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.

South Puerto Blanco to Senita Basin

February 8, 2017

After a late breakfast we headed over to the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. We visited this Monument about two years ago. (I know this because we have a stamp dated February 22, 2015 in our National Park Passport.) We drove down from Gila Bend and drove the Ajo Mountain Loop. I have pictures from the loop but I could not find a blog. I also remember I was sick during this time so I am guessing for some reason I never wrote the blog.

Protecting 516 square miles of Sonoran Desert, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a sanctuary for diverse species, some endangered. The park was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1937 and has since been recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations. Over 95 percent of Organ Pipe Cactus is designated Wilderness.                        

(information taken from the monuments Cactus Chronicle) 

Turning into South Puerto Blanco Drive

We chose the South Puerto Blanco to Senita Basin Trailhead drive today.  It mentions in the brochure this is where the greatest concentration of the senita cactus is. After our very long ride yesterday we decided a short ride was in order and in the brochure it stated this one was only about 2 hours round trip

We have seen many signs like this over the last few days.

Looking to the left we could see the border fence.
Along the fence the little dot in the middle is a Border Patrol truck.

A little further in, as you can see, we were very close to the fence.
The truck is in Mexico.

Two favorites, a Saguaro and a Ocotillo

Organ Pipe Cactus

Senita Cactus

Senita Basin

Posted at the Trailhead

Baby Senita

Teddybear Cholla

Heading Back Out

Senita Cactus

We had seen a flag yesterday but it was to far away to see that
it was attached to what looks like a water barrel.

On Highway 85 Heading North

This was our last day visiting the monument. There is so much more we want to see, including re-driving the Ajo Mountain Loop, we know we will be back again.  

Kris Eggle Visitor Center

One of our stops whenever we visit a National Park is the visitor center. The one at Organ Pipe Cactus Monument is named in honor of Kris Eggle and a memorial is located in front of the center.

Kris Eggle was a Law Enforcement Park Ranger from Cadillac, Michigan. He was an Eagle Scout, a National Honor Society Student, and valedictorian of his graduating class at Cadillac High School in 1991. After high school, he attended University of Michigan and earned a degree in wildlife biology. Kris approached his entire life with a kind of contagious enthusiasm that could only inspire everyone who knew him. He constantly gave of himself without ever asking for anything in return.
In 1995 Kris accepted a position with the National Park Service at Great Smoky Mountains National Park tracking wild boar and bears. He later served as an Law Enforcement Ranger at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Canyonlands National Park before arriving at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in 2000.
He was elected president of his class at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center where he graduated at the top of his class and received the Director's Award for outstanding achievement.
Kris took great pride in his daily work providing for visitors' safety and protecting our nation's heritage. As a National Park Ranger, Kris enforced Federal and State Laws while at the same time performing as an emergency medical technician, wildland and structural firefighter, and search and rescue team member.
In the wake of 9/11, Kris protected his country by intercepting thousands of pounds of illegal drugs, and guarding a 30-mile stretch of the nation’s southern boundary.
Kris Eggle was shot and killed in the line of duty at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, on August 9, 2002. He was 28 years old. This happened while he was pursuing members of a drug cartel who fled into the United States after committing a string of murders in Mexico.
On July 29, 2003 The United Sates Congress passed Public Law 108-64, officially designating the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument's visitor center as the Kris Eggle Visitor Center. A public dedication ceremony was held on November 2, 2003.

(information found online)

I am including this information as a reminder to all of us that the Park Rangers and the Border Patrol Officers, we see so often, are protecting our country and us everyday.