Fulltime RV couple traveling the United States in our 2018 Tommy Bahama 27FBQ Airstream!
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SUNDAY - Today's route took us right past Kartchner Caverns State Park where we were camped six weeks ago.
It also took us through the town of Benson, where we stopped at one of the three Walmarts in the entire southeast region of Arizona.
We are trying to kill a little time because we're headed to a First-Come-First-Serve FREE BLM camping area and we're hoping that the weekend crowd will be gone before we get there. This being a Sunday, most weekenders usually leave before midafternoon.
We arrived just after noon, and all but one campsite that we could fit into were still occupied. We got lucky to get a site because with no "official" checkout time looming over their heads most people didn't leave until early Monday morning.
We'll have to try a little harder to follow our own rule of only arriving on a Monday or Thursday when camping in a First-Come-First-Serve campground.
Our campsite has a pretty nice view and plenty of sun for our solar panels.
I just hope there are no earthquake tremors while we're here.
MONDAY - The main reason for us choosing this campground is to be as close as possible to the Fort Bowie National Historic Site just 12½-miles up the road from here.
Fort Bowie is in a very remote location which causes some unique logistical problems if you wish to visit here. First off you'll have to hike 1½-miles up and down a desert trail to get here from the main parking lot. There are four additional parking spaces in what they call a "handicap accessible" area near the maintenance shop and ranger quarters, but you'll still have to "hike" up a steep roadway for 450' to arrive at the Visitor Center.
There are no "handicap only parking" signs in the lot and after I called and asked they informed me no handicap placard was required to park there.
Tricia wanted to hike the 1½-mile trail, so I dropped her off at the trailhead and then drove up to the much closer parking area. I felt I could have hiked the trail early in the morning while it was still cool out, but the hike back to the trailhead may have been a bit too much later when the temperatures started to rise.
I think Tricia was glad to not have to make the hike out and gladly accepted a ride!
FORT BOWIE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
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The trail goes through this wide valley up to Fort Bowie.
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The trail is fairly easy to follow.
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Sometimes there are irregular stairs to climb.
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As long as you're spotting these trail markers you're on the right path.
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There were also several benches where you could stop and enjoy the scenery.
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Another long sotol bloom.
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Must be still on the right track.
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This was a long stretch out in the open.
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Halfway there.
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The fort's cemetery...
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...where not only soldiers are buried, but wifes and children too.
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Another rest stop along the trail.
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Ruins of the first Fort Bowie location.
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Watch where you walk, there's something sharp to stick you around every turn.
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A reconstructed Apache Indian home.
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The roof wasn't at all waterproof.
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Time to start heading up again.
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Apache Spring, the only source of fresh water for miles around.
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Still heading up.
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Not done yet.
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Now that we've reached the top of the trail you can see how far you've come.
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We must be getting close now.
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Finally Tricia's first view of the Visitor Center...
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...where the Ranger and I await her arrival from the front porch.
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The front porch view of all that's left of Fort Bowie.
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We'll need to cross this old footbridge to return to the parking lot.
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A hillside filled with prickly pear cactus and a few ocotillo along the ridge.
After visiting Fort Bowie we drove passed the campground and back into the town of Bowie to visit Dwayne's Fresh Jerky Store.
They are famous for offering over sixty different jerky options, but they also sell honey, nuts, olives, fudge, dried fruits and spices.
Tricia bought one $11 package of their Beef Brisket Teriyaki jerky, then we walked next door to the food truck and ate lunch outside.
I wanted to finally try tasting a Sonoran Hot Dog, but they were out of hotdogs. So we ordered 5 of their mini beef tacos for $3 a piece. It was nothing more than a burnt hamburger patty (no spices) crumbled onto a tortilla and then added some lettuce, onion and tomatoe, plus Sour Cream and Cholula Hot Sauce packets were offered on the side.
To their credit the tacos were overstuffed, and an extra tortilla was in the bottom to scrape up all the pieces that fell out to create a bonus taco. Even so, I don't think we'll be visiting this food truck again during our short stay here.
TUESDAY - Today we're going to hang around the campsite, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to explore and share with you all.
Early this morning, before sunrise, Tricia was out doing her 30-minute morning walk along the roadway that brought us into this recreation area.
Upon arriving back at the campsite she took these photos just as the sun began hitting the top of the rock formations behind our campsite.
THE POD is still mostly in shadow thanks to the large pile of rocks due east of our site.
Thankfully there were no overnight accidents and that balanced rock is still in the same place.
Probably the same place it's been for the last few thousand years.
Around mid-morning the campers on both sides of us packed up and left, leaving plenty of space for us to receive new neighbors today.
A short while later we had a visitor arrive and began eating lunch just beyond our picnic table.
The second to arrive wasn't shy at all, coming right up and looking into our windows.
Before long we had enough visitors to qualify as a small herd.
After lunch we decided to go on a short walk around the pile of rocks just east of our campsite.
INDIAN BREAD ROCKS
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This pile of rocks keeps our campsite shaded for 30-minutes after sunrise each day.
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All around this hillside are balanced rock formations.
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Some a little more unbalanced than others.
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Way off on the horizon you can just make out traffic on Interstate-10.
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Closer up was this big black beauty digesting his lunch.
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A little farther away was another young bull hiding in the brush.
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Not terribly exciting, but it was a good workout none the less.
WEDNESDAY - Yesterday when our neighbors left they mentioned they were headed just 28-miles north of here to their next campsite.
It too is a First-Come-First-Serve BLM managed campground, but it's not FREE like this one. It's a whopping $3 a night ($1.50 with the Senior Pass) for a campsite which includes bathrooms, garbage collection and believe it or not, two naturally heated hot tubs. The tubs are filled twice a day using a solar powered pump.
I know! Sounds too good to be true, so we had to go check them out.
Halfway between Bowie and Safford, AZ is where you'll find the Hot Well Dunes Rec Area.
The stone pathway from the parking lot to one of the hot tubs.
All this in the middle of the Arizona desert.
The solar powered pump is located in this building.
The trail goes through this wide valley up to Fort Bowie.
The trail is fairly easy to follow.
Sometimes there are irregular stairs to climb.
As long as you're spotting these trail markers you're on the right path.
There were also several benches where you could stop and enjoy the scenery.
Another long sotol bloom.
Must be still on the right track.
This was a long stretch out in the open.
Halfway there.
The fort's cemetery...
...where not only soldiers are buried, but wifes and children too.
Another rest stop along the trail.
Ruins of the first Fort Bowie location.
Watch where you walk, there's something sharp to stick you around every turn.
A reconstructed Apache Indian home.
The roof wasn't at all waterproof.
Time to start heading up again.
Apache Spring, the only source of fresh water for miles around.
Still heading up.
Not done yet.
Now that we've reached the top of the trail you can see how far you've come.
We must be getting close now.
Finally Tricia's first view of the Visitor Center...
...where the Ranger and I await her arrival from the front porch.
The front porch view of all that's left of Fort Bowie.
We'll need to cross this old footbridge to return to the parking lot.
A hillside filled with prickly pear cactus and a few ocotillo along the ridge.
This pile of rocks keeps our campsite shaded for 30-minutes after sunrise each day.
All around this hillside are balanced rock formations.
Some a little more unbalanced than others.
Way off on the horizon you can just make out traffic on Interstate-10.
Closer up was this big black beauty digesting his lunch.
A little farther away was another young bull hiding in the brush.
Not terribly exciting, but it was a good workout none the less.
