Willcox and Chirichua, March 15-17

We ended up at the Willcox Elks Lodge. The weather reports for the future weren't looking good...two days of clear sunny weather and then ....that dreaded word to some RVers: SNOW for several days.   My mail had been forwarded to Benson, because the original plan was to go to Benson, so with only two days of good weather predicted we headed out towards Benson to pick up the mail and also check out the SKP park.  We drove towards Tombstone and Bisby and on to Naco.  Naco is a small border town, half in Arizona and half in Mexico. Previously,  I had heard there were several good dentists in Naco and the border crossings were easy and safe, so we had made dental appointments with Dr. Martinez later in the week and Joel wanted to check the area out and see if there was some safe dry camping nearby.  The Tourquise Golf and RV Park is located within several blocks of the border crossing and we determined they had dry camping available as well as full hookups.  Good to know.

There are a lot of  things to do in Willcox including visiting several wine tasting rooms, (which we didn't do this time)visiting the Rex Allen museum,  and checking out Eurofresh Tomatoes, which no longer gives tours.  (Eurofresh tomatoes grow in green houses in Willcox and are found in all major food stores.  They are the ones you see sold on the vine this time of year in most of the stores. ) I wanted to go to the Chiricahua National Monument about 40 miles away, so none of the above really interested me.  Actually, I've been wanting to go to Chiricahua for several years and the timing was never right. This time, the timing seemed good, so, finally, off I went.

Chiricahua mountain range experienced a huge wildfire last summer.  The fire started in early May in the Coronado National Forest and migrated to the Chiricahua in June. The fire was devastating, burning more than 220,000 acres.  My son, Conlan, was part of the fire fighting team in June working out of Rodeo directing helicopters as they filled up the water buckets.

Saturday morning was clear and warm with some wind. We headed over to the Chiricahua visitor center to get advice on what trails to hike, and which trail would offer the best views with the least elevation gain.  The ranger recommended the Echo Canyon Trail, about a 3.3 mile loop with only 500 elevation gain and descent.

The place is fascinating and I'll let the pictures speak for themselves! The major fire from last summer was evident, but it didn't spoil the beauty of this area.

Although the fire was very devastating, it was also beneficial, clearing the undergrowth.  Had there not been a fire I would not have been able to see these formations through the trees.

The same goes for this magnificent view

The trails were immaculately maintained, the views spectacular.  I've been to Bryce and Cedar Breaks and have seen many similar red rock formations, but these in Chiricahua were really spectacular.  There is a lot more to see in the area and I hope I can return sometime and hike the heart of the rocks loop trail.  

We returned to the Elks Lodge in Willcox and indulged in a tradition St. Patricks day meal of corned beef and cabbage.  Too bad they didn't have any green beer. As the day continued, so did the wind...as predicted.