Rolling back into a forest with larger trees was emotionally soothing and allowed me to check off National Treasure #48 on my quest list, with #49 and an interesting museum close by.
After a wonderful visit to the Tucumcari National Historic Park, I was craving some good Mexican food. While I haven't had the best luck in Arizona, I knew this place would be tasty.
When I returned to the force Road near Amado, I was happy to find that the exact same camp spot was available and someone made it even easier to back in than last time.
While this wasn't exactly my original plan, returning to one of my favorite places in the Arizona desert provided me with the isolation I needed to work on a major website project.
I was a little bit apprehensive about leaving the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and heading south of Tucson. The weather had once again turned windy, cold, and uncomfortable.
Needing a place to tuck away for the weekend and get some work done before I headed south of Tucson, I found a great isolated area with good Internet and no one else nearby.
Talk about finding a perfect place to camp while I visited the Oregon Pipe Cactus National Monument! This BLM area was about perfect for what I needed, and the weather was great.
On an evening, where I was not expecting the sky to produce much of a sunset I was treated to quite a surprise while I was FaceTime with my oldest son in the evening.
As the evening began to set in, the wispy clouds in the sky hinted that we might be in for a spectacular sunset, so I headed into the desert in an attempt to capture its beauty.
I meandered into the Sonoran desert from my campsite and did something I hadn't done before, even though I've camped in this area several times and often wandered the desert.
Just like last year, the weather refused to cooperate south of Tucson, and I headed further west into one of my favorite places from last winter and found an even better camping spot.
While I was out taking an evening walk, I decided to try to capture some southwestern sunset photos. Mother Nature wasn't as cooperative this evening as she is some evenings.
Hanging out in the Ironwood Forest National Monument and heading into town gave me a few opportunities to snap a few fun pictures of beautiful sunsets and enjoy some sweets.
After kick-ass day of visiting The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures and errands done, I found a good spot to spend the next week or so with cactuses nearby.
I needed a place to stay near Biosphere 2, where I could refill water containers and take a long, hot shower. I stopped here and got one of the few spots available next to the office.
While visiting Besh-Ba-Gowah, I was chatting with the young lady in the gift shop and ask her to recommend a good Mexican restaurant in Globe. I'm happy she sent me to Miami!
After two brutally long days of driving, I was thrilled to pull into this piece of BLM land and discover some wonderful campsites with tons of cactuses, beautiful views, and privacy.
During what seemed like a long stretch of driving, I suddenly came upon an unexpected descent into a canyon that had some very stunning and spectacular views.
Man, I'm telling you, it felt really, really good to be crossing into Arizona in the sunshine. After temperatures dropped to 20 the night before, I was looking forward to some warmth.
I'm so accustomed to being drawn in by the creative architecture of churches and the massive nature of cathedrals that something like this seems to catch my eye in its simplicity.
