| |
| West Turkey Creek-Chiricahua, AZ | |
|
| | West Turkey Creek-Chiricahua, AZ | | | |
|
|
West Turkey Creek-Chiricahua, AZ
| | |
|
| Scenic Drive | |
|
| | Scenic Drive | | | | |
| | | |
| |
| Linked |
|
none
[ show ]
| no linked trail guides |
| Partners |
|
none
[ show ]
| no partners | | It was back to the Chiricahua Mountains to visit another place I like, with tons of memories of adventures past. West Turkey Creek and Sycamore Campground to be specific. It is such a fun (assuming you don't run into any traffic problems) 120 mile drive from Tucson. Take the Dragoon exit at Texas Canyon and proceed over to US 191 and then southbound through Sunsites to Sunizona. Hey, if you have to wait for a train to pass at Dragoon, so be it, as trains are cool. It still amazes me that gas is not available at Sunsites anymore, but if you need some the store at Sunizona will bail you out.  When you reach to point where AZ 181 turns north to head for Chiricahua National Monument, keep going straight on the Turkey Creek Road (this is where the pavement ends) It is about 10 miles to reach the end of the road. There are forest service leases and private property in this section, so the road is kept in good condition. This is absolutely one of my favorite drives from Tucson when I need to de-stress from the insanity of our urban existence!
I didn't camp this trip, just out to see how things were. Kind of like an annual thing. Like so many places affected by fire, the campground lacks the charm of its earlier versions. No matter, still good. But I would be lying to you if I said the 2011 Horseshoe 2 Fire didn't detract from the experience there. But let's face it, that is true of so many of our beloved places in the southwest. 
I decided to make a loop drive back to Tucson, so headed down to McNeal and then over to Tombstone, where I stopped for a cold one at Tombstone Brewing Company. This was only my second stop there, and I was pleased to see they are doing just fine.  It's a good thing I didn't look up at the sky when I walked out of there, or I might have seen those wild mammatus clouds, and decided to spend the night in Tombstone and wait for potential late night thunderstorms to roll in. 
So, it was about when I reached the San Pedro River at Fairbank when I spotted the sky show to the southeast. Wow! First chance I got to park for photos I did. Turns out some really heavy weather hit parts of the area after I left. Monsoon madness rules! So cool. The day started out quiet, but that just goes to show you how things can change. 
I will go back to camp at Sycamore sometime this summer, but will pick a time when there is a break in the storm action.
Turkey Creek looking good: [ youtube video ] |
|
Wildflowers Observation Light
|
|
| _____________________
| | | |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Route Editor
Route Scout
