A Week with Gilbert Ray

Gilbert Ray Campground is situated in Tucson Mountain Park, a huge county-run park with lots of hiking and mountain biking trails. Gilbert Ray is named after the first Pima County Parks and Recreation Director who joined the department in 1947 and retired in 1972 and apparently did not like dogs. Why would I think that? Because this is the only Pima County park that does not allow dogs on the trails! Really?? Are you noticing a trend or am I just feeling paranoid? In truth, Riley probably wouldn’t be too keen on hiking in the desert, but it would sure be nice to have the option.

Sunset view from our campsite.

Gilbert Ray is all first come/first served (no reservations) and so popular they have a 7-day stay limit. We arrived on Tuesday, 3/26, and signed up for a full week. We’re about 30 minutes from downtown Tucson and there is plenty to do around here to keep us busy for a week. Another plus, we have 30-amp electric which will run the A/C, an important perk for Riley with temps climbing into the 90’s. Rog made a quick trip into Tucson to buy insulation and doctored the fridge. We’ll see if that makes a difference.

We looked online for pup-friendly hikes and decided to check out Riverwalk Park in Tucson. The pictures showed a paved trail along a lovely river. Ahem. Apparently water is a seasonal thing here and the trail followed the totally dry and trash filled Santa Cruz riverbed. Scenic, not so much. Still, it gave us a few miles of walkies, so it wasn’t a total waste.

Riverwalk Park for walkies.

On Thursday, we went to the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum. If you are ever in the area, don’t miss it! “Museum” is a bit of a misnomer, it goes way beyond that. There are a variety of live animal exhibits, several botanical gardens, raptor free flight demonstrations, an aquarium, art gallery, theater, fossil and mineral display, and two aviaries – one for native birds and another just for hummingbirds. Plus an excellent restaurant and gift shop. Whew, even though we spent about 8 hours there we still only saw about 2/3 of the exhibits. I think the hummingbird aviary was one of my favorites!

The jewel tones are just amazing, especially the boys. 

More fancy dressers. 

He fluffed up and it looks like he's wearing a purple sequined vest. Wow!

During the raptor free flight demonstration we learned a lot about the birds as they swooped so low over the crowd you could feel them and then posed for pictures as the trainers provided bits of minced mouse for treats. Normally solitary hunters, Harris Hawks hunt in packs usually of three. 

Grey Hawk.

Great Horned Owl.

Harris Hawk.

The cactus botanical garden was fun too. I loved the names! I guess when you're prickly and untouchable it helps to have a fun name.

Claret Cups (left), Bonker Hedgehog (top right) and a cool geometric shape.

Cowboy Whiskers, Rainbow Hedgehog and Wooly Jacket.

We named him Cousin It. :) 

So we covered plant and animal, we must do mineral too. Loved the display of fossils and rocks. 

I would love to add any of these to my collection.

Looks like Mother Nature went crazy with the spray paint! 
The colors were so vivid they didn't seem natural. 

That Barbie pink concoction is a Prickly Pear Margarita!  Cheers!

We made the trek to Camping World and picked up new chairs and a detachable sun shade for the awning. Since the fridge has been playing nice, we also did Costco and a grocery run. Then I took care of domestic goddess chores while Rog hit the mountain bike trails. He spent one day riding the trails in and around Tucson Mountain Park. On Sunday he drove to Honeybee Canyon trail. He enjoyed both rides, although threading your way on winding, narrow trails through the grasping cactus offers great incentive not to lean too far left or right. Lol.  As careful as he was, he still ended up with a few scratches and some cholla spines in his tires.

Swooping through the cholla garden, a sandy wash, and a break at the stock tanks. 

A crested barrel cactus - kind of looks like bunny ears!

On Monday, 4/1, we drove about an hour to Madera Canyon in the Coronado National Forest. Finally, a hike where Riley was welcome and, with cooler temps and a stream, one he might even enjoy! We kept it to a reasonable three miles and gave Riley lots of play time in the creek. The views were lovely, with lots more pine and oak trees and fewer cactus.

The hike started with wading the creek, Riley approved. 

I loved the colorful rocks along the water.

The climb was a little hotter and drier.

Scrub Jay.

Mt. Baldy on the right still had some snow!

Riley got a break and a drink.

We finished with some more creek time, Riley's favorite part of the hike!

For our final evening in the Tucson area, we opted to visit Pueblo Vida a dog-friendly brewery and taproom. Riley made a new friend and we enjoyed some first-rate brews.

Riley makes a new friend....

...while we enjoy a brew at Pueblo Vida. 

Our next stop will be a dispersed camping area in the Tonto National Forest north of Phoenix. We’re looking for slightly higher elevation and water. We’ll see how lucky we get.

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.