As we drift into Arizona via I-10, we stop to wait out a rain-storm along the interstate that came up suddenly sweeping across the desert. After the storm subsides, we turn south on A-83, just past Benson, toward Patagonia. The road is hilly and curvy, nothing over a 5% grade though, with grades just a mile long at a time. About 45 miles south (around 10 miles from Nogales, Mexico) we turn into Patagonia Lake St. Park. The campground overlooks a 265-acre man-made lake where anglers catch croppie, bass, bluegill and catfish.
The tracks of the former New Mexico/Arizona railroad lie beneath the lake and remnants of the old historic line may be found at the Nature Conservancy in Patagonia. The Audubon Society has designated this park as an Important Birding Area with elegant trogon, canyon towhee, Inca dove, vermilion flycatcher, black vulture and several species of hummingbirds.
The park has a marina where you can rent canoes, rowboats, paddleboats, pontoons, and kayaks (every Tuesday is 1/2 price for renting water transportation). There is a beach and a roped-off area for swimming or just playing in the water. The campground has 105 electric/water sites, with a few non electric sites. The Ranger said there were plenty of electric sites available during the week, but weekends tend to fill up fast.
We arrived late in the afternoon, so there wasn’t much time to nose-around the lake for hikes or picture taking. The next morning as we were sipping our coffee and tea, we saw vultures spreading their wings, gathering ‘solar power’ for take off. If it weren’t for the red heads of the vultures, you’d almost think they were golden eagles. There must have been 25 – 30 vultures hanging out waiting for the warm air-currents.
While I was watching the vultures display their feather-work, I almost overlooked a great blue heron walking among the reeds, also looking for breakfast… I was amazed by how much the legs of the heron match the reeds, something I had never gotten close enough to see before. Isn’t Mother Nature something…
After breakfast, ours and the birds, we went to Nogales, AZ (we stayed stateside) for supplies. I was surprised by the size of Nogales, it was much bigger than I expected, populated with a many brand-name stores AND a Starbucks for Patti. Who’d have thought there would be a Starbucks just above the border, look out Juan Valdez… After we returned to camp and put supplies away, we decided to check out the town of Patagonia.
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