The next leg of the trip took us from Rusty’s RV Ranch in Rodeo, NM, to Whitewater Draw near McNeal, AZ. As a result of the short drive, we arrived via a few miles of dusty gravel roads just as they began returning from their morning feeding.

Located in southeastern Arizona, Whitewater Draw is a major roost site for Sandhill Cranes, Arizona Game and Fish Department currently manages Whitewater Draw for waterfowl, cranes, and other wetland associated birds. Each winter Whitewater Draw offers memorable sights and sounds of more than 20,000 sandhill cranes. These birds spend the night standing in Whitewater Draw’s shallow waters to evade predators, and then fly out each morning about sunrise to feed and socialize in the surrounding area. They begin returning to Whitewater Draw about 11 AM, continuing into the afternoon and evening.

It didn’t take long to capture the amazing sights of the cranes coming in for a landing, often flying in “V” formation. And the sound was a cacophony of squeaks, cries, otherwise “obnoxious” sounds.

Because this area is so far off the beaten path, dry camping is a must; usually no problem for us. However, the inverter refused to work, negating power from the batteries to the receptacles. The generator bailed us out and allowed us to use all the outlets and appliances, exspecially for heat and keeping the batteries charged..

Today, we drove the road to Paradise to capture a couple of landscapes in the morning light. Yesterday, an arch was observed at the top of one of the rhyolite mountains, and this morning a smaller arch next to the larger arch could be seen. 

A final 200-yard hike to a scenic viewpoint afforded seemingly different views of the same mountains that were photographed previously. This is, in my opinion, the Zion National Park of Arizona, and just as pretty as the Zion NP in Utah.

Tomorrow, we depart for Whitewater Draw, Arizona.