Day 2 Twin Peaks Campground Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument Ajo, Arizona

It rained heavily and steadily all night.  It was still raining this morning with the forecast for more rain.  We packed a picnic lunch knowing we would probably have to sit in the car to eat it. 

We are getting low on supplies and so today was another PBandJ day.  I had bananas and asked Tim if he wanted a PB and banana sandwich?  “Yes, with mayonnaise!”  Do you eat your peanut butter and banana with mayonnaise???

Off we went.  Today we took the 41-mile scenic loop, North Puerto Blanco Drive. 

It rained.

All at once we could see glimpses of blue sky…real or imagined???

“This is not a desert…this is a garden,” said a visiting Saudi Arabian Prince.  The Sonoran Desert is the “hottest, wettest, and most botanically diverse of North American deserts.” 

We saw a couple of black tailed jackrabbits, a cottontail rabbit, and lots of birds.  There was a large bird sitting on a cactus.  Using our super nice binoculars, we could see that it was a huge owl.  We saw another large bird take off spooked by the Jeep.  We saw phainopepla.  We have been noticing them for weeks but did not know until today what they were.  They look like black cardinals.  There were also lots of cactus wrens, white winged doves, and dusky-capped flycatchers. 

Golden Bell Mine, an old copper mine.

Chain fruit cholla.

We have seen several water tanks marked with blue flags.  We don’t believe that they are for tourists but rather for people who have crossed the border.  These are not labeled on any map.

We have also seen these safety stations.  Written in 3 languages is this:

“If you need help push the red button.  Rescue personnel will arrive shortly to help you.  Do not leave this area.”  Along with the water tanks, these stations seem to be there to protect people from dying in this desert.  Today was a cool and damp day.  I can only imagine what walking across this desert would be like in the summer heat.

As we drove a couple of miles from the Mexican border, we saw many sets of fresh footprints in the mud.  We came upon 6 people.  There was one woman, two children around 9 or 10, and 3 men.  They appeared to be trying to dry their things out.  They had blankets and clothing spread across bushes.  They waved happily at us as we approached.  We did not stop.  Soon after passing them, we saw Border Patrol coming toward us.  Whether the van was out on regular patrol or whether someone reported the family, we are not sure.  When we turned the Jeep around after eating our lunch, they were no longer anywhere to be seen. 

Tim loving his sandwich!

The last portion of the scenic loop paralleled the border wall.   For the first 12 miles it was just this short fence.  In some places it was wrapped with barbed wire and in some places there was none.  It is easy to see how anyone who wanted to could easily cross.  We later learned that this is supposed to serve as a vehicle barrier to keep people from driving across the border.

The last 2 miles of wall were high with razor wire.

Last night during the heavy rain, my thoughts and Tim’s coincidentally returned to the young man we had seen walking earlier in the day.  We both independently wondered where he was and if he was safe.  Being this close to the border and witnessing these families has stirred up a lot of complex thoughts and feelings and made for an awful lot of good discussion.  As a mother, I cannot imagine how desperate you would have to be, to walk your children across the border.  To risk not only your life but the life of your children for the opportunity for a better future.   I understand that there are humanitarian issues, political issues, and economic consequences.  I also know that as people who live far away…we really do not understand what is happening here.  I’m also not sure that there is a good answer.  The people we saw these past two days are not smugglers.  You can bet the smugglers have a far more sophisticated means of staying out of sight.  I am reminded of what Stan told us in Big Bend.  He commented that he and I had the good fortune to be born on this side of the fence while the Mexican people had the misfortune to be born on the other side.  How easily we take for granted the life we have here and all its privileges and freedoms.  It seems really inappropriate for us to judge these people.  After all what we all really want is the best possible life for our children.

There is memorial at the visitor center for this young ranger who lost his life when a violent altercation that began in Mexico ended in the shooting of the young man when he was called to intervene. Since then, there have been a lot of changes to make things safer for everyone.