(Why, Arizona) 64 degrees, blue skies
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| Petroglyphs |
Driving our jeep out into the desert is lots of fun. This is definitely 4-wheel drive country. A couple of days ago we drove the Pipeline Road which traverss the Valley of the Ajo. This Cabeza Prieta land is protected heavily by the border patrol and we were "interviewed" a few times. We crossed several large washes and saw remnants of stocking pens. It was a great place to stop for lunch. Mal did a great job of driving the bumpy dirt road. It took some careful maneuvering but well worth the effort.
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| Wild Burro |
There were lots of burros and several wild horses along the way.
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| Stocking pens |
The highlight was finding this amazing cristate saguaro cactus. It is not really understood why this phenomena occurs but it is very rare (one in 10,000 plants) Some resources say it may be a cell mutation, or caused by injury or disease. But, whatever the cause it is an amazing sight.
The next day we were joined by Jerry and Cindy (our neighbors at the campground) stopped at the Cabeza Presta NWR center in Ajo and obtain passes to enter the Barry Goldwater Air Force Range. This pass gave us the gate code to enter the Crater Range. Our friends took us on a great hike of this volcanic range. We saw a few petroglyphs and Indian grinding stones. It was a beautiful day and a really nice hike. There were also lots of tracks in the sand of mule deer, big horn sheep, horses, and much more.
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| One really tall saguaro |
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| Marsh, Jerry, Cindy, & Mal |
This was our last day together and we enjoyed a nice dinner of fried chicken, cucumber salad, potato wedges, cheesecake and refreshing margaritas. We watched the full moon rise and talked about our great week together. We hope to see each other again this spring. It was a fun filled week and we appreciate Mal and Marsha arranging all the great activities. It was wonderful to spend time with them again.
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| Our campsite @ Coyote Howl |
We are traveling in the morning to FMCA Rally in Indio California . We are meeting up with two of our blogging friends J.C. & Beverly. We met them last summer in the Black Hills. These rallies are very informative and lots of fun. Stop back soon for all the details.
love hiking in the desert
ReplyDeleteI'm never sure whether to be amazed or horrified by petroglyphs. . .I once told friends that when we see art and writing on buildings and bridges, we call it graffiti. . .but put it on some rocks out in the desert. . .and it's art.
ReplyDeleteI know, I know. . .it's ancient history. . .and actually quite amazing, if only someone knew what it all meant.
Seems you guys are enjoying your down time. . .safe travels!
Janice
ReadyToGoFullTimeRVing.com
Looks like a fun hike!
ReplyDeleteSeems as if we just missed you guys. We arrived in Alamogordo a few days ago. Safe Travels!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is our first visit to your blog. I love the photos and the desert. The wild burro photo is my favorite. I have never heard of a cristate saguaro cactus. I will keep my eyes open when we get that way in the spring. Very nice blog. Marsha
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