Amazing Arizona Nature

Over the past few days we have traveled across the southern desert of California and Arizona. We had already explored some northern and central Arizona in November (Grand Canyon, Montezuma Well, Phoenix, White Tank Mountains), and I was a bit curious to see what the landscape to the south would be like. Arizona, is rich in natural wonders, everywhere we go. We traveled south from Palm Springs along the Salton Sea, continuing until the road meets the I8 at El Centro, where we spent the night. The next morning we got up and headed east towards Arizona. Practically the moment we crossed the state line we stopped at the Yuma Visitor Info Center (visitor centers are always a mecca of helpful info about fun/interesting things to do and are often our first stop as we move from one state to another) and happened upon the local farmers market. We took the opportunity to buy some fresh veggies (love farmer’s markets but we haven’t hit up any lately), grab lunch and play on the grass in the courtyard of the museum. Wow, I didn't realize how much I missed grass and greenery until that moment!

The I8 east from El Centro (CA) runs through some interesting country. It’s a pretty straight road, but the hills to either side of the road have all sorts of interesting shapes and the vegetation changes from barren desert to scrub desert, to an area of shifting sands known as the Imperial Dunes (which had many RV’s stopped and lots of tracks to show that this is a big area for the off-road enthusiasts) back to scrub desert and then, finally to the saguaro desert which we first encountered near Phoenix (which incidentally was only a short ways north at this point). 

It’s truly beautiful country, in its own way. The open landscape of the desert valleys always seems to have low mountain peaks in the distance, providing contrast.  And the sunsets are spectacular, as we were to find out shortly after we pulled into Picacho Peak State Park. The sky lit up with oranges and reds as the sun went down just off the tip of the peak to the west of us, and turning the other direction a nearly full moon rose above the distant mountains. So pretty. The park is named for the uniquely shaped hill/mountain which rises out of the otherwise relatively flat plain. Picacho Peak and the surrounding lower hills are the remnants of ancient lavaflows and so have an angular, bumpy look about them that is different from the farther off mountains. The campground sits just at the base of this hill, surrounded by saguaro desert. 

Watching the hikers ascend the trail to the top of the peak

View to the north

After working on school in the morning, we took the afternoon to hike some of the trails of the park. A short uphill trail took us to a small cave and nice overlook which provided excellent views of the surrounding area. We then stopped at the small playground so the kids could burn off energy before another hike (does that sound counter intuitive, or what!). A slightly longer (0.7 mile) Calloway trail took us up to the saddle between the main peak and a smaller peak to the east. The uphill climb gave us great views and a different perspective of the peak. The peak is tall enough that by mid-afternoon we were in shadow as we climbed. There is a trail that leads to the top of the peak, but we figured it was a bit too strenuous for the kids (I bet the view is amazing from up there, though). It was interesting to watch the hikers on the other trail climbing up and up until they were the size of ants as we ascended our own. On our own trail, we climbed up rough stairs, over rocks, past a variety of cactus, and desert plants, up to a lookout point with a bench. 

View from the lookout, facing southeast

I had expected this point to show us a grand vista of the desert or of the Peak, but nope, it faced out onto the Interstate, the small community of Picacho, and the farmland & mountains in the distance. Not what I was expecting, but interesting all the same, in that it provided a reminder that people might be just over the hill in an area that otherwise looks quite empty. The kids both decided to be tour guides on the way back down the trail to introduce Mom & Dad to the desert splendor.  It was quite cute. They took their job very seriously, and I was impressed to see that some of the information about cactus and the desert landscape & animals had sunk in (although Morgan still gets way too close to the cactus for my comfort – you think he would have learned!). 

The next day we said goodbye to the saguaros and entered into farmland areas (many of which looked like they had succumbed to drought), and a scrubbier landscape. Our driving day was quite short as our next destination was only 1.5 hours away and we arrived at the Kartchner Caverns State Park before lunch time.  Kartchner Caverns are an amazing set of caves that were discovered less than 40 years ago and has only been a state park since the 90’s. Two amateur cavers discovered these caves, explored and mapped them, and kept them a secret for many years before negotiations with Arizona State created a new state park in order to preserve this amazing natural site. It’s interesting that those involved determined that the best way to protect the caves from vandalism and destruction was to make them public in such a way that the government could monitor and protect them. The whole story of the caves and their becoming a state park is quite interesting. Basically the hills are full of fractured limestone and a wash runs right past and through the (rather unassuming) hill where the caves are, providing a relatively constant supply of underground water to the area. Over the course of 80 000 years or so the water dissolved away the limestone and hollowed out the hill. The dripping, running, and pooling water left (and still leaves) behind calcium (and other mineral) deposits which create fantastic shapes on the walls, ceiling, and floor of the cave. I so wish I had pictures to show, but cameras are not allowed inside the cave at all (as well as a long list of other things). The cave environment is much warmer than the surrounding countryside and much more humid too.  Every effort is taken to preserve the unique climate in the cave, and that includes reducing the contamination from people entering this environment. It is nearly impossible to prevent people from shedding (you name it), but the staff does their best to educate the visitors about why it’s so important to Not Touch!

There are two different tours you can go on at the Caverns. One takes you into the big cavern (which was where the caves were originally discovered) where a bat colony resides during the summer months (tours are only when the bats aren't there in order to not disturb the colony). The other leads you into the Rotunda/ Throne Room (which we took). Lily was quite concerned about going underground, but we encouraged her and let her know we would all be together in a group. The beginning of this tour takes you through two airlocked doors, past a misting system (which works to dampen the people and keep all of the lint/hair/skin/etc. stuck to us rather than floating around the cave feeding the bacteria), and then one more door into the cave proper.  Wow.  Just wow.  In the space of 90 minutes I saw and learned so much about the fantastic shapes that water and minerals can make.  Stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, shields, bacon, ribbons, flowing walls, and massive columns of minerals dazzled my eyes. All formed by water over thousands and thousands of years.  The caves are dimly, and selectively lit to preserve the environment (light is bad inside a cave) and to highlight the formations. After seeing all of it, I can completely understand why keeping contamination to a minimum is so important. What took Mother Nature so long to create can be destroyed in only a few days after a careless touch of a hand. 

The unassuming hill that holds the amazing caves

Lily was rather scared at first, but Bob & I took turns picking her up and pointing out all the amazing things right in front of her and she settled enough to even enjoy pointing out things herself (It’s not unusual for younger children to be afraid in the caves). Morgan, on the other hand, had listened to the guides warnings about not touching and kept pretty quiet for the length of the tour. This is quite difficult for my usually bouncy boy, and I was very proud of him. The moment we were back out of the cave into the bright sunlight, the kids both went bouncing and frolicking around like little puppies, letting off the energy they had stored up while underground. After our tour we watched the movie and went through the displays at the visitor center (backwards from the way most people do it, but I think having the tour and then getting the additional information really brought home some of the things we had learned during the tour), and then settled ourselves into the campground for the night. The next day we would say goodbye to Arizona and all it's amazing natural wonders.