February 12-18, 2023
We'd spent a long and amazing time in Arizona over the winter of 2022-2023, and we had a few more stops before we went farther east into New Mexico. We had a week at Roper Lake State Park just north of Tucson, and it was a fantastic park. We'd definitely visit that place again, but next time we'd stay longer. The lake wasn't big and it didn't allow gas motors, so we couldn't use the boat. But it was beautiful. They also had a big dog park for Lacey to enjoy.
At the end of our week there, we spent a day exploring the two national parks nearby. First, we went to the Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Margot managed to avoid a family of javelinas on the road on the way there -- they were very cute, and everyone survived.
The site's website says you have to do a three-mile hike to see everything, and we were worried about the time it would take. Instead, we parked in the small parking lot they have and walked a short distance to the loop around the old site. That cut our hiking time in half, so we were able to see everything. They also allowed dogs on the trails, which was a nice bonus.
Fort Bowie must have been an impressive location in its heyday. Today, it's a bit sobering considering all of the battles and deaths that happened in the area.
After the fort, we went over the pass to the other side of the hills. That was a really nice drive, all the way to Chiricahua National Monument. What a highlight that was! It's a huge park, and it reminded us of Zion National Park without the massive crowds. We took Lacey on a couple short hikes, and then did the drive up to the top. We saw coatis on the way up, something neither one of us had seen before. So cute!
At the top, we did a nature hike (no dogs allowed on that one). It got us up close to the pinnacles and spires that make the park so beautiful. There was mud and snow, but it was fun. It had snowed the day before, and on our way out of the state we saw it was snowing again. We tend to get lucky with the weather, and when we were there the skies were blue and the temperatures were perfect. We even saw some deer on the way out of the park.
Then, we were off to New Mexico. The weather was a bit crazy. I-10 has signs on it that warn you about dust storms that limit visibility to zero, but we had a different issue. It was raining in heavy sheets, the kind of rain that takes your visibility down to a few feet when big trucks go by. So much for that carwash.
We miss Arizona already! We'll be back next winter.
Margot
20 Feb 2023What a great time!!