Sunday, January 18, Karla started some chicken in the crockpot for tacos. I helped make some fresh salsa.

That afternoon we went for a drive in southern Arizona.

First we went to the Coronado National Monument. The Coronado National Memorial commemorates and interprets the 1500s Coronado expedition and the cultural interactions between indigenous peoples and Spaniards. It provides stunning views of the US-Mexico border and marks the location where Francisco Vásquez de Coronado’s expedition entered present-day Arizona, driven by the quest for the mythical Seven Cities of Gold. Read more about it.

We stopped at the visitor center and went through the exhibit. There were pictures and sample objects from the 1500s. There was a lot to read about the expedition and the area at that time. I spoke with the ranger about other things to do. I asked about the hike to the Coronado Cave. She said it was mostly uphill and if we were not going in the cave, there was not much else to see. So we didn’t do that. I asked about driving to the Coronado Peak Trail, and she said that was a good idea. We continued driving up the mountain. The last couple miles were a well maintained dirt road. We met some oncoming cars are there are some hairpin turns, so it is a bit scary going up. At the top there are restrooms, picnic tables, and the Coronado Peak Trailhead. There were a few people around at the picnic tables and on the trail. We got out of the truck and it was cool and windy at 6,500 feet. I wanted to check out the trail, but it was something Karla was on interested in. I walked around a little and checked out the view and took a few pictures.

We drove down the mountain and headed back towards Sierra Vista. But rather than go straight back, we stopped at the Brown Canyon Ranch. There is free parking parking by the road, but I drove in to the ranch and paid for parking. The Brown Canyon Ranch is over 100 years old and there are a few buildings and some hiking trails. We walked through the adobe ranch house and read about the families that had lived there. The hike was shorter than expected, but there were some nice views of the mountains.

One the way back we made one more stop at Punchy’s Tavern, a bar in Sierra Vista. We had never been there before. It was busy and there were no spots at the bar. We stood at the end of the bar and checked out the tap selection. I got a Dragoon IPA and Karla got a Mango Cart and we took them to table. They have a good size stage for live music so maybe we will be back to see a show.

That was about it. We finished our beers and headed back. We finished preparing our delicious chicken tacos and watched some football.

Remember, Minneapolis, and Minnesota, is still effected by the damage from I.C.E. Please help as you can. Click here for some resources.