15 miles north of Tucson is the town of Oracle. Oracle is about half the size of Bisbee, Az, with only 3500 residents. The elevation is 2000 ft higher than the city of Tucson at 2500 ft, and closer to the elevation of Bisbee. The Willow Springs Ranch is made up partly of a State Land Use Area, west of Oracle. With a Land Use pass, the area is open to free camping, but has no facilities. There are no natural water sources, although there is water for the cattle that roam the area. The sunsets are majestic, and there are normally no people for miles. There is little vehicular traffic, and that mostly on weekends. I saw several RVs pulling trailers carrying 4x4 off-road vehicles. All vehicles generate large quantities of dust as they pass, given the lack of moisture available. This trip was my first multi-night camping trip with my new pick-up truck camper. The accommodations were basic but adequate. I spent the one night and then headed SW back through Tucson to the Buenos Aries National Wildlife Refuge.
Located 8 miles north of the border town of Sasabe, Az, BANWR, (Buenos Aries National Wildlife Refuge), is a 100,000 acre semi-aquatic refuge for animals and birds during migration. Though not often sighted, pronghorn are present as part of a wildlife rehabilitation project. There are many bird species wintering here and it makes for grand birding walks. On this trip I again only spent the one night, but got to sharpen my pick-up truck camping skills. Using devices that use the small 1 lb. canisters of propane allowed me to adequately heat and light the camp area. I did manage to use tarps to secure a small indoor space for heating, with due concern for appropriate ventilation. Although some public areas have restrictions for campfires, none were in place for BANWR this night.
