Run for the Border

To visit Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, you have to really want to go there. It's not on the way to anything, and quite a detour from any major interstate, so I don't think anyone would go there just on a whim. Clearly, count me among those who really wanted to visit (and my lucky family got to come, too!)

From Tucson, it took us about 2.5 hours on a small, two-lane highway to get to Why, where we turned south on AZ State Route 85. The park entrance was just a short distance from the junction.

Wonderland of Rocks

From the trailhead parking lot at Fort Bowie, it was 8 miles of gravel road back to AZ State Route 186, where we turned south for the short drive to reach our next destination...

Fort(ress) of Solitude

"What are we doing today?" asked the not-so-junior rangers, as we got off I-10 and headed south on a very small, desolate road.

"Fort Bowie," I replied.

"Why would the government build a fort out here in the middle of nowhere?" asked the patient husband of the crazy lady who will travel anywhere to visit any place with a brown National Park Service sign.

After parking at the trailhead, we started the 1.5 mile hike in to the visitor center to find out.

Miners and Gunfighters

Kartchner Caverns had been highly recommended to us, but since we knew we were going to explore the cave at Coronado National Memorial, we decided to see the Queen Mine in Bisbee instead. Glad I made reservations for the 10:30AM tour a few weeks ago because it was sold out when we arrived! 

Exploring Arizona

Our first stop this morning was a trip back in time at Tubac Presidio State Historic Park. It preserves the site of Arizona's oldest Spanish presidio, or fort.

The excavation of the original adobe foundation of the presidio has been enclosed so that it can still be viewed

Chicago West

The latest installment of our travel blog started when we loaded up the covered wagon, um, minivan and hit the road for Phoenix right after the kids escaped school for spring break on Friday. Unfortunately, we weren't quite as lucky in our efforts to get out of Dodge, um, Southern California, so our trek took more than an hour longer than usual. Ugh.

If you haven't guessed by now, this road trip will take us through the Old West (a.k.a. Southern AZ). Our pre-trip homework involved watching a lot of (laughably bad) Westerns. Among them: Tombstone, Wyatt Earp, 3:10 to Yuma, and The Lone Ranger. Does Cowboys vs. Aliens count as a Western?!