We had a wonderful Sunday afternoon at Chiricahua National Monument, about an hour northeast of the complex at San Bernardino/Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuges, where we were staying and working. This is in Southeast Arizona, 35 miles southeast of Willcox, just west of the New Mexican border. It is a park with lots of green (sycamore, juniper, oak, pine), but it is preserved because of the "pinnacles" or "standing up rocks" as the Apache called them, that are all around this unique landscape. Below is a Mexican Jay, common in this part of the country. We had a few of them lurking around our picnic table during lunch.
Faraway Ranch was the home of the family whose perserverance enable the area to become a national monument. Tours are given in the home and there is also an education center on the grounds.
The origins of these rock formations began 27 million years ago when eruptions from the Turkey Creek Volcano spewed ash over 1200 square miles. These hot particles melted together, cooled, hardened, and have been formed/sculpted by wind and water ovever since. There is more science involved in how it all happened, but as you can see, it is a very unusual landscape - like an enormous sculpture garden. Our hike climbed up and down through some really interesting formations, but also through sections of trees, so there was plenty of shade.
Chiricahua became a NM in 1924 and in 1934 the CCC came in to create roads and trails throughout the Park. The trail we took was well maintained and easy to follow. It was not an easy trail, however.
The day we visited Chiricahua it was Selection Sunday for the 2013 NCAA Men's Basketball Tourney. We were three hours behind the action, but Oliver managed to get info via text so we knew where our teams were being sent and how the seedings we decided. I was glad that we were outside, enjoying the beautiful day. The weeks ahead were full of college basketball games so it was nice to have today to enjoy the area.
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