Caves, Cowboys, Kayaks, Mines and More!

We departed the Pima County Fairgrounds on Sunday, 3/26, and drove a whopping 38 miles to our next destination, Kartchner Caverns State Park near Benson, AZ. The campground is the perfect base to tour Kartchner Caverns, but I highly recommend making reservations well in advance for both. Bob and Carole were just a couple sites away and we quickly set up camp. Bob bought a couple bundles of firewood from the camp host and that evening we enjoyed a spectacular campfire and a gorgeous starry sky.

Fun firepits at the campground.
Note: Mesquite wood burns extremely well!

We walked over to the visitor’s center, which was very informative. On the way we had a brief, high-stepping encounter with a local. He was harmless, but still a thrill. Bob and Carole had visited the caverns once before. The history of the caverns is fascinating. I’m going to geek out a little here, so skip ahead if you find it boring.

This fellow had us high-stepping and moving right along. Lol. 

In 1974, two college-age amateur spelunkers, Randy Tufts and Gary Tenen, visited a sinkhole in the limestone hills of the Whetstone Mountains. Randy had found the site seven years ago, but this time he felt warm, moist moving air that smelled like bat guano. A cave breathes to equalize the air pressure, and they excitedly entered and enlarged a grapefruit sized hole and squeezed through. Inside they crawled a ways and then were able to stand and walk upright for the next 300 feet. They saw no evidence that any human had ever been there before. They explored for many hours, awed by the intricate formations, glistening stalactites, and soda straws. It was an underground fairyland, a million years in the making, and no human had ever stepped foot inside. They also realized they were violating one of the cardinal rules of caving, they had told no one of their whereabouts.  If anything happened they would likely never be found.   

I managed to wriggle through a mock-up at the visitor's center.

They exited the cave and over the next year slowly began exploring it, taking great care not to damage any of the formations. They knew that if word got out the cave would be overrun and vandalized, so they kept it a closely held secret, letting only a few trusted friends know. But what to do? The location was within sight of I-10 and they reasoned that sooner or later someone else would find it. They finally decided to approach the landowners, James and Lois Kartchner. They were tentative until they found out that James Kartchner had been a science teacher and was interested in geology and was enthusiastic about preserving the cave.

Formations in Kartchner Caverns.

A fried egg, cave bacon, and soda straws.
Were they hungry when they named the formations? Lol.

Working with the Kartchners, they went to great lengths to continue to keep the cave a secret and set about trying to determine how best to preserve it. They paid to have the cave mapped by professionals from Texas, paying in cash to avoid using their real names. The national caving community was tight-knit and they feared if their names were used, others would realize they’d made a great find in the Whetstone Mountains. Eventually, they decided the cost of developing the cave themselves was prohibitive and finally in 1985 proposed to then Governor Bruce Babbit that it be developed as a state park. Babbit had a background in geology and toured the cave. Impressed by what he saw, he supported a clandestine effort to get the cave into public ownership, guiding it through the legislative process without attracting publicity. It took several years, but until the final vote only six legislators actually knew what the bill entailed. After 14 years of protective secrecy, the bill passed unanimously to establish Kartchner Caverns State Park. Woohoo! And then the work really began.

A new entrance was created to make the caverns accessible.

A pristine living cave is extremely rare. Learning from mistakes made in other developed caves, Arizona State Parks set about creating a way to share Kartchner Caverns with the public while preserving it. Did you know lint is a major problem? Same for touching, the oils on our skin damage the formations. It took seven years of back-breaking manual labor to build wide walkways with railings and berms, making this one of the few caves that is wheelchair accessible. Other precautions were put in place including airlocks and misting systems. Public access to the caves is only by guided tours. All bags, wallets, phones, etc. must be put in a locker before entering.  There is no photography allowed in the cave. Why, you ask? I sure did. Lol. Mostly because they don’t want anything dropped and they want you to stay with the group and pay attention to the Ranger. So, I’m going to chalk that rule up to convenience rather than preservation. It also explains why the cave pictures in this blog post are taken from media and exhibits in the visitor’s center. It is certainly worth going and I wanted to give you some idea of the wonders we saw. There are two tours, the Rotunda/Throne Room and the Big Room.

Constructing the walkways.

The tops and toes of the worker's boots were worn from crawling through the cave.

Do you see the tiny human in red for scale? Wow.

Bones found in the cave were originally thought to be bison, but researchers later determined they were from the Shasta Ground Sloth and about 86,000 years old. Another fossilized find was a 36,000 year old horse skull.

Shasta Ground Sloth, still hanging around the visitor's center. 😄

More recent occupants include 1,500 common cave bats (myotis velifer). They inhabit the Big Room during the summer months, and it is closed to the public while they are in residence. We decided to tour the Big Room while it was open and try to do the other tour on another visit. We saw where the bats roost and their nursery area, but all the bats were still in Mexico enjoying warm weather. Maybe we should join them. Lol.

These guys were still vacationing in Mexico during our visit.

In addition to the cavern tour, we did the Foothills Loop hike. It is amazing to think that under those nondescript hills lies a veritable wonderland. What else could we be missing?

Hard to believe these hills harbor such wonders!

What else could be under there?

On the Foothills Loop hike.

We moved on Tuesday, 3/28, to SKP-Saguaro an Escapee Co-op park in Benson. It was a another long, grueling drive – a whole 14 miles. Lol. Why stay so close? Because there is so much we want to do in the area. We planned to use the SKP park as our base for a week and do day trips from there. It also gave us a chance to catch up on laundry, get groceries, wash the cars… you know, all the normal adulting things that have to happen whether you are at home or on the road. There weren’t two full hook-up sites available when we arrived, so we ended up in the overflow, dry camping area. We set up again with a shared patio and were happy as can be. This was our last week together with Bob and Carole and Ruby and we wanted to make the most of it.

We never get tired of our shared patio.

The surrounding hills at sunset.

Ruby invented a new game. Drop the ball down the ramp and try to beat Raney to it.
We visited the dog park multiple times a day and they had way too much fun.

Riley had fun too. Playing tug with Daddy and getting "red light" in the evenings.

Ruby rules!

We took the tour of the SKP park and it was very interesting. Each of the Co-ops have their similarities and differences. Saguaro had many nice amenities – a large clubhouse, machine/tool shop, great laundry facilities, fenced dog park, a sculpture garden and the Founders Park. What really set it apart though were the casitas. Technically these are “storage sheds” and to fit with the local building/zoning codes they have limited kitchen facilities and usage, but many were built like tiny houses. We got to tour a few and they were remarkable. What a great way to extend your living space when home is an RV. The staff and park residents were exceptionally friendly and we were invited to use all the amenties and attend the daily happy hour at 4pm. We attended a few and even had live music one evening. 

Just a storage shed...sure, whatever you say. Lol.

Fun garden décor at one of the resident's sites.
The couple who creates the balanced stone arches auctions them as a park fundraiser. I want one!

A sculpture garden in one of the common areas.

Mark entertained us during Happy Hour. 

On Wednesday, 3/29, we drove to Tombstone, the location of the historic shootout at the OK Corral. It was probably the most kitschy, touristy thing we’ve done the whole trip, but it was fun. We bought tickets to a reenactment of the shootout and learned a little about the history of the town. The whole downtown area is set up like an old-time western town, so we strolled the shops and ducked into the Fallen Angel Sweet Sin Parlor for a light lunch and decadent treats. I saw no angels, fallen or otherwise, but the homemade fudge was sinfully sweet and delicious! We topped off our day with a beer at Tombstone Brewery.

The shootout at the OK Corral was kitschy, but a hoot.   

You can tour the town in the mail coach.

Street musicians.

Tombstone used to the county seat until it was moved to Bisbee in 1929. 

Carole caught exiting the Sweet Sin Parlor. Lol.

Tombstone Brewery was a hit.

Rog and I had visited Bisbee, AZ on our big trip and really liked the town. On Saturday, 4/1, we headed there with Bob and Carole and this time we arranged to do the Queen Mine Tour. From 1977 to 1975, the Queen mine produced over 8 billion pounds of copper, 2.8 million ounces of gold, 77 million ounces of silver, 304 pounds of lead and nearly 372 million pounds of zinc. Wow!  After the mine closed, they hired former mine workers to conduct the tours. Our guide Neal had worked the Queen Mine as well as others and was delightful. He explained how they set the charges and the tools they used. It was very interesting to hear his personal experiences, ride the same tram that the miners used to take, and explore a portion of the mine.

We were each fitted with a hardhat and miner's lamp.

Riding the tram into the mine.

Neal, our guide, showed us how he drilled to set the dynamite charges.

You know me and rocks.
I loved the colors of the minerals in the mine,

Near the Queen Mine, which was a vertical shaft mine with several levels, was the Lavender Pit copper mine. Open-pit mining at Bisbee began in 1917 and ended in 1974. The pit is 4,000 feet wide and 5,000 feet long and 850 feet deep. I was entranced by the colors! More than 300 types of minerals are found in the hills around Bisbee. In the pit you can see red (oxidized sulfide minerals), gray (granite porphyry which contains copper and pyrite), yellow (breccia-rock fragments embedded in clay) and purple (limestone conglomerate rock).  Kind of scary to see what man can do to the landscape, but it still has a special type of beauty. Gorgeous rock specimens are also on display around town.

The Lavender Pit Mine.

We were also lucky enough to hit the Saturday farmers market which had a nice selection of crafts, produce, baked goods and other fun stuff. We walked the business district called Lowell, which is now a part of Bisbee, where it appears that time stood still.  Many of the old vehicles, signs and businesses remain, it’s like a snapshot from the past. After lunch in town, we stopped by the Old Bisbee Brewing Company for a beverage. Are you sensing a theme to our day trips? Fun times, good food, and local beer. I think we’re on to something here. Lol.

Loved the vintage vibe.

Lowell was a blast from the past!

Bisbee embraces its mining history and has a good brewery too. Lol.

We had been carefully watching the weather because our few days of glorious sunshine and warmth were about to run headlong into high winds and a cold snap. But we had one more day of good weather, so on Sunday we drove to Patagonia Lake to kayak. It was sunny, low 80’s, almost no wind - perfect to be on the water! We spent about two hours paddling the entire circumference of the lake. Bob and Carole really got to put their new Sea Eagle through its paces and will be adding paddling gloves to their loadout. 😊 We left the puppers in the RV since we couldn’t take both of our kids into our kayak – besides a lack of space, we’d be pushing the 750lb weight limit! Guess we need a bigger boat. Lol.

Pedestrian bridge across the inlet.

Bob and Carole in their sleek Sea Eagle FastTrack.

Rog and I in our Sea Eagle Barcalounger. Lol.

I'd never seen Port-a-Potties on a lake, but then realized
 they were for the boat-in camping spots. Pretty cool.

A blue heron and flowering cactus at water's edge.

On the way back to Saguaro we got to cross another spot off our wish list. We stopped at the Meading Room – a local favorite that produces a variety of meads, ciders, and fruit wines. They also had frozen green chile margaritas and pina coladas, which Rog and Bob had, while Carole and I tried the tasting flights. We’d packed a light picnic lunch which was a perfect accompaniment to our beverages of choice. We sat outside to enjoy the sun, but the inside of the Meading Room looked very cozy with lots of books, games and comfy seating. A fun stop and it was right next to Arizona Hops and Vines, hmmmmm…maybe next time!

The Meading Room had an interesting variety of beverages.
Have you ever tried Hatch Green Chile fruit wine? I did!

A cozy spot to sit and sip. 😄

In my last post when I told you about my silver bob and red pixie, I failed to mention that Carole also decided to get one for herself. She opted for the same style as my silver bob, but in a gorgeous auburn close to her own color. We had her bob and my pixie sent to us at Saguaro. Each of the styles has a female name and Dawn refers to them as the girls. The bob is Adriana and unfortunately, she was being stubborn. Carole had tried mine on at the Escapade and it was super cute! The new girl just didn’t fit or lay quite right. We contacted Dawn and she has been very responsive. She offered a couple suggestions, including sending Carole some different styles to try. Great customer service and just a joy to work with. I’m already looking at which of her girls I might adopt next. Lol. Bob and Carole are heading to Phoenix for a few weeks to visit friends and Carole can get her new girls shipped there. I’m excited to see what she chooses and how it works out. I told her we may have to take the girls dancing when we get home. Lol.

The new Adriana wasn't cooperating, so Carole is exploring other options.
She wasn't ready to go silver, but I'm giving it a try. Lol.

Sadly, when our week at Saguaro ended we had to part ways with Bob and Carole. However, before we left on Tuesday, 4/4, Rog suggested replicating one of Bob and Carole’s annual traditions. They always start off Christmas morning with strawberry waffles and mimosas! Rog has been keen to try it, although we had to settle for strawberry pancakes (no waffle maker in the RV). They were most excellent and a super fun way to end our travels together.

Strawberry pancakes and mimosas.
I think we have a new tradition. Lol.

While Bob and Carole moved on to Phoenix, we headed towards White Sands National Park in New Mexico. Yes, we’ll have a new National Park for you in the next post! Stay tuned because there is something very special about White Sands. No, I’m not telling you now, that would spoil the fun. Lol.