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Category: Places I’ve been

Sonoran Desert birds, bunny, and blooms

Mockingbird on Ocotillo desert Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZSeems I spend a lot of time watching Sonoran Desert birds, occasionally I see a rabbit, and there’s still some flowers blooming in the ever increasing temperatures at the end of March.

Saguaro desert Black Mt Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZAfter a week boondocking in the Sonoran Desert I had to go to town for fresh fruit.  Took advantage of a strong enough signal in Ajo to load a video about my drive from Owl to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  Yes, I’m weeks behind real time on the YouTube channel and here on the blog.  I returned to the same camp, because I like it.

Jackrabbit Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZJackrabbit Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

One morning, motion caught my eye as a giant Jackrabbit, not a bunny really, bounded past camp.  Easter early but no eggs left behind.

cactus sunset clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZJust a beautiful sunset.

Flicker bird Palo Verde tree Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZMotion usually means Sonoran Desert birds, like a Flicker hiding in a Palo Verde tree.

Roadrunner bird with lizard Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZOr a Roadrunner catching a lizard.

purple Phacelia flowers Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZThe desert floor was heavily carpeted with purple Phacelia, also known as Scorpion Weed it’s prickly fuzz causes an itchy irritation to the skin.

desert Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZSeems most plants in the Sonoran Desert have a bite.  Some of the critters too but I’ve not seen any snakes or scorpions, yet.

Mockingbird creosote bush Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZSeems the Sonoran Desert birds mostly bite bugs so I’m safe, at least from the Mockingbird.

Turkey Vulture bird soaring Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZAnd unless it’s something dead the Turkey Vulture won’t bite.

Saguaro desert Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZSaguaro desert Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

I went for short walks that lasted several hours watching out for cactus that bite if you get too close and keeping an eye out for Sonoran Desert birds.

Saguaro arms Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZNeed a hug?

The Saguaros are captivating in their various shapes.

orange Globe Mallow flowers Bates Well Rd BLM Ajo AZI found a small patch of blooming Globe Mallow, but not like in past years when they were more dense.

red Ocotillo flowers Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

red fruit Ocotillo Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZThe Ocotillo flowers and fruit also bring in Sonoran Desert birds.

Blackthroated Sparrow bird Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZThe black-throated Sparrow was a new Sonoran desert bird for me to see.

desert mts clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZGood thing I went out the previous day, as Tuesday was cloudy and in my mind at only 66° cold with high winds including 40mph gusts.

desert light mts clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZMany RV neighbors left.  I’d rather be parked in high winds than driving.  Gave me time to work on writing and processing photos for the last blog post.

desert mts sunset clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZPlus, even though I didn’t get outside, I sure saw a lot of pretty right through my windows, including sunset.

trail-cam coyote Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZThe crazy wind set off the trail-cam all day and night with moving flowers and trees.  But it also caught a coyote after dark.

desert mts storm clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

Saguaro desert mts low clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZMore clouds the next day even brought a little rain, a special treat in the desert.

Saguaro desert sunset clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZAnd yet another beautiful sunset, this time looking east.

Saguaro desert light & shadow Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

Mockingbird on Ocotillo desert Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZBlack-throated Sparrow bird Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

The following day was clear with no wind and 65° suddenly felt warm enough to sit outside in the sun enjoying my desert views.  Must have been calm enough for the Sonoran Desert birds too.

trail-cam coyote Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZtrail-cam coyote Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

I checked the trail-cam in the morning and discovered coyote had been by again, several times over the night.

unidentified pink cactus flower Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZorange Globe Mallow flowers Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

Saturday I had company.  Paul Gill, well-known Arizona Highways photographer, was on this way to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument to shoot cristate cactus and blooms.  We took a short walk but mostly sat in camp comparing notes and catching up.

DSL_2002lecwfbr Blister Beetle Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

Blister Beetle

Paul left before sunrise and I wasn’t too far behind on my way northward to Owl for the night and beyond to a water site the next day.

Lupine & creosote flowers SR85 AZLupine along SR85

Struggling to catch up, almost a month behind, and am now four places past this location.  Hard to keep up when there’s so much cool going on.

Ajo, Arizona, Places I've been, Sonoran desert, United States , , 13 Comments

Sonoran Desert boondocking south of Ajo AZ

Cactus Wren bird desert Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZwhite Desert Star flowers Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

desert Ajo Mts reverse sunset clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZSonoran Desert boondocking during Spring means birdwatching and walks among the cactus and flowers plus expansive and colorful sunset skies.  And even a few sunrises.

desert leaving cg clouds ORPI NM AZAfter a couple days visiting Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Richard and I enjoyed a delicious breakfast at Granny’s in Why.  He hit the road about 11am and after coming out of my parked camper I thought Paul and Gary’s campers were in the lot so I went back into the restaurant, walked up to a table and said, “you folks really have to stop following me.” Before realizing they weren’t people I know. Oops.  They laughed along with me, or maybe at me.

camper rainbow around sun Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZI continued north to Darby Well Road and found a camp, exactly where I parked in 2020 while waiting to hear about returning to work at Bryce Canyon during the pandemic.

Cactus wren bird Ocotillo Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZGreeted by the song of a Cactus Wren cinched the site.

Purple Phacelia flowers Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

Phacelia flowers Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZNot to mention the lovely purple cast of Phacelia to the surroundings.

Sierra cat at camper door Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZSierra approved the view.

desert Ajo Mts reverse sunset clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

desert mts sunset clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

desert mts sunset clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZAnd at 65° I enjoyed a 360 sunset from my newest home view of Sonoran Desert boondocking.

desert mts sunrise clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

Saguaro desert mt Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZA real surprise waking up in time for sunrise and early light on the western mountains.

Saguaro desert light Ajo Mts Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZThen I spent most of the day taking care of housekeeping, on the computer because I rarely do housework.  The hard drive was almost full, lots of photos, so I had to back these up on external drives to clear space for more.

Saguaro desert windmill Locomotive Mt Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZIn the afternoon I spent time sitting outside under mostly cloudy skies reading and taking photos as the mood, and light, struck.

desert mts sunset clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZFinally, sunset put on a show.

Saguaro desert Black Mt Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZThe next morning my phone switched to daylight savings.  What the hell, we don’t do that in Arizona, especially when Sonoran Desert boondocking.  Took me a while to fix it.

trail-cam coyoteThen I checked the trail-cam, and sure enough a coyote came through the previous night.  I put out a pan of water and they must sniff it out.

Chiliquilies breakfastAfter that delicious breakfast at Granny’s, I was inspired to make one-pan Chilaquiles for breakfast.  Even took video of the process that may eventually make it to my YouTube channel.  Turned out real tasty.

unidentified bird Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

unidentified bird Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZUnidentified bird

Spent the rest of the day writing the last blog post and watching birds through the windows from my truckcamper birdhide while Sonoran Desert boondocking.

trail-cam coyote

trail-cam coyoteOnce again the trail-cam caught a coyote during the night.  They aren’t usually out during daylight when I can see them.

desert camper Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

Annas Hummingbird Darby Well BLM Ajo AZPhainopepla bird Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

                                    Anna’s Hummingbird                                                                                     Phainopepla

But I do see a lot of birds during the day, especially when I get out for a walk.

Organ Pipe Cactus desert Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZPlus lots of other discoveries while walking near my Sonoran Desert boondocking.

late light Saguaro desert clouds Darby Well BLM Ajo AZ

desert truckcamper sunset clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZThe partly cloudy day makes for nice backdrops that turn into superb sunsets.

trail-cam view Darby Well Rd Ajo AZSometimes the trail-cam catches nothing at all, could be the wind in the flowers and Palo Verde tree.  Birds don’t set it off flying by.

Curve-billed Thrasher bird Saguaro Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

Curve-billed Thrasher bird in flight Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

Curve-billed Thrasher bird in flight Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZHowever I saw plenty of birds, especially while walking in the Sonoran desert.  I’d been photographing a Curve-billed Thrasher on a Saguaro in the distance when it took off in flight and headed my way.

desert truckcamper Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZOne of the things I love about walking in the desert, I’m never far from or rarely out of sight of camp and that way my no-trail wanderings don’t get me lost.

Cholla desert Locomotive Mt moon Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

Black-throated Sparrow Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZBlack-throated Sparrow

Wonderful views in every direction and all times of day.

desert late light Ajo Mts Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZCloudless in the morning changed to layers of gray as a prelude of the rainy next day predicted.

desert Ajo Mts dark clouds Bates Well Rd BLM Ajo AZI woke to a light rain that lasted intermittently all day.  And at 70° with windows open the air smelled fresh with creosote petrichor.

Sierra cat sniffing outside air from window in camperEven Sierra enjoyed the aroma.

trail-cam coyote

trail-cam coyoteTrail-cam caught coyote four times between 2-5am.

Ocotillo Saguaro desert clouds Bates Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

desert mts clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZI spent most of the day working on a video and enjoying the cloudy views from my windows while Sonoran Desert boondocking.

desert light on Ajo Mts Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZSun broke through late to highlight the Ajo Mountains to the distant north.

desert sunrise clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

truckcamper shadow desert mt Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZAnother partly cloudy morning greeting with a pretty sunrise.

first light desert Black Mt moon clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZOther than a short walk around camp I again worked on a video.  I like the challenge of making videos but it does take a lot of time to edit which cuts into my outside play time and reading.  Plus I need a strong signal to load the finished video onto YouTube.  I’m really not complaining, just stating a fact.

trail-cam coyoteOnce more the trail-cam caught coyote overnight, along with a spiderweb.  Time to clean the lens.

bumper rock collection Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZBumper rock collection from Darby Well Road camp

That’s OK, because it had to be packed away for my trip to town.  I was almost out of cream for coffee and had no fresh fruit.

lunch Tacos el Tarasco Ajo AZPlus I figured to treat myself to lunch at Tacos el Tarasco with green sauce for St. Patrick’s Day. Seems an extra treat because town is only about 20 minutes away.  And while in town I had enough signal to load the next video of my drive from Owl to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  Yes, I am weeks behind posting both video and blog posts.   This all happened between March 10th to 17th.

Gaelyn & Sierra selfies in camper Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZOnce back in camp Sierra waited her turn to get online.  Then we settled in for another week of Sonoran Desert boondocking.

I will make a trail-cam coyote video soon, so watch for it on my Youtube channel.  What, not subscribed yet?  Why not?

How would you feel about listening to my story along with photos and video, instead of reading?

Ajo, Arizona, Places I've been, Sonoran desert, United States , , , 25 Comments

Cactus & cristates at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

blooming Brittlebush desert Ajo Mts clouds Ajo Mt Lp ORPI NM AZSpent a few days exploring with a friend at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument searching for wildflowers and cactus cristates, an unusual growth that I’ll tell you more about.

bushes full moon set Mohawk Mts BLM Owl AZHowever, before leaving the Mohawk Mountains boondock in Owl, Arizona I caught the moon set with better luck than the dark of the night before.  Back on Interstate 8 east to Gila Bend, taking video along the way.  Absolutely scored finding diesel at $3.99/gal.  Though that’s still too much it was the first time all winter I found under $4/gal.  Sure does limit the miles I drive.

purple Lupin & yellow Bladderpod flowers SR85 ORPI NM AZLupine surrounded by Bladderpod

From there I got off the interstate and headed south on SR85 through lush Sonoran desert to Ajo.  The shoulders on both sides teased with strips of wildflower colors in yellow, blue, orange, purple, white, and shades of green.

plaza Ajo AZ

lunch Tacos El Tarasco Ajo AZMade a stop in Ajo for a few last minute groceries and lunch at Tacos El Tarasco at the Plaza.  Travel days I don’t make time to prepare meals so usually treat myself.  Why not?  Flowers continued to line the road for the 30 minute drive to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument visitor center, passing through Why, Arizona along the way.

truckcamper cg ORPI NM AZA Facebook photographer friend as yet unmet, Richard Strange, had a campground reservation for two nights.  I assumed I’d be able to get a first-come campsite at Twin Peaks Campground when I got there.  But of course now everything is reservations that MUST be made online through rec. gov.  (More about them through links at the bottom of this post.)  I should know better, but don’t frequent campgrounds on public lands preferring to boondock nearby instead.  With barely a signal at the visitor center I managed to signup with the reservation site and get two nights camping, with my pass $10/night.  It’s a beautiful campground (here’s my site view) with over 200 sites nestled privately amongst the desert vegetation.  Richard hadn’t arrived yet, being distracted for over an hour by a couple large Caracara birds along his drive from the Phoenix area.

cg trl desert Ajo Mts ORPI NM AZ

Sonoran Desert cg trl ORPI NM AZI took a short walk on one of the many trails that leave from the campground and felt immediately immersed in this dense and diverse Sonoran desert.

window sunset cg ORPI NM AZ

Richard & RockyRichard & Rocky obviously not outside my door

After dinner Richard texted me.  What I didn’t realize at first was he was right outside my door with his walker and dog.  I went outside, we met, chatted away like old friends, and made a plan to meet in the morning to explore Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

RockyRichard, and his dog Rocky, rearranged the minivan so I could sit in the passenger seat.  Rocky is the most loveable Pitbull I’ve ever met.  He’s a rescue from dog fighting, and now a service dog.  Of course he thinks he’s human so really didn’t understand why I didn’t sit in the back.  But he shared the seat and immediately moved when I wanted to sit there.

Redtailed hawk preparing for flight off pole N Puerto Blanco Dr ORPI NM AZWe started with the North Puerto Blanco Drive for the miles allowed non 4x4s.  I almost immediately saw a Red-tailed hawk perched and Richard understood the command to “STOP”.

yellow brittlebush flowers desert mts N Puerto Blanco Dr ORPI NM AZ

desert N Puerto Blanco Dr ORPI NM AZWe saw some flowers but not endless views of colors.  The yellows of Brittlebush and Bladderpod were most prevalent with a few orange patches of Poppy.  In fact as we drove by an area of orange along the banks of a dry wash I saw a vehicle I thought looked familiar.  And sure enough more known photographers were set up to shoot complete with reflectors.  We chatted briefly before moving on.

Cholla Saguaro cristate SR85 ORPI NM AZ

Saguaro cristate SR85 ORPI NM AZNext Richard shared some awesome crested Saguaro cactus not too far off the main road.  Referred to as a mutation, or abnormal growth, the crest or cristate, is certainly unusual and not all that frequently seen.  I suppose first, you have to be actively looking for them.  There is debate about what causes these typically fan-like shapes.  We spent a lot of time speculating on various growth patterns seen over the day.

Saguaro cristate SR85 ORPI NM AZFrom Wikipedia: “Fasciation (or cresting) is a relatively rare condition of abnormal growth in vascular plants in which the apical meristem (growing tip), which normally is concentrated around a single point and produces approximately cylindrical tissue, instead becomes elongated perpendicularly to the direction of growth, thus, producing flattened, ribbon-like, crested, or elaborately contorted tissue. Fasciation may also cause plant parts to increase in weight and volume in some instances. The phenomenon may occur in the stem, root, fruit, or flower head. Some plants are grown and prized aesthetically for their development of fasciation. Any occurrence of fasciation has several possible causes, including hormonal, genetic, bacterial, fungal, viral and environmental causes.”

the Wall Gachado Line Camp Rd ORPI NM AZA very short jaunt took us to the border where neither of us wanted to be distracted by the wall.

yellow flowering desert Ajo Mt Lp ORPI NM AZWe spent the rest of the afternoon lollygagging along the 21-mile mostly one-way Ajo Mountain Loop drive.  We searched for flowers and cristates, and ended up with a whole lot more.

Saguaro glomerate Ajo Mt Lp ORPI NM AZAt one point Richard stopped because of seeing some weird growth on a cactus barely visible from the road.  I walked out to get a closer look and took photos with my camera and his 300mm lens Nikon.  It was at least two feet long.  Found out later from the Crested Cactus Society this anomaly is called a glomerate.  You may have seen nursery grown plants and cactus hybridized to create this look.

Redtailed hawk bird Ajo Mt Lp ORPI NM AZRed-tailed Hawk

Cactus wasn’t the only sighting.

Saguaro crest Ajo Mt Lp ORPI NM AZStopped for lunch at an actual picnic area with table—few and far between—offering an awesome view into a valley and another crested Saguaro not too far up a hill from the road.  If you get the guide for the Ajo Mountain Loop drive it’s #7.

desert cactus ORPI NM AZWe took advantage of almost every spot wide enough to park, and a few that weren’t.  Though I’ve taken this drive several times, I see it differently every time.

Saguaro anomaly desert Ajo Mt Lp ORPI NM AZYet another unusual growth with wavy patterns are known as “spiral” or “checkerboard”.  Made us wonder if that was a sign for more crests to come.

bifurcated Saguaro Ajo Mt Lp ORPI NM AZ

Saguaro bifurcation Ajo Mt Lp ORPI NM AZSaguaro bifurcation Ajo Mt Lp ORPI NM AZ g-2

And then there’s bifurcation, when the cactus, or an arm, divides into a split instead of the usual arm growth with a ring-shaped joint.

Crested Organ Pipe Cactus Ajo Mt Dr ORPI NM AZ

Sonoran desert crested organ pipe cactus Ajo Mt Rd ORPI NM AZFinally we got to #9.  Exactly six years previous to the day I saw this most amazing growth which I named the “octopuses’ garden”, my first ever crested Organ Pipe Cactus.

dead Organ Pipe Cactus with cristate Poppies at Organ Pipe Cactus NM AZI’d been told by a Ranger friend it had died since then.  I was sad.  Yet I’ve seen a lot of these Organ Pipe Cactus dying or dead during this visit.

dead Organ Pipe cactus sketleton cristate ORPI NM AZI was still anxious to see it, and got a closer look at the skeleton which clearly shows a very different growth pattern for the flatter cristate versus regular columnar cactus arms.

desert cloud virga ORPI NM AZWe continued with our drive-stop pattern, joking about the “plethora” of poppy patches, NOT.

crest Organ Pipe cactus Ajo Mt Lp ORPI NM AZcrest Organ Pipe cactus Ajo Mt Lp ORPI NM AZ

Richard shared a known-to-him/new-to-me crested Organ Pipe cactus that grows almost on the road.  It has several bifurcated and cristate growths.  How did I miss this one before?

desert Poppy flowers mt Ajo Mt Lp ORPI NM AZ

Poppies ORPI NM AZAs we came around the last third of the loop drive more flowers appeared.  Finally, some poppies.

Cactus Wren bird ORPI NM AZAnd a Cactus Wren too.

Sonoran desert Ajo Mts cg trl ORPI NM AZWe returned to our respective campsites exhausted from a long and wonderful day exploring Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

Granny's Kitchen Why AZRichard and I pulled out of camp at 9am then slowly made our way north to Why for breakfast at Granny’s. Had to stop a few times for pics and Richard was scolded by Border Patrol for parking on the road.

desert Black Mt clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZWe parted ways after a delicious breakfast at Granny’s Kitchen and I continued north towards Ajo and my next camp.

desert Ajo Mts reverse sunset clouds Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZAll this happened weeks ago and I’ve been busy so am way behind real time.

Rec. gov & film permits

Did you know that rec. gov is a private company with a government contract that makes a bundle of money but not much reaches the feds?   I highly recommend Todd/Park Junkie’s explanation about who is rec. gov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9ab9frl8zE & about a Lawsuit Against Rec. Gov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7vYpSeAn6U .  This could be changed during the renewal of the Federal Lands Recreation & Enhancement Act.  Which also includes the issue of needing permits to share videos and photographs on social media for commercial purposes including YouTube, Istagram, and others.  So even though I don’t personally make any money on my social media platforms, somebody does, so legally I should have a permit.  Every park’s permitting system is different and the process takes time.  There goes spontaneity.  I’m going to do it anyway as my constitutional right to free speech and freedom of the press.  If I go to jail, I hope you’ll consider bailing me out.

Arizona, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Places I've been, United States , , , , , 23 Comments

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