Located in a remote part of the Arizona desert on the east side of the Chihuahua Mountains is the small community of Portal, which lies within the Cave Creek portion of the Coronado National Forest.
I have been doing wildlife photography in my retirement years and the intent of this trip in April was to place myself in the path of birds moving northward from Mexico and South America during their spring migration into the US during the months of April or May. As I drove into Portal on a rising two-lane asphalt highway to an elevation of 4760 feet, the topography transformed from a flat desert land with creosote bushes to Cave Creek’s flowing stream, spectacular vertical cliff faces of fused volcanic rock, a variety of pine and hardwood trees, and abundance of wildlife. Portal sports a post office, library, convenience store, Portal Lodge with a cafe and 16 rooms for overnight accommodations.
