The Gulf Coast

We made a few stops on our way to the Gulf of Mexico.
Davis Mountain State Park is in a geologically fascinating volcanic area. The park is a good birding site and also has some trails that are a good length for a half day hike. We did a driving tour through the towns of Marfa and Alpine. Marfa has many restored art deco buildings. Peaky hills of rhyolitic composition revealed lots of cool volcanic structures along the route from Marfa through Alpine and back to Davis Mountain.

Davis Mountain State Park

The local javelinas have no fear of dogs, so we had to keep the dogs on a short leash

Lots of these Yuccas grow in northern Texas

They really do say y'all in Texas

Weirdly weathered 'hobgoblins' of volcanic rock around Davis Mountain State Park

South Llano River State Park is the location of a nesting area for wild turkeys. We stayed there one night and did manage to get a brief look at one turkey.

Sunset at South Llano River

On our way through San Antonio we had a bit of car trouble, which the local Mercedes dealer was able to partially resolve, but which took up a few hours of our travel time, so we stayed one night in Goliad State Park, the site of an old Mission church. It was a pleasant park with a small river running through. We saw an owl and a unidentified furry creature. We think the furry creature was an opossum or a racoon.

The Mission Church at Goliad State Park

We reached the coast at Rockport, near the Aransas National Wildlife Preserve where the Whooping Cranes go for the winter. We stayed in that area for about a week. There were whooping cranes in the fields between our RV park and the ocean. We went almost every day to see them. We saw a group of about 10 the first day, and on the following days we saw some pairs, individuals and a family group and were able to view them from about 300 metres away.

A family of Whooping Cranes

Flowering Yucca

This little armadillo was very busy looking for food in the wildlife preserve right beside a boardwalk trail

We spent a couple of nights camping right on the beach at Goose Island State Park near Rockport.

The oyster shell beach at Goose Island wasn't good for swimming.  The water was about 18 degrees but the oyster shells are to sharp for your feet.

Breakfast at our campsite

A couple of these Crested Caracara hung around the campground.  They are about the size of the vultures.

Scissor-tail flycatcher near Rockport

We stayed on the coast for a couple of weeks, working our way down to Mustang Island State Park on North Padre Island near Corpus Christi and then to Atascosa Wildlife Preserve and South Padre Island near Brownsville. We had some beach days to get our fill of sun and sand. On the mainland we enjoyed going to the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail locations.

On the sand beach at Mustang Island State Park

Pelicans flying over the picnic area at Mustang Island State Park

The sand dune at Mustang Island beach

Heading to Texas

At the New Mexico Tourist information rest area they had a dog walking area that warned you to beware of snakes. It didn't inspire confidence.

The sign behind me says "beware of rattlesnakes"

 

We had a short stay in New Mexico on our way to Texas, in a state park called Rockhound. They let you take home 15 pounds of rocks, including any semi-precious samples you might find, like agate and jasper. We did collect a few rocks there - after all, what is a geologist to do when offered the opportunity to collect rock! There were some good hikes there as well, and we saw a roadrunner and a new species of quail.

The trail above the campground at Rockhound State Park

 

Roadrunner

 

View from the trail

 

We had to drive through strong winds from Rockhound Park into Texas, so we didn't make good time. We decided to stay in a state park near El Paso called Hueco Tanks. On first glance it seemed like a pretty desolate place, but we found some beauty there and decided to stay an extra night so we could go on a guided walk to see the aboriginal rock art, and so we could spend a bit of time climbing amoung the rocks.

The park is named for the natural depressions, huecos, in the rocks. These huecos hold rain water long after the moisture has evaporated down on the plain, and therefore attracted animals, birds and people to this reliable water source.

A cool evening at Hueco Tanks

 

Evanna on the rocks

 

Joe, our guide for the pictograph hike

 

One of the most impressive pictographs

 

Starry-eyed Man

 

Garden among the rocks

 

On the top of the mountain

 

Southern Arizona

Our travels took us to state parks and National Forests in southern Arizona, and even to a small private RV park in Bisbee, overlooking an open pit copper mine. In Catalina State Park, About 20 km north of Tucson, we hiked some birding trails and saw quite a few familiar southwest birds.

On a trail in Catalina State Park

 

The Saguaro in Catalina St Pk have many arms and must be very old. They don't begin to make arms until they are about 50 years old.

 

Another fat cactus

 

This cactus is home to a little owll

 

Patagonia Lake St. Pk. was a favorite last year and was excellent again for the birding opportunities, both in the park and at Pattons in the town of Patagonia. The Pattons, who are now deceased, created a bird haven with feeders throughout their large yard, and invited birders to come to view the birds. The tradition continues and the property is managed by a volunteer who lives on the propoerty and maintains the yard and the feeders. Guests contribute donations which are used to keep the bird feeders full. The variety and sheer numbers of birds that stop there is amazing and we almost always see something new each time we visit.

The acorn woodpecker at Pattons' yard

 

Looking for the elegant trogon in the mesquite woods at Patagonia Lake

 

The Coronado National Monument doesn't have any camping, but we went for a walk there before driving to Bisbee to find a place to camp.

Coronado National Monument

 

Last year's seed pods on an agave

 

About 20 minutes drive from Bisbee, where we camped overlooking the copper mine pit, we went on a bird walk with Rick and Cindy in the San Pedro wildlife refuge. We met Rick and Cindy in Mindo, Ecuador in January when we asked Rick about a bird we were looking at and he shared his Field Guide to Ecuadorian Birds with us. They live in Ramsey Canyon near the San Pedro refuge and offered to take us out to look at some birds while we were in that area. We spent a pleasant morning with them, saw a few new birds and got some tips on sparrow identification.

Kathy with Rick and Cindy

 

Our last camp in Arizona was at Portal on the east side of the Chiricahua Mountains. We had a beautiful campsite here in a forest campground. A pyrrhuloxia lived in the brush beside our van and the bridled titmice came every morning, along with some mexican jays, to eat from our feeder. We hated to leave there and will definitely add it to our list of favorite camping places in Arizona.

Our campsite, in a valley surrounded by beautiful mountains

 

Pyrrhuloxia on our feeder

 

Bridled titmouse - one of the cutest birds we have ever seen

 

A hiking trail in the forest near our campground

 

Lost Dutchman State Park

We left Sedona for warmer weather at Lost Dutchman State Park, east of Phoenix. Daytime temperatures were in the teens, which made good hiking weather. The nights were still very cold so we had to run our furnace.

The Superstition Mountains in Lost Dutchman State Park

 

We spent three nights at Lost Duchman. We hiked the trails around the campground and up the mountain.

We loved seeing the saguaro cactus again

 

On one of the mountain trails we hiked

 

 

The lights of Phoenix in the distance

 

This was a long hike to the basin at the top of this mountain

 

Because of the recent moisture the cacti were fatter than usual

 

 

Full moon with saguaro

 

Arizona 2013

On our way to Arizona this year we drove though the Moab, Utah area again. The spectacular scenery impressed us again. This year we didn't encounter any snow storms in the mountains, though there was still snow in the mountains as we traveled south.

 

A sunny day as we drove into Utah

 

It was still quite cold in southern Utah, and the latest snow hadn't melted on these monuments

 

In Sedona we visited our friend Carol and enjoyed some sunny weather with great hiking, and some snowy weather with great shopping.

This was a beautiful sunny day, a bit cool, but great weather for hiking. We hiked on a trail with amazing views of the red rocks and the countryside around.

 

Us with Bodhi, Sune and Piper

 

Beautiful views on the trail

 

We love the red rocks in Sedona

Then came the snow and colder weather. This was taken on our shopping day in Sedona.

The weather was cool and wet for most of our time in Sedona. The snow did look very pretty on the trees and the mountains.

Coffee Pot Rock

 

Evanna with a large Juniper

 

 

Carol and Evanna with Piper, Bohdi and Fendi on our way to Flagstaff

 

On our last day in Sedona we were able to go on a trail that dried up a bit more quickly than most others. We had a good hike with all the dogs in their fresh haircuts.