Wednesday, February 14

After driving down thru Organ Pipe and realizing how far it is from Why, I revise my plans for the next couple weeks.  Its 60 miles round trip down to the areas where the scenic drives and trails are.  Too far to drive back and forth.  So I decide to spend a week or ten days in the Ajo area and then move down to the campground in the park.

After being in my camp at Gunsight Wash for a couple days, I’m still not happy with it. This morning I go to town for groceries and gas.  Then take a drive around to explore for a better camp.  I find a place up in the hills near Ajo that is much better than where I am! I check my phone signal – 2 bars of LTE.  That will work.

I hurry back to break camp, hitch up and drive back, hoping the spot is still available.  It is, yippee!  But wait, I notice that a campsite a little further up the hill is open now.  There was a truck in there earlier.  I like that site even better.  And, 3 bars of LTE! (I actually took the photo below on Saturday.  It was rainy and overcast for three days, not good for picture taking.  And I need a new camera, the iPhone is okay but I need something better.  If I ever get somewhere I can receive Amazon packages, I’m going to order one.)

View from my front door

My site is on a bank above a wash.  Across the wash is a beautiful garden of saguaro, organ pipe, palo verde and ironwood trees.  Next to the Nash, there is a large ironwood tree for shade and to hang the hummingbird feeder. There are small mountains all around.  There is a network of BLM roads through the area for taking walks. Now I’m happy – I like this place!

Rainy days. . .

The rain and overcast, dreary weather continues on Thursday and Friday.  I don’t mind though.  The desert needs the rain.  This is the first cloudy weather I’ve seen since arriving in Arizona.  I had started reading Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey so I read off and on and finish it.  He writes about working as a summer ranger in the late 1950s at what was then a lightly developed Arches National Monument.  It would have been awesome to see the national parks of the west before the hordes of people came.

In the mornings I go for walks around the area.  There are lots of birds here.  I’ve added quite a few to my life list.  With the rain, the ocotillo blossoms have opened wide.

Ocotillo blossom

Ocotillo in bloom

The hummingbirds are gorging themselves, flitting from one blossom to another.

I come across this marker as I am walking.  I don’t know the significance of it.  I might stop at the refuge office and see if they can provide any info.  A little further on across the main road I saw another marker for a person who had died.  It was a traditional white cross with the name and dates of birth and death.

Friday evening just as the sun is setting the clouds started breaking up and some blue sky peeks through.

Saturday, February 17

Today I awaken to blue sky and sunshine!

While I sit outside having breakfast and coffee, Misty checks out our camp.  She likes to go outside early in the morning when it’s quiet and there aren’t human sounds to scare her.  If she does get scared she runs inside, so that’s good. I keep a close eye on her.  The other morning I saw a very large and well fed coyote pass by camp.

Misty is camouflaged pretty well

Since the rain is over, I get out the outdoor mat, chairs, grill table and grill and set up my outdoor room. Nice to have a room with a view 🙂