fort bowie national monument misadventures.

on the day we went to chiricahua, we had high hopes of maybe swinging by fort bowie national monument, which is in the same neck of the woods. but, we had read that the hike just to get to the visitor center was three miles, round trip. we hiked enough at chiricahua that we were pretty sure the kids would never make it. THEN, we found out that the new management at fort bowie is allowing folks to park in the handicapped spots, MUCH closer to the visitor center, because they want it to be accessible to people.

sooooo. last week, we packed some lunches and made our way back to the area. (about 1:20). then. as i rolled down a long desert road, my tire pressure light popped on. i pulled over to inspect, and i could HEAR the air leaving my tire, and it was already pretty saggy.

we called our camper version of AAA (coachnet) and they had someone there pretty quickly. he took my tire back to his shop to patch the hole, and we finished our trek to fort bowie.

the hike in was still a bit of a haul compared to other visitor centers, but definitely better than three miles round trip.

the fort was in a bit more ruins than we had anticipated.

the passport stamping station was outside, which was a first for us.

we spent some time chatting with some volunteer rangers and working on the junior ranger books inside the museum area, before heading outside to explore the ruins of the fort.

we started off with energy and interest.

but it faded. the kids weren’t super excited about old piles of rubble.

i can’t even really remember what each part is. i think this was the mess hall or officer’s quarters?

anna, who is always up for taking pictures, was the most interested.

we busted out the binoculars, but there really wasn’t a lot to look at. the views were all way way way far away. i think that three mile hike actually offers an overlook view of the fort, but that wasn’t an option, especially now that we were pressed for time because of the flat tire incident.

at this point, hazel was entirely over it. anna was almost completely over it. and isaac, who would turn 11 the next day, decided to take advantage of his last day in the 8-10 year old range and not do the one hard page that required reading all of the interpretive signs.

back at the visitor center, we finished up the books, took a commemorative pic with a cannon, and rang an old bell.

then, we made things official. fort bowie junior rangers in the books.

on the hike back out, i made the kids take this picture and they actually agreed.

and then back to the car, with an excellent view.

we drove 50mph back to the repair shop, where we were informed that the patch was not going to work, that the tire would likely split open going down the highway. so, we threw it in the back and i drove home on the highway going 55mph with my hazards on. thankfully, there was a tire shop in our town and derek was able to get us all fixed up the next day.

so, to recap, the fort bowie adventure was definitely one of our least exciting, and wasn’t really worth it, when we consider the flat tire and the windy weather and the kids attitudes and the time constraints. but, the kids are glad to have another badge in their collection. so, it wasn’t all bad.