Benson and Cochise County

After getting set up last night, we had a quiet, and cold, evening at the San Pedro RV Resort. It was sunny and 60 degrees on arrival but as soon as the sun set....BRRRRR! I stayed up very late last night so I could watch a rerun of the final episode of Sons of Anarchy (2 a.m.). I certainly haven't been up that late since my last night on the PICU, but so worth it! After I went to bed, I completely conked out so I was unaware that Jeff had gotten up at 3:30 to use the bathroom. Apparently the toilet was not flushing so he thought to check the temp outside....25 degrees! He went outside and the hose that delivers our house water was completely frozen. So he detached the hose and filter, brought it in to the shower and turned off the water supply. He also save my darling cactus and palms and brought them inside. When I got up in the morning I could not understand why I had no water to brush my teeth, wash my face, etc.... It soon became clear that we were waterless due to freezing temperatures. Initially I was p----d! Then I had to apologize to my quick thinking husband for saving our pipes and my plants.
After a slow start to the day, we headed into Benson to the visitors bureau. I had some ideas of things to do and see in the area but nothing definitive other than a visit to Tombstone. Bill, at the bureau, quickly set us straight and gave us an abbreviated, but intense, lesson on Cochise Counties history. He promised he could keep us busy for a month here, no problem. After considering the time (it was now after noon), we opted to go out to Kartchner Caverns State Park, which is a mere 20 minutes from Benson. First, though, a walk about town, a few stops in shops and lunch...

Looks like a dive but....
GREAT small town cafe!



After a fabulous lunch in the coolest western cafe EVER (best Reuben I have ever tasted), we drove out to Kartchner Caverns. At the gate, we were told that there was no one else there for the cavern tour and that they would not tour unless five people signed up. So we decided to proceed anyway and hope a few more folks showed up at some point. In the meantime, we drove through the park and discovered they have what is unequivocally the nicest campground on earth. Already our minds are in the future, when we would return and camp in this serene and quiet spot.

After a drive around, we went up to the visitors center to see if anyone else had shown up. The parking lot seemed pretty full to me, at least 20 cars. As I approached the desk and inquired about whether they would be able to do a cavern tour, I got a real funny look. "Well, yes, we have 15 people signed up for the 2:45 tour. We can only take two more." OK, then!

We were not allowed to take anything on the tour....no phone,purse,camera. All in a valiant attempt to protect the cavern and formations in it from any additional light, bacteria, even dust from our clothes (we were lightly sprayed with water at the entrance). The tour guide was just marvelous. As it turns out, a retiree from Washington state who volunteers at the park as a Workkamper for the winter and is madly in love with this cave. So he found his dream "job" in giving tours. Nice.

(No photos....had to buy the postcards!)

The cavern was discovered by 2 University of Arizona students in the mid 70's. They were avid cave searchers and had to wiggle through a hole the size of a basketball that they discovered in the back of a known small cave. This cavern is massive and over 200,000 years old. These "kids" were determined not to let scientists and the general public destroy what nature had so perfectly formed so they protected and guarded their find. To this day, though developed so that people can enjoy touring, it is very carefully monitored. Even the walk way through the cavern was developed so that the bacteria and gunk on our shoes could not affect the stalagmites and stalactites and the area is hand washed by the staff. Jeff's back brushed a rock as he walked by and he was sternly reprimanded by the "rear" guard! 

By the time the tour finished (4:30) we were ready to head back to the BP. Again, the day had been beautiful and 60 but tonight we knew better. Hose disconnected, plants inside, faucet wrapped in a towel. I did make Jeff do a walk about the campground, as I had been told the Javelina were around the hood in abundance. Now I know they are disgusting, obnoxious animals but I still am on the wildlife quest. ANY wildlife!

Really? Where?

A leftover bowl of chili and we are set for the evening. Maybe a few more episodes of Deadliest catch...