Where we went wasn't where we ended up!
My friends, Amber and Brenda, and I started out to go to Muleshoe Ranch near Wilcox AZ. This is apparently a great birding location. It may be; we never got there.
After 2 hrs of driving, we hit 2 sections of unpaved road (14 miles each). The first 14 was normal washboard; the next 14 was peppered with sections of deeply (very deep) rutted red clay. After high-centering several times, then trying the strategy of riding the high points (which resulted in the SUV wallowing about and threatening to bog down entirely) we called 'Uncle' and turned around.
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| No, it doesn't get better further on - this is a good spot. I was too busy white-knuckling the steering wheel to get pics of the bad spots! |
We really didn't want to get stuck.
So, after consulting the bird book, we headed for a sandhill crane site. I bet it's really spectacular when the cranes are there. We saw some birds, had lunch and then took off for Cochise Stronghold.
Cochise Stronghold
There is a campground there, but we didn't investigate it. I did see several sites with BBQ grills and bear-proof containers nestled in bottom land with big trees. They looked very pleasant.
We took a horse trail up a canyon. It felt really good to stretch my legs after a day of driving. The vegetation was interesting, and Brenda and Amber found lots of birds to look at. I'm a novice with binocs so it was pretty much hit-or-miss whether I could even find a bird before it flew off (forget getting it in focus!!)
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| Amber and Brenda |
I do much better with things that don't move - like trees.
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| Alligator juniper |
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| Manzanita - I love the smooth red bark! |
Happy hikers contemplating Thai food for dinner!
