Road Trip Part 3 - Douglas, Az and the Chiricahua National Monument

This is the 3rd and final instalment from our road trip. Having been chased from Bisbee by a fierce hail storm we headed further south on I-80 towards the Mexican border and the town of Douglas, Az. To be honest, Douglas is small border town that appears to have had its' best days behind it. However, there is a brand new Best Western and it is a comfortable place to hold up for a night. As well, the Gadsden Hotel, built in 1907 is on the National Register of Historic Places and was worth visiting. The marble lobby is a classic. Vaulted stained-glass sky lights run the length of the ceiling and above the landing of the Italian marble stairway is a genuine Tiffany window. I have include a couple of pictures of the lobby. An unexpected gem in an otherwise tired border town.

And now for the real gem, the Chiricahua National Monument. This is found on the back roads of southern Arizona. From Douglas we headed north on highway 191, then east on 181. The highway ends at the National Monument. So, what is a National Monument? Well, actually, it could be just about anything. The Statue of Liberty is a National Monument. So is Mt St Helens. Its kind of "not quite a National Park", but can be administered by the Parks Service or the National Forest Service.

The Chiricahua National Monument has some of the most beautiful rock formations that we have ever seen. I have include a couple of pictures of the Organ Pipe rocks and surrounding hillsides. The Monument is also close to the location where the Apache Chief Cochise fought his last battle with the US Army. If you are ever in this part of Arizona, a visit to the Chiricahua Monument is a MUST!

Enjoy the pictures. Remember to click on the pictures to blow them up to near full screen.