Travel Adventures with Bob Hare: Seeking Cochise in his Stronghold and the Elegant Trogon in The Chiricahuas

After leaving Saguaro National Park I arrived at the wonderful oak-shaded Cochise Stronghold Forest Service Campground for the night. I walked in the warm evening light to Cochise Springs thinking about this great Chiricahua Apache chief who was wrongly accused of abducting a white boy, which started the Apache Wars. As a kid, I watched "Broken Arrow" on TV, which was all about Cochise and his friendship with a white man named Jeffords. Thomas Jeffords was a rare Indian agent who synpathized with the Indians' plight and "broke the arrow of war" with Cochise and he and his people settled peacefully on a reservation until Geronimo and his band rebelled and left the reservation to raid ranches from their stronghold in the Chiricahua Mountains. Cochise was secretly buried in his Stronghold.

After leaving the Stronghold, I met my friends, David Witt, from Taos and Ron and Dave from Missouri at Cave Creek Canyon near Portal, Arizona. We spent a few fine days looking for rare Mexican and more common American birds and I added many a species to my lifelist. I did not, however, see or hear the much sought-after Elegant Trogon!

The only Trogon I spotted was in the Research Station's Dining Hall (where we had a fine meal!)

We left Portal for Paradise, AZ and drove a very rough dirt road to our next campsite at Chirachua National Monument.

The Dragoon Mountains of Cochise's Stronghold

At the memorial Plaque to Chief Cochise

Our comfortable Cave Creek Canyon "Sunny Flats" Camp

A javelina, or collared peccary, eating bird seed below a feeder

David looking out from the Cave of Knowledge

David entering the Cave.

David and I met this Yaqui shaman in this cave near the Mexican border. He told us: "A man of knowledge chooses a path with a heart and follows it and then he looks and rejoices and laughs and then he sees and knows."