After spending the morning at Tumacácori National Historical Park, we cut cross country through the Patagonia area toward Sierra Vista, and then south to the Coronado National Memorial.
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was one of many names that I remember learning about in American history class growing up. A quarter century and 2500 miles separated from those classes, the name of this Spanish conquistador came back to me with a new appreciation for who he was, where he went, and what he was after.
Though Coronado would have passed through this area in the valley, the monument was placed at the peak of Montezuma Pass to afford a sweeping view of San Pedro Valley.
We pulled into the visitor center parking lot for long enough to see swarms of some sort of bee or wasp, then pulled back out and drove back toward the main entrance so we could put the roof back on to keep the insects out while parked. The ranger inside told us that they were there for the water used to irrigate the greenery around the visitor center. They didn’t bother us at all, but it did take a few minutes for us to get up the nerve to get out of the Jeep!
At the Visitor Center, there were swarms of these giant wasp-like insects. It took a moment to build up the nerve to get out and dash into the building! Beyond the visitor center, the road eventually turned to dirt and went through several switchbacks on the way to the peak. This road was well maintained and would be accessible by any vehicle. View from the top of Montezuma Pass, looking down into the valley that we just drove up. We did not realize until later in the day that we were seeing the border fence (I noticed it here, just assumed it to be railroad tracks!)After taking in the vistas at the peak of Montezuma Pass, we were thinking about heading back toward Tucson by heading through the Coronado National Forest toward 83.We traveled about 3 miles down this road (to where it leveled out for a bit), but with about 15 miles still to go before we got back to pavement, we decided to head back toward Coronado National Monument before it closed at sundown, and take the highways back through Sierra Vista to I-10 back to Tucson.The first few miles of West Montezuma Canyon Road through Coronado National Forest had breathtaking sceneryThe road was not terrible, as some of the reviews we had read had described it. It may have been graded not too long before we passed through.Heading back up (going east) toward the Coronado National Monument at Montezuma Pass. Mexico is visible to the right. I shut my phone off to prevent accidental roaming when Verizon sent me a “Welcome to Mexico” message!The Jeep toward the top of Montezuma PassFrom one mile to the next, the desert scenery was constantly changing and always interesting.We saw some military activity on our travels south of Tucson, including fighter jets and blimps.
