The Land of Standing Up Rocks

Willcox/Cochise KOA

Willcox, AZ

March 8, 2023 

Our adventure for the day had us heading south on Hwy 186 thru some beautiful ranch country.

One of the reasons we decided to visit Willcox was the proximity to Chiricahua (pronounced cheer-i-cow-ah) National Monument.  It has been on the list for a long time. Now that Arizona is home, we are making time to see places/things we missed when full time rollin'.

The Chiricahua Apache called these pinnacles "standing up rocks".  Their origins began some 27 million years ago when a volcano erupted and spewed ash over some 1,200 square miles.  The heated ash melted together and formed layers of gray rock called rhyolite...blah, blah, blah.  Lets just say it is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. 

Chiricahua NM was established in 1924 to preserve and protect the pinnacals.

Bonita Canyon Drive is an eight mile scenic drive the winds its way to Massai Point.  The overlook offers a 360 degree view of Rhyolite Canyon, 

adjacent valleys,

In the far distance you can see the desert grasslands of Sulphur Springs Valley.  Whitewater Draw (where the cranes migrate and we visited on Monday) is in that valley.  This was one of 15 points of interest on the Massai Nature Trail. 

and surrounding mountain peaks.  

Can you see it?

Cochise Head kiosk was close to the exhibit building located at Massai Point.  A handicap friendly sidewalk circles the building. 

We hiked/walked the Massai Nature Trail which had 15 points of interest.  We stopped and read all the signage, but mostly just enjoyed the rocks, the views and the trees.   We had wanted to hike to The Grotto, but the trail still had snow and ice form last weeks storm...didn't want to take any chances on slipping/falling ! 

   

Most of the pull-outs are easy to access on the way down from the point. 

We stopped at a few to see named rock formations and Bonita Creek. 

Looking down...

 

Looking up...

No visit to a park is complete without a stop at the Visitor Center.  The VC at Chiricahua NM is full of information, tee-shirts, exhibits, and some beautiful pottery and baskets.  It was hard to walk out empty handed !

Our last stop was for lunch and a walk to Faraway Ranch as we were leaving. Faraway Ranch began in 1886 as the homestead of Neil and Emma Erickson...Swedish Immigrants. The ranch spans the decades from traditional one-room log cabin to the 20th century home that now serves as a museum.  By the 1920s the ranch had become a guest ranch for visitors who came to explore the scenic canyons of the Chiricahua Mountains.   The name for the ranch came from a complaint that the Erickson's children had about their home that is was "so god-awful far away form everything". 

This large two-story house was just a two-room cabin in the beginning.  Over the years the little cabin grew to hold six bedrooms and that was just upstairs.  Neil Erickson became the first ranger at the park and they opened their home to tourists...charging a hefty sum of $2.50 a day (equivalent to about $200 today)  

 

The corral

Just beyond Faraway Ranch is the Stafford house...now thats a story.  Ja Hu Stafford was 46 when he arrived to Bonita Canyon with his 12 year-old-wife.  They were the first white settlers in Bonita Canyon.  The original cabin was made of unpeeled logs with a dirt floor.  They had five children who lived to adulthood.  Their homestead improved thru the years to include an addition on the log cabin, a chicken house, a smoke house , corral, and a four acre fenced-in garden.  Ja Hu cultivated pears, apples, apricots, persimmons, and peaches.  He grew radishes, beans, lettuce, cabbage, onions, pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, corn, squash, and watermelons.  The garden and orchard were The Stafford's biggest source of income.   

It is worth mentioning that Faraway Ranch became part of the National Park Service in 1979.  The trail to the ranch and cabin follows the Bonita Creek.  

Just inside the entrance to the park is a cemetery for Neil (1859-1937) and Emma (1854-1950). 

We did have a few wildlife sightings...

Mule deer

Flock of turkeys

Mexican Jays

And a first sighting for us...a White-Nosed Coati.  The Coati is a member of the raccoon family.  They are considered to be very good tree climbers and swimmers even though they spend a lot of time on the ground.  They are also known as coatimundis.  They use their long tails for balance and to communicate with each other.  Males are solitary, but females stay in a group.  We saw four.

We sure had a nice day...topped off with a Voodoo Bar from Bakester's Pastries in Wilcox. It is a vaca !

Until next time...

HAPPY TRAILS !