Menu

Category: Ajo

April in southern Arizona

last light Organ pipe cactus ORPI NM AZ

The last blog post was April 24th as I prepared to leave Old Fogey Hot Spring in southern Arizona then continued further south to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  How can that be as I roll through early June while writing this post?   I am reminded by Sue that blogging has fallen by the wayside for many.  And to be fair I am sharing my stories on YouTube now at  https://www.youtube.com/@geogypsytraveler/.  Yea, I know, not everybody does YouTube, however there will be many links to videos I’ve posted since the last blog post.  Just sayin’.  If you like what you see please subscribe to the channel.  You can check out ideas about summer travel plans and monetization here.

RV cg ORPI NM AZI continued into southern Arizona most specifically to attend a Ranger wedding where they met years ago while working at Organ Pipe Cactus.  It was a three day affair that included the solar eclipse, and I camped in the park’s campground.

desert late light Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZ

desert sunset Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZBut before that I spent a few days boondocking south of Ajo near a favorite BLM site along the Darby Well Road.

Plaza Ajo AZThen before heading to Organ Pipe went into Ajo for groceries, laundry, and a visit to the Plaza where I bought myself a few pieces of jewelry.

ring earrings pendant Ajo AZOld Sterling Silver & Turquoise ring & necklace, plus hand-carved Pipestone turtle earrings

I’m really not collecting again after the fire, but if I see a piece I love that fits, well it becomes mine.

Space X Sonoran Desert ORPI MN AZSpace X seen from campground

Most of the wedding party were, or still are, Park Rangers from all over North America, so of course we got along fabulously.

Saguaro cristate Ajo Mt Dr ORPI NM AZCrested Saguaro

dbl arch Ajo Mt Dr ORPI NM AZDouble Arch

One day we carpooled on the Ajo Mt loop drive making stops along the way.

hawk Saguaro Ajo Mt Dr ORPI NM AZcactus flowers Ajo Mt Dr ORPI NM AZ

Took four hours for the 21 mile drive.  That’s naturalists for you.

Ramsey & Chelsea hands ORPI NM AZThe next day, before the wedding ceremony, we shared food at the group camp area while safely watching 75% of the solar eclipse.

desert eclipse site ORPI NM AZsolar eclipse

I set up camera on tripod and shot about every 5-10 minutes then eventually put together a composite.

RV sunset Darby Well BLM Ajo AZ

desert moon Jupiter Darby Well BLM Ajo AZ

Gaelyn tophat eclipseBrittlebush Ocotillo Darby Well BLM Ajo AZ

After the wedding activities I returned to Darby Well Road for about a week of camping and learning how to make the eclipse composite while enjoying the southern Arizona Sonoran desert outside my door.

Plaza Ajo AZ

RV camp BLM Alley Rd Ajo AZThen back to town for groceries and postcards where a different boondock was recommended along Alley Road.

Organ Pipe cactus spine glow yellow Brittlebush Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZOrgan Pipe cactus spine glow Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZ

I love that new camp location even better, if that’s possible, because of less traffic and people, and more dense Sonoran desert vegetation.

desert mt Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZNear enough to a tower to successfully work online and load videos.

desert sunset Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZ

desert Ajo Pk sunset Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZ

RV reflection sunset clouds Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZdesert sunset Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZ

Spectacular sunsets.

desert mt moon Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZmt moon rise bird Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZ

moon rise Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZSaguaro desert mt moon rise Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZ

Watched the full moon rise.

Coyote Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZAnd had a coyote visitor.

yellow Brittlebush flowers Ajo Mt sunset clouds Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZ

desert last light Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZ

yellow Brittlebush flowers clouds Alley Rd BLM Ajo AZI spent another week before starting slowly northwards.

RV in carport Yuma AZJoann’s neighbor let me park across the street

Next stop, a visit with Joann in Yuma for a couple days.

red Ocotillo flowers Kofa Mts BLM La Paz Valley AZ

desert Chocolate Mts sunset BLM La Paz Valley AZThen a five day stop, still in southern Arizona, on BLM adjacent to Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

flowering Saguaro SR97 to Bagdad AZMay 1st I arrived in Congress where something special happened.

 

Yes, there are a lot of photos here.  But there’s even more good ones laced into the linked videos.  I believe some of these will be contenders for the Geogypsy 2025 calendar.  Have any favorites?

Ajo, Arizona, Kofa NWR, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Places I've been, United States, Yuma , , 21 Comments

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

Lijit

© Copyright 2008-2024. Geogypsytraveler.com