Going Underground

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During Halloween weekend I learned that bats can brag that sun shines out their butts. Well, sort of. You see when they leave their caves to feed on our plants and cacti blossoms they bring back the sun's goodness to their dark, dank caves. While hanging out and chattering with their thousands of neighbors, they spackle the cave with guano (bat dung, I guess it has its own special name because it plays a major role in the life of a cave and its critters). The guano contains enough of the sun to nourish those that feed on it, including microscopic plant life.

For those of you who don't know, about this time every year my exhusband spends a week in my house. Long story short it means a lot to our sons, but quite frankly having him under MY roof drives me batshit (and not of the guano kind). So, Joe decided to take me away for the weekend and take advantage of a pretty cool deal. The Birders Vista Bed and Breakfast in Sierra Vista offers a sweet package that gives you two nights in the B&B, home-cooked breakfasts and tickets for two to Kartchner Caverns State Park, which includes a tour of one of the top 10 most beautiful caves in the world. It's a fiercly-protected living cave loaded with colorful mineral deposits and all sorts of formations, called things like fried egg, bacon, popcorn and soda straws.

Walking into the cave you feel like you're in a long-gone episode of the Six Million Dollar Man. You go through several rock tunnels (I really half expected the Big Foot guy --- if you were a fan of the T.V. show you know exactly which scene I'm talking about; if not just ignore me), and a series of vault doors before you go through the last tunnel to be misted (preventing mold particles from falling off your clothes and into those piles of bat poo where they can feed and grow). Then you're in the cave. Three guides take you through the tour, watching you the entire time to make sure you don't touch and ruin what they all work so hard to protect, which to me is the coolest part about the cave --- all that has gone into (and continues to) protecting it. I'm not a big caving kind of girl. I just like the adventure of checking out stuff and taking hikes (and getting away for the weekend), so I wasn't as impressed by the formations as I should have been. BUT, I was impressed by the people who found the cave, the people who owned the land above it, the people in state gov who actually kept their promises, and the people who work there now. It is very, VERY apparent that they really do care about what is best for the cave, not necessarily the tourism dollar. Although, it also seems like they've done a good job of balancing the need to earn money with the need to preserve what has been there long before 'we.'

And, well, I have to admit I'm pretty impressed by what I learned about bats. Did you know they also give birth upside down, catching the babies WHILE clinging to rock walls? I've pushed out three humans while laying flat on my back, and I guarantee that I would not have had the energy to catch any of them had I needed to --- I was too busy praying my innards would go back where they came from.

Another thing that surprised me about our trip was Sierra Vista. It is a beautiful, tranquil place despite it being so near our bothersome border. We hear so much in the news about the drug wars, the human coyotes who rape and maim, the illegals who steal and litter, the migrants who die wanting water. I always pictured it being a dry, dry, dirty, bitter place with Rednecks driving up and down in their sawed-off pickups waiting to rope in the first Mexican they saw. I also thought it'd be as hot, if not hotter, as Phoenix, but I was wrong. While it IS dry, there are signs of water (more so than where I live).

Much of the brush looks soft enough to tickle, and everyone we met was really friendly, even the border patrol guys who asked us if we were citizens before waving us on. I know that a lot of nastiness goes on within nature's beauty on both sides of the border, but it is a shame that once again I am reminded by how much we have, and how much we have to lose as a species. If bat shit can bring sunshine underground, why in the hell can't we figure out how to live peacefully amongst ourselves?

I guess the only answer is for us to keep living on and taking the time to enjoy what we have, and be thankful for it. I also need to thank the owners of the bed and breakfast where we stayed. They opened their home to us (and another friendly couple) and made us feel totally welcome. Their backyard is an oasis. At night we sat outside, sipped wine and watched the Milky Way (I can't see it from my own backyard). In the morning we inhaled coffee and watched the birds and bees dance around sugar water. Seriously, can you think of a better way to begin and end your days? We've promised ourselves that the next time we need to get away, we will go back there and take the time to walk through the orchards (they grow pears! who knew you could do that in Arizona) that surround the place.

We've also promised ourselves a weekend in Bisbee, which we checked out on our drive home. Tombstone is also nearby, but I did that once when the kids were younger, and, well, I'd rather enjoy Arizona's beautiful country than our made-up western stuff (shhh, don't tell Joe, but I'm just not in to all that gunslinger stuff).

If you're interested in visiting this area, there are several bed and breakfasts that come highly recommended (including one that has amazing pies --- we shared a piece of one at the caverns) and a few chain hotels in Sierra Vista. Since we're partial to the place we stayed, here's their website: http://www.birdersvista.com/

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Photos

Mountain vista...
just more of what Arizona looks like sooo, sooo close to the border.

this is it
the only thing I can show you of the cave. No cameras allowed inside. It was dark and humid and loaded with things named after food --- oh and bat poo. That said it was also a very cool place.

Desert Stroll
Taking a Halloween weekend walk near Sierra Vista. This and the following pictures are from one of Kartchner Cavern State Park's nature trails.

Adam tempting the tree...
okay so it's Joe showing his sunshine.

Arizona river
yep, this is pretty much what most of our rivers look like. But aren't those rocks purty?

Halloween tree
Spooky yet lovely.

Mountain vista
The desert isn't the same as the woods in autumn, but it has its own, dry beauty.

Going up the hill
that I biffed it on the way down (the other side). When will I learn that I cannot walk and check out the view at the same time?

A long way
from the hustle and bustle of home.

Arizona sunset
in our wine country. Elgin is a very, very small town. The wineries shut down at 5! The barn looked pretty though,

cool weeds
Joe took a pee; I took a picture.

Birders Vista Bed & Breakfast
A really nice place to kick back and breathe fresh air.

Good Morning, Grasshopper!
I was amazed at how healthy the hummingbirds were, and then I saw the grasshoppers --- good God it's Thanksgiving Turkey every day for these birds.

Birds & Bees
What you don't see is the nice seating area where humans can sip wine or coffee and watch nature drink its goodness.

Sugar water traffic
I just loved watching the birds and bees party at the feeder. Sometimes the bees owned it; sometimes the birds; sometimes they just shared.

Look at me...
I'm big and I can show off my wings!

and look at me!
This little guy WANTED me to take his picture. He flew off and on that branch until I got my act together and snapped him right.

day after the party...
apparently, Bisbe is THE place to be Halloween weekend. Just about everyone we walked past Sunday morning looked hung over. According to a shopkeeper, this hotel books months in advance. Hmmm, maybe we'll be here next year.

see what I mean...
somebody had just a little too much Jack.

Joe's new friend...
God Bless a man who likes curves.

random valentine
The couple who scratched this in 3 years ago were sitting a few seats away from us. I guess they come back to visit every so often.

more Bisbee
It's a cute mountain-mining town. I LOVE mining towns. They all look a little a like and, at the same time, have their own style and personality.

Blue Skies
I snapped this on the drive home Halloween. Looks like spirits were dancing in the sky, no?