And Away We Go!!

 April 2 - 4, 2022

Rodeo, New Mexico

In 2018 we made a stop in Rodeo, New Mexico, to enjoy the Portal area and the amazing dark skies. Unfortunately that visit was cut short for a medical issue that took us to Tucson, and a week in the hospital for Bill. At just over 100 miles from Tombstone, it seems like the perfect first stop for our 2022 travels to the east.

Rusty's RV Ranch is a destination many RVers are familiar with. She runs a clean and efficient park with 100' pull-throughs, 50 amp FHUs, a small store, pool and decent WiFi in the middle of nowhere, just over the border from Arizona. Dark sky rules are enforced with only running lights allowed in the park at night, no porch lights, etc. It's wonderful!

We're expecting wind for our first driving day, but it never gets up to more than a breeze, making for a perfect getbackontheroad couple of hours. 

Here we go!!

Everything I want to see/do is close-by, so this is just a two night stop. After a perfect night's sleep in what I (we) swear is the most comfortable bed ever made, we head out Sunday morningish for Portal, Arizona, and the Cave Creek Canyon area of the Chiricahua Mountains. 

Portal and surrounds are known for birding, although we only see jays during our explorations. Many of the trails highlight different species for different times of the year. 

Always start your travels with a beautiful view from your campsite!

Wonderful formations at every turn.

Lovely canyons.

As the forest closes in, the rocks peek out from behind the trees.

Colors change with the movement of the sun.

The still-naked trees glow against the dark rock.

Love finding water in the desert. Cave Creek makes an occasional appearance.

After exploring the wonderful natural beauty we make a stop at the Desert and Apache Museums on Hwy 80 just south of the RV park. I'm surprised to find a large number of live reptiles among the artifacts and historical photos in the desert section. The Apache building is large but the majority of the space is taken up by a state-of-the-art conference center. The senior entrance fee is only $7 so stop by when you're here.

The desert botanical garden is still dry this time of year, but does support turtles, lizards, birds and tortoises. 

Included on the Roadside Attractions app, the largest snake rattle in the world :-)))

As soon as I walk up this little turtle slides off their rock and comes to smile at me through the glass. Too cute.

Queretaren Dusky Rattlesnake 

Banded Rock Rattlesnake, common in the mountains of southern New Mexico.

Hopi Rattlesnake, a smaller species usually 12-24 inches in the prairies of the Southwest.

Gila Monster - we've yet to see one in the wild.

Coachwhip or Whip Snake. Very fast and capable of climbing.

Arizona Black Rattlesnake is one of the larger natives in this area.

This is the biggest snake here, and certainly larger than any rattlesnake I've ever seen. It's a hybrid Western Diamondback and Timber Rattler - over six feet long! Only a few have ever been seen.

Beaded boots approximately 110 years old.

Large conference room with timelines around all four walls.

Some of the artifacts, including this pot, are dated in the 1300s!

Rodeo is about half way between Douglas, Arizona, and Lordsburg, New Mexico. A good thing to remember when fueling up. The small grocery and large Sky Islands Brewery are both open this visit, but not always. Astronomy buffs are drawn here by the dark skies and wide open space - the nights are spectacular. 

Monday morning we head for Las Cruces, New Mexico, where we'll spend a week.