Chiricahua photo

Check out this great photo of some of the formations at Chiricahua National Monument. Kudos to the photographer, Laurent for his patience at getting this shot in the rain!

Have you posted any? If so, let us know. Post a comment and a link below!

Wordless Wednesday: desert shrine

Photo (c) Luanne Mattson

Birders’ social networking site

I searched for birding on twitter.com the other day and found a social networking site for birders that is in its beginning stages. The site’s developer is @aviatlas and said this in a tweet (that’s twitter talk for an entry on the site):

“This is an emerging, independent project documenting birding hotspots around the world. All content is created by members of the website.“

If you are a birder, I would love to get your thoughts on the site. A couple of birding hotspots like the Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, Portal and Leslie Canyon (among others), need updated content. Birders who are planning to go to Wings Over Willcox have an opportunity to share their thoughts and experiences while there!

If you update the site, please share your thoughts about it by posting a comment below!

Travel: on- or off-season?

I’ve found an interesting discussion about on- or off-season travel. Would any of you Cochise County travelers like to comment?

Follow this link to post a reply, see what others are saying or just stay here and comment below!

Wordless Wednesday

Fort Bowie National Historic Site. Copyright Luanne Mattson

So many cool things are on the Internet, and I think this is one of them! Someone started a blog called “Wordless Wednesday.” It’s a chance to share photographs.

Here’s how it works: you take a photo, post it and then add a link of your to the Wordless Wednesday blog. I looked at a bunch of posts today, and there were quite a few people who couldn’t help but comment on their photos. I’m commenting on this just because I wanted to explain it to you.

In the future,  I’ll just post a picture. Enjoy!

Wings Over Willcox birding festival update

Tickets are still available for Wings Over Willcox, Jan. 14-18, 2009.

The Wings Over Willcox site has participant information (what to wear, where to meet, etc.), online registration, a species list of birds seen at previous festivals and more. Early bird registration is Dec. 31, 2008.

If you’re an avid birder or just want to learn, this is a cool festival to attend. Southeastern Arizona has some fantastic places to view them. The area is a migratory path that sandhill cranes and other species use.

The Arizona Daily Star recently had an article by Doug Kreutz about how you also get great exercise when you go birding. So, birding is a win-win activity!

For information on places to stay, you can call the Willcox Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-200-2272 or 520-384-2272.

Birders: how many on your life list?

I saw a survey on a blog yesterday and wanted to share with my fellow Cochise County residents and visitors. It asks how many birds are on your life list.

Take the survey! Then come back and tell us about any rare birds you’ve spotted in Cochise County. Want to check out some of the county’s birding hot spots. Visit the birding section of the site to find more!

P.S. You might want to see my post from earlier this month about Wings Over Willcox. It’s an annual birding and nature festival that happens every January. There are plenty of opportunities to see birds–rare and common!

Chiricahua hiking weekend

My hike in the Chiricahua National Monument this weekend was amazing. Michelle and I braved the wind. We did the Echo Canyon loop trail. I hiked this same trail a couple of years ago. It still amazes me every time I see these rock formations. These are a couple of the pictures we took.

Photo (c) Luanne Mattson

This one looks like it’s going to fall on Michelle, but it has probably been like that for thousands of years!

Echo Canyon Loop trail in Chiricahua National Monument

Check out this and other trails. The map on the Cochise County website shows you where they are located. The big green area on the right side of the map shows the Chiricahua Mountains. The National Monument is on the northern edge of the range. The Apaches called this mountain range the “land of the standing up rocks.”

Cochise Stronghold sunset

Friday afternoon, my friend Michelle and I hiked just a bit in Cochise Stronghold in the Coronado National Forest. We only had time to hike for about an hour. After we finished, we were heading into Willcox for dinner. We saw this sunset in the rear view mirror.

Gorgeous!

Cochise Stronghold sunset

The photo was taken as we headed east on Ironwood Road. I snapped it with my cell phone camera, so it doesn’t do it justice. Next time I’ll make sure my camera is charged properly!

This place is called Cochise Stronghold because the great Apache leader, Cochise, used to hide out among the gigantic boulders. Once you get on the trail, you can imagine how he could have found some great places to hide!

The trail is in Cochise County, about 90 minutes from Tucson. It’s a great hike, and if you time it right, you might get to witness a great sunset like we did!

Mmmm… Chocolate!

Say this in your best Homer Simpson voice. CHOCOLÁTE, Spirited Artisan Chocolate, will open this weekend in Bisbee. This new shop will feature hand made chocolates! Is there anything better? Maybe wine… but I digress.

On Saturday, December 13 from 5-9 p.m., CHOCOLÁTE will hold its grand opening. The shop is located at 134 Tombstone Canyon Road, Bisbee. It’s just down the road from the Iron Man sculpture if you’re familiar with Bisbee.

I’m going to be there. Will you?