Even though Rusty's RV Ranch is only 15-miles from here, it's exactly 1000' feet lower in elevation and a full 5°F warmer.
The hail storm didn't last long and the sun did briefly pop out from between clouds, which eased our minds about making the move.
Rusty's has a strict NO REFUNDS policy. I guess that's due to exactly what happened to us. It's OK, we elected to take one of their no hookups sites for two nights, which are only $21 a night. I'm just glad we didn't sign up for a full hookup site or we would have been out $35 instead.
With THE POD all hooked up and ready to go we headed back up into the mountains. It's now close to 11:00AM and the skies are beginning to clear.
Sunny Flat Campground is in an area of the Coronado National Forest known as Cave Creek Canyon. It is widely known as being a bird-watchers paradise here in Arizona, with the majestic mountain peaks being just a bonus.
I'm sure we're going to enjoy our visit here this weekend.
SUNNY FLAT CAMPGROUND
IN
CAVE CREEK CANYON
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The view looking UP and northwest from the end of our campsite driveway.
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Could this be one of the caves from which Cave Creek got it's name?
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The view looking southeast out the very back edge of our campsite.
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Like I said our site is not optimal for solar collection or Starlink reception...
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...but it is plenty big enough to fit ROVER and THE POD with room left over.
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At the back of our campsite we even have Cave Creek flowing on by.|
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While eating breakfast we had a trio of bird sightings right out our rear windows, some you normally won't see anywhere in the U.S. except in the Coronado National Forest.
Certainly one of you birders can identify this species and educate the rest of us nonbirders!
As you can see in the photos there is a natural depression in the rock that holds water after a rain. Well truthfully, we've been refilling it with our own water just to keep the birds happy to return to our campsite.
There is another smaller bird that visits our campsite, but they're like hummingbirds, they are here and gone before you can raise your camera.
We do have one other frequent visitor to our campsite. We have a lone chipmunk that seems to prefer hanging out around our ground grill. I don't know what he finds to eat in there, but he always finds something.
Time to leave the campsite, jump in the truck, and head over to the nearby Cave Creek Visitor Info Center for a FREE map and pointers on what to see and where not to try and visit due to current road conditions.
The road will have an elevation gain of over 1300' above the campground, taking us up and over the 6400' mark where the clouds, rain and snow flurries still occur even in mid-March.
SCENIC DRIVE
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A paved portion of the road between the town of Portal and Sunny Flat Campground.
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Our first wildlife sighting of the day, three deer just off the roadway.
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Not wildlife, but still a rare sighting in the woods.
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These Airstream Excella models were built in the 1970s and 1980s.
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About 1-mile down a spur road (FR-42A) off the main loop you'll find the John Hands Waterfall.
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The falls are short but have created a very narrow sharp walled crevice.
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At the top of the falls there appears to be the remnants of something manmade.
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Another mile further down this side road is the Herb Martyr Campground.
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There are snow capped peaks above the primitive Herb Martyr Campground.
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At 2-miles from the main loop it is a very quiet and remote campground.
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There wasn't too much scenic about the drive, but I gave my attention to the road.
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There were some interesting rock formations...
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...and we even spotted what appeared to be an arch up on the mountain.
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With the Scenic Drive completed, it's time for lunch at the only place it town.
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They had a pretty cool Chevy out front. I wonder if it still runs?|
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That's one big advantage to camping in First-Come-First-Serve campsites, on the morning you're supposed to leave you just add more money to the Iron Ranger and stay as long as you want, up to the 14-day limit most campgrounds impose.
We've got another little sightseeing outing planned for today. First up is to drive down the 1-mile long South Fork Road which criss-crosses the South Fork of Cave Creek.
Next up was a road trip back into New Mexico and south on NM-80 for about 14-miles where we found the Geronimo Surrender Monument.
This roadside stone monument was erected near the site where on September 6, 1886 the Apache Chieftain Geronimo surrendered to the U.S. Military and effectively brought an end to Indian Warfare in the United States.
After having lunch at the Sky Islands Grill & Grocery we headed to the nearby Chiricahua Desert Museum to have a look around. They have a fairly large gift shop and an outdoor area they call the Desert Botanical Garden where desert plants and animlas can be seen.
Prime time to be here is between mid-April and mid-October to see the plants in bloom, so we're here about a month early and our visit wasn't very stunning.
CHIRICAHUA DESERT MUSEUM
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The right side entrance wall at the museum.
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The left hand side has a rusty metal rattlesnake sculpture and a couple turtles.
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Inside the botanical garden is where you'll find the real turtles. Can you spot them?
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There they are sunning themselves on the rocks.
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This beautiful specimen of Santa Rita Prickly Pear Cactus can be seen out front.
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Another metal sculpture, this one is a rattlesnake tail.|
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The Gift Shop and outside Desert Botanical Garden are FREE to visit, there is an indoor snake and snake-bite medicine museum you can visit if you're interested. For the $10 entry fee Tricia and I both chose to forego the opportunity to see live snakes and historic snake bite remedies, but I'm sure if this is something that interests you it would be well worth the price of admission.
The last stop before we return to camp is a short .3-mile hike up the Vista Point Trail, which is located just outside of the campground.
VISTA POINT TRAIL
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The trail has a gradual rise along it's entire path.
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Sections of the trail traverse through a rocky wash area.
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After a 55' rise in elevation you'll reach the Cathedral Vista.
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And it is quite the vista.
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Those snow topped mountains are over by Herb Martyr campground.
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Another viewing angle of the Chiricahua Mountains.
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Another cave in the Cave Creek Canyon.
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This one is large enough that people could have lived in it.
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More accessible caves like these could definitely have been someones home.|
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