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Category: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

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

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

Sauntering south in search of Arizona wildflowers

desert Kofa Mountains sunrise Palm Canyon Road Kofa National Wildlife Refuge ArizonaMy last full day at the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge I went sauntering not far from camp in search of Arizona wildflowers and I found a few, very tiny flowers.

Pincushion Purple Mat Unidentified flowers Kofa National Wildlife Refuge ArizonaI’m greedy, I want more.  The Sonoran Desert is the most diverse desert in North America and the density seems to increase traveling south.

flowers cactus mountains Ajo Mountain Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaA Ranger friend from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument told me the flowers were popping, not peak yet but lots of color.  So I began a slow coddiwomple south to search for more Arizona wildflowers in the green desert.

First stop, shop till you drop in Yuma.  I’m not keen on shopping anytime, but right now with the hype of Coronavirus, stores are just too peopley.  Yet this would be my last big stores town so I stocked up on food, water, and fuel.  Then I headed east out of town on I8.  Another thing I don’t like to do is drive the rough and frenzied freeways.  Kind of followed an Arizona wildflower lead for Ajo Lilies near some Tacna sand dunes, but decided the sandy frontage road wasn’t for me.

late light yellow Brittlebush flowers Mohawk Valley ArizonaBesides, being late afternoon I needed to find a place to park for the night and knew BLM land paralleled the highway so could only hope it was accessible.  I also knew the freeway followed historic US80 and would have driven that but it’s not consistent.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a RV parked a ways south and took the next exit at Mohawk Valley.  Not too far west on US80 I saw a dirt road and pulled off.

desert mountain clouds moon Mohawk Valley Arizona

desert mountain sunset clouds Mohawk Valley ArizonaVery pretty, except for the much appreciated communication towers in sight.  I could hear freeway traffic, and the train, and was within view of US80.  I was too exhausted to care.

yellow Brittlebush flowers desert mountain Mohawk Valley ArizonaAfter seeing blue Lupine and yellow Brittlebush flowers line the freeway I was more than happy to see them next to camp in the dry wash and up the hillsides.

Dips sign Painted Rock Road Arizona

unidentified Wild Radish flowers Painted Rock Petroglyph Site ArizonaBecause I had such a great signal I did a little online research and decided I would stop at a place I’ve blown by before located not far west of Gila Bend.  Painted Rock Petroglyph site with a BLM campground located 11 miles off I8.  $8/night, and cheaper at half the price with my Federal Senior Hippie Pass.  Sixty dry-camp sites in a sparse desert with pit toilets and within an easy walk to the petroglyphs.  Generators allowed from 8am-8pm, but still a pretty quiet place.

BLM Painted Rock petroglyph site Arizona

BLM Painted Rock petroglyph site ArizonaWas a warm afternoon with no shade so I waited until morning to explore the petroglyphs that can be seen from the less than 1/2 mile loop trail.  I found the amount of petroglyphs overwhelming for such a small area.  Archeologists believe these stories on stone have been left by people for about 10,000 years.

BLM Painted Rock petroglyph site ArizonaThe most recent O’odham people, claim descent from the Hohokam, would have grown crops along the Gila River.  The weathered lava flows covered in desert varnish are the perfect reversed canvas to peck away and reveal lighter rock and images.  Hard to say what stories are told here as the earliest of social media.

interp sign Butterfield Trail Gila River Painted Rock Petroglyph site Arizona

interp sign transportation Gila River Painted Rock Petroglyph site ArizonaThe river also provided for Juan Bautista de Anza along his route west in 1775.  During the mid 1800s the Butterfield Stage Coach Trail passed this way taking 23 days between St Louis and San Francisco carrying the mail and passengers.  In the 1870s railroads made travel easier and from 1927 to 1989, US80 carried cars and trucks across Arizona as part of the Ocean-to-Ocean Highway until replaced by Interstate 8.

Once a lush riparian along the Gila River is now a sparse desert where today’s agricultural settlers have siphoned the river almost dry.  I drove four miles out to the Painted Rock dam in hopes of seeing the river.  No luck as the Army Corp of Engineers have a fenced and gated compound and I never did see water or the dam.

I returned to the interstate east to Gila Bend, a rather dismal town IMHO. South on AZ85 to Ajo, where I enjoyed lunch with a friend for authentic tacos at the Mexican price of $2.50 each.

desert sunset clouds BLM Gunsite Wash Why ArizonaThen, because I wanted to boondock close to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, I bypassed my usual BLM Darby Well Road for Gunsite Wash just south of Why, also BLM.  I was not overly impressed.  The name alone put me off.  Very open and too many people.  But really, camping in a wash especially when rain is predicted doesn’t seen too bright.  It worked for one night.

desert blue Lupine flowers clouds SR85 ArizonaThe roadside flowers were thick: blue Lupine, orange Mallow, yellow Brittlebush, interspersed with white Chicory and yellow Desert Marigold.  Yet with no good places to pull over without driving on the flowers I truly looked forward to a drive with parking in the monument the next day.

Gaelyn & shadow desert Ajo Mountain Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaStarted at the visitor center where I bought a book about the natural history of the Sonoran Desert and a kids hat that actually fits my tiny head.  Attended a Ranger talk about poisonous and venomous desert creatures.  Didn’t realize the extent of research being done on venom from snakes, spiders, and lizards.

desert flowers clouds Ajo Mountain Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaFinally around noon I took off on the 21-mile Ajo Mountain Drive suggested to take about an hour.  Hmmm…  So even though it was the middle of the day, clouds meant for even prettier pictures.

arches Ajo Mountain Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaI received a free guide for the Ajo Mountain Drive in the visitor center and stopped at each of the designated 18 stops, plus maybe a few extras.

Saguaro desert mountain clouds Ajo Mountain Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaThe tall stately Saguaro cactus seems to dominate the Sonoran Desert with arms pointing in all directions.

flowers cactus mountains Ajo Mountain Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaYet other prickly cactus like the Chain-fruit cholla find a home here as well.  This one is cousin to the Teddy Bear, or Jumping, Cholla with long spines that tend to glow in the light.  They all drop off pieces to spread themselves around.  This one was surrounded by Mojave Lupine and Desert Chicory.

desert mountains clouds Ajo Mountain Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaAnd then there’s the Organ Pipe Cactus found only in southern Arizona and across the border in Mexico.

crested Organ Pipe cactus mountains Ajo Mountain Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Arizonacrested Saguaro cactus Ajo Mountain Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Arizona

Keeping an eye out I even saw a few crested, or cristate, cactus.

Saguaro desert mountain Ajo Mountain Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaThe yellow-green Creosote bushes are everywhere showing off yellow flowers. As they propagate by root shoots they could all be related.

Arizona wildflowers Mountain Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaAnd Arizona wildflowers were scattered throughout.  Desert blue Lupine, white Desert Chicory, orange Globe Mallow, magenta Owleyes Clover, yellow poppy, purple Desert Hyacinth, tall magenta Penstemon, purple Notch-leaved Phacelia, yellow Desert Marigold, red Chuparosa, and all dominated by yellow Brittlebush.  Not a “Superbloom”, yet.  But plenty of super blooms.

cactus mountains sunset clouds moon Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaFive hours and many stops later I headed to the monument’s campground where I was fortunate to get a space after hours.  Sadly, I missed the almost full moon breaking over the horizon.

desert North Puerto Blanco Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Arizona

Arizona wildflowers Organ Pipe Cactus North Puerto Blanco Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaThe next day I drove a part of the North Puerto Blanco Road and saw more Arizona wildflowers.

Lupine & Brittlebush flowers desert mountain North Puerto Blanco Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaTo drive the entire 41-mile loop requires 4×4, which my truck is not.

yellow Brittlebush flowers Organ Pipe Cactus North Puerto Blanco Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaAlthough I could have dry-camped in the monument it didn’t make sense to pay $10/night, with my pass, to basically boondock.  Rain in the forecast for several days meant finding a safe place to camp, not Gunsite Wash.

Gaelyn's shadow cream Buckwheat flowers cactus Ajo North Puerto Blanco Drive Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument ArizonaOn the way through Why I stopped for lunch at Granny’s Kitchen.  The especial was mole chicken enchiladas that were OMGood, and I had left overs.

white Desert Star flowers BLM camp Darby Well Road Ajo ArizonaI returned to Darby Well Road for an undetermined amount of nights and found high ground with a good signal and neighbors at a respectful distance, other than a sweet singing Cactus Wren.  Camp is surrounded by tiny Desert Star flowers and a leaning Saguaro can be seen out the window.

desert rain clouds BLM Darby Well Road Ajo ArizonaLet it rain.  Then bring on more Arizona wildflowers.

Arizona, Kofa NWR, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Places I've been, United States, wildflowers , , , , 18 Comments

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