Chiricahua National Monument

Love this place!  Mike and I visited Chiricahua last time we were in the area a year and a half ago,  we only had time for one hike and vowed to come back.  You will be seeing a lot more of this beautiful area!

The hike we did yesterday was low as the wind was quite cold;)  We did the canyon hike.  The awesome rock formations will wait for next week when, hopefully, the weather will be a bit more accommodating.  But this was lovely and watching the deer run around us as we hiked:

saw several woodpeckers....

see the deer in the meadow?

they wanted to check us out as much as we wanted to check them out!

Just Exploring...and a stop at Zarpara Winery

We drove out into the desert to see if we could find any roads up into the Dragoon Mtns. near us.  The cattle we came across found us interesting and we certainly thought they were;)

they were more interested in checking us out than moving from the road

a lot of these cows had horns....

this one very interesting.........

and this one must have lost one somewhere

many thanks to this beautiful Red Tail for posing for me...

just beautiful!!!

when we drove back by the cows, they were enjoying their Thanksgiving pumpkin I think:)

this calf was more interested in us but the pumpkin on her nose told us she had already had her share

We saw the sign for Zarpara Winery and thought we should stop for a taste...

the winery dog leads us to the door....

had a nice chat with Rhona while we enjoyed their wines....

setting sun on the vineyards

 

Willcox, AZ

Arrived in Willcox, AZ, yesterday afternoon and will be here for the next month.  So far it's been rain, rain, and more rain!  But the moisture is needed right??

Today, as it was raining, we decided to check out a few of the local wineries, yep, they have several here in the area.  Passion was our first stop and we had a nice chat with Cory there.  As it was pouring, I was concerned with getting in and out of the winery without too much wet and totally forgot pics!

Then it was off to downtown historic Willcox where we visited Leaping Frog which is located in an old historic building that used to be a saloon.  In fact, the youngest brother of Wyatt Earp was shot and killed there in 1900.....and a distant cousin of Wyatt Earp, Karina, now works the tasting room in that same building!!

After that, we drove over to Coronado Vineyards.  We had visited them the last time we were in the area staying in Benson, AZ, and thought they served dinner.  Looking for a place to celebrate Mike's upcoming birthday.  They no longer serve dinner but we did have a nice time there talking to Kara, Martha and Susie.

train depot in Willcox

Karina is a distant cousin of Wyatt Earp! He was her grandfathers cousin!

Martha, Kara, and Susie at Coronado Vineyards

Truth or Consequences

Yesterday, we did a 3 mile walking/hiking tour of TorC.  Along the walk we stopped and spent some time in the Military Museum and walked along the replica of the Vietnam Memorial which is now housed there after it toured the country.  Very poignant.

We also walked by some of the spas and resorts which house hot springs that the town is known for and got to check out one art gallery which was actually open during the week;)  A very eclectic little town.  We've had a very nice time here and look forward to our trip tomorrow and our next adventure in Wilcox, AZ!