Alrighty. I was getting too hot in the lower elevations outside of Tucson at ~2,400 ft. It was time to move to higher elevation. I’m still technically in Tucson area, but drove about 60 miles east to the Dragoon Mts. In the Coronado National Forest. They are also part of the “Sky Islands” which are known for their much different and diverse ecosystems vs surrounding deserts areas due to the higher elevation. It’s much cooler too….10 to 20 degrees cooler, depending on what your comparing. I’m at almost 5,000 ft amsl here. Weather is fantastic. No dust. Stunning mountain and valley views overlooking the railroad and the tiny town of Dragoon (pop. 209). Cattle roam freely. Absolutely nobody here. Just me. Saw one pick up truck pass by all day. This area is popular with hikers and rock climbers.
Anyway. As this is national forest, 14 day stay max. Free. No services. My site has a rock fire pit, however a burn ban is in effect as there is a large forest fire to the south already. Access road is ok. Larger rocks. Some washboard. Some dips and washouts. You definetly need to go slow and pay attention. I probably would not recommend going too far in, like i did, if your a big guy as the road gets worse the further you go. Would not access at night unless you had some decent candlepower. My spot is somewhat unlevel. I’ll need to watch my refrigerator. There are not a ton of spots back in here, but its pretty open, some you probably could just make your own in some grassy areas.
Nice part is that VZW is strong. 63 mbps down/6 up, although it has been lower a couple times I checked, but never below 15mbps down. The OTC is pulling in about 20 TV stations from Tucson. Wide open for my solar, which is cranking away.
Lots of wild west history around. Apache warrior Cochise had a strong hold here, and is buried somewhere in the mountains at a secret spot. Also the Earp Brothers reportedly murdered a bunch of Mexicans here.
This site is awesome! Checks all my boxes. I’ll be calling it home for at least a week, maybe more.
More later…..
