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.
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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.
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The National Monument's namesake -
Organ Pipe Cactus. |
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Senita cactus - a fuzzier and rarer version of Organ Pipe. |
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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!
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Swapping lies in the shade. |
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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.
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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).
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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. |
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Desert driftwood. |
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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.
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Ajo Mountain loop drive. |
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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.
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The arches in Arch Canyon. |
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Sunlight made the poppies glow. |
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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.
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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.
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Fantastic views make the challenging climb worthwhile. |
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Bull Pasture. |
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Pano across the valley. |
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Capturing those panoramic shots for you! |
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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!
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Huge cliffs with hanging gardens on the ledges. |
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Gnarly Juniper trees cling to the heights. |
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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.
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Quitobaquito Springs forms this lovely pond. |
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One adorable Pupfish, |
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Another adorable Pupfish. :) |
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Excellent camouflage. |
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A shady spot for lunch. |
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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.
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Humanitarian water station and a Border Patrol check point. |
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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?!
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Remnants of the mining store. |
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Old mining equipment. |
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A room with a view. |
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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.