Still in Why and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (Senita Basin) 3 of 3

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Why you may ask are we still in Why even though the plan for today was to move further East. Well the why would be the wind came howling in before we got up this morning. Still hoping while Tom made coffee I checked the weather and there it was a wind advisory.  As I read I saw were it mentioned the possibility of strong cross winds on AZ-86 which would have been our route today. Sustained winds of 20 to 25mph with gusts of 40 to 45mph is not the weather we travel in. It would need to be an emergency for us to do so. Since, we have the advantage of being retired without a set schedule we went to Plan B, leave Tuesday. 

Tom decided to take care of a couple of things inside today.  While he was busy I took a ride over to Olson's IGA to pick up a few things, stopped and took a few pictures along the way, and made a quick stop at the Thrift Store. The Thrift store did have a nice variety of items but nothing I needed to give up something else for. That space thing, one item in one out...lol

Pulling out of our spot I could see the dust in the distance/

One thing about wind is the flag 
does fly beautifully.

More dust in the distance.

The only blue sky I saw today; the sun did not make an appearance.
There is yellow on the ground though.

Just before you get to Ajo going north you pass by these hills
of tailings from the New Cornelia Mine.

The New Cornelia mine is a currently inactive open-pit copper mine in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It was the only productive mine in the Ajo mining district, and is located just outside the town of Ajo, which was built as a company town to serve the New Cornelia mines.

I know they are mine tailings but from the first time we came 
this way I have found the colors coming down to be beautiful.

The colors are certainly more vivid when the sun is shining and
I have taken and posted several similar pictures in past posts.

Yet even today with the dark clouds the colors stood out.

So even though I have several pictures of these hills of 

tailings I clicked away to add several more.

I have tried several times to get this mural with the door shut,
bottom right, today I succeeded.

Across the street I saw this one and 
I do not remember seeing it in the past.

Heading home the wind was still blowing and the dust could
still be seen in the distance. There are mountains across the
entire horizon in the distance.

As I write this the wind is still howling as it has all day and looking at the weather it will be with us most of the night. It also looks like we may get rain but if the weather predictors are correct by the time we are ready to pull out in the morning the rain will be done and the wind will just be a breeze. We are hoping they are right. 

Saturday, March 18, 2023 (South Puerto Blanco Drive--Senita Basin)

Leaving the Ajo Mountain Drive we turned left/south on AZ-85 to the South Puerto Blanco Drive. From there we turned onto the road that would take us to the Senita Basin. Which is where there are Senita Cactus but we found very few and the ones we did see did not look healthy. What we did see were a lot of Saguaros. Saguaros of so many different sizes and shapes and that was not a disappointment. 

The blue flag is to let you know there is a water barrel there.

This looked like what we have seen in the desert in the past.
If you are in trouble you can signal for help.

Senita

Those mountains are in Mexico.

We could see vehicles and buildings on the other side of the fence.

Leaving South Puerto Blanco Drive we have turned
North and are headed home on AZ-85

Our last stop was at the entrance to the Monument as the 
sun was slowly setting in the West. 

In the late 1960s, a biosphere reserve program was conceived by the United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as one solution to the seemingly overwhelming environmental pressures confronting the world. The reserves would conserve samples of the world's ecosystems such as a tropical forest, prairie grassland, coral reef, river system, or desert. In 1971 the Man and the Biosphere Program (MAB) was started with the intention to test and outline how humans can strike a balance among the apparently conflicting issues of conserving biological diversity, promoting economic and social development, and maintaining associated cultural values. Scientists from 83 nations supervise the MAB program involving over 325 reserves, including 56 in the United States.

The Organ Pipe Cactus Biosphere Reserve

The Organ Pipe Cactus Biosphere Reserve is a first-generation biosphere reserve created in 1976 for the conservation of the unique resources representing a pristine example of an intact Sonoran Desert ecosystem. The biosphere designation has helped to attract scientists from around the world to Organ Pipe Cactus to conduct a variety of important studies to help us better understand the Sonoran Desert and the impact of humans on this amazing landscape.

As the move forward into the future, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument will be working closely with surrounding land agencies and stakeholders, including the Tohono O'odham Nation, The Bureau of Land Management, Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge and the local communities to further the ideas of the biosphere program by promoting expanded research, education, tourism and recreational facilities.

Individual Biosphere Reserves remain under the sovereign jurisdiction of the countries in which they are situated. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument remains under the management and authority of the United States National Park Service. (Information from the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Website)

This National Monument has two scenic drives listed:

The Ajo Mountain Drive is well worth the time. It is 21 miles and estimated it will take 2-3 hours; the time really depends how many times you stop and take a walk. There are a couple of picnic areas provided along the way. The only vehicle restriction I found for this ride was the vehicle could not be longer then 25ft. We have seen small motorhomes on this drive. They provide a Guide at the Visitor Center which includes information about the numbered spots along the way.  

The Puerto Blanco Drive is 41 miles and the estimated time is 3-4 hours; again it depends how much you stop and get out and walk. They do recommend a high clearance vehicle for this drive. 

We have taken the Ajo Mountain Drive several times and would not hesitate to take it again in the future. 

We took the Puerto Blanco Drive one time back in March of 2018 if you are interested about some of the views on this ride click here. There are a couple of pictures of what the fence looked like back then in the post. For us taking this entire drive once was enough. We did start at the end this year and drive in and take the road into the Senita Basin. Never say never but I am not sure we would do any part of this drive again. Though we are glad we took the time this year and in the past.

The Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is beautiful and in our opinion it is well worth the visit. 

Yes, I know I am a day late but I still wanted to say hello!

We are so glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.

Darby Wells Road and(Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (2 of 3)

Monday, March 20, 2023 

Today started like most of our days with mugs of coffee. We both had things to take care of around the Motorhome and then after lunch we took a ride over to Ajo for a ride down Darby Wells Road. We started our ride by going up the hill in Ajo and before coming to where Darby Wells connects to AZ-85 we turned around and went back the way we came and down the hill. Our next stop was going to be Olson's IGA for a few groceries including something for dinner. When we pulled in the first thing we noticed was that the parking lot was pretty much empty. It was a few minutes after after 6 o'clock and now we know they close at 6. So plan B it was for dinner tonight. Tom had heard the Desert Diamond Casino just down the road from where we are at Coyote Howls East makes a decent pizza and now we know they do.

Forewarning: Between today's ride and the last of the pictures from the our Ajo Mountain Drive this post does contain a picture overload.   

I took this while we were on AZ-85 just south of Ajo.
I am going to guess these are the Pozo Redondo Mountains.

On the left a tall Saguaro with an abundance of arms.
On the right a Teddy Bear with several babies.

Does anyone else see the buffalo?

This was the first quail we have seen this year.

Whenever I look down a wash it reminds me to never take
the power of water lightly.

I was really hoping this picture would be close to what we could
see in the distance when I moved it to the computer and it is close.
The tailings from the copper mine, the mountains, saguaros and all
the green  bushes even the blueish tinge in the sky.
This was what we saw no enhancement.

This is the view at the spot we were hoping for but it was
someone else's turn to enjoy this beautiful view. Two years
ago we lucked out and got here first this year they did.

Just slightly past the site the desert floor was covered in purple.

This I took into the sun as we made our way back to Ajo.

One of the views as you head down the hill into Ajo.

Blurry bushes in the front as we were moving towards
home when I took this of the last of the sun's light.

As always it was a little bumpy but a  wonderful ride on Darby Wells Road. Tomorrow we will be heading a little further east as we continue this our 9th Adventure. 

Saturday, March 18, 2023 (Ajo Mountain Drive)

The rest of our ride through the Ajo Mountain Drive. 

An arch in the distance

no there are two.
Look at the green making its way into the arch.

What do you see? I see a lizard crawling up.

A little ways farther 

and there is another small arch.

It looked to me like the Saguaro was saluting the Organ Pipe Cactus.

Some Gold Poppies

Chainfruit Chollas

Stop 17 which is Teddy Bear Pass and I got out one last time to take pictures. 

According to the guide a midden in the Puerto Blanco Mountains records the teddy bear chollas' arrival here 10,000 years ago. This cactus migrated here when the Sonoran Desert was in its infancy and from the abundance found here at Teddy Bear Pass, it has adapted quite well. (A midden is a packrats nest. They use, among other things, joints from the cholla cactus to make a very protected nest.)

Do not be fooled they may look fuzzy and soft 

but they have millions of tiny hooked spines genetically 

designed to attach to anything that gets close.

I barely brushed one once and luckily it only attached to my pant 
 leg. Tom was able to pick it off very carefully. Since then I have
been careful to look behind before backing up to take a picture. 

The last picture I took on the Ajo Mountain Drive.
Two of my favorite things to see in the desert,
the Saguaro standing tall and proud and a 
beautiful green Ocotillo.

The last stop is 18 and the title in the guide is: What Does the Future Hold?

The article that follows talks about the how the monument is filled with plants, animals, and humans that have adapted to the Sonoran Desert's unique environment. Some migrated and some adapted and survived the changing climate over the last 10,000 years. It talks about the plants and animals that are now threatened by the changes happening. The Big Horn Sheep, the Spadefoot Toad, and the Saguaros are mentioned. Will they adapt to the unforeseen changes; can they adapt to the changing environment? What new species might move into the monument? The answer to the question what does the future hold, given in the guide, is they are only beginning to understand the questions.

There is a circle of life in the desert. Plants depend on animals to disperse their seeds, animals depend on the plants for food and shelter. Even plants depend on plants for survival, cacti and their nurse trees. Even death in the desert begets life. The dead Saguaro may provide shade for the lizard. Everything is connected all over this incredible land of the Sonoran Desert. (based on information in guide)

I often wonder when I am walking in the desert what will the future hold for the desert? What will the desert look like when our children and grandchildren visit? Only time will have the answers. I just hope they experience the same wonder we do and look with open eyes and see the beauty surrounding them. So different from the beauty of the place they are growing up in with its lakes and forest. It is a beautiful country we live in and the more we see of it the more we appreciate that fact.

We are glad you stopped by!

If you have time to leave a comment we would enjoy hearing from you.