October 18 – 19, 2021
Cabeza Prieta Overnight Adventure
Ajo Heights RV Park Ajo, Arizona
On Monday, we began our day with our usual exercise and walking routines. I saw this guy before I even left the campground.
We packed for our overnight adventure and left around 10.
We stopped in town to visit the post office and then we shared another pumpkin spice latte.
Then we were off. We drove 40 miles on dirt and gravel roads to reach our destination. You can only enter Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge with a special permit. I watched the online safety video which warns you about many of the dangers you could encounter…snakes, spiders, heat, lack of water, unexploded ordinances, people attempting to cross the border…with all the warnings…why would anyone want to go there??? It is beautiful and remote.
There is an intense Border Patrol presence and we never felt unsafe.
We passed several emergency relief stations and water supply stations as well.
We signed in at the kiosk with our permit information and we began to explore.
We had lunch at the Papago Campground.
We decided to drive further. This is the Pinacate Lava Flow. Here the road became more difficult and so the driving was slow. It would have been another 20 miles to the next campsites. We made the choice to turn around and find a place to settle.
We set up camp once but the winds were very strong and the blowing sand was rather unpleasant. We packed up and moved back to Papago Campground. Here we were somewhat protected from the wind and we had gorgeous views of the mountains. Enjoy Tim’s video.
The moon rose as the sun set.
The wind continued until about midnight and then finally it calmed and I slept. I was called to wakefulness by the song of a pack of coyotes. I know that there is nothing mystical or magical about the sunrise…I know that it is science…but what a treasure to be able to be unencumbered by lists and schedules and appointments and to be in the moment and witness the coming of the new day. The stillness, the softened light, the glory…this is my favorite part of tent camping. I had that full heart feeling. I love coffee by a morning fire, Tim and I, quiet and at ease together.
As the sun climbed a little higher, I caught sight of a pair of coyotes across the road from us and then minutes later, a third. We also saw several groups of quail scuttling about.
A beautiful raptor.
As we left Cabeza Prieta this morning, 6 Border Patrol trucks passed us traveling in the other direction.
We decided to drive through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. We took a 14-mile 4WD road, Pozo Nuevo. Fortunately for us, it had just been graded and so it was an easy, pleasant ride.
The road took us to South Puerto Blanco Drive, a road that ran parallel to the border wall.
Finally, on our way back home, we stopped at Alamo Campground. We are going to have another tent camping night on Wednesday and we wanted to check out the sites. As we were getting out of the car, we heard a roar and then saw 2 military jets flying at very low altitude directly above us and making banking manuevers in order to avoid the mountain. It was a tremendous rush!!
When we returned to Ajo, we went to the Farmers Market and Café for lunch. They had the best chicken quesadillas we have ever had…spicy and tender and cheesy and delicious.
We spent the afternoon resting and showering. This evening we did some grocery shopping for tomorrow’s trip and then walked around the Ajo town square. This small town just feels good and we enjoy being here!
