Mr. Pack Rat on "The Morning Blend"!

Mr. Pack Rat was on "The Morning Blend" recently on KGUN 9 Tucson!

Crazy Pack Rats

Pack rats are adept opportunists.  Need a home?  How about the cozy prefabricated storage bin against the side of the wall.  Simply dig in, chew a hole through the plastic base and presto a new home!  Need a bed?  Those work gloves left in the bin look just about right.  A few modifications and a new form fitting bed is made.

Pack Rats Have Spring Fever.

This year we had the fourth warmest January on record.  Most days have been in the low seventies and the nights are mild.  It feels like spring and the pack rats seem to have spring fever.

Pack rats reproduce year-round, but breeding always increases when environmental conditions are favorable and more young can survive.  Freezing temperatures - fewer rats.  Extreme drought - fewer rats.  Nice mild weather with lots of vegetation from late fall rains - conditions perfect - lots of baby rats!

We are finding far more young rats in nests than typical for this time of year.   These rats are still too young to be much of a nuisance, but soon they will be adults and breeding on their own.   If conditions remain favorable 2012 could be a boom years for pack rats.

Kentucky Camp

Kentucky Camp

I have lived in Arizona over 40 years and my wife, Sheryl is a native.  In fact her family were early pioneers.  We love Arizona and we often get out to places not listed in the typical travel guide.

I plan to use my MPR blog to share some of those places.  Last year we took a day trip to Kentucky Camp, an old gold mining town located in the Santa Rita Mountains.

The drive is quite scenic and only about an hour from Tucson. Take Highway 89 (the road to Sonoita) to the Gardner Canyon turn-off.  Once you turn, you have about 5 miles of gravel road to travel. The road forks, so be sure to follow the signs to Kentucky Camp.  The road is dirt but in decent shape. If you take a car, you may want to hike the last mile in, but a regular pick-up or SUV should be able to make it all the way without a problem.  There are several old adobe building and some old mining equipment around to look at. The area is beautiful terrain with lots of scrub oak.  A nice break from the desert.

The forest service is doing some restoration and even has a small cabin on-sight available for rental.   It is rustic - look close at the sign below, "Bed and No Breakfast Inn".

There are not many ghost towns open to the public that are in as good shape as Kentucky Camp.  You can wander around at will.  The area is open range so expect to see some cattle.  Pack a picnic, or head down to Sonoita for lunch.  You will not be disappointed.

For more information on Kentucky Camp and the forest service cabin rental check out the links below:


Wikipedia -Kentucky Camp Arizona
Coronado Forest Heritage Rentals