We left Bisbee yesterday morning, driving east across a landscape so broad and barren that I could barely take it all in. We tucked into New Mexico then swung back into Arizona, making our way here, to Cave Creek Canyon, where javelinas* graze and trogons** sing.

We hiked down the South Fork Trail, along the embankment of a mostly dry stream bed. Above us a canopy of sycamore yellow leaves. At Cathedral Vista we sat in awe amidst the splendor of the rhyolite cliffs. Here is nature in all its abundance, still and silent and peaceful.

Our hike was limited only by the lack of light. Once the sun dipped behind the cliffs we needed to turn back. And we did, reluctantly.

The mountains here are called the Chiricahua. I’d never heard of them until a few weeks ago. Now I can’t imagine a world without them.

*Javelinas are a type of peccary, similar to a pig. Here, a family of them cross the road.

**Trogons are rare birds somewhat parrot-like in appearance that make a barking cry. People travel here from all over the world to see them.