Arizona Road Trip, 2023 – Easy Desert Days in the Tucson Mountains

Saguaro National Park West, Tucson Mountain Park, Gilbert Ray Campground, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum

March 17-20, 2023

From Catalina State Park, I drove west across the northern outskirts of Tucson to arrive at Saguaro National Park West where I would be camping nearby for three nights at the Gilbert Ray Campground in Tucson Mountain Park. After stops for gas, groceries, and a quick check of my email, I entered the park and made my way to Signal Hill for a short morning hike and a look at the ancient petroglyphs there.

I also took easy walks on the Esperanza Trail,

and on the Desert Discovery Nature Trail where I admired the beautiful shapes of the cacti and tiny shapes too like the lovely white bells of twist flowers and the green and yellow seed pods and flowers of western tansy mustard.

I then visited the excellent Saguaro National Park West Visitors Centre where I got a hiking map, browsed the books, and viewed a moving and beautiful film of gorgeous desert photography, narrated in part by members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, including one Daniel Preston who says, “The desert speaks to our people in many ways. We feel honoured to be here in this desert to hear the things it says.” I teared up and felt exactly the same.

From the Visitors Center I proceeded to my campground and was pleased with my site but there was no shade to be had over the noon hour so I drove to the nearby Brown Mountain picnic site with its covered shelter. This quiet and scenic spot became my much-appreciated mid-day sanctuary for lunches and for afternoon journal writing, reading, and resting over the next three days.

Late in the afternoon, after a good rest, I debated whether to walk the 6 kilometre Brown Mountain Trail that passes near my the picnic site. My ankle was improving so I decided that I would set out on the lower section of the trail and decide later whether to climb up onto the long ridge of Brown Mountain (to the left) to complete the entire loop.

The walking was easy and fun, and I decided to continue on the loop. The trail circled around to the western side of Brown Mountain and then began to climb.

There were fabulous views as I gained in elevation, looking back to the north,

and forward to the south in the direction of travel along the top of the ridge.

It was so fun to walk along the undulating ridge line with views in all directions. The sun was lowering in the sky as I neared the last rise,

and looked back along the ridge to the far peak of Brown Mountain. I had barely noticed the distance covered!

This was the view before the final quick switch-backing descent off the ridge, with my campground visible in the centre of the valley below. I felt so grateful to be here and to be able to do this hike!

The next morning, I rose early for my visit to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum which is the number one attraction in the Tucson area. Priced at almost $30 U.S. it was an expensive but very worthwhile place to learn more about the geology, palaeontology, minerals, hydrology, flora, fauna, and human history of the Sonoran Desert. I spent five hours there and didn’t see everything! The museum covers 21 acres with more than two miles of walking paths through various habitats such as desert scrub and grasslands, mountain woodland, riparian corridor, etc., and it features 230 animal species and over 1,200 types of plants. Here are just a few of the beautiful creatures there that I was able to observe and admire. First, my favourite, the gorgeous mountain lion.

Then the ocelot which was bigger than I had expected. Like the mountain lion, I was lucky to see him grooming himself leisurely and then moving in that graceful, powerful, and easy manner of all cats. Mostly found in the northern reaches of the Mexican Sonoran desert, the ocelots can occassionaly be found north of the border in remote areas of southern Texas and Arizona.

This Mexican wolf was one of a pack of five. I’m all nerves watching any big canine, but I will admit that they are beautiful creatures as well.

The museum also featured so many beautiful plants all along the pathways and also in five botanical gardens including the Agave Garden,

as well as the Desert, Cactus, and Pollinator gardens.

There was an excellent outdoor Bird Show, with a pair of ravens, a great horned owl, a crested cara cara, and then four Harris hawks flying over and near the assembled visitors, with excellent commentary about the each type of raptor. I was amazed to learn that Harris Hawks hunt as a team in small groups, the only raptor to do so. I finished off my visit to the museum by attending a live Animal Show that featured two venomous reptiles, a Gila monster and a rattle snake. Again, the commentary was excellent and covered the characteristics, adaptations, behaviours, habitats, and conservation concerns of these fascinating desert creatures.

After my very educational visit to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum I had a late lunch and rest at my picnic spot and then decided to make a quick drive up to Gates Pass. With grades of up to thirteen percent, the road through the pass rises from the valley floor to cut between the mountains and then descend to Tucson. The top of the pass is a popular sunset viewing spot. This is the view from the parking area up to an old concrete hiking hut that has two visitors standing atop it.

I climbed up to the hut and then beyond it,

and enjoyed the views all around, including this view to the west.

Happy with my day, I returned to camp for dinner and then enjoyed an easy walk around the campground walk at sunset, thrilled to hear the excited yipping of coyotes in the distance.

On my last full day in the Tucson Mountains I had planned to hike the King Canyon trail up to Wasson Peak and then loop back along the Hugh Norris and Gould Mine Trails, for a total distance of 13 kilometres and an elevation gain of 2000 feet. Hmmm, what to do? I decided that I would set out on the trail and go as far as was comfortable for my ankle. The day was perfect for hiking, with a lightly overcast sky and cool breeze, and I enjoyed the steady climb up the King Canyon trail, with views of Wasson Peak in the distance.

I came to a saddle, with views of Tucson below, and where the trail veered left to climb up and onto a long ridge that led to another ridge and then up to the peak. I almost stopped at the saddle but decided to go just a little further. Midway along the first ridge I was able to zoom in to this view of the peak with hikers atop it. I wanted to be there too!

Slowly but surely, I continued the climb and it felt fantastic to reach that summit with its hazy views over Tucson and the distant Rincon Mountains.

I began to worry, though, as I started the descent because going down is definitely harder than going up for a sore and weak ankle. From here, I debated whether to return the way I had come, along the ridge to the left on a rocky and sometimes steep trail, or to continue on the loop which would be a greater distance.

I decided to continue the loop and veered right at the junction onto the Hugh Norris trail, still feeling worried about the distance and the descent.

But the trail was fabulous! It had a gentle gradient along a curving and mostly sandy trail that was easy underfoot, and there was the added pleasure of so many wildflowers along the route. I met three new wildflowers – the yellow and orange broom-like deer vetch, the bright yellow and white of desert dandelions, and the Dr. Seuss-like round purple balls of chia flowers.

As the trail meandered, I could stop to admire the ever-changing and stunning distant views,

or close-up views of garden after garden with the rocks, cacti, grasses and wildflowers perfectly placed by nature.

And, I passed my first (and ultimately only) specimen of blooming cactus on my trip to Arizona – the bright pink flowers of a pin cushion cactus.

Down, down, with views all around, walking free and easy, I was as happy as happy can be with this trail, with this day, and with my time in the beautiful Tucson Mountains and desert. Thank you Arizona.

Arizona Road Trip, 2023 – Birthday Mishap in Ajo, Adjust and Carry On!

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Ajo, San Xavier del Bac Mission, Tucson’s Museum of Arizona, Saguaro National Park East, and Catalina State Park

March 11 – 16

On my second morning in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, I took an early morning walk on the Victoria Mine Trail. It was a fun trail that rose up onto low ridges and down into thickly-vegetated washes, and it’s where I encountered a very pretty wildflower with a very pretty name: Fairy Dusters.

I felt so good striding along, fit and healthy and so happy to be there on my birthday, and I made an impulsive decision to take a trip back into Ajo because the previous day I had learned that there would be a festival in the town plaza with food, music, and arts and crafts booths. Fun! So off I went, back north on that wonderfully scenic drive,

and sure enough I arrived in town to a bustling and colourful scene of locals and visitors enjoying a festival. I watched pairs of children and then ladies dancing traditional Spanish dances, complete with colourful swirling skirts, strolled one length of the arts and crafts booths, and then ordered a Sonoran hot dog which was advertised as a “bacon-wrapped hot dog with pinto beans, salsa verde, tomato, onion, mayonnaise, avocado crema, and cotija cheese.” It was going to take a while for the order to be ready so I visited the beautiful raptors on display by an organization that rescues, rehabilitates, and then releases (whenever possible) injured raptors. Sadly, I learned that many of the birds they help have been shot at! There was a great horned owl, a Harris hawk, and a peregrine falcon – all incredibly impressive and beautiful creatures (please click on each photo for a closer look if you like).

While speaking with the rescue volunteers about the similar work done by OWL in the Lower Mainland, I heard my name called for my food order so I started to rush over. I didn’t notice a section of uneven pavement, twisted my ankle and fell down hard. My right ankle immediately began to swell. Oh no! This entire trip was about hiking and driving, and I also immediately thought about the two long distance walks that I have booked in Ireland in June! Two gentlemen rushed to help me up, a festival organizer went to fetch some ice, and a kind U.S. Parks Ranger that was manning a booth nearby delivered my hot dog to me. I found a bit of shade to sit in, iced my ankle, and tried to enjoy my meal while a few tears fell as I worried about my trip. I had 12 kilometres of hiking, on two wonderful trails, planned for that afternoon alone!

I sat for almost an hour, then limped up another avenue of arts and crafts booths, determined to “enjoy myself”. I did chat with a woman, in her late seventies, who was selling earrings that she makes and after I chose a pair she asked me to chose another pair free as a birthday present. She is a nomad, living on Social Security alone, and travelling and living full time in her RV, saving money by mostly camping for free on Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service public lands. I felt cheered up by our talk and her kindness and felt ready to attempt the drive back to Organ Pipe. Thankfully I was able to drive without too much pain and I returned to camp and spent the entire rest of the day elevating and icing my ankle, reading, and resting. That evening, I limped in the darkness (carefully, and with a headlamp) to the campground’s amphitheatre to attend an excellent ranger-led program on the flora and fauna of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. Despite my mishap in Ajo, and worries about my mobility in the days ahead, I felt very grateful to be where I was, under a starry sky, learning more about the unique and beautiful landscape of the Sonoran Desert.

The next day I woke early, breakfasted, iced and elevated my ankle while I read, and then when I got bored I drove to the nearby Visitors Centre to access wifi, catch up on my email, and download photos from my camera. While there, I overhead the park rangers recommending the Ajo Mountain loop drive to visitors. This 21 mile scenic drive, with its two trails and 18 interpretive stops had been on my “to do” list for the previous day so I decided that I would go ahead and do the drive, without the hikes. I am so glad that I did! The well-maintained gravel road was not busy and I was easily able to stop again and again to walk a few steps, learn about the local flora, fauna, geology and human history from the interpretive guide, and photograph the mountains and cacti, including some wonderful specimens of organ pipe cactus.

I also met a few new wildflowers scattered in amongst the poppies and lupines including purple wild hyacinth, bright white chicory, and tiny rock daisies.

I did feel sad when I arrived at the beginning of the Arch Rock trail which is an easy three kilometre hike that leads enticingly into a canyon. I briefly considered limping my way in, but that would have been foolish so instead I dug into my cooler for some lunch and ice for my ankle and I had a little rest on my bed in the Toyota.

I continued on the loop drive and felt a little sad again as I passed the trailhead to the next hike, but mostly I felt so much joy, excitement, and gratitude as I took in the impressive and ever-changing mountain and desert views.

Back at camp, I spent most of the rest of the day reading and continuing to nurse my ankle, and I also went to the Visitors Centre again to look at their displays and browse through their books. There was still so much left to explore in this beautiful park and I made a decision to definitely return here again one day. In this last photo from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, I feel like the saguaros are waving to me cheerily and saying, “Goodbye, we hope to see you again sometime soon!”

The next morning I began the 150 mile journey east to Tucson on the wonderfully quiet and scenic Highway 86 that traverses south central Arizona, largely through the lands and several small towns of the Tohono O’odham Nation. Just south of Tucson, I stopped to visit the San Xavier del Bac Mission. A mission was first established here in 1694 by the Spanish Jesuit priest Father Kino, and the complex of buildings still standing today was completed in 1797 by Francision missionaries. Often called the “White Dove of the Desert”, the mission has continued to be an active parish as well as a place of pilgrimage.

Built of adobe bricks and stucco, the exterior is incredibly beautiful with its carved sandstone facade, balconies, and two tall Moorish-inspired towers. One of the towers was never completed which adds an usual touch of asymmetry to the church.

The inside of the church seemed very dim and surprisingly small after the bright whiteness and grandeur of its exterior. The main altar, with its gilded columns and many brightly painted statues of saints was undergoing restoration. I love the photo below, to the right, looking back over the pews towards the brightly-lit entrance door and up to the painted walls and dome of the church.

One of my favourite parts of the mission was this view of the mortuary chapel with its simple lines and sparse and elegant cactus garden.

From San Xavier del Bac, I drove north on the outskirts of Tucson to Saguaro National Park East, located in the foothills of the Rincon Mountains which rise to almost 9,000 feet. I drove the 8 mile Cactus Forest Loop Drive that winds through the park and stopped at each pullout and at the paved Desert Ecology interpretive trail. I admired a trio of fruiting barrel cacti (top right), learned about palo verde trees with their green trunks and branches (middle right), and encountered a new kind of cacti, staghorn cholla (bottom left). Near the end of the loop drive, I put on my hiking boots for the first time since my fall and carefully hiked the very short (1.1 mile) and easy Freeman Homestead Trail with its impressive saguaros, some of which reached forty feet high.

From Saguaro National Monument I drove to my airbnb in central Tucson, a small studio suite in a rather groovy Tucson home with a large walled and covered exterior patio just outside of my room. The original art in the suite was painted by my kind hostess who is a horse lover and owner.

I enjoyed some quiet time in my airbnb for the rest of the day and into the evening, and the following day I toured downtown Tucson (such a wonderful city! See the post here: https://christineswalkabout.com/2023/03/14/arizona-road-trip-2023-a-fun-day-in-tucson/). The following morning, I woke to an overcast day with rain just beginning to fall. Originally I had planned to do the Seven Falls hike in Sabino Canyon on my way to Catalina State Park but that was now impossible with my ankle so I decided to visit the Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona. I was impressed by the campus with its broad avenues, stately buildings, and large mature trees, and it was fun to see the students heading to and from classes with their backpacks on and ear buds in – they could be on any campus in North America.

The Arizona State Museum is the oldest and largest anthropology research facility in the American southwest. Its visitor galleries exhibit a selection of baskets, pottery, jewellery and other artefacts that span thousands of years of human history throughout the southwest.

I was impressed by this fragment of finely woven cotton cloth, some of the threads dyed with indigo, that is dated from the years 1250-1500. Cotton was grown on irrigated fields, harvested, carded, spun into threads with whorls and spindles, and woven on vertical looms.

I took my time in the museum and watched several interesting and educational films on topics related to the indigenous peoples of the southwest, past and present, and to the research and conservation work done by the museum. I was very glad to have visited.

Then it was time to head about fifteen miles north, through the suburban sprawl of north Tucson and the Oro Valley to Catalina State park for two nights of camping. The rain was light, but I was cautioned by the park rangers at the entrance that I could possibly be stranded at the campground, depending upon the amount of rainfall over the next 24 hours, because access to the campground required fording a dry wash that could flood quickly. I decided to risk it, checked out my site, and then set out on a short nature trail that was up on a small rise. The rain had eased off but the poppies stayed closed, waiting for the sun, while spherical drops of water sat prettily on the lupine leaves.

I enjoyed views of the craggy Catalina Mountains, and I also found new wildflowers – the bright yellow and orange flowers of common fiddleneck and the tiny white flowers and bristles of Arizona popcorn flower.

My ankle was feeling better and was well-supported by my hiking boots so I decided to also walk the Birding Trail. First, I had to go barefoot to cross the wide but not deep Sutherland wash.

The sandy trail first led through an area of thick and verdant new grass that contrasted with the dark trunks and branches of mesquite trees not yet in leaf.

On a drier section of the trail, I spotted by first Arizona roadrunner! He is so well camouflaged. Can you find him in the very centre of this photo?

Here is another, much better view as off he goes!

Later I saw another roadrunner, and then another! Also on this walk, many small, fast, and unidentifiable (to me) birds flew between the trees and understory but I did see a brilliant flash of red, a cardinal, in a tree and then hunting for food on the ground. His bright red feathers almost glowed!

As I neared the end of my walk on the birding trail, the rain started up again in earnest so I made my way to one of several group picnic sites in the park and took refuge under its large shelter where I read for a while and then cooked up a hot dinner. This was my view of a double rainbow as the sun emerged while the rain still fell. I stayed under that shelter, tucked up in blankets on my camp chair and reading a great book, until darkness fell and then I readied my Toyota for sleep, drove to my site, and within minutes was snug in my sleeping bag, ready for the next chapter, literally and figuratively. 🙂

The next day, I decided to attempt the Romero Canyon trail to the Romero Pools, a distance of just over 8 kilometres return. I crossed the Sutherland wash and climbed a short steep hill to a wide path that crossed a small grassy plateau and lead towards the mountains.

There, the trail narrowed to a single track and began to climb past heaping mounds of brittle bush.

I loved being able to recognize all of my favourite plants so far: Ocotillo, purple phacelia, wild hyacinth, and pink fairy dusters,

And I found more new wildflowers (Clockwise from centre top: hop bush, owl clover, desert penstemon, and desert wishbone bush).

It was a fun trail to hike as it angled up and across the mountainside, with views down into a canyon. I was so happy, all alone here, climbing steadily,

and stopping every now and then to turn and appreciate the expansive views back down and across to the Oro Valley and the distant mountains.

My ankle was doing okay and my energy was good but then I came to a section that required a lot of rock scrambling. There was perhaps only about a kilometre left to go, up and over this saddle and down the other side, but caution told me that this was probably enough of a hike less than a week after my injury. Best to stop while I was ahead!

I headed back down carefully and then I alternated between resting my ankle and puttering about in camp until the late afternoon when I decided to walk part of the Sutherland Trail. There I found yet another new-to-me wildflower, the Desert Evening Primrose. So beautiful!

On the return journey to camp I walked onto the sands of Sutherland Wash. The lowering sun gilded the scene looking both upstream,

and downstream.

What a gorgeous place! Despite my recent mishap in Ajo, I was thrilled with my travels so far, and I was ready to keep on carrying on.

Arizona Road Trip, 2023 – Joshua Tree, Gila Bend, Ajo, and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

March 8-10, 2023

After my night at Black Rock Canyon campground, it was a very short drive to enter Joshua Tree National Park. This park protects a very unique and wonderfully otherworldly landscape of Mojave desert that is punctuated by giant jumbled piles of immense granite boulders and decorated with Joshua trees and other interesting and unusual plants.

I had visited Joshua Tree once before on a day trip from Palm Springs with Brent, Sophie, and Daniel, and I was excited to revisit the park and hike more of its trails. As a former teacher and a lover of natural history, I find it hard to resist nature trails and on the Hidden Valley and Barker Dam trails I read every single interpretive panel about the flora, fauna, geology, and human history of this special place. On the Hidden Valley trail, scattered pinyon pines, juniper, and scrub oaks were tucked into the shelter of giant rock piles. They are relics from a time when this part of the Mojave Desert was much wetter,

while cholla, stag horn and prickly pear cactus, as well as creosote bushes and yucca, dominate the sandy expanses that are fully exposed to the sun.

I spent the hottest part of the afternoon at my wonderful Jumbo Rocks campsite where I made lunch, read for a while, and then had fun exploring the rock piles and scampering up for a great view of the campground below.

In the late afternoon, I did the Split Rock trail which is less-frequented than many of the other trails. It was such a joy to walk alone amongst the jumbled boulders and Joshua trees, and then to end at Split Rock which is at least three or four stories high!

The next morning, I said goodbye to Joshua Tree National Park and exited to the town of Twentynine Palms where I took a short morning walk around the Oasis of Mara nature trail, and then stopped to photograph the picturesque Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.

From there, I headed east on the very quiet and scenic Highway 62. I loved this road and kept stopping to take photo after photo as the landscape unfolded before me and to either side of the highway where the dry sandy expanse was dotted with creosote bushes, dried grasses, and the graceful and delicate flourishes, by the roadside, of dune evening primrose and purple-coloured desert sand verbena.

Empty of habitation and of almost any other vehicles, the road stretched towards distant mountains,

passed through them,

and continued on towards another line of mountains, tinged pink, in the distance.

Beyond those far hills, Highway 62 East met Highway 177, and I turned south to travel another scenic road through more wide and lonely expanses of desert edged with distant mountains. This highway was somewhat busy which helped prepare me for the next turn, east onto Interstate 10, where I had to speed up and be hyper-focused as I drove along with the huge volume of cars and large transport trucks. Barely able to glance at the countryside, I did register some excitement when I crossed over the Colorado River into Arizona and when I saw my first saguaro cacti on hillsides soon thereafter. Hooray! I made a stop in Quartzite, famous among nomads, boon-dockers and vanlifers, where I enjoyed browsing for a few gifts at the huge Gem and Mineral World warehouse. Then, it was back on the I-10 East until, thankfully, I exited that fast and busy freeway to connect with Old Highway 80 south through a now very green world of agricultural fields irrigated by the Gila River. This area has known human habitation and use for thousands of years, and from about 300 to 1200 AD the Hohokam peoples constructed sophisticated canal systems here that irrigated vast fields of cotton, corn, beans and squash.

I continued south on Old Highway 80 and made a stop at the historic Gillespie Dam Bridge that crosses the Gila River. Built in 1927 of steel trusses, it was once the longest bridge in Arizona and from the small pull out at its end there was a view of the long concrete expanse of the Gila dam which was destroyed by a huge flood in 1993.

Soon I reached the town of Gila Bend but I didn’t have time to explore it as the sun was lowering in the sky and I wanted to arrive at my chosen campground before dark so I continued on about 18 miles west, and then up through some hills, to camp at the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site and Campground, a deal at only $8 a night. The campsite was on a wide plateau and there was a wonderful timeless feel to this place. I took a walk to loosen up my limbs after my day of driving, cooked up a quick dinner, viewed the ancient petroglyphs in the dying light, and then settled in to watch a lovely sunset and, in the opposite direction, a rising and very bright full moon. It was blissfully quiet as night descended, and I ended my day with a contented sense of peace, comfort, safety and much gratitude.

The next day I awakened just before sunrise. I took a walk in the cool morning air and watched the sky lighten into blue and pink while the full moon descended towards the horizon.

Then, as the sun rose, I went to revisit the petroglyphs. There are hundreds of them here, etched into dark basalt boulders on a granite hill over a time period that spans almost 9000 years, from about 7500 BC to 1450 AD. There were excellent interpretive panels that explained the history and significance of these petroglyphs as well as information about the culture of the peoples who made them.

I walked farther afield in the now bright morning light and photographed my first saguaro cactus as well as several pretty wildflowers (purple Notch-leaved Phacelia and Desert Sunflower), unknowing that I would be blessed with oodles of wildflowers later on this day as well as in the days to come.

I tarried a bit over breakfast, reluctant to leave this beautiful and peaceful place, but I had camping reservations further south so I returned to Gila Bend where I stopped for gas, groceries and ice, and I also had a fun session of strolling the main drag to take photos of this small town that functions as a highway pit stop for travellers and an agricultural entrepôt.

I particularly enjoyed my time at this colourful store and taco shop that was full of imported Mexican handicrafts including brightly painted pottery and whimsical metal sculptures.

Happy with my morning, and ready to move on, I found my way to Highway 85 South, headed for Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument which is located just north of the Mexican border. It is a place that I have wanted to see for years and years. The drive was beautiful with so many wildflowers lining the highway and carpeting the desert. I stopped again and again to marvel at the swaths of bright yellow bladderpods, blue lupines, and Mexican gold poppies, as well as purple phacelia, heaping mounds of brittle bush with its yellow daisy-like flowers, and elegant orange globemallow. So pretty!

But the wildflowers weren’t the only attraction. The road undulated towards and between craggy hills and mountains that were covered with saguaro, organ pipe, barrel, and cholla cacti, as well as the graceful branches of Ocotillo, and the green of creosote bushes that were sporting both their yellow blooms and their tiny white seed puff balls. It was incredibly and surprisingly green!

Forty miles south of Gila Bend, the highway passed through Ajo, a very picturesque and well-kept town. I photographed the striking Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, built in 1925 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style,

as well as the very elegant Ajo Federated Church, Methodist, built in 1926 in the same style.

Across from the churches was Ajo’s lovely plaza where I visited the town library, browsed briefly through several art galleries and a thrift shop, and then treated myself to a late lunch of tacos at a great little Mexican restaurant. It was a very pleasant stop!

Afterwards, I continued on my journey and was soon driving past huge hills of multi-coloured rock tailings from a giant copper mine that sits just south of town. Beyond that, nature took back the reins and there was more gorgeous scenery to enjoy as I drew closer to and then entered the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument which protects 330,000 acres of Sonoran desert ecology. After a quick stop at the Visitors Centre, I arrived at the Twin Peaks campground, settled into my site, and then promptly took to the trails, camera in hand.

The saguaros were all unique and had so much personality, and the organ pipe cacti were beautiful, but my favourite plants had to be the lovely ocotillos with their slender branches and vase-like shapes.

I was ecstatic with so much beauty all around me, and I felt so grateful for the opportunity to be here. The air was warm, with a slight cooling breeze as evening approached, and I was so happy when I spied several cottontails and Gambel’s quail ahead of me on the paths as I walked. Then, as the day neared its end, the sky and the mountains to the east flushed with pink,

as the sun set in the west. What a place!

I had made it to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument!