I wrote an article for the Audubon newsletter in my former home area of the South Bay of Los Angeles, detailing what it's like to live here in rural Arizona, what I gave up, what I gained, etc. Basically it's an encapsulated version of what I've been writing in my blog. So for those who find my blog somewhat long-winded, here's the version for you.
The Chiricahuas, Elegant Trogon, Portal -- these are fabled names among birders and bird photographers. The Chiricahuas are a “sky island” in extreme southeast Arizona, near the New Mexico border; Elegant Trogon is one of the sought-after birds in all of North America; and Portal, gateway to the Chiricahuas from the east, is the small “hamlet" where I bought a home in December 2014, and moved into in August 2015. It’s a big change from the South Bay’s suburban lifestyle — from city to rural, from a Wal-Mart nearby, to the closest one 55 miles away. There are no grocery stores within 50 miles of Portal, and the closest gas is in New Mexico, in a town 25 miles to the east. To get to Portal on a paved road, you have to go into New Mexico, then drive back into Arizona. There are no banks here, only 2 places to eat, and no Home Depots. Residents of Portal and the surrounding area make a “Costo Run” to Tucson, 140 miles to the west (partially by dirt road; if you want all-paved route, it’s about 179 miles) and stock up on supplies to last at least a month. So there are sacrifices to be made if you want to live here. And its advantages? Well, this is the view to the east from my back yard - Cave Creek Canyon —
. The closest neighbors are at least 300 yards away. There are no street lights here, so the night sky, with its crystal-clear air and and no lights except for the occasional house, is among the cleanest and clearest in the nation — so much so that actual astronomers live in Sky Village, a community where you get an observatory alongside your house, just outside of Portal. The wildlife here is abundant, and much of it is unique to the area, not to be found anywhere else. It’s not unusual to see wildlife in my back yard, such as Coues (white-tailed) deer , Gray Fox --
and Javelina, a member of the peccary family, often mistaken to be a wild pig --
. All of these photos were taken from the open sliding-glass door to the back porch of my house. And the birds — a possible 13 species of hummingbird; the aforementioned Elegant Trogon, seen in the US only in the “sky islands” of SE Arizona; Montezuma Quail — a “Nemesis” bird for many; Mexican Chickadee, seen only here in the Chiricahuas and an isolated spot in New Mexico — the list goes on. So I came here for all of these reasons, and more. And I think I was meant to get THIS particular house here, called Faranuf by its original owners (pronounced “Far Enough” — because it is) as I had an encounter with a deer just outside of Portal while I was on my way to see the house — and I survived, without a scratch, whiplash or even being sore the next day, though my Tundra 4-wheel-drive truck was totaled. I fell in love with Faranuf — and it became mine in short order. Since I’ve moved into the house, I’ve noticed “residents” here — 2 Say’s Phoebes, 3 Cottontail rabbits, a Black-throated Sparrow family of 2 adults and a juvenile, and a Roadrunner who’s becoming increasingly curious about my presence, and “stands guard” on top of my well house --
I have hummingbird and bird feeders in the back yard, along with a water feature where birds bathe and wildlife comes to get a drink. Yes, there are also snakes here, both poisonous and non-poisonous, along with black widow spiders and tarantulas --
but as long as they don’t bother me, I don’t bother them. So that’s life here in the “bootheel” of southeast Arizona — and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
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