CaveFest celebrated at Kartchner Caverns February 8th, 9th

Mark February 8th and 9th of 2014 on your calendar. That is the weekend for celebrating CaveFest at Kartchner Caverns.

From 10 am to 4 pm you can learn about desert creatures with live animal displays (reptiles with Tom Miscione and birds with Liberty Wildlife), excite the kiddos with children’s activities & crafts, relive the old west mining days at the mining history & caving equipment display, plus learn about a Speleothem cave formation.

From 9 am - 5 pm you can explore CaveSim, an electronic cave simulator with 60 feet of crawling passage and realistic cave formations that are electronically sensed to give users feedback with videogame-type scoring. This caving experience is for beginner and experienced cavers ages 6 & up.

The gift shop will also be hosting a signing by children’s book author Conrad Storad. The $6.00 per vehicle entry fee includes activities and presentations (up to 4 adults, does not include Cave Tour Tickets). Visit Benson Area Chamber of Commerce at bensonchamberaz.com or camp at the park.

Winter Hours are in effect from November 1 through May 31. Gate hours 7 am – 10 pm, park hours 7 am – 6 pm, Discovery Center hours 8 am – 6 pm. The campgrounds are open year-round. The park is 9 miles south of Benson on Highway 90.

You can learn more about Cave Fest 2014 as well as other Kartchner Cavern activities on the Kartchner Caverns State Park website.

Take a hike at Lost Dutchman State Park

Lost Dutchman SP near Phoenix is now offering two moonlight hikes per month. There is a limit of 100 hikers per night, so those interested in joining are urged to call ahead to reserve space at (480) 982-4485.

This is a guided 2.5 mile hike on Jacob’s Crosscut Trail at the base of the mysterious Superstition Mountains. Hikers should dress appropriately and wear trail shoes or boots. They are urged to bring a flashlight in case of cloudy conditions (no headlamps).

Some parts of the trail are rocky and uneven with occasional steep grades (elevation gain: 120-feet). Participants should be in good health with no walking or night vision difficulties. The trail is not suitable for strollers or walkers. After the hike gather around the campfire for a marshmallow roast (marshmallows and sticks provided). All are welcome, but no pets for this outting. Parking is available in the Cholla Day Use Area.

Arizona nettles Chicago for tourists

Is it mean-spirited or just a great coincidence in timing? Illinois officials are probably smarting, while Arizona's tourism promoters are counting a coup.

photo: voices.suntimes.com

The bitterly cold weather that rambled through the Midwest has left a hefty price tag. When 15 degree polar air rolled into Illinois, the state wound up spending nearly $14 million picking up the pieces, when taking into account overtime pay for highway workers, the cost of salt for roads, and money to pay National Guard members to help care for stranded tourists and broken down snow plows.

And then there's that two-story tall billboard that Arizona put up in Chicago. On the billboard – a well-sculpted blonde female, aptly suited out in a red two-piece, inviting weary Chicagoans to "kick off their shoes," in Arizona. To add insult to sensuality, a pair of 400 pound flip-flop sandals rests on "prop" cars in the parking lot below the billboard.

There is something to it, although we can't say the locals are sitting around in bikinis. However, the Canadian snowbirds across the street are often seen sitting around outside their motorhome, wearing cutoffs and short-sleeve shirts.