March 15 -- "Myrtle, We Have To Stay Here Longer!" -- Giving Out Info At the Visitor Info Center

OK, so it may not be "glamorous", but it is fun... I open at 9am, but I like to get all of the chores done before that, so the first thing I do is go up the road and check to see how many spots are open in the campgrounds (we have 2 here -- Sunny Flat, the main one, and Stewart). That way, when visitors drop on by, asking if there are any campsites open, I can give them a fairly accurate answer which grows less accurate as the day goes on. When I arrive at the "VIC", I check the outside bathrooms to make sure there are no cobwebs -- and snakes (yes, it happened once)  inside, dry mop the VIC's floors, dust the cabinets, turn on the Forest Service radio, sweep the front porch, turn on the TV and video (we have a video playing, but it was made in 2009, prior to the Horseshoe II Fire and and Hurricane Odile, so some of the information is no longer accurate, turn on the computer and WiFi, put out the "Open" flags, open the parking lot gate -- then open the front door. This morning, before I even have a chance to open, someone is waiting on the porch. "How can I get into Crystal Cave?" We have an extensive cave system here, but there's a locked gate at the entrance to protect nesting bats -- and unwelcome intruders. "Crystal Cave is locked, but you can get the key, which is down at the Douglas Ranger Station, but you have to put down a $100 deposit ". He responded by saying "No, it's not." He was insistent that I was wrong; I felt like the conversation was going to deteriorate to "Yes, it is" -- "No, it isn't" -- "Says who?" ; just like little kids. He was one of those guys who asks questions, then answers them himself, but all of my answers are wrong. Then WHY ask me in the first place? He said "the key is in that little building there." He pointed to the old ranger station, which is now a cabin where visitors can stay. The key may have been there when he was here last, but not for the past few years. "So when was the last time you were here?" I asked. "A few years ago". "Well, now the key is down in Douglas." "No, it's not". Grrr...NOT a good way to begin the day, and I hadn't even opened yet. Things got better, though, and except for him ( but he was insistent yet still friendly, though I was still wrong) the day went well. Since we're a bit out of the way (ok, an understatement), most visitors are here to be HERE, not passing through on their way to someplace else. Well, except for those who are heading to the Chiricahua National Monument, about 30 miles or so on the other side of the mountains. But those people I entice to stay here for the day and check it out, especially as the monument's road up to the top is closed until probably the end of April, thus a lot of the monument is harder to get to, if not impossible. But visitors coming here invariably say "I didn't realize this was here!", so I like to tell them all that's here, and why it deserves a visit of at least a few days. Most are either birders, hikers, or a combination of both; luckily, I am that combination of both. And I bring my SE Arizona bird books to provide additional information, and use our computer for even more. Most people are from far-off colder climates like Alaska and Minnesota. A typical conversation goes like this --

"Can you do me a favor and sign in the guest book, please?"

"Sure!"

"Where are you folks from?"

"Alaska."

"How's the weather up there?"

"Not bad for this time of year -- we didn't get much snow this season. Do you get snow here?"

"Not much down here, it's mostly up in the higher elevations. I can tell you're hikers" ( with this warm weather, those that are hikers wear boots and hiking shorts, while birders invariably have binoculars).

"Yes, we are -- any good hiking trails here?"

"Plenty, but what kind of hikers are you -- do you prefer the easier or more difficult trails?"

"My wife just had knee replacement surgery, so we don't want to do anything too strenuous."

"Well, the first place you have to go to is Vista Point. It's on this map" (we have a basic map we hand out) "and only about a mile up the road. It's 200 yards and takes you above the forest canopy, where you look down the drainages of South Fork and Cave Creek, so you can get the lay of the land before you go exploring."

"Hey, thanks!  Myrtle, that makes sense for us to go there first."

And did you know that we have one of the longest waterfalls in Arizona?"

"Get out of here -- really?"

Yep, it's Winn Falls and has a drop of 365 feet. It's hard to see most of the time, because it's in shadow, but you can see it from the top of Vista Point by using the telescope there, and if you kinda know the direction it's in. The closest you can get to it on a road is by taking the road to Herb Martyr here, just after the Southwest Research Station, and go 2 miles to the end. And at the end is also a dam with a small waterfall. The dam was built in the 1930s, and Herb Martyr was a worker who died during its construction."

"We wondered where the Herb Martyr name came from -- sounds fake, with a last name like that."

"Yeah, it's kind of appropriate as Herb became a "Martyr" to the dam!" (yes, I really say that).

(Laugh) "Yes, you're right!"

"The waterfall at the dam is really pretty, and fairly easy to get to. So you can see 2 waterfalls at the end of the road!"

"Well, that's an unexpected surprise! We never thought we'd see waterfalls here."

"Most people who've never been here think it's all desert, so they're really surprised when they see mountains, forests, and waterfalls. And if you want an easy hike" (remember, Myrtle had that knee operation) " then the hike along South Fork is the one to do. It's level, and goes right along the creek. It's really pretty, and easy to do."

"Thanks!  You've given us a lot of information. Myrtle, looks like we'll have to stay here a few days!"

If it's birders that come in (wearing their binoculars)  I tell them about our "specialties" -- Elegant Trogon ("it's still too early for them, unfortunately" and a few of them have responded with "We saw one in Patagonia"; I tell them it's a wintering bird), Mexican Chickadee ("we're the only area in the United States where you can see them on public land; there's some over at the Animas Mountains to the east, but the area is privately owned"), and Montezuma Quail ("the male looks like a bowling ball with feet"). I tell them about our hummingbirds, too, and that Plain-capped Starthroat, a bird usually found only south of the border, was seen in backyard feeders here last year. And we now have 2 hummingbird feeders hanging up on the VIC's front porch, and there's been a female Blue-throated that's been showing up at them lately. So if she's around, I point her out. But no matter if they're birders or hikers, I live to impress on them that the Chiricahuas are so much more than than that, and much of it is unique, otherwise herpetologists, wildlife biologists, astronomers, etc wouldn't retire or work here. So at the end of every day working at the VIC, I leave knowing -- or hoping -- that visitors leave with more interest in the Chiricahuas than when they first arrived. And that's the main reason for having a visitor information center, right?

Sunset on the evening of March 15, as seen from the roof of my trailer.