trip helped try out our outdoor cooking setup  and group camping. Next week it will be just us.

Deb had chorus rehearsal tonight and I decided to join our regular Taco Tuesday group at Thuy's, the Vietnamese place (Thuy's Tuesday?). This is the last time we see Pam as she moves to Prescott for the next year. We will miss Pam and Katie.

Sunday Nov 6, 2022 - Bisbee to Chiricahua National Monument

 

We are doing a two night, three day camping trip with our friends Dave & Deb N (and their dog Benny) who have a camper, and our friend Carmen who has a toy hauler to Chiricahua National Monument. Deb and I have been to Bonita Canyon Campground, (the only campground in the National Monument) there once in a tent and once with a borrowed teardrop camper (thanks again to Dave & Lisa).  This is the first trip in the van where we will be cooking outside and will be rotating cooking with our friends. Carmen had a two burner propane stove which she inherited and she gave to us. It was made by Sears & Roebuck, so it might be pretty old, but it worked great. Looks just like a Coleman, uses 1lb propane cylinders, two burner, etc.

It is only 1 1/2 hrs away so we had a leisurely morning and made it to the campsite by noon time. They both convoyed up and got there soon after we did. We grabbed the smallest site since our van is smaller. These folks are pros so they were setup in no time. You can build fires only in the barbecue grill thingie but that was nice, because as soon as the sun goes down, that big clear sky sucks the heat out of you here in the west. We went on a hike to the Faraway Ranch a mile or two away and it was nice with soft meadows, lots of deer and wild turkeys. The ranger said deer season had started so the deer were smart enough to stay in the park where there is no hunting.

Deb N & Dave did the cooking the first night with a nice potato soup and corn bread, and everybody brought snacks and desserts so no shortage of good things to eat. Then Deb V and Milo taught everyone how to play Up and Down the River and we had a fun night. We all turned in for the night ready to hike the next day.

Monday November 7, 2022 - Hiking in Chiricahua National Monument

 

Deb N had the percolator perking away by the time we all woke up. Bacon & eggs wrapped with fresh farmers market tortillas for breakfast kicks off a perfect day. The van was nice and cozy last night and other than a slight angle where we parked, we slept well. We need to get some of those Lego looking leveling blocks..

The plan was to hike from Massai Point back down to the campground which turned out to be 5 miles or so, downhill, but very rocky. Dave & Benny gave us a ride up and then they hiked down below (no pets allowed on the upper trails, sorry Benny).

We worked up a good appetite, so Deb V & Milo cooked fajitas for dinner along with the never ending snacks and desserts. Then another night of Up and Down the River in Deb N and Dave's nice warm camper. Good sleeping after a full day of hiking.

Monday Oct 24, 2022 - Jonquil Birthday Sleepover

 In typical fun, Bisbee fashion, someone decided to have a birthday party, camper sleepover at the small Jonquil motel back yard.

Our friend Carmen had an important birthday so somebody (Carmen?) decided a sleepover would be fun. The Jonquil is a sweet, old, motel right on Tombstone with a big back yard that they rent out for occasions. In the last week we also learned our good friends Katie & Pam decided to move for a year to Prescott (but only temporarily!) so the party also served as a good bye, good luck party.

The weather guy sent us a cold snap at the last minute so we moved the band (Los Amigos of course, our beloved town band) and the party into the Bisbee Grand Motel and got a huge crowd. Carmen is very popular and fun and loved in Bisbee so it was fun to see her catch up with everybody in town. 

When the festivities ended at the Bisbee Grand, we headed up the hill to the Jonquil where our 4 campers were already set up. Carmen had her toy hauler, Deb & Milo had the new van, Carmen's friends Skip & Donna had their camper and Katie & Pam had their van. Nick got a room in the motel and a big fire was started in the fire ring out back. A lot of folks came up from the Grand to continue the party.

Many hours later we crawled into the campers for the night. The next morning we gathered in our van (we have heat), had coffee and then broke camp for the long 1/4 mile back home.

What a great idea and Happy Birthday Carmen, and good luck in Prescott Katie & Pam, we miss you already.