Arizona’s Willow Tank has been one of the best bird watching sites in the Portal/Rodeo area outside of Cave Creek Canyon. It was our first stop. The one acre pond yielded Ring-necked Ducks, and Dan was able to photograph a family of White-collared Peccaries (Javelina). 

Landscape photography was the target for the rest of the morning and mid-day. A drive up Cave Creek Canyon yielded incredible views of the rugged rhyolite mountains. The subtle hues of tan, pink, green, and yellow were almost breathtaking. The sun did not rise over the canyon walls until near noon further muting the canyon colors. A short hike in the foothills provided a different view at each turn of the trail.

The road to Paradise zigzagged upward on the switchbacks through the high desert mountain roads. We reached the George Walker House at Paradise near noon, and began observing the Mexican Jays flying in and out of the feeding station area. House Finches and Lesser Goldfinches were gorging on the seeds that had fallen to the ground. A Spotted Towhee and Yellow-rumped Warbler were seen among the shadows near the watering area. And lastly, an Arizona Woodpecker arrived near the suet on the old tree standing guard near the house.

Following the visit to Paradise, we returned to Cave Creek Ranch and photographed a few new birds including Cedar Waxwings, Nuthatches, and White-winged Doves.

Hoping the Elegant Trogan would make another appearance in the Pyracantha Shrub, we waited patiently. Sure enough, at or near 2:50 PM, the same time as the day before, the young male made an appearance, and offered a close, open pose. I’m a happy camper now.

After early morning photo editing, we crossed the border into Arizona and the town of Portal. Some of the best birding in the United States is in the Chiricahua Mountains, Portal, and at Cave Creek Ranch. According to Richard Cachor Taylor’s Location Checklist to the Birds of the Chiricahua Mountains, “…the Chiricahua checklist presently stands at 375 species, not including 13 species still considered hypothetical — about half of all the birds regularly occurring on this continent north of Mexico.”This area is the most biodiverse landmass on the continent of North America, and the bird life reflects that. Cave Creek Canyon is the largest and best watered canyon in the Chiricahuas, and Cave Creek Ranch sits in the mouth of the canyon.

Our first stop was at the Rodriguez place, hoping to find birds galore to photograph. Mr. Rodriguez was at the feeding area when we arrived, and said that most of “his” birds left a couple of months ago. While we saw Gambel’s Quail, an occasional Mexican Jay, and a Pyrrhuloxia (aka Desert Cardinal), birds were scarce, no photos were made and processed. Next, Cave Creek Canyon beckoned, and the mountains, evergreens, and high desert proved once again that it was my “”happy place. Stops were made along the road where Dan had spotted birds on his previous trips. Birds were scarce; only an Acorn Woodpecker, American Snout butterfly, and Gould’s Turkey were photographed.

Cave Creek Ranch was next on the itinerary. From their website: “Located in the Chiricahua Mountains of Southeastern Arizona, Cave Creek Ranch occupies 7 secluded acres alongside famous Cave Creek, and offers spectacular views of the rhyolite cliffs of Cave Creek Canyon.” Birds were scarce here, too. An Acorn Woodpecker and White-winged Dove made the photo album. 

And then about 2:50 PM, this beautiful, brightly colored bird swooped in to feed on the Pyracantha berries. It was the Elegant Trogan, a bird I’ve been chasing for three years. The elusive bird did not pose long enough for a good photograph, but the “lifer” was recorded. What a way to end the day.

The early morning pre-sunrise shadows added an extra dimension to the dunes. It was cold outside, but the dunes beckoned one last time. 

We were on the road by 9 AM, headed west on I-20. The topography began changing once we were past the Permian Basin. The “hills” and bit more vegetation were a welcome change. We merged with I-10 and crossed into Mountain Standard Time near Van Horn, Texas. The topography drastically changed after we traveled through El Paso shortly after noon, with the hills becoming steep, craggy mountains, generally free of vegetation. Pistachio orchards began appearing and continued as we crossed into southwestern New Mexico. Near the New Mexico/Arizona border, we turned south toward our first target destination, Rusty’s RV Ranch in Rodeo, New Mexico, arriving at about 5 PM. The remainder of the evening was spent setting up, and enjoying the New Mexico sunset.

After hugs and kisses with Kay, I picked up Dan and his traveling and photography gear at 7 AM Friday, and we drove to the RV Storage facility. We successfully finished loading the motorhome, hooked up the “old” Honda CRV, and began our photography odyssey. We stopped for “expensive” fuel a couple times along the way, and arrived at Coffee Creek RV Resort in Santo, TX, about 3:30 PM. The 400+ mile trip was uneventful.

We departed Coffee Creek about 8 AM on Saturday, driving 300+ miles into a headwind all day, reaching Monahans Sandhills State Park mid-afternoon. Attempts to make reservations online or via telephone were fruitless, but we lucked into a pull through space near where I parked last year, completely surrounded by moderate sand dunes in the middle of the west Texas oilfields in the Permian Basin. Cameras and tripods in hand, the dunes proved difficult on which to walk! Nevertheless, we each made several photographs, particularly as the sun sank low on the horizon.

The days Sunday through Friday were spent on the golf course, pickleball courts, monthly book club meeting, and doctor’s office. With only a few days left before winter golf conditions, we’re both trying to play as much as possible. And, we are both so far behind in our pickleball endeavors, that we’ll both have to start afresh. The doctor’s appointment was a wellness visit, and it seems like everything is okay, except for my getting older!

On Saturday, we welcomed Jenny, Harper, Linc, and Sutton for a long awaited visit. Though we see them somewhat regularly, it’s most often in Memphis; this is the family’s first trip to visit us since March 2020 when the world essentially stopped because of COVID. Coincidentally, it was only Linc’s second trip and Sutton’s first. We had a great time, and all the kids really enjoy spending time outdoors. Harper continues to grow like a weed, and is over 5 feet tall; she’s only nine. Linc is in the 90+ percentile in size, looking like a miniature fullback—and strong as one, as well. Sutton is the quiet and contemplative one, definitely a momma’s girl, though she did let KK and DD hug on her a bit. We ate the usual “banana pannas” (banana pancakes) for breakfast, and the two younger ones drank lots of milk.

Prior to their arrival, Kay had erected several Christmas trees with lights, and the kids managed well, except for Linc wanting to turn the lights on and off! Kay and Harper spent some girls time together on Sunday shopping, and Harper and I hiked the Beaver Dam trail in the Village on Monday with Harper taking a number of photos with a “big” camera; she is going to be an extraordinary photographer is she can spend more time with DD. Here are a few of her photos.

It was so good to spend more than just a few hours with them, but we reluctantly said goodbye Tuesday morning as they drove back home. We’ll get to see them again during the Christmas holidays.

Tuesday afternoon Dan and I grocery shopped for our early departure to Arizona (we’ll spend a couple of weeks making pictures in southeast Arizona), and Wednesday, Kay and I continued packing for my early departure and our winter stay in Arizona. 

Thanksgiving Thursday was celebrated with Kay’s family, and all of her grandkids were there (minus bonus granddaughter Jordan). We feasted on all the usual Thanksgiving delights. Cheryl’s family also attended. Early afternoon found us returning home to finish packing the RV for the long journey to Arizona.

This time of year marks the end of fall as we know it, even though winter doesn’t officially begin until December 21. First and foremost is the weather. Seemingly, it doesn’t begin getting “cold” now until the second week of November. When we were kids, it began getting cold, or at least cooler, in mid-October or at least that’s what memory serves. Now, daylight savings time ends, and it gets darker earlier and lighter later (by the clock.) And then, golf courses begin changing as fairway grasses become dormant, the rough is allowed to grow, sand traps are packed by occasional rains, and the greens become rocket fast. Also, men’s and women’s golf leagues suspend for the winter, and pickleball becomes “iffy” because of cold and wet conditions. For us “macro” photographers, there is an absence of suitable natural subjects as birds haven’t settled in, butterflies migrate or seek warmer environments, dragonflies vanish, and wildflowers and mushrooms disappear. Also, soccer season for the grandkids is over for the year.

In that vane, we attended Ridge’s last two soccer games on Saturday. Despite his team not doing so well, he played great all season, and improved significantly. Central Standard Time returned to this area early Sunday morning, and threw us into a “jet lag” mode for a couple of days. Golf and golf related activities were the major attractions for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. That same week, a long overdue dental cleaning and X-rays appointment occurred on Tuesday, and Kay “hosted” the HSV Lady Duffers Fall Luncheon on Thursday; this was a major effort requiring many hours and days of work. Except for a medical appointment (Kay), Friday was quiet and absent any excitement. However, I did replace the “house” or “coach” batteries in the motorhome. The old ones thankfully lasted six years.

It’s also this time of year when preparations are made for winter travel and migration to a warmer area. On Saturday, the motorhome was moved out of storage to the HSV RV park for packing, restocking, and cleaning. Kay made short work of packing and organizing our winter things. I spent Saturday evening in the coach to make sure everything worked and cleaned dust and debris that had accumulated over the summer. A few remaining items were transferred to the coach and Kay essentially completed packing and restocking Sunday after church.

Kay and I went out to breakfast Wednesday morning, something we don’t do often enough. And then, it was back home for blog updating and photo editing for me while Kay joined the Wednesday afternoon ladies golf group for nine holes. 

Dr. Jeffrey Tauth gave me a good bill of health, heart wise, at the semiannual visit on Thursday. Last year about this time, he was inserting a couple of stents in my arteries. All the fatty foods and cholesterol intake from mom’s great cooking caught up with me about 7 years ago, and I still don’t have what it takes to lose weight; shame on me! Afterwards, golf at Isabella’s Santa Maria nine proved just good enough to escape buying the beer. Tom Noble, Don Baggett, and Steve Seitz were my playing partners, and it was great fun. I sure enjoy being around this group of guys.

On Friday, Kay spent a good part of the day at the Glitz and Garland Christmas sale in Benton and Dan and I returned to the Ouachita Trail at mile marker 192 (Arkansas Highway 9 east to Pinnacle Mountain State Park) to photograph mushrooms.

The mushroom hunting season is about over with cold weather and hunting season coming. The following is a slideshow of the various mushrooms photographed. Just click on the right or left arrow to advance.

And, here is my favorite photo for the day.

The hike yesterday was really good. Fall may be my favorite time of year, though it seems to come later each successive year. Monday was golf day for me, followed by bridge at the Morris’. Bridge is so much fun when you get good cards, but Kay is a ferocious player so beware when she is your opponent. Regrettably, we don’t play well together, but tonight was an exception. And, for some reason, Jackie and I play well together, but tonight was an exception; it’s all about the cards. Jim is the luckiest player in the world, and seemingly gets great hands every week.

Having seen some of the iPhone photos of mushrooms taken on Sunday, Dan and I returned to the Ouachita Trail Tuesday afternoon with the big cameras, macro lenses, and tripods to capture the subtle colors and textures of the various species of mushroom. We were not disappointed.