Organ Pipe National Monument

We arrived at Organ Pipe National Monument on Thursday, 3/21. We’re in the Sonoran Desert and there is a reason why it’s called the “green desert”.  Covering 110,000 square miles, it is the most diverse desert in North America. 

It really is the GREEN desert.

The National Monument was established in 1937 and protects most of the habitat of Organ Pipe cactus in the United States. Organ pipe cactus averages 15 feet tall and produces its first flowers around 35 years. The flowers bloom only at night and are pollinated by bats! This is also the only place north of Mexico that you’ll find the even more rare Senita cactus – a “hairier” version of Organ Pipe.

The National Monument's namesake -
Organ Pipe Cactus.

Senita cactus - a fuzzier and rarer version of Organ Pipe.

Early settlers thought the dead cactus looked like organ pipes, hence the name.
I think they look like the skeletons of a prehistoric sea creature!

The Twin Peaks campground in Organ Pipe National Monument is huge, with more vegetation (even though it’s the prickly kind) than we typically see in the desert. There’s plenty to see and do here and, with the added benefit of hooking up again with Brother Bob, we opted to extend our stay to five nights. Riley was even allowed on a few of the trails near the campground!

Swapping lies in the shade. 

A full moon illuminates the campground. 

We walked the perimeter trail with Riley our first day in camp. The views across the valley were lovely and there were plenty of the park’s namesake cactus on hand.

Happy to have Riley on the trail.

On Friday we walked the Palo Verde Trail to the visitor’s center to check out the exhibits and attend a ranger talk on scorpions. In Borrego Springs I’d learned that scorpions fluoresce under a black light and I had been poking around after dark with my handy little ultraviolet flashlight. We learned that the most common scorpion in the park is the tiny Arizona Bark Scorpion AND that it also happens to be one of the deadliest. Ugh! Not what I wanted to hear. No more scorpion hunting in my future (or so I thought).

When young, Saguaro cactus thrive best under a nurse tree like this Palo Verde.
Once the Saguaro outgrows its nurse, it hogs the water eventually killing the tree. 

Desert driftwood.

Cute and spikey!

On Saturday we left Riley in air-conditioned splendor while we drove the 21-mile Ajo Mountain Loop road and did a couple of hikes. The loop road is graded gravel and winds through the hills around Ajo mountain.

 Ajo  Mountain loop drive. 

A crested Saguaro - another rarity!

Our first stop was a short 1.2 mile hike up Arch Canyon. Look closely and you’ll see there is actually a double arch.  The poppies and flowers along the trail were spectacular.

The arches in Arch Canyon. 

Sunlight made the poppies glow.

More amazing wildflowers!

Near the half way point on the trail, I was feeling the call of nature. My morning expressos were knocking loudly and I had to pee! With no facilities for miles, I went in search of an out of the way spot.  I found a rocky outcropping and checked carefully for anything that slithered or crawled. All clear and I was taking care of business when I looked down and saw a very unhappy Arizona Bark Scorpion right between my feet! Apparently, he was very pissed off that he was getting pissed on. I finished in record time, but luckily he was only interested in finding a drier rock to hide under. Lol.

NOT a happy camper!

Our next stop was the longer and more difficult hike to Bull Pasture. The views from the top made the 4.2-mile steep and rocky trail worthwhile. I cannot imagine how the early ranchers ever got cattle all the way up to the pasture at the top.

Fantastic views  make the challenging climb worthwhile.

Bull Pasture.

Pano across the valley.

Capturing those panoramic shots for you!

No further comment. :)

We saw interesting rock formations and different vegetation at the higher elevation. Also note there was a vault toilet at the trailhead which I used before and after the hike – I had no desire to risk meeting any more disgruntled scorpions!

Huge cliffs with hanging gardens on the ledges.

Gnarly Juniper trees cling to the heights. 

Unusual plant, guessing some variety of succulent. 

Sunday’s expedition was another drive on gravel roads, but this time Riley got to go along. We took the South Puerto Blanco road to Quitobaquito Springs. It is always fun to find water in the desert and Riley got to try out his cooling coat on the walk to the springs. The coat has a mesh lining that absorbs water for evaporative cooling and is reflective on the outside. He looks like a giant tinfoil wrapped baked potato, so we call it his potato jacket. Lol. It seemed to help and since Riley managed to get his feet wet in the spring, he was a happy camper.  We didn’t let him play much in the water since we didn’t think the resident desert pupfish, turtles, and American coots would appreciate his company.

Quitobaquito Springs forms this lovely pond.

One adorable Pupfish,

Another adorable Pupfish. :)

Excellent camouflage. 

A shady spot for lunch.

Riley sportin' his Potato Jacket. 

One thing we noticed on our drives was the very prominent presence of Border Patrol in the area. There are signs all over the place regarding illegal immigrants and surveillance equipment and checkpoints. I understand we are close to the border, but it just seems weird and a little too “Big Brother” to set up a roadblock and stop traffic to ask if everyone in the car is a US citizen.  This isn’t at the border mind you, but on highways inside the US - it’s just creepy.

Humanitarian water station and a Border Patrol check point.

Border fencing and surveillance equipment that can also be used as a distress beacon.

Our last day, we took the trail from the campground to the Victoria mine, one of the oldest historic sites in the monument. The mineshaft, ruins of the old mine store, and some artifacts remain. Afterwards, we went to Rocky Point Seafood Market and picked up some huge prawns and grouper for dinner. Rog likes to find hidden gems near the places we visit and was intrigued by the reviews of this tiny market. It is literally the size of a small garden shed in the middle of nowhere. The fish is flash frozen and brought in from Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point for us no hables español types) 150 miles away. Amazing quality seafood in the desert, who’d have thought?! 

Remnants of the mining store.

Old mining equipment.

A room with a view.

The usual suspects. 
Looks like suspicious activity to me!

Oh, and the fridge. I’d say it’s working, but I wouldn’t say it’s working well. Moving the thermistor did help and we’re monitoring it closely. If the fridge temps get too high, we fill the veggie bin with ice.  Rog is going to add some insulation to the back, but we’re running out of tricks. I have a feeling we’ll be in the market for a new RV refrigerator before the year is out. 

Our next destination is Tucson, Arizona. We hope to snag a space at Gilbert Ray Campground in Tucson Mountain Park.