Return to Organ Pipe NM & A Fun Day Trip to Rocky Point Mexico

Puerto Penasco, Mexico (68 degrees, bright blue skies

The last few days of Debbie's visit was spent hiking and exploring in Organ Pipe National Monument.  We also took her for the day to Rocky Point Mexico. In addition, we met up with our friends J.C. and Bev again.  We all had a great time together.  The desert is starting to bloom and it was really pretty. 

JC, Bev, Me, & John
Alamo Canyon, Organ Pipe NM

John and I had hiked this canyon about a month ago.  We were amazed how much it had changed.    The plants were taller and more abundant along the trail  This is our first time seeing the desert in bloom.

Saguaro Cactus

 

Prickly Pear

It is great to see J.C. and Bev again. They had already spent about a week in this area and had so much to show us.  We also saw our friends Mal and Marsha who stay in Why in the fall and winter. (see earlier posts). Unfortunately, Marsha had a terrible cold and we could not spend much time together. 

Brittle Bush (yellow flowers)

Debbie with a blooming Ocotillo

J.C. and Bev
Chola Cactus in bloom

We spent one day in search of crested cactus.  I have written about these unusual cactus a couple of times.  They really intrigued us.  I'll show some more of them in a future post.  It's really exciting when you find one. Bev had picked up a Junior Ranger Guide that helped us find many of them in Organ Pipe.   

Crested Cactus

Debbie really loves the beach and it was fun to plan a trip to the sea.  J.C. and Bev helped us plan a day trip to Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) Mexico. The border is very close to Why and it's an easy drive (50 miles)  to this very pretty coastal town along the Sea of Cortez.. 

Bev and J.C. have been here many times and like the area very much.  Currenlty due to all the unrest it is s advised to only drive in this area during the day and to limit your exploring to the main tourist areas. 

Rocky Point Beach

After arriving we enjoyed a great lunch together next to the  Playa Bonita campground.  The sea breezes were delightful along with the margaritas and fresh seafood.

J.C. having a siesta

We had fun shopping and picked up a few bargains.  Prices were very reasonable and the shops seemed happy to have some business.  There are not many tourists in the shopping area.

J.C. and Bev have camped in the past at Playa Bonita R.V. Park.  We walked around the park and really liked it.  It was about 3/4 full and seemed to be very well maintained. 

Playa Bonita RV Park

Many folks who stay at the park have their RV's repaired, painted, or washed and waxed because the prices are very reasonable.  We saw several rigs having some work completed. 

Lots of the RVers stay for awhile.  They set up some nice patios to take advantage of the great weather and beach. Rates are $22/night ($27 ocean front) or $132 weekly ($189 ocean front). They are full hook sites that even include Wi-Fi. 

Fresh shrimp is available everywhere.  We purchased two pounds of huge blue shrimp for only $6/pound.  They even gave us a huge bundle of fresh asparagus.   The next day Bev cooked us a wonderful shrimp scampi dinner. It was such a treat. 

Huge Blue Shrimp

We had a great time and would definitely return again for a longer stay.  It was fun to see Debbie walking along the beach.  She so loves the ocean.  Thanks J.C. & Bev for planning such a great day trip. 

Cowboys & Cactus

Tucson, Arizona (72 degrees, blue skies)

Our friend Debbie, from Indianapolis, flew out to visit us for a week.  It was so good to see her.  We'd been planning some fun places for her to see in the area.  She loves cowboys, so it seemed logical to take her to the Tucson Rodeo.  There were lots handsome cowboys everywhere! 

This rodeo lasts for two weeks in February and has been here since 1925.  It was a fun day.  We spent the day walking around the grounds and later watching the barrel racing, bronco & bull riding, and much more in the grand stands.  The highlight was watching the ProRodeo riders.  They compete for prize money but its not easy work. 



Clown

Debbie has a great Sony camera with a telephoto lens. Most of these pictures were taken by her and they really turned out great and caught the action. 


If you look carefully in the picture about you can see the clown curled up in the barrel.  This was one angry bull. 

The next day we went to the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum.  We visited this beautiful place several years ago before we were fulltimers.  There is so much to see and many of the cactus had started to bloom. 



Prickly pear



This outdoor museum has a wide variety of plants and animals. There are many tours led by the volunteer docents to choose from each day that are included with the admission.  The cost is $14.50/per person but we were able to use our coupon book and received one ticket for free.  There is also a military discount available. 

Desert blooms

We loved walking along the many trails.  My favorite place in the hummingbird room. Debbie's pictures really captured them so well.  They flew around us as we walked around the room 

Look carefully (babies are in the nest)

I have probably posted too many pictures of them.  But, they were all so beautiful. 

Blue agave cactus can be used to make tequila.  A huge stem extends from the cactus and flowers at night.  It has to extend so high up in the air because it is pollinated by bats.

We saw our first crested saguaro cactus in Why Arizona a few weeks ago.  They are very rare (one in 200,000) and fascinating to see. It is not exactly known what causes this phenomena. 



The highlight of day was the Raptor Free Flight with the Harris Hawk's.  Several of these amazing birds flew around the area as one of the guides narrated.  There were several handlers that worked with the birds. It was so cool to watch them in action.   

Harris Hawk

After a full day at the museum we drove out to the Saguaro National Park and drove around the loop looking at the huge and numerous Saguaro cactus.  The visitor center told us about another crested cactus just outside the gate. It was a great day and so nice to share it with Debbie. 

Saguaro National Park



Crested Saguaro Cactus