December 16, 2021 Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona

 63 and sunny.

We hiked in Alamo Canyon today. Ranger Gila warning us of the dangers in the desert, sharp spiny cactus, flash floods, snakes, scorpions, spiders, drink lots of water, use sun screen and Africanized bees. Deformed cactus, and the really scary things of the desert- the teddy bear cholla- the segments seem to jump at you and they have barbed spines, so they stick in you, and when you try to take them off they stick in your hand, and dead saguaro skin. John shaking hands with one of the oddly shaped saguaros on the trail. 

John was so disappointed here, he thought it was a bar and it was closed. . . It is the remains of an old historic  ranch house. John walking into the old historic corral. 

Cattle shoot in the old corral. The cistern for one of the wells by the corral.

Lunch in the shade of the cistern. The red eriogonum and yellow grass in the creek bed. 

Rocky spire between 2 cactuses. We walked back in the creek bed. John walking in the eriogonum. 

Looking up the creek bed we came down. Another red spire and cactus. The one in the front is a little organ pipe cactus and the one behind is a saguaro

John with the wild saguaro cactus. Organ pipe cactus and saguaro in front of the red ridge of the Ajo mountains. 

Asters, tiny water pothole in a spotted rock, red fushia flowers, eriogonum flowers, and a wierdly shaped dead saguaro stump. Artistic looking saguaros on the trail, and in camp during sunset. The moon is in a more normal looking saguaro. 

John by the car in Alamo primitive Campground. It has 4 sites, no water or hook ups and a pit toilet. A portable help station. If you or an illegal is dying from heat, exhaustion and no water push this red button and rescue personnel will come with water. 

Sunset from our campsite through a cholla and saguaro cactus.