January 4-5, 2021 Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona

 72 today and sunny. Tomorrow is predicted to be 75 and Thursday 77. We are in the 70 degree thermocline- our goal for this whole RV trip. Don't always hit it right though. 

We went to Ajo today to pick up our forwarded mail to grocery shop.  A cute little town of 1,700 people about 30 miles north of here. It started out a mining town, Town is on the edge of a huge open pit copper mine. The mine closed 1984. It is now a popular winter snow bird spot and an emerging arts scene. It has a Spanish colonial revival town square surrounded by  a park, mission churches and southwestern-style buildings. Entering Ajo. Belly Acres RV park, the border patrol helicopter that flew a grid near the campground, then circled around a spot, we passed many border patrol vehicles on the road out of the campground, And another welcome to Ajo. Driving into town.

One of the mission churches. Two sides of the town square. 

There are a lot of really good murals around town, here are some from Artist Alley. I love it when it is warm enough to eat dinner outside. We got a sunset show. 

Sunset in the campground.

75 degrees and sunny today. We walked from the Red Tanks trailhead around the small senita loop and back. 7 miles. At the trailhead was this sign  Caution smugglers and illegal immigrants are common in this area. Do not travel alone. We came across two piles of these camo pants and carpet shoes, that erase your footprints so your track will not be seen from a plane and these cement jersey barriers blocking the 'road' in the wash. The trail is in the arroyo bed here. 

Organ pipe cactus along the trail. Fall colors. 

John in Red Tanks. There are pot holes in these rocks and they hold water after rain. They were dry today. Many armed saguaro, backlit reddish needles on an organ pipe cactus and seed heads and one bloom.

John in a dense saguaro forest. A dry water trough at an old mine.

Saguaros.

The road back thought a thick saguaro forest. I added another couple rows and another color to the master piece in progress. 

Sunset over the neighbors rig in the campground. 

January 2-3, 2020 Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona

 High 60's and sunny. We hiked in Alamo Canyon today.

Some many armed saguaro. John with a BIG organ pipe cactus. 

An old adobe brick house on trail. The old corral.

Organ pipe cactus and cool butte. John hiking in the creek bottom.

Dead saguaro skin, seed heads and Ranger Gila. This tall post has  blinking lights and this box with a red button on it. It says if you need help push the red button. Rescue personnel will arrive shortly to help you. Do not leave this area, in three languages and with pictures. People crossing the border, mostly families looking for a better life get stranded with out food or water here, esp in the summer. They can push this button for help. The border patrol in this area say they do more rescues than anything else. The saddest are the children. They don't all live through it. 

The current new masterpiece. I made the center years ago and while I was here I thought I should make it here. Sunset with one meager cloud. 

Some organ pipe cactus on our hike on the Desert View trail today.

A view of the campground from the ridge on the Desert View trail. A camper van in the campground has the license plate ARTGPSY and this is her set up on her picnic table. 

A couple more rows done on the masterpiece today. Sunset from our campsite tonight.

John BBQing a large pork roast for dinner in the sunset. It was yummy. 

December 31-January 1, 2021 Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

 63 and partly sunny. Beautiful day to hike.

We hiked to Victoria Mine. Sonoran desert flora. Me in front of the ruin of a cabin at the Victoria Mine. If we hike 5 miles. with photos to prove it we get a pin. So here I am at Victoria mine as proof that I was there. It was 4. 5 miles, so need to do another half mile and prove it for my pin. 

A bumpy organ pipe cactus, a sign with a coyote with a mask on, a sign says smuggling and/or illegal are common in this area due to the proximity to the international border. Organ Pipe has 31 miles on the border to Mexico. Many armed saguaro and a lone early ocotillo bloom. 

You can see the border wall running up the hill here. When we were here in 2017 there was just a vehicle barrier there, this looks like the new 30 foot high wall. John on the trail. He is next to an organ pipe cactus, so you can see how tall they are. 

Desert fall color. John on the trail almost back to the campground with cool clouds. 

Sonoran desert flora at sunset. There were lots of cool clouds all day, but of course they evaporated at sunset. Here are a few that are left. 

Chain fruit cholla in the sunset. The mountain in the background is in Mexico.

Another chain fruit cholla in sunset. Organ pipe cactus with wild sunset clouds. 

 

Zoom New years eve dinner with my sister and niece. Please keep a safe distance from rangers and other. 6 FEET, the length of a turkey vulture wingspan. I love how creative different places are with these signs. 

We started to hike in Alamo canyon today but John got vertigo, so I had to drive us back. This is a photo at the trail head. I finished the latest basket. It has a dichroic glass turtle center that I made. It is made with dyed and natural needles and glass and metallic beads. 10 1/2 x 8 x 1/2 inches. The large beads have frogs on them. 

Another view of the basket. Sunset tonight. No clouds, just a nice glow.