Gila Wilderness area and Saguaro National Park

Day 3 at the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. It’s been a tough day so I decided that since I was going to run the generator to charge batteries that I would take advantage of the opportunity, a.k.a excuse, and fire up the blender since the ice wouldn’t last through the night. So I’m working on cup #1 of frozen Margaritas no salt and the remainder of the blender is chilling in the frig waiting for me, myself and I. The photo is my view from my campsite as I type this.  But I’ll backup a bit.

The trip getting here was short in terms of miles, less than 250, but the roads and geography of the land  made travel slow and so it was a long day but the scenery in this area is as close to perfect/nirvana as I’ve ever seen.  I’m in a National Forest campground along the Gila River about 4 miles south of the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. There’s an upper and lower level and I’m camping in the upper overlooking the river and listening to the small rapids just below me.  I am the only camper in the entire campground and have been since Monday, I hope it stays that way. This is exactly how I pictured this area and it is exactly the type of place my journey is about. This place will have you thinking you died and went to heaven. This area is within the Gila Wilderness Area and it is big and a backpackers dream. I met a couple today that brought their horses here for a 10 day stay where they can do day rides or overnight pack rides into the backcountry. There are corrals on the NM site for them to use. That would be a neat way to see the area. Its beauty and remoteness is so special I decided to spend an extra day. Time for cup #2…..don’t mind if I do.

The people who lived in these cliff dwellings only stayed about 25 years, from 1276 to 1300. We do not know why they left so soon though there was a drought going on. The caves have been used over many more years though as the soot buildup indicates showing that peoples have traveled through this area over a long period of time.

My knee is improving but slowly. I had to abandon some plans of longer hikes here but if there was anywhere just sitting is ok it’s here watching the light change on the rocks or the birds soaring on the updrafts off the rocks. For me it just doesn’t get much better than this, what a cool place. Oh did I mention? It was 27 degrees Tuesday morning and this morning it was a low of 29, the mattress heater is like Caviar in this situation. I bundle up and I stay warm and sleep. The batteries and inverter allow me to be comfortable in a remote area like this. The techie in me is tickled with the solar panel. I had hoped the clear skies and bright southwest sun would work well and has it. It has easily extended the number of days I could be comfortable with virtually no services.

  And when the sun starts setting you better change into warmer clothes because the temps will drop frickin fast. I’m pausing typing to go change out of shorts. It gets up to the low 80’s and it’s very dry air but it will be 50 shortly after dark.  The stars are just phenomenal, one of my photos is a 5 minute time exposure and what the camera saw versus the eye is amazing, at least 4 times more stars picked up via the camera. And if someone has a better theory correct me but look at the far right of the photo and notice the streaking effect of the stars in that area then look to your left and watch as the streaking becomes less and less. I purpose that the left side of the photo was close to the northern axis that the earth rotates on therefore the stars in that area appear motionless.  I’ll watch again tonight since the skies are as clear as it gets. I’d like to catch a meteorite in a photo.  I’m/we’re going to be in some of the darkest skies in the US in the next few months so I’ll have a number of opportunities. I could park my butt right here for a long time. I spoke with one of the park volunteers and they get a full hookup campsite and work a limited number of days. A good way to have time to explore an area.  It will be hard to leave here. I need to cook, how does steamed spiced shrimp sound?

I’ll leave here Friday and plan to head for a KOA east of  Tucson so I can get free wifi in the camper……damn technology! Catch a new National Park for me and then head for Phoenix early Saturday and pickup Linda at the airport.

I hope to experience many more extraordinary places in my DreamTrip and share them with you. I hope you enjoy the photos; this is the kind of stuff I like. Time for cup #3!!! Hell, did you think I’d let it melt?

Just about star time….bye.

Well it's now Saturday morning and I'm in the KOA and can't seem to get everything done and get on the road to Phoenix. Linda flies in around 3pm to start her hard time.....I mean vacation. I wanted to add some captions to the photos but I fell asleep at the keyboard last night. I did add a new National Park to my visited list, now at 40. I went to Saguaro National Park just east of Tucson. I posted new photos for there and the Gila Wilderness. See them at   https://picasaweb.google.com/103943218564105837637 

Gotta run, thanks for the posts and comments.