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Back to desert heat for Easter weekend

Saguaro glow Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZWhatever was I thinking?  It’s hot in the desert!  But would have been hotter near Yuma, even at Mittry Lake.  Needed to BE somewhere over Easter weekend, so Why not.

Osprey bird soaring Mittry Lake Yuma AZOsprey

Although it was a treat to boondock by Mittry Lake the temperature would be rising into the high 90s, and soon beyond, around Yuma and that’s just too hot for us in the camper.

tiny cactus & red fruit Owl AZSo after a 30 minute drive to Yuma I took care of errands and headed east, back to my favorite Owl camp in the Mohawk Mountains.

desert Mohawk Mts clouds Owl AZThere were a few more flowers than the last visit.  Especially the yellow flowering Brittlebush and red Ocotillo.

full moon Owl AZApril’s full moon

This was just a one night stop.

In the morning I continued east to Gila Bend where I could dump tanks for free and bought diesel for under $5/gal.  Headed south on SR85 for Ajo, one of my favorite little Sonoran desert towns.  A quick stop at Olsens grocery scored my favorite ice cream but sadly Taco el Tarasco was closed for Easter weekend.  So I headed into the desert to find a camp.

Saguaro desert yellow Brittlebush flowers Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZSaguaro desert yellow Brittlebush flowers Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZ

In fact, I drove out to Bates Well Road to the exact spot I camped last year for my birthday, putting me closer to Why, Arizona.

last light Saguaro Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZ

desert sunset clouds Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZThen I settled in for the evening light.

Saguaro desert yellow Brittlebush flowers Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZBy eight the next morning I was opening doors and windows at 65°.  Why is it that during a winter day at the same temperature I’m freezing?

Organ Pipe Cactus desert yellow Brittlebush flowers Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZSadly there was not enough signal to barely do anything as the phone bounced to Mexico.  But that’s OK, at least for a few days.

Dove birds Ocotillo mts Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZGambel Quail bird in flowers Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZ

                                    Doves in Ocotillo                                                                                Gamble Quail

And I had plenty to do other than sit outside and watch for birds.

laptop outside Bates Well Rd Why AZI brought the laptop outside and worked on clearing storage space.  Between photos and videos I’m constantly running out of space on the hard drive.  Good thing I have externals for backup, but it takes time.

Gaelyn & camper shadow Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZ

desert mts sunset clouds Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZIt stayed warm, but only reached a high of 80°, so I had windows open until well after sunset.

Bullocks Oriole bird Ocotillo Bates Well Rd Why AZBullocks Oriole on Ocotillo

Easter Sunday was predicted to reach 87° and I’m sure it did.  As the sun heated water for my outdoor shower I continued to work outside on the laptop labeling photos.  Yes, I’m anal that way and am over a year behind.

sunset Bates Well Rd Why AZDesert quiet is palpable and thus my created word “deserquies”.  A silence broken by a whirling dervish of wind sliding across the land, and then gone.  If only I could bottle the aroma of sunshine heating the blooming desert, ode de desert is a scent I would wear.  But instead I washed off my stink under a warm sun with nobody in sight, except maybe a turkey vulture who left me alone.

desert mts Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZMonday was the hottest yet, reaching 97°.  I dug out my summer dress and spent the day outside reading and watching lizards, birds, and an acrobatic grasshopper.

grasshopper on table Bates Well Rd Why AZgrasshopper on table Bates Well Rd Why AZ

chair truck grasshopper Bates Well Rd BLM Why AZThis grasshopper hid in the shade below the table top for over an hour before slowly climbing to the opposite side and on top of the table. Soon it jumped over me and landed on the camper tie-down (white spot above chain).  OK, you can see I am easily amused.

pink Pin Cushion Cactus flowers Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZWith the holiday weekend over, I plotted my next destination, higher in elevation.

Redtailed Hawk bird perched Darby Well Rd BLM Ajo AZAnd on the drive back to pavement was gifted with a Red-tailed hawk posing next to a Saguaro for measurable time along the gravel road.  I’ll bet the flight view to my next destination would be even better than what I saw on the ground.

Arizona, Places I've been, Sonoran desert, United States , , , 17 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

Days to play after going to town


Geogypsy

Thursday is town day, avoiding most working people’s weekend, and leaves me six days to play every week.  This retirement thing just might work out.  Especially if I only have to go to town every other week.  That’s my goal leaving more days to play.  I mean why is it, when I lived 2 1/2 hours from shopping I only went to town every 3-4 weeks, and now only 30 minutes away I go weekly.  Ugh.  Not my cup of tea.  Speaking of tea, note my new profile pic to match the rest of my struggling new Geogypsy brand on YouTube.  More about that coming.


Prickly Poppy Skull Valley AZ

Anyway, another reason for Thursday to town includes stopping at the dump weekly.  One 13 gallon bag, and sometimes something else, ranges from $1-$3, depending on who’s there or maybe a whim.  I don’t know.  It’s cheap enough.  That also being the southern direction for this town day about an hour away to Wickenburg.  It would be warmer 2200 feet lower in elevation so I took off early for me.

Prickly Poppies at the gate

repaving Iron Springs Rd Kirkland AZOf course the road is being resealed, it’s summer around here.  Stopped along the way at Peeples Valley Market and bought local ground beef plus filled the camper’s propane tanks to refrigerate my groceries for the return journey.  Drove through Yarnell and took video driving down the Yarnell Hill on SR89 because I’ve wanted to for a long time.  Haven’t shared yet.  Made a thrift store donation of—dare I say—outgrown clothes, and bought a couple summer tops and shorts.  I haven’t needed summer clothes in many years as I usually wore a uniform.  After stocking up groceries for an anticipated two weeks, I returned via Congress to meet Gypsy for lunch.  Two hours later, I discovered the local laundromat closed.  Minimal hand wash would get me through another week.

sunset clouds Skull Valley AZNice way to end a long day.

Sierra cat on desk Skull Valley AZFirst of six days to play often becomes a down day, recovery sort of from all the running around from town day.  I’m not entirely lazy as I work on the computer and online.  Why do I call it work?  Not used to retirement so I have personal work that I’m going to start calling play.  What the heck, nobody’s paying me to do this, yet.  I loved my work for so many years it’s a hard habit to break.  OK, I will admit to a lot of reading on the couch, with my feet elevated.  And thus, the only photo taken, from said couch.

sign Please Close GateBesides, the next morning was another early rise to beat the heat as I met Joann at the gate around 7am for a day trip in search of flowering cactus.

horses feeding fence mts AZJust the other side of Brushy Mountain from where I live, in the Lower Kirkland Valley a gravel sideroad caught our eyes.  We stopped regularly to take photos.  This is ranch country, horses and cattle.

Turkey Vulture birds perched Kirkland AZ

Turkey Vulture bird roosting Kirkland AZTurkey Vulture bird roosting Kirkland AZ

                                                                           Hello handsome

A wake of Turkey Vultures alerted us to a small wetland.  They perched at the top of mostly dead trees, some exposing stretched wings to the morning sun.  There was very little water.

Willows nursery log Kirkland AZGrowing out of a nursery tree

pink Desert willow tree flowers Kirkland AZYet enough to support the Desert Willow with showy blooms.

rd desert mts SR96 AZ

gate frames moon AZBack on pavement it was not long before a wide shoulder with a closed but not locked gate beckoned.  It appeared to be State Trust Land presumably “leased” to graze cattle. More about that in the video.

yellow Prickly Pear cactus flowers AZ

bee inside yellow Pickley Pear cactus flower SR96 AZbee inside yellow Pickley Pear cactus flower SR96 AZ

I was glad to see even sparse flowers on the Prickly Pear cactus though many were already gone.  Lots of pollinators doing their jobs.

cactus boulders SR96 AZ

Saguaro cactus flowers & buds AZWe continued westward, downhill through a curvy canyon noting the limited shoulder parking for the return drive.  Certainly in Saguaro country and just starting to flower.

gravel rd AZ

Santa Maria R AZAnother gravel sideroad drew us along 13 miles according to a sign, sometimes following the Santa Maria River/dry wash.  Almost turned around a couple times, but what’s just up ahead pulled us on.  Plus, even without looking at a map the direction would dump us onto a known highway.

broken windmill abandoned ranch Santa Maria R Rd AZSaguaro cactus buds Santa Maria R Rd AZ

Stopped at an abandoned ranch which I included in the video and saw more Saguaros covered with buds but only a few flowers.  Just a little early.

valley below Bagdad AZValley below Bagdad

Sure enough, we ended up on US93 and went north a short ways then looped back to SR96 and took a left to Bagdad for lunch.

cabin AZ

abandoned house desert AZTurned around and closed the loop with an additional stop for yet another abandoned building (again in the video).

wrinkled Saguaro cactus SR96 AZOnce back on the road towards home, thought I saw a cristate or crested-like Saguaro.  Located high above the road without a good place to park I merely snapped a few quick shots.  Once the images were on the computer and I could zoom in an extremely wrinkled cactus appeared.  I was told by a Sonoran Desert Ranger friend it’s a wannabe cristate.

It took nine hours to cover 180 miles of fun and still had four days of play left to my week.

Raven bird walking Skull Valley AZI spent the entire next day playing with photos and making a video of the previous day’s adventure.

trees boulders Skull Valley AZHad to balance out all that sitting at the computer so dragged my butt out for another early morning walk.

meadow trees boulders Skull Valley AZGone for 1 1/2 hours and barely walked half a mile.  I feel a little guilty even calling it a walk.  Especially as I’ve been watching two friends walk the 500 mile Camino de Santiago.  But for me this is good.  It would take me a lifetime to walk that far.

Cottonwoods Skull Valley AZWalked west through the gravel pit and to the big wash that had just a little bit of puddle water.

dead tree boulders Skull Valley AZOf course I took video and haven’t done anything with it, yet.  It’s an interesting balancing act carrying the big camera and using the phone for video, but I’m getting better at it.

Whiptail lizard Skull Valley AZWhiptail lizard

I am easily entertained by my window views and think I live in Lizard Land where there seems unlimited days to play.  So many different species.

Gamble Quail birds Skull Valley AZThe Gamble Quail strut by every morning, and if not within sight of each other call back and forth, and back and forth, and…  Repeat that show in the late afternoon.  Could be a nest nearby but I haven’t seen any little ones.  I continue to dream about summer travel.  Yet may have to be content with days to play on the ranch.  It’s not a bad place to be.

old car Skull Valley AZI know, I’m pushing the videos.  Trying hard to set some goals which include continued traveling on a limited Social Security income.  I didn’t plan for retirement because I figured I’d have to work until I die.  Seasonal employees for the National Park Service don’t earn retirement.  It was a trade off, but retirement reality is setting in.  I have skills and should be able to earn supplemental income doing what I love, travel, write, photograph, share stories, and now video.  So, I’ve taken on a new job called play.  And I’ll share more about that coming up.  In the meantime, I created another video introducing myself to the YouTube world.  And then ran out of days to play because it was Thursday, and you know what that means.  I didn’t make it two weeks between town runs because I HAD to get the laundry done.

Arizona, Bagdad, Kirkland, Places I've been, Skull Valley, United States , , , , , 25 Comments

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