December 3-4, 2022 Willcox, Arizona

 53, cloudy and very rainy. We haven't seen a good rain in a long time, it was nice. 

We woke up to rain. The bus was surrounded by quail this morning. These guys were hanging out on the fence in front. 

The clouds were draped over the mountains to the east. We went to the Rex Allen Arizona Cowboy museum this afternoon. Rex started out with a radio show, then went into movies. He even gave Roy Rogers his start. His first guitar was this mail order children's guitar. A few of the many movies he was in.

We took the tour of the museum. The first thing the lady did was take our photo in front of the Rex Allen painting. Some of /Rex Allen's outfits and fancy boots he wore while performing. The green on to the right was the outfit he wore every year in the Rex Allen Days parade and festival here in Willcox. 

                                           

Also at the museum is the Willcox  Cowboy hall of fame. These were real cowboys in real life from around the area. Willcox, Arizona the Cattle Capital of the world.

It must not rain here much, there were no sewers to drain the water off the streets. Lots of splashing cars on the roads. Big bull in front of the Train car BBQ, Willcox Traders- Buy, Sell and Trade-ask about our baby goats, In front of a local antique store- For Sale- Dead peoples stuff, Rix's Tavern- Cocktails and Steaks, U-cook-em and a map of southern Arizona. Willcox is the star- You are here on the right side. 

Kelvin-Helmholtz wave like clouds. A really sweet rig in the campground. It is a huge deluxe 5th wheel pulled by a matching tractor.

We went out to watch sandhill cranes come in to roost tonight, but because of the weather they went elsewhere tonight. Cool clouds by the lake. 

A few cranes flew by right over the low cloud layer. As it got cooler and darker the clouds flowed down the valleys. 

High of 54 today and it rained hard all day. About 1,000 cranes flew overhead near the end of the day. We drove out to the lake to see if they went there, but they did not. So this is as close as I got today for photos. 

December 1-2, 2022, Faywood Hot Springs, New Mexico to Willcox, Arizona

 High of 64 and sunny. 

Another lovely day soaking in the hot springs. Very relaxed. Sunset tonight. Not many clouds. 

Cool mountains near the border of New Mexico. Welcome to Arizona, the Grand Canyon State. 

We passed a lot of signs for the Continental Divide Gift shop/gas station. The Continental divide trail starts on thr border of Mexico just south of here and passes right by the gift shop. And signs for the THING. We stopped at the Thing last year and it is a huge gift shop, gas station etc with a small museum about aliens and the Thing is a mummy in the last exhibit.  We are now at the  Cattle Rest RV park and saloon in Willcox, Arizona. 

It was 75 and sunny so I sat outside and glued some of the pieces of glass I made right before I left Fort Collins. I figured I could save time by gluing the findings on once I was on the road. This is day two of gluing, and I still have a long way to go to finish them. We went to the ponds by the golf course to watch sandhill cranes come in for the night. Dos Cabeza mountain over the lake. 

We could hear and see cranes flying in, but they were not stopping at this lake. Sunset over the lake. 

Sunset over the lake. We found a pond right next to this one that the cranes were in. 

Sandhill cranes flying to roost for the night in this lake. 

Christmas lights in Railroad park in downtown Willcox. Willcox is the hometown of Rex Allen a famous country western singer and movie star. Here is his statue in the park lite up for Christmas. The statue is bronze and hollow. Inside is a brass heart, since he said his heart was always in Willcox. 

Since the Cattle Rest RV park and saloon is a Harvest Host site, we can stay for a discount, but we have to buy something. So we headed into the old west saloon for a drink. It was a real old-time western saloon. As we arrived a fight was just wrapping up and the fighters were being kicked out. Felt like the old west. It was pretty quiet while we had our drinks. 

November 30, 2022 Gila Cliff Dwellings, New Mexico

 61 and partly sunny.

Our friend Bev took us to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. This is a map of the cliff dwellings built in 6 caves on the cliff face. Cave 3, 4 and 5 are connected inside the cliff. The dwellings are on the left side of this mesa. 

Bev and John on the trail up to the cliff dwellings. Three of the caves with cliff dwellings 

Gila Cliff dwellings. 

Inside  the cliff dwellings looking out. Gila Cliff Dwellings. 

Gila Cliff Dwellings. Me coming down one of the ladders. 

Two pictographs in the Gila Cliff Dwellings, crescent  wheat grass, agave, a peacock at the hot springs we are camped at, a raven drinking from the dog water bowl at the visitors center and a lizard. There were three lizards there, but by the time I got my photo two had run into a crack in the cliff. Alligator juniper bark, I love this sign telling us exactly how many stairs we had to climb to get to the cliff dwellings, beware of rattlesnakes, and Anasazi corn cobs in the cliff dwellings. The ranger said the pack rats bring the out of the walls. 

Another dwelling along a scorpion creek. These are pictographs that are hard to see with the dappled shade and the uneven rock surface. 

These T shaped doors are common on Anasazi dwellings further to the north, a dragon fountain at the Gila Hot Springs camp ground, the Continental Divide Trail runs through here and a pictograph. More pictographs from the large panel. 

Rock sculpture in front of the dramatic hoo doos at the Gila Hot Springs campground. One of the pools at the Gila Hot Springs campground.

Another nice hot pool at the Gila Hot Springs Campground. Lake Roberts. 

Bev cooked us a nice dinner at her house before we headed back. These are her cats having dinner. Sunset from Bev's deck.