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575-535-4455 info@casitasdegila.com Southwestern Guesthouses on 265 Acres |
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Michael's Gila Nature Blog Check out Michael's musings to see what's happening in the natural world of our 265-acre Nature Preserve. Lots of info on hiking the western side of the Gila National Forest and Gila Wilderness. Land! And Trails! We've created the Casitas de Gila Nature Preserve High-Speed Wireless Internet is available in each Casita |
Michael's Nature Blog
If you've never stayed with us here at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses, Michael's Nature Blog will give you an idea of what goes on on our 265 acres, and on the western side of the Gila National Forest and Wilderness. If you have been a guest, we hope you will enjoy a glimpse into everyday happenings here. Check it out!
In 2008, 2009 and 2010 we purchased an additional 175 acres of land directly across Bear Creek from the Casitas, bringing our total acreage to 265 acres. Our new land includes floodplain, forested land that borders the floodplain, mountain land that borders State land on three sides, and land in First Valley (the other side of the two mountains across from the Casitas). With the purchase of this land, the magnificent view across Bear Creek from the Casitas that our guests have enjoyed since we opened in 1999, has been preserved, and our vision for creating a true Casitas de Gila Nature Preserve within this pristine and unique High Desert landscape is becoming a reality.
The vision of creating a small nature preserve is something that Becky and Michael have been quietly working towards for many years. When we visited Southwestern New Mexico, it was the stunning beauty of the landscape that led us to settle here and develop Casitas de Gila Guesthouses. Over time we came to realize that in addition to offering a landscape of exceptional diversity, this small corner of the world was home to an equally exceptionally diverse and ever-changing variety of plants, birds, and other animals. The primary reason for this degree of diversity, of course, is the presence of the year-round running waters of Bear Creek, a true rarity in the arid southwest.
A common phrase one often hears is “you can’t improve on nature.” Unless, of course, you were to add … MORE nature! So it was with great excitement and enthusiasm that we jumped on the opportunity in early 2008, and again in 2009 and 2010, to purchase additional acreage that would protect our view and extend our floodplain on both sides of the creek to almost 3/4 of a mile, and border State land on three sides. With this purchase, our once dimly-perceived vision of creating a small nature preserve has now become a reality. The Casitas de Gila Nature Preserve has been secured, for both our guests and, most importantly of all, for the plants and animals that make their home here. We look forward to meeting you and sharing this special natural world with you while you are a guest at Casitas de Gila. Meanwhile, why not download a copy of our Trail Map and have a peak at the trails!
High-speed wireless Internet access is available to all guests at Casitas de Gila Guesthouses right in each Casita, at no additional charge. Our local phone company has made DSL internet available to us and we have set up a wireless network for those of our guests who just haven't managed to really escape work to enjoy our wonderful, stress-free location overlooking Bear Creek and the Gila Wilderness. We have no cell phone service at the Casitas because we're in a bit of a valley, but you can use Skype and Facetime over our wireless network to keep in touch with home or work. Better yet, ENABLE WIFI CALLING on your newer smartphone, and you will be able to use your cell phone over any wifi network when the cell reception is poor or non-existant.
Art Gallery
We also have a selection of items from other artisans from near and afar, including pottery, whimsical hand-carved Tree Creatures and wood sculptures, incredible rock carvings, unique decorated gourds, copper and glass suncatchers, practical pewter treasures, books on local history, note cards, handmade soaps, and t-shirts and caps featuring Mimbres designs. Our gifts start at $6, so there's sure to be a southwestern treasure for everyone. Casita guests are welcome to browse the Art Gallery at any time. The public is invited to visit on weekends, or by calling ahead to make sure we're here.
Self-Guided Nature Trail Our Nature Trail will introduce you to the dominent Piñon-Juniper Uplands Zone ecosystem that surrounds Casitas de Gila Guesthouses, along with the localized riparian ecosystem of Bear Creek. The self-guided loop trail, which Michael has made especially for our guests, is an easy half-mile in length and suitable for all ages and abilities. There's a trail guide available with lots and lots of information on what you'll see at each stop along the way.
Hummingbirds
We have a hummingbird feeder up under the porch at every Casita, so you can watch these incredibly energetic little birds up close. Black-chinned and broadtailed hummingbirds visit the Casitas every day from Spring into late Fall. By late Summer the rufus hummingbirds will arrive on their way back to Mexico for the winter.
Winter guests need not feel slighted as there are plenty of birds at our feeders all Winter long, too: stellar's jays, scrub jays, and pinyon jays, as well as doves, finches, cardinals, juncos, and various other small birds. We also see hawks, eagles, and ravens circling about, and an occasional great blue heron down in the creek below the Casitas. At night you might glimpse a nighthawk or an owl, and in the summer you'll hear the great-horned owl, poor will, and kingbird calling, along with cicadas, crickets, and peepers. We have some of the best New Mexico birding in the Silver City area! |
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<CASITAS DE GILA 575-535-4455 Michael & Becky O'Connor, Owners ©2024 Casitas de Gila, Inc. • Updated August 2024 |
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— MEMBERS —
Casitas de Gila Guesthouses has expanded its presence in nature!
Since the purchase of our new land, Michael has been hard at work building new trails, so we now have 12 marked trails, with a total of over 7 miles of hiking and walking trails and paths that our guests can use for first-hand observation of the unique natural environment of Southwestern New Mexico. The trails traverse a variety of landscapes including shady, forested paths beneath ancient cottonwoods and sycamores along a free-running creek, old river terrace flats, hillside trails through juniper, piñon, mesquite and cactus, and high, mountain-top vistas of awesome magnificence.
When we began the Casitas in 1999, we had 70 acres of land that bordered Bear Creek on the north and then crossed the creek on the south to adjoin a section (640 acres) of mountainous State land on the east. A few years later a purchase of 21 acres extended our lands to the north and east, and the first trail – a half-mile long self-guided nature trail – was established in the floodplain. By this time both we and our guests had begun to think of the Casitas as a very special place, a sort of stress-free zone where one could relax, forget about “the world out there,” and recharge by reconnecting with nature … a true nature getaway with all the modern conveniences!
Our
They're here every year!
During the summer months, guests at Casitas de Gila will also be delighted watching Bullock's Orioles, Scott's Orioles, and Hooded Orioles steal nector from the hummingbird feeders that hang on each Casita porch.
