It was snowing this morning when we woke up and it seemed strange to see a snow-covered cactus, but this was the case. In speaking with a local person, they said it’s fairly rare but does happen at times. With this parks less than 60 minutes from the border with Mexico, we thought it would be warmer, good thing we brought winter clothes and extra blankets!
Our reservations required we move from site #37 to site #3 this morning. Checkout time is 12:00n with check-in at 2:00pm but the camp host gave us the green light to move in. Site #3 is in the upper loop and located a few hundred feet north of our current site. We are here 2 nights, then move to site #47 for another 2 nights. We are going to time our next move but estimate it only takes us 15 minutes to unhitch / hitch – slow is pro but we are getting efficient at this.
After our move, Ron decided to hike the Foothills Loop. He briefly stopped on the top of the mountain to take a video and some photos. He didn’t linger long with the windy conditions that made it feel much colder than 38 degrees. On his way, he kicked up a covey of quail and although they have 3 quail varieties in Arizona, this was the same bird we photographed in New Mexico – the Scaled Quail or cottontop. He also took a few photos of a Raven and got quite close to it, apparently, they are not intimated by people. The raven is much larger than a crow and generally travels in pairs, rather than in a group as crows do. They are as large as a red-tailed hawk with a wingspan of 24 – 27 inches and about the same from head to tail.
On his hike, he came across mortar holes here also, as those he found in New Mexico. This valley, the San Pedro Valley has been home to many Native American populations. Several archaeological sites have been identified nearby, dating from 4800 BC to AD 1300 and are part of the Hohokam culture.
Before leaving Deming, we bought a pot roast, small potatoes, and carrots and with the chilly temperatures today, it was the perfect day to fix it. RV ovens are not the most efficient, but with the Le Creuset Dutch oven we brought along, the baking performance improves dramatically. I slow baked the roast and veggies all afternoon and by 4:00pm it was ready and after digging in, so delicious! Ron had a huge appetite from hiking and well, I had one too after smelling it cooking all day! Best news, we have leftovers for tomorrow.
Overnight it is forecast to dip down into the teens but then climb to 50 tomorrow and 56 on Wednesday. Arizona is home to 13 varieties of rattlesnakes and although rattlers do not hibernate, they become much less active in the colder temperatures and enter a state known as brumation. During this period, they are lethargic but not totally asleep and will rouse to find the water they need to survive. Sometimes they can be found sitting on a warm rock on a sunny, warmish day in January. We haven’t seen any yet – my preference, but Ron would like to!
We’re chasing the 70 degrees weather but haven’t caught it yet!
2025 Airstream Travels 