Veterans' Day Ceremony

The Arizona Department of Veterans' Services established this cemetery on approximately 145 acres of land, which was previously part of Fort Huachuca Military Base. The cemetery was made possible by a $7.7 million grant from the VA State Cemetery Grant Service, for construction and equipment. The Groundbreaking Ceremony was held October 1, 2001, construction started the next day and it was dedicated later that same month. United States military veterans who have received an honorable discharge from any branch of the service are eligible to be buried there or have their ashes placed in its columbarium.  There are 7,443 honorably discharged veterans resting here.  Steve shares these photographs of the Memorial Day Ceremony held there this morning.

This honors the Confederate veterans.

There are Unknown Soldiers buried in the cemetary.

Unknown Soldier Section.

This is the main part of the cemetary.

Colors leaving the ceremonial platform.

Major General Walters and lots of people meeting up with old friends and making new ones.

Past Post commander DVA his wife a former Chaplin.

Re-enactment of Buffalo Soldiers interview for TV

Wall tombs.

May we not forget.

Onion Valley

One starts up the canyon which for some reason is called Onion Valley.  But, it does not smell like onions and they are not grown in the area!  I am sure there is a story but I could not find it.  It is a popular recreational area that usually opens up about mid-May.  Trails from Onion Valley provide acces to the John Muir Wilderness and Kings Canyon National Park.  There is a campsite at the end of the trail that has 29 campsites for tent camping or RV type units less than 25 feet in length.  The road up the canyon is so narrow, winding, and steep that no one in their right mind would take anything longer up anyway!  We had a great drive up and down as the weather went from nice pretty white clouds to stormy dark clouds.  

On the way home we stopped at the Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery.  Founded in 1917, Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery provided fresh trout to the Sierra Nevada region for nearly a century. After a series of natural disasters in 2008, the hatchery closed and the focus shifted to preservation and education. The hatchery portion is no longer operational but the building houses an interesting museum and is photographically interesting with its early 20th century archetcture.

In times past, fingerling trout were transported by mule to small and big lakes all along the Sierra Nevada.

Bearizona in Spring

Bearizona is a 160 acre Wildlife Park.  There are two parts, one being a 3 mile drive where visitors can see bison, wolves, bears, and mountain goats in a replication of their native habitat.  The other part is a walk-through area where guests can appreciate smaller animals, including baby and juvenile bears.  There is a brand new jaguar exhibit and the otters have a new home.  Bearizona also features a raptor show allowing people to experience raptors up close.  If you stay long enough you will want to visit the very large and impressive gift shop and the restaurant.

Debra Rohden and Greg Haesloop are our contributing photographers for this trip blog post.  A very special thanks to both of them for sharing their day.

Thanks for joining us!