Chisos Basin is in Another WorldAs we drove up to Chisos Basin through Green Gulch in the late afternoon I was struck by the colorful peaks on the east side of the road and Jean got a taste of a new ecosystem.
Along the Green Gulch RoadThe most impressive peak is directly ahead as you climb the switch backs on the 15% grade: Lost Mine Peak at 7,550, second highest in the Park. (The road was not advisable for vehicles over 24 feet in length.)
Lost Mine PeakAs we went over the 6,00 foot pass in the shadow of 7,300 foot Casa Grande and looked down into the Chisos Basin with its lodge, Visitor’s Center, and camp ground, we were astonished how green it was and how photogenic it appeared, but also how fresh the air was. We crept down the horseshoe bends on the 16+% grade in first gear to find a lovely camp ground at the focus of towering peaks all around us and Jean, after recovering from her steep heights phobia, was itching to start hunting for the new flowers she knew were out there waiting for her.
White-brushChisos Basin at 5,400 feet was appealing climate-wise in June, photographically unusual and botanically rich. In the campground, each of the 54 sites had a picnic table on a level paved pad with a roof shelter; few of the adjacent parking spaces were level. Generators were allowed in part of the campground for which we were very grateful. Even at this elevation, daytime temperatures were hitting mid 90°s and we could not stay out-of-doors very long. One morning Jean started on the trail to the lodge studying the vegetation, but drenched in sweat, turned back. We did not even think of trying the 5 mile round trip hike to photograph through the Notch. Fortunately canyon walls brought cooling evening shadows around 7 p.m.
There was pinyon pine, juniper, cypress and acacias. Spiky agave, yucca and sotol, prickly pear cactus and Christmas cactus intermingled with many kinds of shrubs
White-brush FlowerWhite-brush, Aloysia wrightii was everywhere, 3 to 8 ft. tall, with fragrant white flowers that were swarming with bees.
Prairie VerbenaIn the same family, Prairie Verbena, Verbena bipinnatifida was the brightest flower in the thick grasses.
Morning Has Its Charm—Overlooking the Camp Ground
We were about to arise one morning when Jean noticed the hind end of an animal crossing the pavement. “Bill! Javelina! Grab your camera and get your shoes on!”
He opened the door quietly and moved across to our picnic table, concealing himself behind the corner post of the shelter. The little herd of 5 kept munching the tall grass, oblivious to the camera’s clicking, until an approaching car startled them and they scurried into nearby bushes, then back across the road.
It was our only sighting of Javelina or Collared Peccary, the only wild pig-like mammal native to the United States. While Peccaries look similar to pigs, they are classified in a family of their own because of anatomical differences. Peccaries are more slender and 30-50 pounds smaller than pigs, have longer, thinner legs and smaller hooves with only 3 toes on each hind foot (instead of 4), and the upper tusks (1.5 inches long) are pointed down, (rather than curled as with some other feral wild pigs).
Memories of Chisos Basin
Casa Grande at Sunset
