The Quiet In Between

June 29, 2018

Our recent camping trip found us nearly alone in the Quail Loop section of Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, Arizona, the heat, rain and humidity leaving most campers seeking cooler climes. But we didn't mind. Our site overlooked a dry wash and backed up to a footpath that led directly to the Verde River Greenway. The trail meanders alongside the Verde River under a canopy of tall cottonwood and willow trees and comes out near the three lagoons. Gone were the wintering ducks we saw when we visited the park in January, but there were still plenty of other birds around to feed my obsession.

*Our campsite – #20 in the Quail Loop, Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, Arizona.*

Every afternoon we'd sit outside and watch thunderheads building in the southeast with a mixture of hope and concern. We needed rain in Arizona, the slow, steady rain that dampens the parched earth, softens the fuzzy gray leaves of the Brittlebush and washes everything clean of dust. But with a storm comes the fear of lightning that threatens our forests and grasslands. So we'd watch the bright flashes of lightning and count the time before the sound of thunder rolled over us. How far off we sat and wondered?* When the thunderous booms got too close, shaking the earth, we'd hastily pack the chairs and take cover inside our coach.

Sometimes a passing storm would wake us in the middle of the night, but the mornings always dawned bright and clear. I would head out early with my binoculars and camera to see if the storm had blown in anything interesting. Typically when I'm out birding, my eyes and ears are the most engaged senses, but as I stepped out into the quiet between the storms, I could smell the earth's sweet and musty scents released by the rain and the night before. Walking along narrow footpaths in the early mornings, the air was warm and thick, the damp, red Arizona soil sour with the smell of minerals and punctuated by the sharp fragrance of moist needles and sweet, wet oak, like the heavy scent of a wine-soaked barrel.

The story of the park's name began in the late 1940s with the Ireys family, who came to Arizona from Minnesota looking for a ranch to buy. A large, dead horse was lying at the side of the road at one of the first properties they visited. After two days of searching, Mr. Ireys asked his children which ranch they liked the best, and they said, "the one with the dead horse, dad!" The Ireys family named their home Dead Horse Ranch, and when Arizona State Parks acquired the park in 1973, the Ireys made retaining the name a condition of sale. Over 20 miles of double- and single-track trails are located within the park and Coconino National Forest, developed and managed by trail users, the Dead Horse Ranch Trails Coalition, Arizona State Parks Rangers and the U.S. Forest Service and volunteers.

*Everything was clean and shiny after the rain, like a newly detailed car. The trails were wet but not muddy.*

One morning, I spotted a bobcat moving slowly through the campground, and on another walk, I startled a small owl off his perch as I walked along the Hickey Ditch trail. There were bright orange male Summer Tanagers (I saw only one yellow female the entire time), lots of noisy but hard-to-see Yellow-bellied Chats and a vigorously singing male Blue Grosbeak, his indigo feathers flashing in the morning sun. I could reliably find a Bell's Vireo chatting to itself, answering its own question ("Which Way to Wichita? This Way to Wichita!") in the same place every morning. A group of Bewick's Wrens invaded our campground each afternoon, buzzing around our caravan as though we had intruded on their spot. I hiked the trail along the swollen Verde River to the tune of Song Sparrows and the twittering of a busy band of Bridled Titmouse. I loved walking the narrow Canopy Trail's narrow footpath that opens to a meadow filled with blooming Common Mullein, their tall spikes of yellow flowers like the masts of yachts in a protected harbor. The lagoons were inhabited by Green Heron, Sora, Spotted Sandpiper and two beautiful White-faced Ibis. All along the trails were delicate Damselflies and lightning-fast lizards.

Toward the end of the week, the campground began filling with "weekenders," our quiet, secluded spot was not so calm and secluded anymore. Still, it was a wonderful stay, despite – or because of – the inclement weather. The quiet between the storms was not all that quiet, after all.

Please click on the image below to enjoy a slideshow of the birds and other critters I saw on this trip.