Wednesday May 14, '14

I am back in Needles, California tonight.  The Colorado River is beautiful right outside my window, but it is quarter of 8 and 96 degrees.  I thought I'd tough it out just to celebrate the last really hot day but Liv and I just sat there and stared at each other--me sweating and her with her ears bright pink trying to get rid of heat.  So by 6:30 or so I put the fan on so I would move enough to do something about dinner.  At least the sun is gone, if not the heat.  I think we are going to get up very early and leave here by 6 or 6:30 to get out of the desert before it hits 100 degrees tomorrow.  I plan on taking highway 395 north up along the east side of the Sierra Nevada.  I haven't been along that route in years.


Now, to continue with the last of the catch-up news . . .

On Sunday evening (May 12) I felt that my ankle was completely healed.  Livy and I took a last walk around and I took a few pictures at Quail Ridge RV Park.  Cochise County has several ranges of mountains in it. and the first picture is of the range to the west of the RV park.  That soft look is usual for late in the day because wind stirs up enough dust through the day that the hard edges of the rocky terrain disappear.

The park has several hundred spaces for RVs, and is very crowded winter and spring.  By April, however, almost everyone has left.  The area is high enough that it never gets as hot as Phoenix or Tucson, but even the holdouts that were still there in May told me they were leaving in another week.

Quail Ridge RV sites are all gravel, but some trees and bushes are here and there.

These little birds and the desert cottontails were great entertainment for Livy and me.

Note the MIA/POW flag flying at the park's community center.

Monday morning I headed north to Highway 10, then west to South Tucson, in Pima County.  I caught a little local road, highway 86, west toward the town of Why to go south to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  I have camped at Organ Pipe four times over the last 25 years and have travelled this road each time.  But the last time was more that 15 years ago and times have greatly changed the atmosphere and the area.

Highway 86 was in somewhat worse shape even though the numbers of people living along it had greatly increased.  The middle section of the length of the road goes through the Tohono O'Ohdam nation, and even there I saw many more homes, new schools, and businesses.

But the biggest change in both Cochise and Pima counties is the feeling of being in the middle of a theatre of war.  The Border Patrol is everywhere.  In both counties I encountered roadblocks on all of the local highways heading away from the border.  The roadblocks start with speed reduction signs about half a mile out, and you are down to 15 mph by the time you are in sight of the roadblock.  They have a gigantic canvas sunshade arching across the lanes and rumble strips to slow you to a crawl.  The officers are wearing bulletproof vests and carrying military arms.  They ask where you have been, who is with you, and take a close look.

I got a very personal experience with the level of concern when I pulled over to the side of highway 86 to read an historical marker.  I pulled back onto the road and in about 30 seconds realized that I was being followed by a border patrol vehicle blinking red and blue lights at me.  The two men split and walked up on the driver and passenger sides of Myrtle to ask why I'd stopped, who I was, where I was going, and explained that in a stop as short as I had made a transfer of contrabrand drugs or people could be made.  I invited them in to check, which they did, and we talked about the Arizona border.  I was interested in Organ Pipe Cactus NM and whether it was safe.  They patrol the park and the campground, particularly at night, and said that it should be safe for me.

I was amazed at how few people were in the campground--I had only been there in winter and spring.  This is "dry summer" on the border and visitors are few and far between.  I camped in the first row of campsites, within spitting distance of the rangers house, on the advice of the visitor center volunteers who convinced me I would be safe.  There were a number of RVs near me--we all met while we were out walking after dinner.  I especially enjoyed the german family who were missing their cats and thought Livy was very bold.  They got a kick out of her hunting lizards instead of mice, once they understood what she was trying to do.

The Sonoran Desert is an amazing place, and this national monument is a biome preserve.  It is the northern limit of the organ pipe cactus and several other unique species, and the effect of climate change is being studied carefully here.  Since the 1980s the average temperature has increased two degrees and drought conditions are adding to the stress.  (I did drive through an amazing valley full of Joshua trees in northern Arizona the next morning.  It looked far healthier that Joshua Tree National Park.)

I took some pictures on our evening walk, then took more on an early walk the next morning.

I snuggled Myrtle's door right up against an
Organ Pipe Cactus for extra security.

yep

Here's the outside view in the morning sun.  The bush next to my Organ Pipe
is an Ocotillo.  They are extremely prickly, and look dead until it rains.
Then they leaf out in a matter of hours.

Cholla (choi-ya) are cactus that grow in segments.  Sometimes they are called "jumping cactus" because the segments attach so easily to anything that brushes against them, and then easily separate to be carried away.  The spines are very painful and difficult to remove.  Teddybear cholla are very cute--they have chubbier segments but the same blond spines as the chainfruit below.

Chainfruit Cholla.  The hanging chains are fruit that ripen over years,  The oldest burst open when it rains so that birds will spread the seeds.

The cholla below, also chainfruit, looks like it became too top heavy and snapped off at its base.

The cholla is gradually dying, with the base and the youngest growth going first.

You can see the skeleton of the cactus where the outer shin has broken down,

I included that last picture for those who've seen the piece of cactus skeleton I have in my living room.  It reminds me of how complex these plants really are.


This is a reminder of similar plants I've shot in Walnut Canyon and other places.  In Organ Pipe Cactus NM they are much larger, but blossoms are behind in development.

I did see some beginning to bloom at a lower
elevation in the monument.

Finally, there are flowers in the Sonoran Desert.  They bloom in March, though with the drought the flowers are not so able to bloom.

Some of this is Brittlebush--I'm just not sure which!

I spent last night at Blake Ranch RV Park and Horse Motel outside of Kingman Arizona, up off of I-40 (the modern version of Route 66).  I spent the morning in Kingman--Myrtle got a bath at the Blue Beacon truckwash.  It was just as much fun as the first time!  I also spent some time at KMart doing some grocery and housekeeping shopping.  I still need to find some fresh fruit and veggies though.

My aim tomorrow is to get far enough into the mountains that we don't have to worry about triple digit heat.  Wish us luck!