Located just 30 miles from Interstate 10 in AZ, Chiricahua National Monument is one of those little unknown "gems" in the park service. Tom and I had visited BF (before kids) in the early 90's and LOVED the place! The girls and I arrived Saturday afternoon, just in time to find a campsite in the Bonita Campground. We were so excited to get a site. All seemed very peaceful at first and then . . . . around 6 p.m. 8 Boy Scouts started running around screaming blood murder. The chaos lasted until 8 p.m. It was truely unblievable. The chaos began again this a.m at 6:45! What were the parents thinking? Oh, I guess they weren't.
We spent the afternoon hiking in the "Wonderland of Rocks." After driving to the top of the 8-mile scenic drive, spires, pinnacles, and balanced rocks surrounded us. The rocks were formed approx. 27 million years ago when an enormous volcano blew its top! All the hot ash and lava welded together into "tuff." As the rock cooled, cracks and joints appeared between the layers of ash. Slowly, erosion (wind, water, and ice) created the "Wonderland." The sunset was gorgeous at the viewpoint.
In the a.m., we got our stuff packed up by 7:30 a.m. (noise) and drove to a picnic area just a mile from the campground. After breakfast, we walked to the Faraway Ranch and toured the historic district. Abbey and Emily both said they would love to live along Bonita Creek!
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