Arizona Wild Flowers

Spring is in the air.

The trees have started to show a little green on their branches.

The wildflowers are popping up.

Here are some we saw during our week-end in SE Arizona.

Wildlife in Gila

Sky Island

Sky Island is the term given to mountain systems here in the Southwest. The Dragoons and the Chirichahuas are prime examples. They stick up in the sky in this dry, warm place and present a cool, wetter environment for this area. The flora and fauna in this place are completely different from the surrounding area. Sky islands present an oasis for us to explore and enjoy.

Such a place is the Chiricahua Mountains of SE Arizona. The mountains are the sky island and the Chiricahua National Monument is a gem in the middle. If you ever get a chance to visit, do so. You will not regret it. I have given you a few pictures.

They do not come close to showing what the place is like, but enjoy anyway.

Rodeo, NM

Yesterday, R and I got up early (5:15) so that we could get ready and be in Silver by 8:30. We made it on time and saw 9 deer on the way. We met with our friend, D and headed SE on Hwy 90. Within a few miles, you are out in the grasslands sprinkled with juniper and yuccas and, as you drive south, the vegation gets sparser. It's about 50 miles to Lordsburg, NM which has nothing going for it except the railroad and I-10. West on I-10,south on Hwy 80 into Rodeo which sits in a large flat valley with some nondescript mountains on the east and the Chiricahua Mountains on the west. Because it is spring and there has been lots of moisture this winter, the valley is green. I can imagine by summer, the color will become much browner. However, right now it looks good, with several wildflower types starting to bloom, Not sure what some were but I will show you just the same.

Stopped by the Sonoran Desert Museum. R wasn't that excited to see snakes on display so we only perused the very large and well stocked gift shop. Lots of items to look at including the requisite hats and t-shirts with repiles on them. There was even a large selection of snake-handling equiptment like grabbers and wands and leggings for the active reptile person. (Not the perfect gift for R, by the way.)

Then it was time to head west to Portal which is about 10 miles west of Rodeo, and in Arizona, at the base of the Chiricahua Mountains. Birds that are normally only found in Mexico often stray into this warm portected valley making this a haven for birders. We stopped at the general store and purchased a few food items for a picnic lunch. (Another, slower, trip will have to be made to this area to explore it further.)

Then we drove up Cave Creek looking for a place to have our picnic. As we drove into the canyon, the wildflowers gave way to rock formations and they enclosed us and we were forced to stop often to enjoy the formations and attempt to capture the feel of the area with photos. It never happens.

Bud Light is the beer of choice for litterers

"8 out of 10 Litter Throwers prefer Bud Light"

Yes sir, Ladies and Gentlemen, in an independently conducted survey of litter picked up on a 7 mile section of Hwy 15 it was determined that 8 out of 10 litter throwers prefer Bud Light to any other beverage. The survey was conducted on Friday morning 3/02/10 between the hours of 8am and noon along the east side of the highway. (There was so much trash to pick up that the west side of the same road will have to be done at a later date.) R and I volunteered to do the pick up in lieu of our regular duties for the morning. Because we are working at a government facility, training was involved. The one hour session, included how to erect the “cleaning crew ahead” signs, how to attach the magnetic flashing light bar to the top of the van, how to bungee-cord the right side door so that it remained in the open position while we drove, and so on. (All of which were really important and highly technical subjects)

The task went well, but took longer than we and, I think they, thought it would. This was the first time this year it had been done and we, being the conscientious ones that we are, did a thorough job. We filled two large black plastic bags full of someone else’s trash. The oddest item I found was a printer cartridge. Most of the items were aluminum cans of the aforementioned product. At least it appears that the litter donators were trying to watch their waistlines.

I don’t understand littering. How difficult is it to throw your crap into a trash? Animals don’t know any better. People should.

Las Cruces

Time to explore again. First it was our usual trip to SC with a stop at the pool for our exercise routine. The pool we usually use was closed for maintenance so we used the larger and warmer, which is great if you are going to sit and soak. However, if you are going to do aerobic exercise, you want the water temperature to be cooler. So this pool was not the perfect choice. After exercise, it was a buritto at a drive-up stand and a jaunt into downtown. I found the local barbershop and R found a place to do likewise next Saturday. She was waiting in the truck for me when I returned with less hair. After spending time sitting in the truck making a few cell phone calls on to catch up on the news from home, who is sick, how are the kids, etc. it was time to head east.

Several of our visitors have been from Las Cruces, so we decided to go there. Good choice! It is about an hour east of Deming on I-10. Deming is an hour from Silver down Hwy 180. Because we got a late start, we didn’t get to LC until about 4:30. As we drove into the area, I saw a sign directing us to Mesilla ( meh SEE ah). It is a Spanish village that dates back to the 1600’s. Around the central square are a series of shops and at the top of the square stands the Catholic Church. Out from the square for several blocks are adobe home and buildings which makes the area very quaint. Arriving there when we did prevented us from doing any exploring and very little shopping, but we did manage to purchase a couple of small Yapotec rugs for the trailer. The colors and patterns should add some fun to the living area. As you can see Peaches likes this one.

With the closing of the shops, it was time to drive around and find out more about LC. The data on the city gives the population at 100,000 and it feels like a nice place to live. It has all the things a city can provide; shopping (although the nearest Costco is in El Paso), a university ( New Mexico State) , reasonable housing (from reading a “Homes for Sale” brochure), and pretty good weather. It’s warm and maybe even a little hot in the summer, but with the low humidity it cools down at night. Winters are fairly mild also with snow being extremely rare. The elevation at 3800 is quite a bit lower than Silver.

So, after driving around for 45 minutes, we ended up registering at a Sleep Inn which is just west of NMSU on University Ave. right off I-25. The east side of LC appears to be the newer area of town with shopping mall and more upscale housing in that area. All in all the city, upon first impressions, has a nice feel to it.

After rising, walking the dogs, partaking of the provided breakfast, and checking and sending some emails, we headed east on University, over the freeway and a mile plus to the Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum which is operated by the state of New Mexico. It sits on a piece of property about the size of a fairground that was probably totally out by itself when it was built about 13 years ago. Now residential Las Cruces has snuggled up to it on three sides. The museum is an all day project or, better yet, multiple visit project. After four hours we had visited about half of the exhibits but it was time to head back west in order to arrive home before it got too late. We had a great time and will go back again. Check another blog entry to learn more about a subject we learned about at the museum; dowsing, and colcha.