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Tag: Gillespie bridge and dam

07 April 2020

On hold after a short journey in the Sonoran Desert

desert sunset BLM Ghost Town Road Congress ArizonaIt was difficult mentally to leave the southern Sonoran Desert?  I did spend most of the first three months of the year enjoying the desert for my yard.  Even after leaving the Ajo area a short journey took me north, yet still in the upper reaches of the Sonoran Desert, to Wickenburg and Congress area which sort of feel like home.

Prickly Pear cactus & Desert Marigolds BLM Ghost Town Road Congress ArizonaI thought about several options and possible plans for the ‘where next’ from the Ajo area and ended up staying one night at Belly Acres RV Park to dump, fill, shower, and charge.  Also gave me time to formulate a plan for the next day that was basically a reverse of January’s trip south.  Doesn’t seem like I can plan much further than that right now.

Owlseye Clover Vulture Mine Road ArizonaLeft in the morning with thoughts of grocery shopping either locally or in Buckeye which is a much bigger town.  Yet I wasn’t desperate for anything in particular.  It’s just the unknowing of what stock will be like at the next store option.

Gillespie bridge ArizonaInstead I drove the familiar historic Highway 80 to the west of Buckeye and stopped once again at the Gillespie bridge and dam.

Gillespie dam ArizonaThe water was a little higher than my last stop.  With Cormorants and Great Egrets about.

Great Egret Gillespie Dam Arizona

I didn’t stay long as the mosquitoes were densely visible and over friendly.

Continuing a slow ride north on back roads I felt like somewhere between peaceful Earth and the Twilight Zone.  Traffic was minimal.

Poppies Vulture Mine Road Arizona

Poppies Vulture Mine Road ArizonaApproaching the dips and rise along Vulture Mine Road I hit the brakes and found a firm shoulder to park on for brilliant patches of poppies under gray overcast sky.

Cholla mountain BLM Vulture Mine Road Arizona

Cholla sunset BLM Vulture Mine Road ArizonaPulled onto BLM camping and joined quite a few others, though still parked further apart than a campground or RV park.  For only one night I didn’t get too far off the road.  Walked about and found a few flowers between the cholla forest.

cars Safeway parking lot Wickenburg ArizonaThe next day I braved into the town of Wickenburg and when I pulled into the busy parking lot at Safeway almost changed my mind.  Instead, I got up my nerve, put on my gloves, and went inside.  Thank goodness it’s a big store and most people were staying out of each other’s way.  I got what little I needed and got out unscathed.

Cottontail rabbit in wash BLM Ghost Town Road Congress ArizonaJackrabbit in wash BLM Ghost Town Road Congress Arizona

Already had an appointment the next day in Congress for an oil change and two new tires on the truck so I went to their local BLM off Ghost Town Road not too far from an old cemetery.  Exploring my new yard lead to a nearby wash where I startled a cottontail followed by a jackrabbit startling me.

After the truck maintenance, I went to the Dollar Store and although there was no paper products on the shelf a clerk asked if I needed anything and went in back to get me a 12-pack of TP and two rolls of paper towels.  It’s hard to thank these people enough for their continued service.

old Bayfield house Ghost Town Road Congress ArizonaThis is where Al and Kelly from the Bayfield Bunch lived for several winters

Then I returned to Ghost Town Road and parked one site over from the previous day and finally had a decent signal.  Now that I have two propane tanks again I’m good boondocking for two weeks at a time.

 Joann's van & truckcamper BLM Ghost Town Road Congress ArizonaJoann stopped by for some physically distant visiting and we went for a short walk in the desert. She’s been encouraging me to create more videos similar to the one I did touring my Darby Well camp.  I did try another here but with the wind it’s impossible to hear most of it so I’ll keep working on that.

desert camp view BLM Ghost Town Road Congress ArizonaBeen spending way too much time on Facebook yet I need to interact with others, stay abreast with the news (that’s almost a joke), and get in a good laugh (might include the previous).

As of 6pm last night “Bryce Canyon National Park will temporarily close until further notice effective Tuesday, April 7 at 5 p.m.”

yellow Sunflower Cholla Beavertail cactus BLM Ghost Town Road Congress ArizonaAnd so I am on hold in a safe place with nearby services.  I watch and listen to the birds, rabbits hopping everywhere, and enjoy the comfortable temperatures in the 60-70°F range during the day and low 50s at night.

Gaelyn truckcamper BLM Congress Arizona by JoannThink I’ll go sit outside in my Sonoran Desert yard, possibly in the shade of the overly trimmed Palo Verde tree that somebody even screwed a board into which makes me sad.  But the beautiful world around me makes me smile.

cactus mts sunset clouds BLM Ghost Town Road Congress Arizona

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Arizona, Congress, CORVID-19, RV life, United States, Wickenburg boondocking, Gillespie bridge and dam, RV living, Sonoran Desert, travel 25 Comments
29 January 2020

Coddiwompling south watching birds and desert sunsets

Cholla cactus desert sunset Vulture Mine Road BLM ArizonaAfter temporarily solving the propane problem, I continued coddiwompling south into desert, stopped at a dam, and then more desert beyond.

cactus desert clouds Darby Well Road BLM Ajo ArizonaSeems one of the propane tanks I purchased last March and never got to use has a bad valve.  The person I bought it from will deal with that, but in the meantime I needed a backup tank.  Sadly, the 5-gal vertical tank is too tall but the cute little 1-gal fits in a compartment.  It truly is just a backup.  I will have to pay closer attention to the other tank that lasts about a week.  Not good to run out of propane with ice cream in the freezer.

Cholla Saguaro cactus desert mountain Vulture Mine Road BLM ArizonaNext stop, Wickenburg for supplies. First Goodwill for probably an hour and all I bought was a sweatshirt.  Then groceries, mail, fuel and out of town on Vulture Mine Road.  The first pull off, nearest to the tower, is signed State Land permit required.  Saw a few RVs, one in particular looked like it should be towed away.  The road was horrible so I continued on to the next pull off.  Now on BLM with an intermittent weak signal and only a few neighbors on beautiful  desert thick with Jumping Cholla and Saguaro cactus.

Late light Ocotillo Saguaros Beaver cactus desert Vulture Mine Road BLM ArizonaI only plan to spend one night, I told my nearest neighbor when I pulled in.  But then I decided to stay.  And turns out she left instead, but not before reading my blog, introducing herself, and leaving me with the best home-baked cookies I’ve ever eaten.  Turns out she was on her first ever boondock christening a new to her yet older popup camper.  Right on girl!

Saguaro cactus sunset clouds Vulture Mine Road BLM ArizonaIt was so delightful I did stay an extra night, worked on last week’s Foto Friday Fun even knowing I couldn’t post it from there.  I even considered driving back towards Wickenburg for a better signal and coming back to this camp.  But what the heck, not the end of the world if a post doesn’t go out as planned.

Cholla Saguaro cactus sunset Vulture Mine Road BLM ArizonaI walked a bit late in the afternoon and as carefully as possible because of all the Jumping Cholla and still had them on my shoes.  Used pliers to pull them out.  Never want to touch them with any body part or clothing.  Lovely to look at but definitely want to avoid getting close.

couch highlines junction Vulture Mine & Wickenburg Roads contrail clouds ArizonaYes, that’s a couch

Left camp by 8:30am, early for me, and stopped at a couple of places to see about signal strength as I skirted Phoenix to the west.

two horse riders palm trees Old Hwy 80 ArizonaSuch an interesting contrast seeing fields of unknown agricultural green, irrigation ditches full of water, solar farms, and huge power-line towers sometimes within sight of each other.

Gillespie dam bridge Old Hwy 80 ArizonaDrove the old highway to the Gillespie Bridge and glad there’s never much traffic so I can drive slowly and enjoy the bridge construction.

Gila River White Pelican birds grasses Gillespie Dam Old Hwy 80 ArizonaI’ve parked on the west side and walked to the dam but this time I crossed the bridge then walked towards the east side.  Great place for bird watching but I was majorly surprised to see White Pelicans.

Gila River Egret bird Tamarisk trees mountain Gillespie Dam Old Hwy 80 ArizonaAlso saw Cormorants, Egrets, Herons, Coots and, Mergansers.

Gila River Gillespie Dam White Pelican birds trees mountain Old Hwy 80 ArizonaThe Gillespie Dam is a concrete gravity dam located on the Gila River between the towns of Buckeye and Gila Bend, Arizona.  The dam was constructed during the 1920s for primarily irrigation purposes.  A portion of the dam failed unexpectedly in 1993 during unusually heavy rains.

cars murals building Ajo ArizonaAfter a quick stop in Gila Bend for lunch, and a signal strong enough to post, I continued coddiwompling south to Ajo where I stopped at the 3 Nation’s Market & Swap Meet and bought a book and some sage.

truckcamper Darby Well Road BLM Ajo Arizona

Saguaro cactus Palo Verde tree desert sunset clouds Darby Well Road BLM Ajo Arizona

Saguaro cactus desert Black Mountain sunset clouds Darby Well Road BLM Ajo ArizonaThen, finally, to my next destination.  Love this space along Darby Well Road, near where I camped before but that’s full of trailer.

cactus desert windmill sunset clouds Darby Well Road BLM Ajo Arizona

cactus rock outcrop sunset clouds Darby Well Road BLM Ajo Arizona

Saguaro cactus rock outcrop sunset clouds Darby Well Road BLM Ajo ArizonaAll the desert components are in sight.  Iconic and recognizable Saguaro cactus, towering rock formations, mountains, windmill, and sadly huge mine tailings.  Also sadly, near a rusty tin can and broken glass pile.  I am heartbroken about the trash.  Why?

desert windmill sunset clouds Darby Well Road BLM Ajo ArizonaI was welcomed that first night with a fantastic show of colors.  And a lagging camera shutter with lousy auto focus.  Maybe I should take it off back-button focus.

Saguaro cactus Darby Well Road BLM Ajo ArizonaAlthough the mornings are chilly it’s not long before the sun shinning in my windows has me opening them and the door to let in the desert warmth.

Gaelyn cactus desert clouds Darby Well Road BLM Ajo ArizonaWith barely a breeze, I sit soaking in the apricity, my bright tie-dye leggings attracted a hummingbird.

Barrel cactus fruit Darby Well Road BLM Ajo Arizona

Phainopepla bird Darby Well Road BLM Ajo ArizonaI saunter daily only a little distance from camp exploring different directions of my yard.

Saguaro cactus desert reverse sunset clouds Darby Well Road BLM Ajo ArizonaWhat more could I ask for with days in the low 70s and nights above 45°, glorious view, a few clouds for color, enjoyable apricity, great signal…

Sierra cat by screen door Darby Well Road BLM camp Ajo Arizona…and Sierra approves.

 

desert sunset crescent moon Venus Darby Well Road BLM Ajo ArizonaSetting crescent moon and Venus above

Linking to SkyWatch Friday

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Ajo, Arizona, Places I've been, United States, Wickenburg Darby Well Road, Gillespie bridge and dam, Vulture Mine Road 29 Comments

Hi, I’m Gaelyn, the Geogypsy

I retired after 29 summer seasons as a Park Ranger, traveling solo for 40+ years. My passions include travel, connecting to nature, photography, and sharing stories.

I started exploring US National Parks in 1977 and 20 years later became a seasonal Park Ranger.  I’ve lived full-time in a RV for 30 years working summers and playing winters.  I’m still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow old, other than grow up.

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