I grew up in Indiana and attended Purdue University for my veterinary degree. We learned about diseases that affected animals all across the country, including fungal diseases. Histoplasmosis was more of a concern in the Midwest than Valley Fever. In fact, a staff member at my first job was tested for histoplasmosis when she gave …
Planning to Visit the Southwest? Do You Know About Valley Fever? Read More »
The San Pedro River The San Pedro River is a northward flowing stream that has its origins in Mexico, not too far south of where we rode the river trail. Alan and I only live in Arizona in the winter, not during the summer monsoons. Therefore, our perspective is that it is merely a dusty, …
The west Dragoons are as rocky and beautiful as the east side of the Dragoons, but they are a little harder to reach. There are many options for horseback riding.
For the past couple of months, Alan and I have been doing quite a bit of traveling. Our trips have been fun, but they have definitely cut into our riding time! We jumpstarted our new resolution to make more time for riding by hitting two beautiful trails last week. The first day, we rode 8.5 …
Our Arizona home is located about 6 miles from trailheads into the Dragoons. Because the roads are so primitive in our area, it takes 15-20 minutes to get there! Other than a brief trip into the desert riding directly from our home, we hadn’t been on the horses since I contracted Covid at horse camp. …
Horseback riders and hikers can access the Middlemarch Canyon Trail #277 from the Cochise Stronghold Campground. I wrote about the Cochise Stronghold Trail in February of this year. A little less than a mile in (for hikers) or a couple of miles in (for riders) on the Cochise Stronghold trail, a well-marked sign directs you …
The Middlemarch Trail at Cochise Stronghold (& Other Trails) Read More »
One word describes our ride in the Chiricahua Mountains… ROCKS. There are rocks, rocks, and more rocks! You will ride ON rocks, THROUGH rocks, AROUND rocks… You will clamor over them and hope your shod horse gets a good perch… There are narrow sections with loose rocks, so you hope your horse is relaxed but …
The Chiracahua Mountains: Rocks, Rocks, & MORE Rocks! Read More »
It is a walk back in time to visit the ruins of Fort Bowie. History is best learned in the moment. It is so much easier to imagine what life was like when you are physically standing in front of the ruins from over a hundred years ago. But as amazing as the ruins themselves …
In three previous posts about Fort Bowie, I have described an incident involving the Indian chief Cochise, the fort cemetery, and some of the fort buildings. In this post, I will tell you a little more about life in the fort. Next week, don’t miss my description of the beautiful ride back to your starting …
The best description I could possibly provide as an introduction to the actual ruins of Fort Bowie comes from a National Park Service information brochure. Fort Bowie is the story of Tom Jeffords and one-armed Gen. O. O. Howard riding into Cochise’s stronghold to negotiate a lasting peace. It is the story of Lt. John …
