Wes and Jan see the US Wanderings and Side Trips

Wings over Willcox Jan 13, 2007

On Friday evening, we had some of Joyce's fantastic chili. It was a perfect end to a cold, dreary day. Again, it was a cold night and we had to use the furnace.

Saturday, we attended the Wings over Willcox festival. It began as a celebration of the Sand Hill Crane migration. Many cranes migrate and stay here in the Willcox area. There have even been flocks of the endangered Black crane showing up in the area. The festival has expanded to include nature seminars and displays and vendors with associated wares. We attended the class on Butterflies. It was very interesting and we saw photos of many butterflies and their habitat. There was a display of creepy, crawly things - snakes, lizards, etc. There are 4 or 5 different types of Rattlesnakes in Arizona. There were lots of vendors with lots of interesting things to sell. Also lots of free information on places to visit in the area. We picked up lots of info to add to our files, but didn't buy anything. Living in an RV sure curtails the shopping sprees. No place to put anything.

The most interesting part of the event was the Birds of Prey display. They have live birds that have been rescued and then used to educate the public. For one reason or another, they cannot be released back into the wild. There were beautiful hawks, owls etc. My favorite, the American Kestrel was on display too. Love that little bird - so pretty!

After the displays, we drove out to the "Twin Lakes" to see if there were any cranes in the area. We saw several flocks flying around as if to land, but never saw any on the ground or in the water. We did, however, see some ducks acting very strangly. They were swimming in a straight line for a while and then they would all circle up in a tight formation and then break out into a straight line again. All the while they have their entire heads under water. Couldn't figure out if they were feeding or what. We called them the "square dancing ducks".

We spent a lot of time visiting. Not much sightseeing this trip. We went to church on Sunday and to the movie "Pursuit of Happiness" on Monday and before we knew it, it was time to move on. Thank you Jim and Joyce for a great time. See you again in late February.