January 25, 2007

January 25, 2007

With the weather warming up we drive three hours west to a fairly isolated section of southwestern Arizona to visit Organ Pipe National Monument. Along the way we pass a steady stream of RV’s heading in the opposite direction. Aimee and I keep wondering where they are coming from. Once at the national park, a ranger suggests we take their twenty-mile scenic loop. This unpaved drive takes us up into the Ajo Mountain foothills where there is a large concentration of Organ Pipe cacti. Along the way we learn that Organ Pipes are even more rare in the US than Saguaros. Organ Pipes are very sensitive to cold and only grow within 80 miles of this park and then mostly on the southern exposures of the local mountains. Like saguaros and barrels, they are large columnar cacti too, but instead of a single shoot, they grow in a large cluster, hence the name Pipe Organ. The park is very pretty and is a cactus lover’s paradise with huge stands of organ pipes, saguaros and chollas. Part way along the driving loop, we stop to view a large natural rock arch that lies at the top of the mountain. We hike the steep rocky trail up to the backside of the arch but stop short of our goal because of lack of time. We have a long drive back.

The Mexican border is only a few miles south of the park visitors’ center. Southwestern Arizona must be a common point of illegal crossing as one hiking trail in the park was closed due to smuggling activity and we saw lots of border patrol agents on the drive back. There has to be easier ways to get in the US than walking thirty miles thru this very arid, rocky desert where every piece of vegetation has huge thorns. I would hitch a ride on one of the numerous RVs traveling thru here if they are not already doing so.