Cochise Co. and the AmerInd Museum

We hung around this morning as we wanted to sit in on the informational meeting held by Jim and Anne on Cochise Co. and in particular the Dragoon Mountains which was Cochise's stronghold.

Our plans for the day after the meeting ended was to go to the AmerInd Foundation in the town of Dragoon that sits at the base of the Dragoon Mountains. The museum houses artwork and artifacts of the Southwest's Indian Tribes. The museum is also an archaeological/anthropological research facility on the American Indians. Jim told us that we should plan on a full day because there is so much to see. Knowing us, we thought three hours would be enough. We did find it interesting and they have some wonderful pieces of baskets, pottery, and other artifacts along with some interesting stories on how they came to the museum.

This is a shot of the Art Gallery Building that houses original art work by Indian artists. There is also an original Remington on display. No cameras were allowed in either building due to copyright issues or damage caused by flashes.

The museum is in Texas Canyon. The canyon appears to be nothing but big (huge) boulders everywhere you look.

This sign was on the Museum's grounds. Gotta say I didn't care for the message about the rattlesnakes. This whole canyon can't be anything but loaded with them. No hiking here for either of us.

The rock formations are beautiful and do offer a certain charm.
Looks like snake country doesn't it?
The museum admission is only $5 per person. The museum is worth going through if you are in the area.

Couple of easy going days

We had determined that we weren't going anywhere on Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day. It was a good thing or we would have missed the big goings on in the park. We were sitting outside noticing all the preparations going on in the site in front of us. We figured they were getting ready for a St. Patrick's Day party. Not so. They were preparing for a wedding. Yep, the couple in the Cruise Master RV were getting hitched. We were talking with our neighbor next door when this miner guy walked up to the party and started harassing the couple "gittin hitched". Much laughter rang out.

Then came walking the Earp brothers and Doc Holliday from Tombstone. Imagine our surprise!

The Earps and Doc Holiday also joined in with the miner asking the couple are you sure you want to get hitched? The bride is in the white blouse, sunglasses, and blondish hair. The groom is in the green shirt with brown cowboy hat.

Here is a nice shot of Doc Holiday looking right at us while the others pose with the bride.
Here is the groom with the judge settling up after the nuptials.

This is a shot of the vehicle that the judge drove up in. He and another gentleman was headed for the Chiricahua Mountains to set up these two water tanks. Interesting ride for a judge, we thought.

The main group of wedding attendees broke up around 4 p.m. The remaining group must have gone to town for dinner and further celebrating.

Wednesday was laid back just like Tuesday except we didn't have anything exciting happen like a wedding to watch.

A couple of days doing little to nothing was very relaxing and much needed.

Patagonia Lake State Park

We got up bright and early and headed to Patagonia Lake State Park to check out their birds and the lake for possible kayaking. The lake is roughly 50 miles southwest of the park were we are staying.

Once at the lake, we parked near the birding trail and had a nice conversation with one of the volunteers. As we walked the trail, this was the sight we first saw. Can you imagine tules in the desert?

Cows have access to the state park. This mom and son walked past us on the trail as they headed to the water for a drink. We were told that there are a lot of cow trails to follow throughout the park.

These are cormorants which are typically shorebirds. What the heck are they doing here in Southeast Arizona. Crazy isn't it?

Here is another nice shot of the lake. This week is spring break for the kids so the lake's campground was full of families camping. We decided we will wait until next week when the families head home before we get out on the lake like these two kayakers were today.

Can you believe this view is in the desert?
Or this one? Look at the beautiful ferns. Amazing.

As we were headed out, more cows passed us by. This little fella was so darn cute and was romping around with another calf as the two moms just kept heading for the water. We couldn't resist including his picture.

Here are some Cinnamon Teal and Green Wing Teal Ducks doing what ducks do.

I have saved the best for last. The sighting of this bird is the prime objective of many birders as its range barely extends into the United States. The name of the bird? The Elegant Trogon. This beautiful bird is related to the bird of the Maya emperor-gods, the Quetzal. We knew that the bird had been sighted at Patagonia Lake from a conversation with some birders here at the park on Saturday. In all honesty, we probably would have walked right by him if we hadn't come across a group of four birders who saw him. They graciously pointed him out to us so we got our proof of sighting. He is rather elegant looking isn't he? Click on the picture to enlarge for a closer view.

The one gentleman in the group had been birding for 24 years and he was amazing. We walked with them for a while as he/they pointed out different birds. The birder had a scope that he would set up quickly on the bird we were viewing. We were shown so many different types of birds that our heads were spinning. We really appreciated their generosity in sharing their knowledge with us. I think the only way one is ever going to get good at bird identification is to hang out with other birders. In this lifestyle, that may not be too difficult.

I really liked this picture John took. Simple but very pretty.

We saw deer, cows, lots of different birds (including hummingbirds) and the Elegant Trogan. It was a very productive day.

We tried to go to the Nature Conservancy's Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve in the town of Patagonia but they are closed on Monday and Tuesday. Oh well. As we were leaving Patagonia, we spotted this bird of prey sitting in the tree along the road. We believe it is a Swainson's Hawk; another new sighting for us.

We decided that there is still more to see around here so we will be signing up for another week come Wednesday. John and I both feel that we have been trying to cram in as much as possible since we arrived here on Wednesday and that we are both tired of the go, go, go. We plan on sticking close to home tomorrow to recharge our batteries.