This post is for the second day of our trip to southern Arizona. We planned on going to Huachuca Canyon. It is on the Fort Huachuca Army base, so we have to get a pass to get onto the base in order to go to the canyon. We decided to get the pass on the first day so we would be ready to go Wednesday morning. We drove from Madera Canyon to Fort Huachuca, and were informed that all of the canyons on the base were closed due to fire danger. This was a disappointment because we were looking forward to Huachuca Canyon.
We stayed in the Clarion Inn, formerly known as the Sierra Suites. This is where we usually stay. The rate was reasonable, the room was good, and they had a nice breakfast (eggs, ham, potatoes, etc). We had dinner at the Olive Garden, which had a good vegan option.
Unfortunately, with Huachuca Canyon out, we had to decide on a plan B. We could go to the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (RNCA), or go to Miller Canyon, which is in the Huachuca Mountains, but not on Fort Huachuca, or we could go to both places. We decided on the San Pedro River.
We got there early, so the weather was nice in the shade of the trees by the river. But, it heated up pretty quickly, and was hot by the time we were hiking out. There were lots of birds there, but no good photographic opportunities. Also, the flash on my camera quit working, and I rely on the flash to get good lighting in the shady environment. In hindsight, Miller Canyon may have been a better choice.
I didn’t get a single photograph that I liked, but I’m posting a few anyway. The Gilded Flicker is only found in Arizona and Mexico, and is a cousin of the more widespread Northern Flicker. The female Varied Bunting isn’t a good shot, but it’s my first photo of a Varied Bunting, which, in North America, is also unique to southern Arizona and a little bit of Texas (it’s more common in Mexico).
We got done with our hike at about 1:00, and decided not to make the trek to Miller Canyon at that point. So we headed home.
The San Pedro River was a beautiful spot, and we had fun, despite the lack of any good photos.
