Big Bend to Chiricahua National Monument

After our night at Croton Springs, we arose fairly early to head to El Paso.  Our goal was to make it there in time to watch the Packers beat the Sea Hawks and the Colts beat the Patriots.  The travel part of our plan worked well, but the results of the games were disappointing.   We found a Walmart in El Paso where we had a good TV signal.  So we watched and Janet shopped during the half-times.

In the morning we started toward Tucson.  Our immediate goal was the Chiricahua National Monument were we hoped to spend a couple of nights and do some hiking.  The ride today was through rather barren country.  Near El Paso are quite a number of feed yards — the smell.  After that we passed through a lot of barren country.  Las Cruses NM was interesting, but we didn’t stop.  From there to Wilcox AZ was mostly open countryside with towns that consisted of little more than a gas station or crafts stores.

At Willcox we fueled up and headed south to the monument.  We drove about 30 miles across flat land, to a mountain range sticking up out of the basin.  In the distance we could see snow on some of the higher mountains.  The area designated as a monument is an area of eroded rhyolite about 2000 feet above the basin. 

The campsites are very small in this primitive campground, but we found one for our 23–foot Sprinter.  After checking in for two nights, we drove the scenic drive to the top of the mountains.  The eroded rhyolite has formed spires and columns.  Some have rocks sitting on the top that makes one wonder how they don’t topple off.  David’s pictures will show the beauty.

-- Janet (text) and David (photos)