good-times-rollin

Monday, March 6, 2023

Whitewater Draw

Willcox/Cochise KOA

Willcox, AZ

March 6, 2023

We rounded out the week with Friday and Saturday warming up and a decent forecast for the next few weeks.

We moved all the plants back to the patio and the kitchen looks so bare. It was nice seeing them inside, but hopefully, patio time is just around the corner and we will be spending a lot more time there. You might remember, we cancelled our trip to Bisbee last week because of the cold temps, but this week we were good to go for the second part of our planned winter get away. Since there was no need to rush as we were only traveling 70 miles southeast to Wilcox, we enjoyed the sunrise, an extra cup of coffee, and a nice breakfast before packing a few clothes, the puppies necessities, and some food from the fridge and freezer Sunday morning.

Sunday morning sunrise

The puppies have always been the best traveling buddies. But Dover seemed to enjoy it the most for all those years we rolled. She assumed her usual place on the dash, but instead of watching the road, she slept. She does that a lot these days.

The KOA was our choice for our stay. Yes, it is way close to the interstate and we do hear the trucks, but it does have some pluses...it is close to things we want to do here as we only give ourselves a 6 hour window (to leave the pups) for our fun stuff, its clean, the sites are quite roomy and long, Jack has a nice place to play ball off leash, and the backyard view is way nice.

Todays outing was a visit to Whitewater Draw. About two-thirds of Arizona's wintering sandhill crane population roosts at Whitewater Draw. In 1995, Arizona Game and Fish Dept. purchased the wildlife area (which is open and free to the public) to protect and enhance wildlife habitat in the Sulphur Springs Valley.

This important Bird Area is approximately 600 acres including an ephemeral lake, marshlands, grasslands and woodlands.

In addition to sandhill cranes, Whitewater Draw attracts ducks, geese, herons, and shorebirds.

Peregrine falcons and wintering hawks are often seen hunting, perched in the trees and soaring overhead.

Todays visit to Whitewater Draw was made even more special as Janna and Mike wanted to go. Thanks Mike for driving ! We had such a nice visit and exploring with friends is way fun !

It's always a good time with these folks !

Sandhill cranes were at the top of the list, but when we arrived there were none to be seen or heard. Have they all headed north for the summer? Not to worry, the Snow Geese will do !

The white band in the middle of the photo is Snow Geese.

We saw ducks...

Mamma

Daddy

Baby

And my favorite duck photo for the day...

A Red-tailed hawk...

A Black Phoebe...

A Warbler, lots of Coots, and more ducks rounded out the list for the day. As we turned a corner to head back to the truck for lunch, it happened. The sandhill cranes were returning from their morning foraging...it was about 11:00 am. We saw them first, then heard them. The numbers have definitely dwindled as I had read that thousands spend winters there. Thank you to the cranes that procrastinated !

When we were packing up lunch, the Snow Geese took flight. I didn't have my camera close and when I grabbed it, I didn't have time for a good focus...it was a sight to see !

There are lots of walking paths, benches, viewing platforms, picnic tables, and a kazillion photo opps around the marsh. It's clean and well maintained and so pretty. The mountains make for a nice backdrop.

It was an awesome day with friends and birds. I see another visit to Whitewater Draw in our future...Janna says January is a good time to go.

Our week is off to a great start. Day 1 is in the books. Until next time,

HAPPY TRAILS !

Thursday, March 2, 2023

A Gathering and Two Visits to the Park

Corona de Tucson

March 2, 2023

Sunday night's clear sky and sunset after a snowy, windy start to the day sure was nice to see.

The following days warmed nicely and Tuesday, I had a case of cabin fever. It was off to Saguaro National Park East (SNP) for a needed dose of sunshine. We have hiked there many times, and never grow tired of the trails or the views or the desert plants.

Wednesday a day trip took us southeast about an hour from home to Dragoon Road.

It was a special day...

The stars finally aligned and we had a wonderful gathering at Janna and Mike's who live in Pearce. Sue and Dave, Pam and John, and Jodee and Bill...folks we call good friends, folks we met years ago, and folks we have wonderful memories with from days when we were full-time rollin'...were all there. It's like Sue said, we do stay in touch thru our blogs, but catching up face to face is way better and much more fun. Of course, no gathering is quite complete without good food to share. The second we walked into Janna and Mike's beautiful home, the mouthwatering aroma from a brisket Janna had put in the over earlier filled the air. Mexican cornbread (Pam), cowboy beans (Jodee) , slaw (Sue), and macaroni salad (me) sure made for a very tasty lunch! Top that off with chocolate chip cream cheese bars (Pam) and it was lunch "fit for a king" as my grandma would say.

Mike, Janna and Emmi

Funny stories, lots and lots of laughter, reminiscing, and plans for the future have a way of making the hours seem like minutes. And just like that it was time to head home. Thank you Janna and Mike and Emmi!

As predicted, the forecast for late Wednesday afternoon called for strong winds with a winter watch arriving in the wee hours of the morning. We have become accustomed to the winds here, but always take notice when the forecast calls for strong winds. Strong winds are usually 40+ mph and sure enough, Wednesday was no exception at 55 mph. And sure enough, when we woke up today, there was snow on the ground...4 inches of snow. That was the most snow at one time so far and the third snow for the season. Today's adventure found us back at SNP East for an auto hike. It was a sight to behold !

Our family back in South Carolina and North Carolina are in shock ! We are in shock ! This is the desert you know. The ranger at the park says these wet, cold winters are on an 8-10 year cycle. Our first winter in Tucson was in 2013 and in all the years after that we have not experienced anything like this winter. It isn't a complaint...we are way happy to see the desert get so much water after so many years of going without. And fingers crossed for lots of wildflowers and cacti full of blooms. While we were there, there was a mix of dark gray skies, light gray skies, and blue skies with white clouds.