Spring Break in the Chiricahua Mts.

This year for Spring Break we decided to go visit the Chiricahua Mts. in southern Arizona.   James and I visited Chiricahua National Monument in 1996, but it was time to take Grace.  We were very curious about how things would be since the Horseshoe 2 fire last summer.  

We headed to the monument and found a campsite at the Bonita Campground.  It was nice, but the sites are way too close together for our liking.  The bathrooms in a CCC-built building were very nice with new tile and flush toilets.

First we went to the visitor's center to pick up Grace's Junior Ranger booklet.  Then we drove the road up into the park and stopped along the way.   It truly is a "Wonderland of Rocks"

Massai Pt

Here is Grace looking at the China Boy formation.  Grace couldn't see it.  She didn't know the traditional hat that the Chinese wore.  When we got home, I showed her a picture and she then got it, but thought it was weird.  

Faraway Ranch House

Within the Monument there is the Faraway Ranch.  It was a guest ranch for many years that operated outside of the monument.  In 1973, the Park Service acquired the ranch and it became part of the monument.  The ranch is a fun place to visit.  The chimney of the main ranch house has the names of Buffalo Soldiers carved into it.  They also have a nice little display on the ranch and the CCC in the monument. 

After the visit to Faraway Ranch we headed to the visitor’s center so Grace could get her Junior Ranger Badge.  She is now has over 30 Junior Ranger badges.  At Chiricahua National Monument you get a patch instead of a pin-on badge, which is very nice, since the pins pop off and get lost.  One of these days, I will sew the patch on Grace’s Camelbak.  

The next day we headed to Fort Bowie National Historic Site.  To visit Fort Bowie you have to hike in a mile and a half to the visitor’s center and the ruins of the fort.   

Apache Spring

We hiked in and on the way we passed the reason for the fort, Apache Spring.  When Grace saw it she said, “That is it?”  She had read about the fort before our visit and I think she was expecting a big gushing spring, not a little trickle of water.  We sat had a drink from our water bottles and pondered all who had drunk from the spring before us, Geronimo, Cochise, General Howard, countless natives and military personal, pioneers, and now us.

We got to the fort and picked up Grace’s Junior Ranger booklet.  We then went around to many of the ruins.  I had no idea what a big place it was.  The big problem was they put the fort above the spring, so the spring became contaminated, so they had to pump water from a spring in the next valley over.  It is kind of funny all that conflict and then it becomes useless to them.  

Another Junior Ranger!!

The fort has a long history of the conflict between pioneers, then the military and the Apaches.  The Park Service does a very good job of telling the story without judgment on either side.  When Grace asked us who was right we replied, “They were both right.  Both sides were just fighting to preserve their way of life.”  Grace said, “Aren’t most wars fought for way of life?”  She is right.  I have a smart kid!!!

Fort Bowie is definitely worth a visit. 

We had planned on camping in the National Forest, but had heard from many people of the devastation the forest had sustained from the Horseshoe Fire 2 that had raged for over a month in 2011.  So, we stayed in the Monument’s campground for the first three nights.  On the third day, we headed out to drive over the mountains via Pinery Canyon road and survey the damage.  Our goal was Sunny Flat Campground near Portal, AZ. 

When we started over the mountains you could see the road was the fire line.   

Green on one side, black on the other. 

Then we got up higher and all we could see was burned trees, it was a crowning fire and the damage was extensive.  I am not sure what the plan is for forest, but I expect it will be a long time before the forest recovers. 

Our campsite!!

We ended up in one of our favorite campgrounds.  We typically try to avoid campgrounds as a rule.  Why have a Dormobile and go where everyone else goes?  We have it to go where others are not willing or able to venture.  But Sunny Flat is a campground we go back to time and time again.  It was designed by a camper, for campers, but the best reason is the scenery. 

We spent the next day relaxing, reading and watching Grace build dams in the creek. 

Grace setting up my bed!

 One of the great parts about Grace getting older is she is expected to help out more:)

After seven days and six nights we reluctantly headed back to civilization and “real” life.

Overland Expo 2010, April 16-18, 2010

Getting off of I-19 on Friday afternoon, there was a stereo “Wow” from both Grace and I when we saw the Overland Expo. It was amazing there were tons of vehicles and people. We knew at this point that we were going to have a good weekend.

We found the Arizona Land Rover Owners (AZLRO) camping area. Several people were already there. We set up our Rover then headed over to the Expo.

There was a Snow Peak demonstration at 4 pm that I really wanted to see. Grace was whining about it taking too long. I was really interested in seeing their Japanese Dutch Ovens. I have been cooking with my Lodge Cast Iron for years and was wanting to see these in action. Much to my surprise, the Snow Peak guys were using an American cast iron pan on the Snow Peak stove. So, I assume if they were not using them, then they are not very good. But they did have the Snow Peak cooking table set up. The table set up is very nice! I would love to have one of them with all the accessories. It sure would make cooking a lot easier. Once the food was done, Grace was no longer complaining. I forced her to try my lamb chop. She immediately went and got one of her own. They also had grilled pineapple and bacon and goat cheese wrapped dates. We all enjoyed the demonstration. The funny thing was they did not have any products to sell on the spot. You had to order them and they would send them to you. They do not understand impulse purchases. I really wanted the small BBQ box.

Soon our friends with children arrived so we headed back to the camping area. I use the term camping area very loosely. It was just a dirt lot, and it was very, very dusty. Everything we own has a fine layer of dust on it. One cool thing was Chuck, our resident archeologist, quickly took the kids for a walk and found a metate. A metate is a stone that was used by Indians to grind corn into flour.

That night we were treated to Carne Asada cooked by Laura. Laura is an amazing cook. She was a cooking mama the whole weekend. Thanks Laura!! That night I decided to make a cobbler in my dutch oven. Usually this is one of the first things people experiment with in their dutch ovens. They are supposed to be simple and yummy. The reason I have never made on before is James does not like fruit. So, I didn’t want to make a big cobbler for just Grace and I. With all the people camping with us this time I decided to make a Peach/Cherry Cobbler. It was good, and everyone got a little. Jon Christianson donated a bottle of good Champagne to the cobbler which was a great way to finish the meal. The Expo had a happy hour at the bar. Those of us with children were unable to attend, and I discovered the reason the AZLRO does not camp next to a bar with a happy hour.

The next day we woke up to a sunny, hot day. The Expo had an “Experience” package that included driving type classes. The “Experience” cost around $500 for a couple. It was supposed to include day care for the kids, but the day care provider was a no show. We contemplated purchasing the “Experience”, but I was told that I could teach most of the classes, so we just got a day pass. I would have been SO upset if I had spent $500 and there was no childcare. One of our friends in the AZLRO had won the “Experience” in a raffle at the Arizona Land Rover Rally in March, and they have three kids. The rest of us volunteered to watch the kids so they could go to their classes.

Six adults took eight kids ranging from age 2 to 9 to the Expo. This was not the best decision we have ever made. It was around 90 degrees and the kids were melting. Soon we found “The Oasis” and it had a water hose. The kids doused themselves and were much refreshed.

James, Chuck and I spent the rest of the afternoon looking around the Expo. Everyone else headed back to the campsite. It is amazing how many different kinds of trailers, roof top tents, and awnings are available. It all started to run together. Fifteen years ago when James and I were first looking for an off-roading trailer, there were none. So, we ended up with a pop-up tent trailer. Now there are at least 10 companies that make them. We also saw the new Unimog. It was huge, and only cost $750,000. One vendor was selling South African “Potjie Pot”dutch ovens. They were a very interesting design, and they wanted a $100 for the small one. I am real interested to see how they cook, but not forthat price. Everything was pretty pricey, and when a group of Land Rover Owners sit around and complain how expensive things are, then you know it is pricey.

I have to talk about the campground. A novice would drive by and think it was full of pretty simple and cheap campers. But they would be mistaken. That dirt lot had more money sitting on it than most campgrounds filled with Class A Motorhomes. There were Unimogs, EarthRoamers, G-Wagons, Sportsmobiles, Hummers, Range Rovers and other expensive vehicles. In addition, there were at least a couple of dozen roof top tents and decked out trailers. I think most people spent as much time in the campground as they did in the Expo. If I had a dollar for every picture that was taken of our Dormobile, I would have at least $200. Lots of people came by and asked to check out our Dormobile and of course we were glad to show them. We met one couple from Canada who own a Dormobile and spent two months in Morocco in theirs. I said if they can handle two months together in that car then their marriage is sure to go the distance. By the way, they are thinking of selling their Dormobile. One thing we all found interesting was that there were more Land Rovers than any other car. I was expecting to see more Toyotas and Jeeps. After a discussion I learned that Jeeps are too small for Overlanding, but I did expect more Toyotas.

On Saturday night, we had another great dinner. Then Linda used her dutch oven for the first time. She made a dump apple cobbler, which was more like an apple crisp. It was very yummy. Great job, Linda!!!

Sunday morning we were woken up by a symphony of dog barks. This only reinforced our resolve not to get a dog. Many people were up and out of the camp early, and only the “Rover Divas” and their three families remained. We got some good Rover Diva shots and then we all parted ways until the next trip. Great weekend spent with great people!