Spring Has Sprung Us
Shaking off our sedentary winter ways, we are back on the road again in adventure seeking mode! It feels good to be on the move, without reservations or specific destinations, just an overabundance of curiosity leading the way.
It’s spring in the Southwest: wildflowers are blooming, cottonwood trees are leafing out, birds are migrating, mating, and waking us up with lovely songs each morning. Our first stop upon leaving Las Vegas was the Hoover Dam. We considered bypassing it altogether, but figured, why the heck not, when else are we going to check it out? Turns out it is a pretty cool thing to behold with nods to Art Deco 1930s workmanship and a pretty incredible capacity to hold back Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in the U.S. (when its actually full, which it hasn’t been in decades).
That first night out, we camped at Burro Creek, in Arizona, and enjoyed watching soaring bald eagles and the great blue herons that nest in the cliffs by the creek. The next day found us driving around Phoenix and the greater Phoenix sprawl. Wow. There’s over four million people in the Phoenix area and they are spread far and wide. The majority of the drive that day was spent getting around it all! Though spring training was calling out to me as we passed through Mesa, we needed to find camping, so we kept on going, ending up in the overflow lot at Lost Dutchman State Park in the Superstition Mountains.
The mountains were captivating, carpeted in wildflowers and other vibrant green plants, and they lured us out for a hike even though it was 80 degrees with no shade in sight. My body is not used to this heat yet, but it makes Alanna positively giddy. That night, coyotes howled on all sides of the Minnie, in very close proximity, and we were thrilled to know that not too far from the massive spreadopolis of Phoenix, wildlife remains.
Since we were headed southeast, the folks camped next to us at Lost Dutchmen recommended Roper Lake State Park, which is exactly where we found ourselves the next night. The drive to Roper was a gorgeous one, through the superbloom happening on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, golden poppies painted the hillsides and could be seen from miles away.
At Roper Lake, our status as birders seems to have been solidified. We happily spent the afternoon with our binoculars and spotted vermillion flycatchers, and watched large flocks of yellow-headed blackbirds darting around the campground. Roper also proved to be quite the social place. As we went for our nightly post-dinner stroll around the campground, four older lesbians hailed us and invited us to share their campfire. We loved spending a few hours talking about road life with these veterans—they had plenty of insight and excellent tips.
Our last stop in Arizona was Chiricahua National Monument. On the Echo Canyon hike, we were awed by the massive rhyolite spires covered in lime green lichens. We were bummed that the campground was full since there were other interesting looking hikes, but we were very glad to find a peaceful spot on down the road at the Indian Bread Rocks BLM area. The Dos Cabezas Mountains Wilderness Area loomed directly behind us, covered in monzogranite boulders reminiscent of Joshua Tree, but without the very loud hipsters. Cardinals, black-throated sparrows and phainopeplas darted through the bushes all afternoon. The nearly full moon was like a spotlight illuminating the Minnie, and we were happy to once again be serenaded by coyotes.
Now, we are back in New Mexico! As we drove across the state line, we cheered and high-fived! This is a state that we really enjoyed in the fall, though we didn’t get to see as much as we wanted, so we are here to finish the job, and expect to spend three to four weeks exploring all that is New Mexico. Our first stop is City of Rocks State Park just south of Silver City. Great hiking around the park and a funky small town to explore tomorrow—we’re psyched! And, we need to throw a plug in for New Mexico State Parks. They are some of the best we’ve stayed in and at just $10 for a developed site, they are a total bargain.
