EXPLORING THE AREA, DAY 1.
Day 96 – It was 30 degrees this morning, hazy sun with some clouds and wind. Rob was awakened by the Sandhill Cranes flying overhead. I slept through it, but he went outside to take pictures at sunrise.
I was awake by the time he came back and we sat around with our coffee/tea deciding what to do today and whether we’d be leaving here tomorrow. We are very low on fresh water and will need to dump tanks within the next few days.
We came up with a plan and it involved some driving to check out private campgrounds that offered water and a dump station. We did research online, then narrowed it down to three campgrounds to check out. If we liked one of the campgrounds and could get reservations for Monday/Tuesday nights (because everything around here is full over the weekend), and if we could find a grocery store where we could get about 10 gallons of water, we could stay where we are thru Sunday night. We like it here. It’s peaceful and not crowded in Overflow Camping. The only sound we’ve been hearing is the Cranes.
We checked out the three campgrounds first. That took us south to a very tiny town called Double Adobe, then west to the city of Bisbee, and last, to the city of Naco which was right on the Mexican border. We chose the campground at Naco and were told they would have a place for us Monday & Tuesday, and that we didn’t need to make reservations. Knowing we would be going back to Naco, we did not take any pictures, but we did see THE WALL at the border. Rather intimidating. Never seen it before. Double Adobe was fairly close to where we are now, and there wasn’t anything new to take pictures of. But Bisbee, that’s another story.
Bisbee is a city nestled in a rocky canyon. As you approach, signs of large-scale mining are everywhere. It was one of the world’s largest copper producing centers in the late 19th century. Mining came to a halt in 1975. Because of the mining, many layers of rock are visible around you. The colors range from white to golds and browns to lots of red and even some light green. This is before you have even see the city. Just beyond the Queen Mine we entered Bisbee. It was an old western city with many of the buildings intact. The heart of Bisbee was full of trendy stores, restaurants, boutiques, galleries and antiques sellers, all housed in the older buildings, plus inns, old hotels, etc. It was quite a surprise to encounter this popular city after driving through the mining’s aftermath. The city had narrow, winding streets, and lots of people were walking the sidewalks and driving through looking for a place to park. A tourist destination for sure. Very interesting.
We stopped at a Safeway near Bisbee and bought 10 gallons of bottled water for the fresh water tank in the RV. And another surprise, a small Safeway in Arizona had Beyond Burger meat. YAAA! We got gas in the Honda and headed back to the RV, made lunch, and filled the water tank. We will stay here until Monday and we can take a shower, thank goodness.
After lunch we headed back out to drive to the Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge, about 15 miles east of here almost entirely on dirt roads. This was a drive up into the hills & canyons in a very remote area. There are many places to hike and hunting is allowed. It was scenic, and there was a narrow creek, Leslie Creek, running through the canyon. Although the surrounding scenery was what you’d expect in this Arizona desert terrain, plant growth by the Creek was almost fluorescent green.
“Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge, located in the southeast corner of Arizona, was established to protect habitat for the endangered Yaqui Chub and Yaqui Topminnow (small fishes).”
“Because of extreme drought conditions, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service made the decision during the summer of 2010 to collect as many Chiricahua Leopard Frog Tadpoles as possible from the Refuge’s Leslie Creek. As a result, for the first time in many years, the endangered Leopard Frog is once again living in the wilds of the Chiricahua Mountains.” From the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service website.
We drove back to the RV as the Sandhill Cranes were flying from their daytime hangouts to Whitewater Draw for the evening. The high today was 59 degrees and it was fairly windy. Tomorrow we plan to spend another day driving and exploring the area, including the Chiricahua National Monument and the Willcox Playa Wildlife Area, both north of here. Rob took a picture of tonight’s sunset.
Now, some information about where we are, from the Arizona Game & Fish Department brochure: “Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area is one of southeastern Arizona’s best places to view wildlife. Purchased by the AZ Game & Fish Dept. in 1997, this former cattle ranch lies within Chihuahuan Desert grassland habitat. Extensive open-water areas, marshlands and mudflats attract birds throughout the winter. In spring & fall, migratory birds are seen. A variety of mammals (mule deer, javelina, coyote, bobcat, desert cottontail and black-tailed jackrabbit), reptiles, and amphibians (plains leopard frog, toads, Mohave & western diamond-backed rattlesnakes, coachwhip, gophersnake, kingsnake, western hog-nosed snake, and the Texas horned lizard) live here year-round. Walking trails, viewing decks with scopes, and interpretive signs make this a natural place for an outing. Many people visit Whitewater Draw each winter to experience the memorable sights & sounds of more than 20,000 Sandhill Cranes. These birds spend the night standing in Whitewater Draw’s shallow waters to evade predators, then fly out each morning to feed and socialize in the surrounding areas. They return to Whitewater Draw in the afternoon & evening.”
Other: 1,500 acres; closest town is McNeal, AZ.; camping without any amenities is available for free in the small parking lot at the Wildlife Area, and Overflow Camping is also offered 1 mile north in a small parking lot off the dirt road.