Birthday Getaway to Picacho Peak State Park

 Ahh... Picacho Peak State Park. One of my all-time favorite places in Arizona and it's only 20 miles from my home. Picacho Peak holds the distinction of being the location of the western-most conflict of the Civil War known as "The Battle of Picacho Pass".

A little history on the Civil War skirmish

Thankfully, the monument above was not erected to glorify either the Confederate or Union factions, but rather, it was placed to honor the Mormon Battalion who marched through this area in December of 1846 on their way to California during the war with Mexico on the longest Infantry march on record. This battalion was the first to raise the American flag in Tucson.

As a treat for my birthday, I reserved a campsite for the 27th through the 29th, and couldn't have chosen better days as the weather was absolutely perfect! As most anyone knows, it can get a bit toasty in my region of Arizona during the summer, and 2020 has proved to be the hottest on record. That being said, you can't complain about daytime temps in the mid-60s at the end of October. What a nice relief from all of the heat we had.

View of the "peak" from my campsite

One of the interesting things (at least to me) about this area is that the English translation of Picacho literally means "Pointed Peak". So, the name of this state park is technically Pointed Peak Peak State Park. LOL! Everytime I pass by Picacho, as I call it, I think this to myself. That's what I get for being a Technical Writer/Editor for multiple decades. I can't help myself!

For this trip, I used my trusty little cargo camper conversion, Clutch Cargo, and he proved to keep me safe, secure, and warm as the nights were in the upper 30s. I didn't have to worry about critters trying to sleep with me or steal anything like my last ground tent adventure in August.

There's no place like home (away from home) :)

I walked up from my site to capture this sweeping desert view with my trusty Clutch in the background.

Speaking of critters, other than a wide variety of bird life, the only real mammals I observed were Harris's Antelope Squirrels who kept me company off and on during my stay. They are so adorable!! They look quite a bit like a cross between a Chipmunk and a Ground Squirrel, with a body length of approximately 8.5 to 10 inches.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of my camping traditions is to build a small Cairn at the entrance of my campsite. Here's my Picacho contribution.

My trip ended all too soon, but I've already reserved my campsite for my next adventure, which will take place at Lost Dutchman State Park in mid-November. I'll be testing out my latest acquisition, a Roofnest Sparrow EYE rooftop tent!! So, stay tuned for that!