We feel fortunate to live in the beautiful Sonoran Desert and we are going to try this winter to explore our immediate area. This week we went on a quick 3 day ”mini-vacay” to the Chiricahua National Monument which is just north of the US/Mexico border but near the Arizona/New Mexico border and also to Saguaro National Park. We have been to both places previously and we enjoyed these visits which prompted us to return.

This trip was light on planning so we loaded the bare essentials into Tofu and headed out with only a few hours of preparation.  We threw caution to the wind and didn’t even consult our very detailed packing and preparation checklists and just quickly grabbed enough food, clothing and water before heading out. The drive to Chiricahua National Monument took only 2.25 hours from our house and it was a lovely drive.  Approaching this park there was a stark change in the vegetation we have come to know and expect in the Sonoran Desert and in the park there are large cypress, oak and juniper trees. The park gets 23-24 inches of rain a year and also sits at an elevation of 5000-6500 feet compared to 2600 feet of elevation near our house. It is a completely different ecosystem than we are used to.

 Fortunately (and luckily) we had pre-reserved our campsite in the Chiricahua National Monument as the campground was full on arrival. It was a small dry campsite but a perfect location for exploring the park. During our visit, we hiked 6 different trails of various lengths including one hike through the riparian area with tall deciduous trees leading to the historic Faraway Ranch and another hike up at 6500 feet which allowed us the opportunity to walk amongst the towering hoodoos. The daytime temperatures were perfect for hiking and averaged 70° F.  Animals abound in this area with dozens of white-tailed deer, wild turkeys and coatimundi (Tony says they look like a cross between a raccoon and a baboon). There is a lovely and well-maintained 8-mile scenic drive which Tony was able to use for several road bike rides.

Tofu was firing on all cylinders again, except for the heat. Again, our Webasto heater struggled to start even after spending hours of time earlier this year getting repairs and costing us more money than a new unit would cost. Eventually, Tony was able to get it working from sheer persistence, but we still don’t understand why it is so temperamental. Luckily, I had packed a full mattress 12 V heating pad which kept us warm until Tony got the heater working on the 2^nd night. Nighttime temperatures in the high 30’s without heat is not super enjoyable for those that are wondering.

We spent the last day of our trip in Saguaro National Park (East) which included a bike ride for Tony on the 8-mile scenic loop drive (3 loops!), a 4.5-mile hike, a picturesque lunch amongst the beautiful cactus and a lovely sunset drive through the park on our way home. This park is nothing short of spectacular and we have been coming here for 20 years. It is one of the reasons we moved to this area. The park has 1000s of cactus, not just saguaros, but ocotillo, chollas and prickly pears and is surrounded by mountains that appear salmon pink in color at sunset. We were there just hours before a rainstorm blew in and there were beautiful cloud formations. We have only been to this park on clear and sunny days, so it was interesting to be there when the light was so very different.

It was a quick and local trip, but a beautiful and enjoyable one. It was one of those trips where we felt like we got to do a lot in a short amount of time and both places left us wanting for more and are summoning us to return in the future.