Goodbye Sierra Vista, or the Best of Southeast Arizona

The Monday before Thanksgiving, my boss called up and offered me a promotion. The only catch was that it meant leaving Sierra Vista. We had a great two years in Arizona. When we originally accepted the position here we knew that we wouldn't be here forever, so we tried our best to get out and explore and enjoy the area as much as we could. We'll miss a lot about southeast Arizona, but we're looking forward to seeing and exploring new places as well. That said, we sat down and decided to make a Best of Southeast Arizona post to highlight some of our favorite things we saw or did here. Cochise County has a slogan of “Where the Old West comes alive!” and as we've thought over our experiences here, it's true. So here it is- the best of Southeast Arizona!

Best Prehistoric Site: The MurraySprings Mammoth Kill Site.

There are several mammoth kill sites in the San Pedro Valley, ranging from the privately held Naco site, to the Lehner Mammoth Kill Site, noted by a small plaque, to this one. The Murray Springs site has a short trail with numerous interpretive signs along the way to help visitors understand why/how the mammoths were killed, how the site was preserved, and how the site was excavated. It's worth a stop. Unfortunately, there aren't any of the artifacts found on display at the site.

Best Spanish Historical Site: Tie. El Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate and Tumacacori

The Spaniards were in Arizona way before any English speaking Americans. There are towns and missions with Spanish heritage in several spots, Tucson being the most notable, and San Xavier del Bac being the most recognizable. We had a hard time deciding between two of the lesser known sites though. Tumacacori was a Spanish mission founded in the 1600's that is now part of the National Park system. It's easily accessible and well worth visiting. Each time we visited, we left saying that we should come back again soon. El Presidio isn't well known, but it's still fascinating to visit a spot where an Irish Mercenary founded a fortress for the King of Spain, in 1776, the same year the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Best rock art: The Garden CanyonPictographs

There are several sites in southeast Arizona from near Tombstone, to along the San Pedro River, to elsewhere. But undoubtedly, the best rock art is the Garden Canyon Pictographs. They're located on Ft Huachuca, up Garden Canyon, a beautiful canyon with a perennial stream lined with sycamores, walnuts, and other native plants. It's the one spot in the United States where potatoes have been found growing wild. The pictographs are well marked, but every time I've been up there they're a little further then I remember them being. Two wheel drive will get you there, but you'll be glad if you have a little extra clearance. If you don't see them, drive a little further and you'll find them.

Best Mormon History site: The Battle of the Bulls

There are several markers along the trail where the Mormon Battalion went through on their longest infantry march in recorded history- over 2000 miles from Ft Leavenworth, Kansas to San Diego, California. It's a small marker, but it's still amazing to think of how a small march helped shape the settlement of our country in the decades to follow. Our favorite is the one at the San Pedro River between Sierra Vista and Tombstone.   

Best Civil War Site: Confederate Gravesat Dragoon Springs Station

Didn't know that Arizona had some Civil War sites? Neither did I until I read about the Confederate soldiers buried at Dragoon Springs. There were a few small Confederate and Union forces in the west during the Civil War, with none in any significant battles. The Battle of Dragoon Springs was actually fought between Confederates and Apaches. Visit the ruins of the Dragoon Springs Stage Station to visit the graves of the fallen Confederates and learn more.

Best Ghost Town: Camp Rucker.

This was a close race, with Sunnyside a close second. We have had a great time finding and exploring ghost towns, mostly in Cochise County. It seems like this is an area of the west where booms and busts were pretty common as miners and others went from one lode to the next, looking for their own payday. It's still a common occurrence here, as people shuffle in and out of Ft Huachuca, the largest generator of employment in Cochise County.

Camp Rucker is our top ghost town choice, simply because there's still a lot of buildings standing that are in surprisingly good condition. It's easily accessible by passenger cars up Rucker Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains. We loved wandering the building ruins and stopping at various signposts to read about the inhabitants and how it started out as an Army supply camp before it became a cattle ranch and then was donated to the Forest Service. It's an amazing place.

Best Backpacking Spot: Aravaipa Canyon

Ok, I've got to admit- this was pretty much the only backpacking trip we did here, but anytime you can go backpacking with a few kids under the age of 5 and everyone have a great experience, you know you're onto someplace special. The kids had a great time playing and walking through the water, I enjoyed the beautiful scenery and the slot canyon up Deer Creek, and my wife fulfilled a lifelong dream when we saw a mother bear and two cubs. It's a little remote, so if you're at the east end, it's worth taking the short detour up Turkey Creek to find the indian ruin. You might just find the best primitive campsite (non-backpacking) in Arizona up Turkey Creek.

Best Bird Experience: The San Pedro House Hummingbird Banding

Southeast Arizona is a nirvana for birders. Its got two sites that birders from all over come to visit- the San Pedro Riparian Area and Ramsey Canyon. One lucky birder spotted 14 different varieties of hummingbirds on one day here. Others come and patiently sit, hoping to spot an Elegant Trogan, a tropical cousin of the Quetzal bird sacred to the Mayans, up Ramsey Canyon, one of the only spots in the United States where the bird can be found. But since we're not die-hard birders, and we have young children, we picked a spot that's suitable for, and accessible to just about everybody. During the warmer months there's hummingbird banding at the San Pedro House nearly every week. They get numerous species flying through, Black-chinned being the most common species. Once the hummers are examined, weighed, and banded, lucky members of the audience get to be a launchpad when they are released back into the wild. Be sure to show up about 30 minutes early for the best chances at getting a low number to participate!

Best Museum: The Sonoran Desert Museum

Think of a desert. Any desert. Now draw a picture of it. What do you see? Does it look like someplace Wile-E-Coyote and the Roadrunner would live? Or someplace you might spot the Three Amigos? Does it have gigantic cacti with arms pointing emphatically skyward, with a roadrunner or gila monsters? Odds are, you're thinking of the Sonoran Desert. There's a museum for it. Go and visit- and plan on spending all day long. We thoroughly enjoyed what the kids called the “half zoo- half museum”.

Best National Park/Monument: Chiricahua National Monument

Our kids begged to go to the Chiricahuas all of the time. Terrific scenery, no crowds, and a surprising variety of activities. Plan to take a weekend at Chiricahua National Monument- you'll be glad you did.

I was tempted to put Wupatki NationalMonument, but my wife said this was all about the lower right corner of the state, so here's a shoutout to Wupatki as another place to consider in addition to the Grand Canyon for you northern Arizona visitors.

Best Hot Spring: Hot Well Dunes

Man- this is a toughie! I mean, how can you go wrong with a hot spring? As I write this, I'm hundreds of miles away from any natural source of hot water, and it's below freezing outside. A nice long soak sure sounds amazing right now. Roper Lake State Park has a nice soak, but it's a high traffic area, that's why I'm putting the Hot Well Dunes as the soak of choice right now. But seriously, you can't go wrong with either one.

Best historic town- non-ghost town style: Tombstone or Bisbee

Where we lived in Sierra Vista is a newcomer to Cochise County as far as towns go. We scoured the town looking for nice architecture and concluded pretty rapidly that you're not going to find it in Sierra Vista. It's an army town that essentially started to grow in the 1950's. So, we'd occasionally go out to Tombstone or Bisbee to enjoy a sense of place somewhere else. We didn't find it in Sierra Vista. Even though we enjoyed the architectural details elsewhere, we still found Sierra Vista the best place to live, especially with kids. Tombstone is a little too crusty and Bisbee is a little too free spirited. But they are fun for a short visit.

Best Cave: Kartchner Caverns

We visited several caves in Cochise County. Coronado Cave is well publicized, and others are not as well advertised. But by far and away, the best cave was Kartchner Cavern. Now I will add that it is pricey. I also prefer primitive caves to developed caves. But Kartchner Caverns is definitely worth visiting. It's wet, humid, and highly decorated. You're not going to find pictures of it as they don't allow you to take pictures. Trust me- it's worth the visit.

Best Hike: Too many to choose!

Wow this one is difficult! I listed several to my wife- Council Rocks, Carr Peak, Charleston, Kings Canyon, Fort Bowie, Sugarloaf Fire Lookout, Kingfisher Pond, RamseyCanyon, and several more. We couldn't decide on which one was best. I'll just say there's a lot of great hiking in the area. Get out and explore and let me know which trail you like best!

Best Fishing Hole: Officers Club Pond

Ok, I've got a couple of disclaimers right up front. I'm spoiled and lazy. Most of my life has been within 5 minutes of great fishing. You ask around town and people will tell you to go to Parker Canyon Lake or Patagonia Lake. Well, I'm lazy- and both of those are about an hour drive away from Sierra Vista. So driving two hours round trip to go fishing for ten minutes is not an appealing use of time. I'd rather drive for 5 minutes there , fish for 2 hours, and drive 5 minutes back home. The problem is options. You don't have them if you're a fisherman in Sierra Vista. But if you need a fix, the Officers Club Pond on Ft. Huachuca can help you get by.

Best Event: Tie between Cavefest and the Electric Light Parade

There are several events in Sierra Vista and the surrounding area that we went to and enjoyed.  The Christmas Light Parade is a huge event and one of our favorites.  We ended up missing it this year because we moved away, but would have been there otherwise.  There are always farmers markets, or car shows, or art in the park type events going on at Veterans Memorial Park. We also enjoyed finding a few smaller events such as the Cochise & Western Model Railroad Open House or the Star Parties at Patterson Observatory.  Cavefest is a growing event and was tons of fun.  It was an absolute blast last year. 

We had a great time living in Sierra Vista. Looking back, it's amazing how much history is woven throughout Cochise County. We visited and explored the area pretty well, but still didn't see it all. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Lonesome Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

 We drove through the Border Patrol checkpoint and kept on going.  A few miles past the checkpoint, we reached Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  Although it's out in the middle of nowhere, the desert is beautiful down here. The highway gets a lot of traffic as people drive through to got to Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point) in Mexico.  We didn't go all the way to Rocky Point, but instead stopped at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. 

We stopped at the Kris Eggle Visitor Center, named after a park ranger who was gunned down by the drug cartel as he attempted to keep them away.  You can read more about Kris here.  The kids got some junior ranger books so they could become junior rangers.  We took a small walk outside of the visitor center as well.  The amazing thing you'll notice right away at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is that there are organ pipe cacti and saguaro cacti growing right next to each other.  Their range overlaps here in the park.

We also went over to hike the Discovery Trail near the campground.  The organ pipe cacti are a lot more plentiful over there then they are by the visitor center.

The Organ Pipe Cactus is named because the dead cactus turns white and looks like the organ pipes that you'd see in a church.  It's not as tall as a saguaro, nor does it have arms.  Instead it's a cluster of pillars that come out of the same base- reaching a height of 10-15 feet. 

We debated camping for another night then doing a scenic drive to see an arch as well as hiking to the Victoria Mine, an old mine in the park.  Most of us were coming down with colds and were kindof cranky, so we decided to reel it in and call it a vacation.  After one last potty break, we loaded up and headed for home. 

As we drove toward Tucson, we saw the Kitt Peak Observatory off in the distance.  It's here because of the clear skies in the desert and there's not much light pollution from nearby cities.  It's a stop for you to make if you're out here and have the time to visit. 

Nearest City: Lukeville, AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: varies
Kid Friendly:
Additional Info: $8/vehicle entrance fee, payable at the visitor center Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Website.

Ajo

We left Yuma and headed east back toward home.  Our vacation wasn't done yet though, when we got to Gila Bend, we turned south to head toward Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  As we got near Ajo, we decided to find a campsite and let the kids run around.  They'd been in the car enough already, and besides, another hour of driving wouldn't really put us that far ahead of what we intended to do.  

 

 

So, we found a decent little campsite off of a road just south of the big mine.  We chose a site pretty close to the road because a few other sites further off of the road had an accumulation of debris from immigrants heading north.  60 miles from the border and still seeing stuff.  We set up the tent, then made a small fire to cook our dutch oven pizza. It turned out perfect!

In the morning, we packed up, then drove back to Ajo.  We drove through the historic district to the mine overlook.  It's an impressive pit!  It seems like a lot of the old mining towns have nice historic areas , and Ajo was no exception.  We enjoyed driving through and looking at the town.

The town plaza reminded us of a town you'd see in Mexico or further south.  The town plaza model of city development lends a lot to the sense of place whenever we've seen it.  We like the public park, surrounded by churches, libraries, and businesses. 

We stopped by a gas station to top off our gas tank then headed south.  Ajo had the most expensive gas we saw on our trip, but if you're in the middle of nowhere I guess you can charge middle of nowhere prices.  We pulled onto the highway right behind a truck that was headed to Mexico.  This truck was absolutely loaded down with appliances, bicycles, desks, and other items that could be sold for a small profit in Mexico.  I was amazed at how high it was piled.  They even piled stuff inside of the dryer, as the door swung back and forth as the road and wind shifted the load. 

Nearest City: Ajo, AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed:
Difficulty:
Kid Friendly:
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Martha's Garden Date Farm in Yuma

While in Yuma, we stopped by Martha's Gardens Date Farm.  It's located about ten miles east or so from the heart of Yuma, off of a few minor roads.  There are several signs to help direct you the right way so it's not terribly difficult to find.  The date farm is pretty cool as you pull into it you're greeted with a palm tree forest.  Actually it's a palm tree orchard.  At last count, there were about 80 acres of date palms, with more being planted yearly. 

We got some of their famous date shakes, which were well enjoyed by the kids.  They did their best to lick up every last drop out of their cups.  I thought they tasted pretty good too- the best comparison I've come up with is a brown sugary/caramel flavor.  We bought a box of dates to bring home with us to use in baking.  

They offer tours if they can get more then ten people to sign up for them ahead of time.  There weren't enough people when we were there to do a tour. It was still neat to see the part of the date farm that we could, including a few trees with bunches of dates still growing on them.  If you're in Yuma and looking for something to do, make the drive out to Martha's Gardens!

Nearest City: Yuma, AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 30 min
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes.  It's a popular spot for snowbirds too.
Additional Info: Tours are $10/person

Catching Record Fish in Yuma

Over the Veterans Day weekend we took off to Yuma.  "Why Yuma?"  or "What's in Yuma?" people would ask us.  Our standard response was "I don't know, we've never been there, so we're just going to see."  But secretly, I had different reasons for going to Yuma.  More on that later. 

We left Sierra Vista after work on Friday, then drove for 300 miles or so to Yuma. I didn't know exactly where we were going to camp, but knew there were some primitive sites in the vicinity of Mittry Lake, about 10-12 miles north of town.  Sure enough, we found a great little site overlooking Mittry Lake.  In the morning, we got up then went down to the lake to cook breakfast and go fishing.  My wife would say that she cooked breakfast and I went fishing and it would be complete truth.  I remind her occasionally that my first love is fishing, but she's my true love.  She laughs and tells me that her first love is rocks, and that I'm her true love.   

Anyway, we caught a few redear sunfish and other panfish at Mittry Lake.  The kids still like catching more then they like fishing, so they'd watch their poles for 20 seconds then go and dig in the dirt for a while.  After one of the poles really started moving and someone reeled in a 12-14 inch catfish their attention spans got a little longer.   So we fished for a while until the kids were done fishing.  Then we packed up, and went down to the boat ramp, and took a walk.  I've gotta be honest and say it sure was nice to spend some time on the water.  Then we packed up and headed into Yuma to see what was there. 

Later in the afternoon, we made it back for some more fishing.  This time we stopped at Betty's Kitchen- a fishing hole along the Colorado River.   I was unsure if the Arizona Fish and Game department counted Mittry Lake as an Inland or Colorado River water, so we decided to try a spot that was definitely a Colorado River fishing hole.  An email returned after we got home from the AZ Fish & Game indicated that Mittry Lake is considered by them to be a Colorado River water, but we didn't know that until we got home.  One of the things I like to do is canvass the State Fishing Records.  A while back, I noticed that Arizona breaks their records into several categories- in addition to the "hook and cook" category, you have the catch & release categories.  Furthermore, Arizona has "inland" and "Colorado River" divisions.  Well, the inland records are all pretty well set, but I noticed that the many of the Colorado River Catch & Release records were unfilled.  So, back to "Why Yuma?"  I think you can probably see where this is going.  My mind put it together like this- All we've got to do is go to the Colorado River and catch something, measure it, take a picture, release it,  and send in the documentation to the Fish & Game Department and we've got a new state record.  Done done and done!  The hardest part is going to be getting to the Colorado River.  I didn't have a hard time convincing myself that it was a good idea to take off for the long weekend.   

So at Betty's Kitchen, we did a little more fishing.  I first caught a 8 inch largemouth bass.  Unfortunately, that was one of the record categories that was filled.  I'd need another 20 or so inches on that fish to stand a chance.  So, I baited up and cast again.  After letting the bait sit on the bottom for a while, there was a tug on my pole.  I set the hook and fish on!  I called over to my wife and kids who were talking to some other people fishing and they smiled and waved and kept talking.  A couple minutes later, I called them again and they thought that coming over would be a good idea when they saw I was still fighting the fish.  Shortly after that I landed a nice 26" channel catfish.  It was my personal best catfish by a couple inches.  Even better was that the C&R record for channel catfish on the Colorado River was unfilled.  We measured the fish, took a few pictures, then turned it loose.  Mission accomplished!  I filled out the documentation and sent in the paperwork when we got home.  We'll see if I hear anything back about setting the state record. If so, it's gotta be just about the easiest record fish I've ever caught. 

Nearest City: Yuma, AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: varies
Kid Friendly:
Additional Info:

Fall Leaves in the West Fork of Oak Creek

On Columbus Day we woke up, enjoyed breakfast, then headed out to go hike the West Fork of Oak Creek. We stopped by there a few days earlier and went and visited Pumphouse Wash instead because of the crowds.  We thought that a Monday would be a better option, since getting there early would mean we could park at the trailhead. 

We arrived about 8 and found the parking lot about 1/4 full.  We paid our $10 parking fee (or $2 for walk-ins), parked, then loaded up.   A bridge crossed Oak Creek, and we could see a few trout swimming in the pools below.  Thick blackberry brambles along the bank would make for a tasty treat earlier in the year, but now they were all bare. At the mouth of the canyon, we found the ruins of an old lodge.  I can't remember much about the lodge other then it being just about the first building in Oak Creek Canyon.

We explored the nearby chicken coops and "cave", a room cut into the sandstone cliff.  Then we ducked into the canyon.

The trail goes a little over 3 miles, and 13 stream crossings up the West Fork of Oak Creek.  We brought sandals and water shoes but didn't need them because the stream was shallow enough to hop across and keep dry feet. 

Most of the way we found the canyon pretty quiet.  It's a narrow canyon, but it never really gets to be as narrow as a true slot canyon is.  The water and the sandstone sure are a pretty combination though!

Does this remind anyone of another famous picture spot?  The log propped up against the overhanging canyon wall reminded me of the numerous pictures I've seen of "The Subway" in Zion National Park.

There aren't any waterfalls in Oak Creek Canyon, but a there's a few spots, like this one, where the stream has cut into the sandstone bedrock, forming small plunge pools. 

More sandstone, water, and fall leaves.   We were a little bit early for peak color.

At the end of the trail, there's a large ledge overlooking the creek.  It's a very popular spot to stop, eat a snack or lunch, then turn around and hike back down the trail.  People aren't the only ones that like the spot.  This crow was entertaining the crowds when I got there.  He evidently has learned that there is food where there are people sitting down. 

The maples were starting to change color, but were far from being ideal.  It was still a beautiful little hike. 

Nearest City: Sedona, AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 1/2 day
Difficulty: easy-moderate
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: watch out for poison ivy.  It's there in abundance, but none of the signs at the trailhead warn you about it.

Playing in Oak Creek

 

We stopped at one of the picnic areas in Oak Creek Canyon for a picnic lunch.  Nothing quite like PB&J, potato chips, and pomegranates to fill you up!  After everyone had had their fill, we went down to Oak Creek.   I do have to add right here that Oak Creek itself is probably the overlooked jewel of Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona.  Most people are so busy going to the West Fork Hike, Slide Rock State Park, or elsewhere, that they don't stop and relax at the creek itself. 

We enjoyed the beautiful creek.  The kids decided that it was wet enough to go play in the water.  I found it a little bit chilly when I was wading, but they went up to their waists and had a grand time.  I would have preferred to have my fishing pole to chase a few trout in the catch & release section.  The kids played up and down the creek for quite a while, then suddenly, disaster struck.  #2 fell in.  He slipped or was pulled, and fell flat on his face, resulting in a complete drenching.  That ended that!  We fished him out, stripped him down, and helped him cheer up, even though he was now telling us that "I'm a coldie."  All good things come to an end, so we packed up and climbed up to the car. 

We were almost at the top of the stairs when we spotted a snake crawling from one side to the other.  I looked at it's head and markings and relaxed when I knew it was only a gopher snake.  We watched it crawl across the trail and pointed out how it's ribs move as it pushes itself forward.  It was a great way to get everyone focused on something other then themselves.   #2 falling in the creek was enough to convince us that going to Slide Rock as we had planned was not the best way to go.  The water was just too cold now that it was fall to be able to really have a great time there.  We loaded up and decided to head back to camp. 

Now one thing about Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon- nobody tells you that exiting the canyon and dropping right onto the crowded tourist area of Old Town Sedona makes for a traffic nightmare.  I'm telling you now- it does.  The traffic backs up for a really long distance, especially in the afternoon when most people are trying to exit the canyon.  We took it easy and even though it felt like we were stuck in traffic for an hour, we finally made it out of the canyon.

Nearest City: Sedona, AZ
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:

Boulder hopping up Pumphouse Wash

After watching the airplanes fly around with the model airplane club, we headed north to Oak Creek Canyon.  A few of the places we'd had on our list were Slide Rock State Park, and the West Fork of Oak Creek.  We planned on hitting Slide Rock in the afternoon after it had warmed up a little bit, so made Oak Creek Canyon the first stop on our list.  The place was a zoo.  Literally.  The parking lot was full and cars were backed up onto the highway.  Scratch that.  Plan B- Pumphouse Wash.

 

Pumphouse Wash is located toward the top of Oak Creek Canyon, off to the east of the highway literally at the base of the switchbacks.  There's a parking spot for 2-3 cars just above the Pumphouse Wash bridge, so we parked there, then scrambled down the hill to get to the wash. No crowds- just the way I like it!

We crossed under the bridge, and headed upstream.  Most of the way was boulder hopping.  The kids did great at it, but they insisted that it wasn't a hike.  They didn't want to go on a hike, but they were ok with going on an "adventure walk".  It's all about the semantics.  I'm ok with adventure walks.  Since it was the Columbus Day weekend, the leaves were changing and the air was a little bit crisp. We didn't get the prime time for colorful leaves, but it was still really pretty. 

The kids almost immediately began to have glorious finds.  A few small lizards were still too lethargic to escape the inquisitive fingers of a 3 year old.  The lizards would be fairly still and content until the body heat radiating from the small hands warmed up the smaller ectothermic (ectothermic means cold blooded) lizard and he'd run away to hide in the rocks. 

Pretty soon, more little discoveries were made.  Baby frogs!  The frogs were really little, and the kids were determined to bring one home.  I'm pretty sure one was hauled a solid 1/4 mile in a little hand.  It took quite a lot of persuasion, but we finally talked the 3 year old into letting the frog go at a small pool in the canyon. 

We made our way upstream until we finally found our way blocked by a deep pool in a narrow spot of the canyon.  Now Pumphouse Wash isn't what I'd call a slot canyon by any means.  It's a narrow canyon, with a few places where it's narrow.  We were about 1/2 mile or so up from the bridge and this was the end of the trail for us. 

We turned around and boulder hopped our way down the canyon.  The fall leaves on the maples and cottonwoods were beautiful as we went.  Pumphouse Wash was a good little hike, adventure walk, boulder hop, or whatever else you might call it.  I wouldn't recommend it for everybody, but if you're looking for something else to do and you're not in a hurry to go anywhere fast, you might give it a try.

Nearest City: Sedona, AZ
Location: Upper end of Oak Creek Canyon, at the base of the switchbacks
Time Needed: varies- several hours at least
Difficulty: moderate-strenuous because of boulder hopping
Kid Friendly: it depends
Additional Info:

The Sedona Model Airplane Club

Hot Air Balloon at Sunrise over Sedona

Back over Columbus Day, we took a trip up to Sedona.  My wife needed to get out of the Sonoran Desert, she didn't put it that way, but that's all it was.  She said "I just need to get out of Arizona- New Mexico, Nevada, California- I don't care where we go, I just need to leave Arizona."  So we started to weigh our options and destination possibilities.  I didn't want to go particularly far since it was a short holiday weekend, so as we discussed possible destinations, nothing really meshed with both of us until we mentioned Sedona as a possibility. 

Back in May we had our Northern Arizona Trip (see the Northern Arizona label for much of what we did), but the Slide Fire just west of Oak Creek Canyon started after we left, and the resulting blaze closed the canyon and Highway 89A to everyone but the firemen, and forcing us to re-arrange our trip and discover new things to see and do.  It was a serendipitous closure for us because we found some really great spots, but we wanted to come back up and see what we missed.  We left Sierra Vista on Friday after work and drove for 5 hours, arriving in the vicinity after dark.  We took a few dirt roads and found a great little campsite where we hurridly set up camp then crashed for the night. 

We woke up on Saturday morning to a beautiful bluebird day.  A few balloons were visible off in the distance- the hot air balloonists were up before we were to take advantage of the cool morning.  Just about the time we started cooking breakfast, we heard a low whine overhead, then looked up to see a model airplane.  As I cooked our breakfast burritos, a few other airplanes joined in the fun.  The kids were enthralled and insisted that we go and find out all about them.  We had ended up camping just to the north of the Central Arizona Modelers airport for their model airplanes. 

So we packed up for the day and headed out- the first stop to be the airfield.  The airfield is open and in use almost every morning the flyers told us.  They welcome visitors and proved to be excellent hosts.  We watched them assemble their planes, fly them, land them, and work on them.  One of them, a model of a WW2 bomber, even had a crash landing. 

The kids mumbled a few questions, got the desired answers then cheerfully went back to watching the planes fly.  I guess the startup costs for model airplanes isn't too much- you can find  kits online for $100-150 and then if you get a used engine from another modeler you're in to it about $200 and then you're ready to taxi down the runway yourself. 

We had a great time with our hosts from the Central Arizona Modelers.  They were super friendly and cheerfully added that we're welcome back anytime.  If you're in the Sedona area and need something to do on an early morning, take the drive out and check them out!

Nearest City: Sedona AZ
Location: About 7 miles south of Sedona, turn west on FR554, then just stick to the left.  There's another forest road about 1/4 mile from the highway.  Turn there and it will take you right to the airfield.  The road is dirt, but is navigable in passenger cars.
Time Needed:
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Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: The Central Arizona Modelers Website

The best of summer- Carr Creek

One of the kids favorite places to go in the summer is to Carr Creek.  Much of the year it's dry, but once the monsoons start, the creek has water in it through the fall.  We'll drive up Carr Canyon Road, then park at the first turnoff past the Forest Service Boundary, then walk down to the creek and let the kids play for a while.  There are several trails that branch off from the parking area, most notably the Perimeter Trail.  Down at the creek, the kids have a blast wading in the water, throwing rocks, tromping up and down the creek, and just about anything else you do when you're a kid.  Sometimes we'll bring a picnic with us.  We watch the kids play, but sometimes we go for a wade too.  It's a refreshing break in the shade of the cottonwood and oak trees.  It's nice that it's close enough that we can go after work during the week, or on a Saturday if we don't have anything else happening.  If you're a little adventurous, the Carr Canyon Ranch is just up the trail a little ways.
Nearest City: Hereford, AZ
Location: N° W°
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Fishing at Dankworth Pond State Park

We stopped at Dankworth Pond to see what was there.  I didn't intend to stay long because the kids were starting to get sleepy as naptime was approaching.  Right as you enter, there's a sign for a hot spring. It's more of a hot well that drains into the pond, with a small wading area before it gets there. 

We waded in the warm water since there's not enough to soak in past mid-calf. 

The pond looked pretty nice.  It used to be a catfish farm, but now is part of the Arizona State Park system.   It's a smaller subunit of Roper Lake State Park, and is just for fishing, walking, and boating in small motorless boats.  As far as fishing was concerned, we saw several fishermen there, and several of them were catching fish.  As we'd been skunked so far at the Gila River and Roper Lake, I gave in and we got out the fishing poles. 

We wandered down the dike that makes the north shoreline of the pond, found a fishy looking place, and casted out a few poles.  Fish on!  We had several nibbles and a few solid hookups.  Grasshoppers about 2 feet under a small bobber was the perfect meal ticket for the bluegills and bass.  The kids even were able to handle things all by themselves.  Can you spot the fish in the picture above? 

The fish we caught weren't very big, but the kids were determined to keep them and bring them home to eat for dinner.  Bluegills are great for helping kids learn to enjoy fishing- they're easy to catch and if you find them there will be plenty of action.  We caught enough for dinner, but not quite our limit then headed home.  If I'm ever back near Safford to go fishing, I'll pick Dankworth Pond over Roper Lake any day!

Nearest City: Safford, AZ
Location: N° W°
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Kid Friendly: yes
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