Our Quartzsite, Az crew
Monday, March 21, 2005
South East Arizona Adventures
Early in January we celebrated our one-year anniversary of being lease holders in the Saguaro Co-op RV Park in Benson, Arizona. In 1999 our name was #200 on the "Hot List" for membership. After 5 years, we were the lowest number to bid one of the 300 lots. Our high desert location is an excellent location for Jan./Feb. When we head off for another project, we put our Lot #280 into the Rental Pool and the income earned pays for our share of the park’s yearly maintenance and operations fee. Our park family is diverse and friendly. Activities abound every day. Hiking, Bridge, Pegs and Jokers, Danish Card Making have been some of our favorites, along with evening entertainment.
Benson is surrounded by the Dragoon, the Chiricahua and the Whetstone Mountains. Cochise Stronghold, about 30 minutes drive from the park in the Dragoons, offers a splendid 3 ½ mile climb. In the late 1800’s, an Apache tribal family led by Chief Cochise hid from the U.S. Army in the boulder-strewn mountain terrain for ten years to avoid being captured and transported to a reservation in Florida. While hiking the Chiricahua National Monument one hour from the park, we were at the crossroads of four major environments. On the cooler northern slopes grow the Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fir, typical of the Rocky Mountains. Sunny southern slopes have Apache and Mexican Pinion Pine from Mexico’s Sierra Madre Range. Yuccas and sotol from the Chihuahuan Desert co-exist with agaves and prickly pear cactus from the Sonoran Desert. Neon green lichens adorn the pinnacles, while ferns thrive in the shade. Towering rock formations stand as sentinels over the forest. Stories telling about the clash of cultures between the Chiricahua Apaches and the westward-moving pioneers abound. We have yet to experience the trails for off-road exploration in the Whetstones, but we were very impressed with the pristine Karchner Caverns.
Benson is surrounded by the Dragoon, the Chiricahua and the Whetstone Mountains. Cochise Stronghold, about 30 minutes drive from the park in the Dragoons, offers a splendid 3 ½ mile climb. In the late 1800’s, an Apache tribal family led by Chief Cochise hid from the U.S. Army in the boulder-strewn mountain terrain for ten years to avoid being captured and transported to a reservation in Florida. While hiking the Chiricahua National Monument one hour from the park, we were at the crossroads of four major environments. On the cooler northern slopes grow the Ponderosa Pine and Douglas Fir, typical of the Rocky Mountains. Sunny southern slopes have Apache and Mexican Pinion Pine from Mexico’s Sierra Madre Range. Yuccas and sotol from the Chihuahuan Desert co-exist with agaves and prickly pear cactus from the Sonoran Desert. Neon green lichens adorn the pinnacles, while ferns thrive in the shade. Towering rock formations stand as sentinels over the forest. Stories telling about the clash of cultures between the Chiricahua Apaches and the westward-moving pioneers abound. We have yet to experience the trails for off-road exploration in the Whetstones, but we were very impressed with the pristine Karchner Caverns.
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