Our annual trip to Arizona, a January event, is here now. A visit to see family, warm up a bit, and to enjoy the rare magic of the Arizona desert. We are close to the little pueblo of Bisbee, an old copper mining town founded when Apache Indian raids still concerned the miners and their families. Abandoned by the large company that ran the mines here, when the copper deposits started running low, Bisbee survives in a diminished form due to its almost perfect climate and supported by the occasional tourist who wanders into town to see the old mine workings and visit the little artist shops that have sprung up in the old abandoned downtown buildings. Here you can find any type of copper and silver Native American Indian jewelry as well as ceramic and other types of artwork in the quaint little shops. Getting seven 100+ pound Bernese Mountain Dogs to this remote spot is another challenge. As it turns out, with rear seats removed, a Chevy Suburban holds 7 large dogs quite comfortably! Polite dogs that they are, they calmly find their spots in the back of the van and wait to be let out for their occasional run in the changing flora. From 6,500 feet of altitude in the Utah Rockies to the southeastern Arizona desert, the climate is as different as night and day.
The first visit to the desert by our Bernese family was begun with a concerted charge by all dogs into the surrounding brush and cactus, full of strange sounds and smells, very exciting. However, they soon returned, some with cactus spines protruding from their noses, others with a cactus ball stuck to their fur. After some quick first aid, all is well and the exploration continued. However, this time a single file, lead by the wisest of the pack, head off into the desert. Strange animals, insects and vegetation never seen before forms part of the Desert educational experience. Bernese, of course, are very intelligent dogs and quickly learn what to do and not to do in this strange environment and before long they are true desert dogs, dusty and wise to desert hazards. The air in southeastern Arizona is amazingly clear, looking at the far away mountain island ranges, 50 or more miles away in Mexico, it’s like looking at a painting. Desert colors, shades of red and purple, blues, whites, and all shapes of rock formations shape every view of the desert. Walks down desert washes, sandy and soft with animal tracks and smells everywhere, what an exciting way to spend the day. Dabbling at nugget shooting in Gold Gulch means a great desert day spent in the sun and crystal air. Bernese are definitely not native to this hot climate, and it’s rare to find someone who recognizes the breed, the usual comment is, “Is that a Saint Bernard?”.
Being raised in Bisbee, most old timers in the town are either friends or friends of friends and it’s a comfortable feeling, moving around the interesting little town. Original home of the now well known Southwestern artist Ted De Gracia, it’s nice to get a personal tour to see his fresco on the wall of the now closed Lyric Theatre. Up the brewery Gulch there are the old saloons and houses of ill repute from a past century. It’s always nice to sip a cold Coronita in St. Elmo’s and then on to the old miner’s museum to see how the copper metal ore was removed from the old mines.
The desert wildlife never ceases to amaze, sitting on our porch on the edge of a vast open expanse of land you can see the shy Desert Mule deer sneak up to take a sip of water from the pond, a noisy contentious crowd of desert pigs or Peccaries stamp about looking for food, just about anything will do. Watchful Gambel’s quail, a look-out always posted, appreciate the rare water treat and beautiful Cardinals flit about in the catclaw and ocotillo. Southeastern birds never fail to amaze with their variety and abundance. Not a desert at all but one of the most vibrant ecological niches in the country, what a treat to visit Arizona again!
