DebbieCPhillips-Photography: Kartchner Caverns State Park, Arizona

Apache Peak

On our 4th day of traveling, we made it to Arizona. I was a bit excited to spend time in Arizona because of all the time I spent looking at pictures in the Arizona Highways magazine when I was a kid. I still have one of the magazines that I keep pastels in my grandmother drew for me in. She tried to teach me to draw, but unfortunately I couldn't. I am so glad I can create photographs. Our drive was only 2 1/2 hours so we made it before campsite check in time and parked at the museum parking lot.

Arizona was as hot as expected. We found a partly shaded spot in the parking lot and put the dogs in the camper with a fan blowing on them and the temperature monitor ready to alert me when it got too hot. We checked out the museum first (no dogs allowed). The museum and gift shop complex was a large building. The museum had a lot of photos of the caverns and a full video of the exploration of one of the rougher parts of the caverns. It would be a difficult hike. I elected not to do the cave tour. We chose to spend the following day exploring saguaro national park and Tuscan. The gift shop had a lot of information on Arizona plants, wildlife and rocks.as well as the normal gift shop stuff. Outside the museum was a beautiful cactus garden. I retrieved the dogs from the camper and we enjoyed walking through it. We walked a little ways down the trail that leads to the mountain foothills, but was hot, so we didn't walk far. A little before the check in time, we drove to the campground. Our site was ready. It is a really nice site with a sidewalk to the restrooms and some mesquite trees (I think) that provided afternoon shade. I got the site set up slowly in the heat and we relaxed in the air conditioning for a bit. When it was close to dinner time we headed to Benson and ate at a diner our camp host recommended called Horseshoe Cafe and Bakery. I have never been steered wrong by a camp host's dinner recommendation. It was a good and interesting place to eat right on the main street across from the railroad track in a building that had been a bar since the 1800's. After dinner, we followed the road then drove to Tombstone just out of curiosity. I knew it would be closing down, but wanted to see it. We missed the main street and so I turned on the gps. The crazy directions for turning around sent us down a really steep street, we turned left on a hill, and went back up a really steep street. We then found the downtown area and drove back and forth to peek down the main street that was a pedestrian only street. It was a pretty interesting town with wooden sidewalks and a bunch of shopping in old buildings and bars and restaurant. I didn't want to explore the town though, I saw it on you tube. It was cool enough to get back to the campground and do a sunset hike.

Horseshoe Cafe and Bakery

I started our sunset hike on the road. I walked up toward a trail head (which I never did take) We saw black tailed jackrabbits and a common raven watching us. I watched the sunset behind the mountain and figured out where sunrise would be. I sat at the picnic table and read for a while and listened to the other campers. The campground was full. The cabins were full. There was a family playing volleyball in their campsite. Our neighbors brought multiple generations of their family and spent time playing ball then board games. It seemed the three cabins were all rented by a large family reunion group. I really enjoyed listening to the happy sounds of the adults and kids interacting and laughing and enjoying each other. It was a comfortable feeling campground.

Black tailed Jackrabbit

Ocotillo

Agave bloom

I got to do 2 sunrise hikes and 2 sunset hikes at this campground. There was a nice trail right off the campground that went down to the picnic area and over to the foothills trail. The cactus wasn't too close to the trail and the dogs were cautious around it. None of the jumping chola cactus I was worried about attacked us. We stayed 2 nights here. It would have been a great place to stay longer.