THE BAYFIELD BUNCH RIDES INTO COCHISE COUNTY

DOING AN OVERNIGHTER BEHIND THE VISITOR CENTER IN SIERRA VISTA AZ.

We waffled back & forth for awhile this morning & then about 8 a.m. the decision finally came down. We would head for Sierra Vista in southeastern Arizona. Didn't take us long to pack things up because we hadn't put the solar panels up or the awning & mat out. Said good-bye to Bren & Bob & away we went.What an exceptionally beautiful morning it was with warm temps, a few cloud skiffs, light breeze, & plenty of sunshine. Always a twinge of excitement in the air for me when setting out for unknown new vistas & adventures. I like to be on the move & mornings is a great time to be moving.

It was Sunday and the traffic was lite as we approached Tucson from the north on I-10. In early December while heading west we had really got tangled up in the construction chaos along the I-10 corridor so I didn't want that to happen to us again so figured Sunday morning was the best time to run the gauntlet. I figured right as the traffic was very light & we had no problems at all. Except.......we suddenly got snagged by another Cracker Barrel:)) And how do we justify two Cracker Barrels in less than a week?? Well, here's how we do it. We never get desert & we don't buy coffee. That brings the bill in around $16. We rarely eat all the food so always take a bowser bag back to the rig & that usually ends up being our supper later on as well which in effect, kinda cuts the bill in half. Also, in this case we may not see another Cracker Barrel to well on into March sometime.....therefore an exception was made & we did two CB's in a week. Now, how's that for some pretty smart Senior logic........:))

Climbed off I-10 at Benson following highway 90 south to Sierra Vista. The directions we had were to follow the blue signs leading to the visitor center. Some sites were behind the center & other sites were somewhere in the area. Found the visitor center but being it was Sunday we found it closed. Pulled around back looking for the RV sites. Didn't find the sites but found a sign saying the RV section had been closed since April of 2005. Guess our direction information was a tad old. The area was very spacious so we just decided to park here for the night anyway. We'll check into the visitor center when it opens in the morning at 8.

VISITOR CENTER ON LEFT

Looking forward to spending over a month in this general area because there is a lot to see & do. This is what it says in one of the brochures......"Prepare to enjoy more history per square mile than you can find in most places in the United States. You will find that our history is that which you've read about, play acted as a child and thrilled to in the cool darkness of your hometown theaters. It encompasses the famous like Wyatt Earp, Cochise and Geronimo." The area is also a huge birding region & is hailed as the Hummingbird capital of the United States. There are ghost towns here, many canyons to explore, trails to hike. Cochise's stronghold where the Indian Chief is supposedly buried somewhere. Geronimo's Skeleton canyon where he was finally captured. Yes, we are going to be busy. And the old west history goes on & on & on.

Two years ago we had passed through this area while traveling from Columbus New Mexico to points further west. We did an overnight stop in Tombstone but that was about it & the next day we were rolling again. Here are some photos I took over a 2 day period as we approached & finally stopped for the night in Tombstone. We were driving a truck & fifth wheel at the time. http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/THURSDAYDEC28 http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/FRIDAYDEC29

Looking forward to our new adventures:))

No photos for the web album to-night.......but soon!!

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/