Traveling Huntleys

Inspiring travel stories, tips, and guides from a couple exploring the world one destination at a time.

National Monuments

Willcox, Arizona: Wine Country, Fort Bowie & the Chiricahua Mountains

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Last Updated: July 12, 2026

Willcox sits in the Sulphur Springs Valley at 4,167 feet — cooler and wetter than the desert floor at Tucson or Phoenix, and surrounded by some of the most historically significant and visually dramatic country in southeastern Arizona. We’ve stopped here twice, drawn first by the wine country and again in spring 2020 when we needed a low-key base after a long drive from Elephant Butte, New Mexico. The wineries were closed on that 2020 visit — COVID stay-at-home orders were in effect — but the backcountry around Willcox was very much open, and we spent a week exploring Chiricahua National Monument’s back roads, the Fort Bowie National Historic Site, and the remote Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge. The area more than earned its place on our return list.

California Poppies, Sulphur Springs Valley and open desert landscape around Willcox, Arizona at 4,167 feet elevation in Cochise County
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Santa Fe, Albuquerque & Elephant Butte, New Mexico During COVID

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Last Updated: July 12, 2026

Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico and one of the most extraordinary cities in America — the oldest state capital in the country, founded by Spanish colonists in 1610, sitting at 7,199 feet in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It has been an art hub for over a century; Georgia O’Keeffe, Willa Cather, and D.H. Lawrence all found their way here, and today Santa Fe’s art market is the second largest in the United States after New York City. The adobe architecture, the canyon light, the galleries along Canyon Road — we wanted to experience all of it. COVID-19 had other plans. Nearly everything was closed, and we moved through the city mostly from a distance, filing it away for a proper return visit. From Eagle Nest, it was a two-and-a-half hour drive through the mountains and then south along the Rio Grande.

Sandy Huntley and Jake the dog standing on a rocky overlook high above the Rio Grande River in northern New Mexico
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St. Augustine Beach, Coastal Florida

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Last Updated: July 4, 2026

St. Augustine was the start of our Florida winter snowbird destination. It had been a few years since we last visited Florida, and after the previous winter’s cold, wet weather in California, we were looking forward to beaches, sunshine, and warmth. We were not disappointed — St. Augustine delivered on every front, from its gorgeous beaches and ancient masonry fort to its charming pedestrian streets and lively martini bars.

St. Augustine Lighthouse rising above the treetops on Anastasia Island, St. Augustine, Florida — one of Florida's most iconic coastal landmarks
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