Jenn's Passage

In January, Bob and Brenda went to Green Valley, AZ for the month as snowbirds. We visited them for a long weekend to see what all the hubbub was about. They took us to one of their favorite restaurants they call “the chicken restaurant.” It was delicious! We met up with family friends, the Millers, for the night. Nearby the restaurant is a glorious spice shop.

We stopped in to see Tumacacori, a preserved Spanish mission. It was founded in the late 1600’s by a Jesuit priest, Father Eusebio Kino. It is now a National Historical Park.

We went birding in a few locations.

We spent four hours one morning at the Desert Museum. It is an outdoor living museum outside of Tucson in the Sonora Desert. The two miles of walking paths twist through various habitats where we saw javalinas, coyotes, Mexican gray wolves, and more. The best part was the Raptor Free Flight where we saw hawks, great horned owls, and other birds of prey.

We spent two mornings up in Madera Canyon bird watching. Madera Canyon is on the northwestern face of the Santa Rita Mountains and is part of the Coronado National Forest. The Santa Rita Mountains are one of the largest Madrean Sky Islands. The canyon is home to 15 species of hummingbirds, the elegant trogan, flame-colored tanager, and 36 species of wood warblers. Over 256 species of birds have been documented in the area making it the third best birding destination in the United States.

There was a TON of good Mexican food to go along with our Arizona explorations. We also found a chiminea and a few bird feeders as souvenirs. I’m sure we will be back next year to see even more of this little corner of Arizona.