Wowed by the grandeur of Mother Nature and a sight not to be missed.
Thursday, Feb 23rd we sloshed our way out of Catalina SP and headed to Kartchner Caverns SP, a mere 70 miles down the road. The drive should have taken less than 2 hours. Ha! Between attempting to avoid Tucson rush hour traffic, the entanglements of driving on secondary roads, and a canine crew member who wasn’t all that happy about any of this benign excitement and needed a couple of breaks along the way…well it was several hours later before we finally made it to our destination. We are so glad we bested the challenges; this place is beautiful!
Kartchner Caverns State Park is small by comparison to many and has well spaced, mostly flat, paved sites with the usual power and water. The scenery is striking in all directions and the walk to the adjacent Visitor Welcoming Centre and the cavern tours and gift shop is short. There are also several walking trails around and near to the park. Almost every site had from 1-3, mostly large and some with attitude, dogs. The constant dog walkers and their companions made for good watching material. Our Maddie (there was another Maddie there too) was well behaved and enjoyed the ‘watching’ as much as we did. Paula, the Park Host was delightful and welcoming - much more so than any other Park Host we’ve met.
The weather continued to confound. The sun was warm when you could find a place out of the wind. The wind was cold…no other way to describe it. This year has been quite unique, weather wise (read that cold, wet and windy); and so it continues. I’ll stop whining now but suffice to say the weather gods are demanding a strong sense of humour this season! While here we experienced strong winds, driving hail, blowing snow, and brilliant sun.
It’s time to apologize for the timing of the blog posts. Along with weather frustrations we have had poor connectivity which delays not only sending the posts but also writing and preparing them. Hence the delays and my apologies. Some have expressed concern when they don’t hear from us. Don’t. We are fine and making the most of our destinations and activities.
Now to the amazing caverns. We toured them both, one per day. Each cavern has its own attributes and the story of the two men who discovered them (just a few years ago in the late 1960’s) is very interesting. The tour guides are super knowledgeable and dedicated to the care and maintenance of the fragile cavern eco system. We heard a joke being told and I’ll share it with you. “What’s the difference between a cave and a cavern? Answer: You have to pay to see the cavern.” Well these caverns were worth the cost. Do see them if you’re ever in the area. Sorry, no photos. Cameras not allowed.
Must go now… we are in the #&!?#! ‘New’ Arizona State Park reservation system trying to book for next year. Do not try this alone! Or without some form of numbing agent (eg Rum)… it’s awful and I think we’re about to give up. Hope all is well with each of you. Signing off now and hitting ‘ Send’. CJ
