Thursday, February 16, 2017

February 14-16, 2017 Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona

Mid 70’s- 8o’s, sunny and beautiful.

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Organ Pipe is the  northern most range of the  Organ Pipe cactus and the only place in the US where they can grow.  The southern border of the park borders Mexico. It is also one of the moistest desert, so it is pretty lush and green.  John hiking on the trail to the visitors center from the campground.

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View across the valley at the Ajo mountains. The bus at our nice campsite on the edge of the campground.

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Sunset from our campsite. The next day we hiked to Victoria Mine. John is on the trail coming up out of an arryo. They did a great job building this trail, nice stairs.

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John and I at the ruins of the general store at the mine. If we hike 5 miles, fill out their card and have a photo of us on the trails we earn an Organ Pipe pin. This is our photo for the pin. John took this of me hiking in the desert.

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A cholla cactus skeleton, yellow flowers, the Why tower in Why, Arizona we passed on the way here. The town is at a Y in the road, but they would not let them name the town with a single letter, so it is Why.  They have a why not? store with Why-fi. And a photo of an ocotilla and organ pipe cactus together. We went to  a visitor center program called Border Patrol 101. Since the park is on the border the patrol has a high profile here.  It was standing room only and very intersting.

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Saguaro cactus, a mutated one, a normal one and one with wavey arms- it was frost damaged, the arms dropped  but did not die and the tips continued to grow up. . We learned cactus at a park presentation this evening in the outdoor ampitheater. This park has lots of programs and tours. The second set of photos is of a dead saguaro.

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The current masterpiece is coming along. I am going to bead the rim of this with a pattern I am learning called the tubular herring bone rope. It will be cool when it is done. It has a piece of glass I made in the center.  Here it is  the next day finished with it’s rope on the rim.  It is 3 x 5 1/2 inches. I really like it.  John named it End of the Rainbow.

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Cisco is finally finished too. It is 8 1/2 x 7 x 2/1/2inches. There is a piece of dichroic glass that I made in the center that I set in resin. Glass beads and silver looking conchos. It is made out of ponderosa pine needles.  This morning we went to a talk with the Supervisor of the park. It was very interesting. He had them open up the back country roads that were closed last time we were here and they are doing a lot more ranger talks, tours and shuttles for hiking now.

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Sunset tonight .

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John taking photos from on top of the bus at sunset with the sunset reflected in the bus windows.

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