We have seen Paul and Noreen twice since we graduated from high school 45 years ago despite the fact they are one of the nicest and most interesting couples I have ever met. Paul was always a nice guy, the Richie Cunningham of our class and like fine wine, age has only made him better. So when they invited us to visit their respite from the snows of Vermont near Phoenix we decided it was a great excuse for a road trip.
At Paul and Noreen's we took it easy (Paul has a new hip) and got them interested in birding. Actually they knew the local hotspots and showed us around. It was wonderful to have stimulating conversations that didn't concern kids, grandkids, jobs or excessive "walks down memory lane." We left on Saturday for the Tuscon area where the weather took a turn for the worse. Snow levels dropped to about 4000 feet and it spit rain the whole time we were there. But we still saw several new birds including the elegant trogon, definitely the bird of the trip.
On the way home we overnighted in Sicorro, NM near Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, a wintering ground for sandhill cranes and snow geese. It was bitter cold on Tuesday morning but we had the refuge to ourselves, just us and a few thousand birds. The light was great for photos and it was a great end to the trip.
