Saturday, December 7, 2019, Chiricahua National Monument, Willcox, AZ

We decided we would go ahead with our original (shortest) route from our campground in Bowie, AZ, to Chiricahua National Monument in Hilltop, AZ, even though it meant driving on 8 miles of unpaved roadway. I took it slowly and we enjoyed the solitude. There were no issues with the road - it was pretty narrow in places and we crossed a little bit of running water (fortunately it had not recently rained) but we made it back to the security of paved roadway. 

Google maps made it appear we would have options along this dirt road (Apache Pass Rd), but not so. Just follow the road and it will take you to Hwy 186.

I kept expecting to see something in the distance different from everything else around us that would distinguish its National Park Service attention.

When we arrived at the monument entrance it was still not apparent just what made this place special.

Finally, the view opened up and I saw the beginnings of some very different rock formations. Chiricahua National Monument preserves the remains of an immense volcanic eruption that shook the region about 25 million years ago. The thick, white-hot ash spewed forth from the nearby Turkey Creek Caldera, cooled and hardened into rhyolitic tuff, laying down highly siliceous, dark volcanic ash and pumice almost 2,000 ft deep.

The further we drove into the park the more dramatic the landscape became. Below was a bit of the Organ Pipes formation. The Chiricahua Apache called this the Land of Standing Up Rocks and the spires certainly lived up to the name.

The Visitor's Center showed us there were four kinds of skunks in the park. I don't know which kind this was but I had no desire to follow him to find out.

The main road, Bonita Canyon Drive, leads to a "sky island" that you can view from Massai Point at an altitude of 6,870 feet.

Just to the right of center in the view below you can see a very thin spire I believe was named Totem Pole rock. It is enlarged in the next picture below.

The slender spire is the Totem Pole. It is 137 feet tall and is but 3 feet in diameter at one point near its base.

We hiked a very small part of the Echo Canyon Trail finding so many unique and seemingly impossible rock formations along the way.

The Arizona Cypress along the Massai Nature Trail had a wonderful aroma.

About a quarter-mile along the trail we reached the Echo Canyon Grotto. We were able to climb in and around the rocks sometimes finding ourselves under some very large boulders wedged in between the columns.

The rock below was named the Sea Captain. I think it was pretty aptly named.

First, you see his eye and then the captain's hat.

Chiricahua National Monument was certainly a pleasant surprise for us and worth a few nights stay to explore. One last look at the Organ Pipes formation on our way out of the park.

We opted for pavement all the way home via Hwy 186 taking us to Wilcox, AZ, where we had a great meal at Isabel's South of the Border and chanced upon a small street festival. Sam was waiting for us at home so we didn't spend much time there. One day we will return and visit the Rex Allen Museum and spend a little more time exploring the town.

Friday, December 6, 2019, Move to Bowie, AZ

Today was an easy drive of just 114.9 miles (97,265.6 total) west along I-10 to Bowie, AZ. The landscape certainly changed from the flat wide open spaces we found in western Texas.

It seemed like there was nearly a continuous flow of trains headed east with an endless number of cargo containers. Just imagine if every one of those were instead being driven individually down the highway.

When we settled into Mountain View RV Park in Bowie I could easily see the same railroad track only a couple hundred yards away. I thought it was going to be terribly loud every time a train passed (and I already knew they passed by pretty often) but maybe there were fewer trains at night and they were passing through Bowie slowly so we never had any issue with the noise.

I don't think I ever took a picture of Mount Graham, the beautiful snow capped namesake of the park. I could see there was an observatory near the peak. Joani found it was the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope. It's manned by Jesuit astronomers but it was closed to visitors from November through mid-May. I'm sure the roads were closed due to the snow so a visit will just have to be another time.

What we did try to see was Fort Bowie. It was only 14 miles away so it seemed like a good idea. Unfortunately, the paved road suddenly ended about a mile before we reached the Fort Bowie "Trailhead". We continued, slowly, and surely enough we reached the trailhead. Fort Bowie was a 1.5 mile hike from the parking area. Sam was allowed on the trail on a leash but he was not up for a 3 mile round trip hike and I couldn't carry him that far and it was too hot to leave him in the car so we didn't get to see Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Most troubling, however, was this road was our planned route to visit Chiricahua National Monument tomorrow so we headed home to contemplate our options.

Thursday, December 5, 2019, Luna Mimbres Museum, Deming, NM

We decided to revisit the Luna Mimbres Museum to see what we missed. There was plenty but I only included another small sampling of their extensive collection. 

Old dolls tend to creep me out, but the docent told me I must see the doll room and it seemed rude to say "no thanks."

Joani was never a fan of dolls but a clown doll - now that's just plain creepy!

The tiny pots and baskets below were made by the Papago Indians. They were made with horse mane and tail hair and were presumed to be toys. They were only about an inch to an inch and a half in diameter and the craftsmanship was amazing.

The Mimbres pottery was all so intricately decorated. These Indians lived in the area from about 950 AD until 1200 AD. Speculation is that their population outgrew resources in the valley and they migrated north or south to join other tribes.

Mimbres burials remain distinctive from surrounding Southwest cultures through their custom of burying the dead beneath the floors of still occupied houses. Pottery clearly played an important role in burials.

It was during the interval between 1000 AD and 1130 AD that Mimbres pottery reached the peak of its development.

 In early burials, bowls were placed with the other offerings next to the body. Later, however, bowls were purposely broken and scattered around the grave. This practice gave way to yet another, as the Mimbres no longer broke the bowl into pieces, but made a single hole in the bottom of the piece and placed the bowl on the head of the body.

Below is another one of the burial bowls. As part of the burial ceremony, a hole was broken in the bottom of the bowl (to release the spirit of the bowl) which was then often placed on the deceased head.  The body and the bowl were then buried under the floor of the Mimbres homes.

The custom of breaking a single hole in the bowl is known today as “killing” the bowl, and the hole itself is called the “kill” hole. “Killing” the bowl is thought to have released the bowl’s spirit, and subsequently that of the deceased.

Hopi - Sikyatki

Polycrome - Dragon Flys
ca 1750 AD

Of course, we had to spend some more time looking over the rocks and minerals. It would be very exciting to cut into any of the rocks we collected and find something, anything close to what we saw in their collection!

Tuesday, December 3, 2019, Rockhound State Park, Deming, NM

Rockhound State Park was calling to Joani so we made a return trip. We hiked along Thunderegg Trail just a short way before exploring an interesting ravine that led up the hillside. I don't think we ever found anyplace that looked like it had never been previously picked over. Maybe that was the reason we never found any Thundereggs.

The rock below was obviously too big for my pocket but it was certainly interesting. The volcanic forces producing this rock created a most wonderful swirling mix of color.

I don't remember if I found one of the larger "keepers" or if I just said "OK" to one Joani found. Joani is hoping it might be Leopard Jasper and if it is it will certainly be our most important find of the day.

It is hard to find pictures of raw stones to see what they look like before polishing. I can see the round bits in this stone and we are in a Jasper rich area. I can't wait to slice it open and see what treasures it holds.

Traipsing through the desert environment can be hazardous. Joani noticed how many cactus spines had caught on her jacket - luckily they were not caught on her skin!

Back in the coach Joani carefully cleaned her new treasures and set them on the table for a group photo. I estimated there was another 50 pounds added to her collection but she thought it was probably only 30. (You are allowed 15 pounds each, but there is no scale offered to check.)

Oops, I was nearly 100 percent wrong in guessing the weight.

Jasper is petrified or silicated mud that dripped into gas pockets in hardened lava.

Monday, December 2, 2019, Rockhunting and More With Barry and Della, Deming, NM

Our friends, Barry and Della, who spent some time with us back in Acworth, GA, before heading south to Florida caught up with us again in Deming, NM. We talked them into staying where we were at the Dream Catcher SKP. That made it very convenient to spend time together as our plans overlapped for a couple of days.

It had dried out enough to try another trip to Rockhound State Park. The park suggested an alternate approach that was less likely to be flooded. Not far from the park was the Geolapidary Museum. A sign said it was open but with no cars on the property, I assumed it was closed and didn't even slow down. I was convinced to turn around and check even if there were no cars. 

As we exited the car an, old codger peeked out of the doorway and started a nearly continuous diatribe about his life, area history and, most importantly, rocks and minerals. He was a veritable fount of knowledge and was quite entertaining as well, although, he never mentioned his name as far as any of us could remember. I found a booklet titled "The Geode Kid" with pictures of a much younger man that we thought might be him.

As it turns out, "The Geode Kid" aka Robert Paul Colburn died in 2013. This is Christopher Blackwell, his longtime friend and business partner.

The museum was his home and he no longer drove, hence, no cars out front.

There were a lot of specimens on display but we were most interested in geodes and "thunder eggs" that could be found in the area. Many were sliced and polished in matched pairs so it was easy to see how the raw sample appeared before cutting. Most you could never guess what beauty lay hidden inside by looking at the outside. It made me wonder if finding something special was all about experience or maybe some luck was involved. 

Outside . . .


Inside . . .

As interesting as this guy was, we had to leave so we could explore Rockhound State Park a few miles further down the road. They had a relatively new welcome center where docents could show us examples of the rocks we might find in the park. They were also happy to identify any samples we brought in.

We were not planning on any serious rock hunting but we wanted to see the campground facilities and decide whether it warranted a return visit to comb the hillside for rocks. After roaming about a bit, we discovered the campsites look great and we will return to see what rocks we can find.

On the drive back into Deming, we stopped at the LesCombes Winery for some wine tasting and a bite to eat. They had some very nice wines from local vineyards - who knew you could grow grapes in New Mexico?

Back in Deming, we realized we could visit the Luna Mimbres Museum for a little while before it closed. I learned we were in Luna county and the Mimbres Indians lived in the area hence the museum's name. Everyone except the janitor was a volunteer (I learned that later from the folks at our campground) and it was apparent they loved their museum.

We were told the museum needed four hours to see it all and we had less than one until they closed. Della and Joani headed straight for the rock and mineral displays. Most of the specimens were donated by the same guy we visited earlier at the Geolapidary Museum.

We knew we didn't have time to do the museum justice. There was so much more to see but it would have to wait for another day.