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Tag: travel

15 June 2023

Wonderful spires of rock at Chiricahua National Monument

hoodoos view W Massai Pt Chiricahua NM AZChiricahua National Monument was established in 1924 by President Calvin Coolidge and 84% of this 12,025 acre monument is designated as wilderness.  In 1934 the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began improving the road and building trails and structures.  Yet millions of years before a volcanic eruption began the geologic process that would ultimately create the spires, pillars, and hoodoos currently protected in Chiricahua National Monument.

old cars Lowell Dist Bisbee AZIt was almost the end of April when I left Bisbee and continued exploring southeastern Arizona.  Next stop Chiricahua National Monument.

Sulphur Springs Valley SR181 N AZ

Sulphur Springs Valley SR181 N AZThe drive to the foot of the Chiricahua Mountains crossing Sulphur Springs Valley was mostly agricultural land.

border patrol check pt SR181 N AZAnd because the area is within 30 miles of the border with Mexico there’s a check point which simply entails a quick stop and carry on.

Chiricahua NM mapOnce I entered Chiricahua National Monument there was a small cemetery for Erickson family members who settled here in 1888 building the Faraway Ranch, but their home was closed for renovations.  They were preceded by the Chiricahua Apaches as the first known people to occupy the area—and visited by the Spanish during the 1500s—before being relocated by the government in 1886.

Bonita Canyon Dr CHIR NM AZ

Bonita Canyon Dr CHIR NM AZI stopped at the visitor center and picked up my Junior Ranger book before taking the Bonita Canyon Drive eight miles up to its end at Massai Point, an 1170 foot climb on narrow road with a length restriction of 24 feet.  Mine is about 21 feet total.

hoodoos view W Massai Pt Chiricahua NM AZ

hoodoos Massai Pt Chiricahua NM AZThe views took my breath away.  The west view beyond a basin filled with rock spires or hoodoos, across the Sulphur Valley and to the Dragoon Mountains about 70 miles away, where I just came from.

hoodoos Massai Pt CHIR NM AZI could barely take it all in and the afternoon was waning plus I still had to find a nearby camp so I could return in the morning and walk at least a little of the 17 miles of trails.

Pinery Canyon Rd Chiricahua NF AZ

Pinery Canyon Rd Chiricahua NF AZI use several different apps to look for free dispersed/boondock camping sites and headed for the recommended Pinery Canyon Road in the adjacent Chiricahua National Forest.  Rough road took me 30 minutes to drive five miles before I found a primitive campground under the trees with absolutely no signal.

lizard Massai trl Chiricahua NM AZ

hoodoos Massai trl Chiricahua NM AZWaking to 40° inside the camper prompted me to leave early and return to Chiricahua’s Massai Point to walk a trail and get a closer look at this rock.

view N hoodoos lookout Massai trl Chiricahua NM AZ

view SW hoodoos Massai Pt CHIR NM AZRoughly 27 million years ago a cataclysmic volcanic eruption spewed ash and molten debris at super-sonic speeds and formed the approximately 12 mile wide Turkey Creek Caldera located just to the south of the monument.  Ash and debris settled and compacted, forming a thick layer of rock called rhyolite tuff. This rock layer has fissured and eroded over time, forming the spectacular rock pillars of Chiricahua National Monument.

stone overlook Massai Pt CHIR NM AZ

viewer hoodoos Massai Pt CHIR NM AZThe Massai nature trail features a unique stone built overlook with multiple-point viewer across almost 180°.

trees hoodoos Massai trl Chiricahua NM AZ

view W rock trees Massai trl Chiricahua NM AZThe trail is an easy walk over boulders and under trees with many interesting shapes along the way.

trees hoodoos trl Massai Pt CHIR NM AZ

Mexican Jay bird Chiricahua NM AZOf course at my rate of pace, the .5 mile nature trail took over an hour while taking photos and videos.

twisted Juniper tree bark Massai trl Chiricahua NM AZBeing I’m more of a saunterer than hiker I didn’t take on any of the other longer trails.  Plus I needed a new camp for the night.

Chiricahua hat pinChiricahua Jr Ranger badge

Gaelyn swearing in Jr Ranger badge CHIR NM AZI did return to the visitor center for my hat pin, sticker, and Junior Ranger badge.

boulders sunset clouds Indian Bread Rocks BLM Bowie AZThen I exited Chiricahua National Monument and drove north to Wilcox, Arizona where I filled a propane tank before heading to my next destination, the new to me, Indian Bread Rocks Recreation Area.  A whole different kind of geology, and that story will be coming next.

You can visit the national monument’s official website here https://www.nps.gov/chir/index.htm

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Arizona, Chiricahua National Monument, National Parks and Monuments, Places I've been, United States geology, history, national monument, travel 14 Comments
09 May 2023

The more places I go the behinder I get

Great Horned Owl bird in nest Buenos Aires NWR Sasabe AZBeen moving around quite a bit and the more places I go the behinder I get writing the blog,  Then add videos…

Sierra cat outside Indian Bread Rocks RA Bowie AZSierra became a YouTube star outside on her leash  https://youtube.com/shorts/JO-sn37ikgg and we broke over to 300 subscribers.  Have you subscribed?  Please do.

dock boat lake sunset clouds Mittry Lake Yuma AZThe drive to Mittry Lake in search of a boondock campsite. https://youtu.be/6nI7ERF2l9c

360° view Mittry Lake camp https://youtube.com/shorts/rpb-04hglwE

Boondocking at Mittry Lake  https://youtu.be/vgfv1oIQQP0

grass Mesquite Rd279 Buenos Aires NWR Sasabe AZI last wrote about Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and left you hanging in mid-April…

red flowering Pomegranite church Tumacácori NHS Tubac AZ…on my way to Tumacácori National Historical Site.

Cynthia Copper Queen Mine tour bldg Bisbee AZFrom there I visited a friend in Bisbee for several days and we talked for hours, took a mine tour, and ate out a lot.  Had a great time!

hoodoos Massai trl Chiricahua NM AZBecause temperatures are holding below 90° I continued east to Chiricahua National Monument and saw hoodoos.  Who knew?

boulders Indian Bread Rocks Rec Area BLM Bowie AZFollowed by more awesome granitic boulders reminiscent of Joshua Tree National Park, without those trees but lots of green, boondocking at BLM Indian Bread Rocks Recreation Area south of Bowie.

I will post about each of these adventures separately, and made videos.  But in the meantime, this is what you get for this week.

Don’t know where I’m going next, but the more places I go the behinder I get.

I’m a happy camper.

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Arizona, Places I've been, RV life, United States boondocking, RV, travel 16 Comments
03 October 2022

Gobles Michigan memories

postcard Maples Resort Brandywine Lake Gobles MII grew up in the Chicago suburbs frequently recreating with similarly aged cousins at a Loomis family-owned resort with seven cabins on the northern shore of Brandywine Lake in Gobles Michigan.

aerial view Brandywine Lake Gobles MIWe swam from light until dark, interspersed with water skiing round and round the 70 acre lake.  Mom wasn’t overly fond of the “Gobles Michigan hillbillies” but tolerated “sleeping on the back of the dragon” spring-framed beds over a weekend, or one week vacation.  No two dishes or silverware matched and I’d vie for the “prettiest” patterns.  It was my job not to burn the toast at breakfast on the old electric toaster.

Wes & Effie truck full of kids Gobles MISunday morning all the kids were loaded into the truck for a ride to town for the newspaper and candy.

lilypads Brandywine Lake Gobles MIBecause I opted to stay in the mid-west an additional two weeks there was time to return to a rather changed Maples Resort after 52 years gone by.

Sandee baked my favorite chocolate chip cookies to take along and I rode to the lake about three hours from the Chicago suburbs with cousin Colleen and husband John after he finished working Friday afternoon.  Though we arrived after dark I felt a surge of powerful energy like a welcome home after a long goodbye.

Brandywine Lake cloud reflections Gobles MichiganIn the morning I peaked out the bedroom window and saw a marvelous light on the lake so threw on clothes and rushed outside even before coffee.

cabins 2&3 Maple Resort Brandywine Lake Gobles MichiganThen, I felt a little confused.  Cabins #1, #2, and #3 remain, however #4, #5, and #6 were removed to build Colleen’s brother Larry’s multi-story mansion.  Cabin #7 was also moved a bit to accommodate.  Then there’s Colleen’s and one other family member’s house added to the end of the line.  This is no longer a public resort.

reflections Brandywine Lake Gobles MichiganMany more houses line the shore than I remember and some have replaced small cabins.

camper Gobles Michigan

Effie & Ervin's house Gobles MichiganLater cousin Judy, who has lived in Gobles all her 70 years, and I walked around the woods and she showed me where her camper is parked, where the original big house had been.  Sadly a tree took out that house so it was demolished.

dolls & GS hat in old trunk Gobles MichiganThough many old things remain stored away and the old dinner bell has been moved.

steps to bench Gobles Michigandinner bell Brandywine Lake Gobles Michigan

As kids, we’d almost fight to be the one to ring that bell for Sunday supper at Effie’s huge table.

firepit Brandywine Lake Gobles MichiganIn the evening a bunch of us sat around the firepit reminiscing and feeling almost like our parents in the past.  Then we BBQed hotdogs for dinner.  Wasn’t quite the same as roasting water-soaked corn in their husks on the old metal bedframe over a glowing bed of coals.  I’m still kicking myself for taking no photos of the people.  Guess I’ll have to go back.

Brandywine Lake cloud reflections Gobles Michigan

Brandywine Lake cloud reflections Gobles MichiganThe following morning the light once again beckoned me outside early.  But it wasn’t long before my energy level waned and I needed some down time.  Colleen and John headed back to Illinois Sunday afternoon and I moved into the camper for the remainder of my stay with an undetermined leave date.

camper view Brandywine Lake Gobles MichiganThe view was pretty from there also.

Brandywine Lake view Gobles Michigan

Geese flying clouds Gobles MichiganGeese overhead

Brandywine Lake cloud reflections Gobles MichiganClouds above and below

After another morning trip to the shore I was feeling chilly at 55° with intermittent rain.

orange barn Gene the Pumpkin Man Kalamazoo Michigan

antique orange gaspump Pumpkin Man Kalamazoo Michiganorange Cadillac Pumpkin Man Kalamazoo Michigan

Mums Pumpkin Man Gobles MichiganLater, Judy and I went out and visited the Pumpkin Man at Jim and Diana’s recommendation.  Absolutely everything is orange.  Sadly, pumpkins weren’t yet harvested but I bought an acorn squash for dinner and Judy got some Mums.

Brandywine Lake Gobles MichiganWith nights in the 40s we decided to fill one of the camper propane tanks so I wouldn’t run out of heat.  While out that day we took a drive around the lake.

White-tail deer Gobles Michigan

fall colors Gobles Michigan

fall leaves in branch Gobles MichiganAfternoon walks through the woods yielded plenty of surprises.

White-breasted Nuthatch bird on tree Gobles Michigan

black squirrel Gobles Michigan

Hairy or Downy Woodpecker bird fall colors tree Gobles MichiganAs did waking up several times in one morning to the scratching sound of mice in the camper.  So I moved again, this time into Judy’s house just up the road from the lake.

tree frame cloud reflection Brandywine Lake Gobles Michigan

tree fall colors Brandywine Lake Gobles Michigan

mushrooms on tree Gobles MichiganMostly we spent time talking and catching up on all those missing years.  Figured out my last visit was for Judy’s wedding in August 1970.  Sadly her husband died over a year ago.  We are definitely from the same tribe.

Pedro & Loomis at Trina's Gobles Michigan

Ervin dog Gobles MichiganThursday morning Judy’s daughter and SIL left for a camping trip in the UP so there were chores to be done like feeding Ervin the Burmese dog, Pedro the miniature burro, and Loomis the very large horse.

fish in pond Gobles Michigan

frog in pond Gobles MichiganPlus we spent time sitting in the sunshine by their pond full of fish and frogs.

branches Brandywine Lake Gobles Michigan

mushroom Gobles Michigan

bird on tree Gobles MichiganYet we also found time for more walks along the lake and in the woods.

fall trees shoreline Brandywine Lake Gobles Michigan

Geese fall trees shoreline Brandywine Lake Gobles Michigan

Cabins #2&3 Brandywine Lake Gobles MichiganMy last full day we took the pontoon boat out for a different perspective.  Then the wind worked against us getting back to the dock.  So Judy just beached the boat and later when the wind dropped her brother Gene moved it.

labyrinth Gobles MichiganIn the morning I slowly walked the labyrinth, breathing deep of the Autumn scented air.

trees sunset clouds Gobles MichiganIn the afternoon, Sandee and Carl came to get me via sightseeing along the way and we returned to Illinois.

cornfield Gobles MichiganI’ve gone through several culture and landscape changes over these three weeks in the Midwest.  All of them wonderful.  But to be honest, except for a full day of flying, I’m ready to return to Arizona.  There’s no place like home.  So now I’m working on Judy to visit me in December.

postcard Maples Resort Brandywine Lake Gobles MichiganErvin & Effie Loomis bought Maples Resort in Gobles, Michigan during the late 1940s.

Wes Ervin Howard Fred Loomis brosWes, Ervin, Howard, and Fred Loomis

Clara May LoomisErvin was one of four brothers, including my grandpa Howard, sons to Clara May Loomis who was an actress in her youth.

 

Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible.

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Hi, I’m Gaelyn, the Geogypsy

I retired after 29 summer seasons as a Park Ranger, traveling solo for 40+ years. My passions include travel, connecting to nature, photography, and sharing stories.

I started exploring US National Parks in 1977 and 20 years later became a seasonal Park Ranger.  I’ve lived full-time in a RV for 30 years working summers and playing winters.  I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow old, other than grow up.

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