873 January 11, 2023 Desert Hike

Another lovely morning for a good walk to town and back.

After Tim finished a bike ride, we packed for another Jeep adventure.  Today we took the scenic loop here in Ajo.  As many times as we have been here, neither of us can recall having taken this road before.  The scenery was craggy and strewn with lots of cactus varieties.  The road was mostly tame with occasional rock obstacles.

We saw lots of potential tent camping sites with pretty desert views. 

For lunch, we drove south to Alamo Campground.  We had thought we might stay here Thursday evening in the tent and we were scoping out the possibilities.  It was fairly busy and the campground now operates on a reservation system.  They also no longer allow campfires.  No fire was a dealbreaker!  Even so it was a pleasant place to enjoy our picnic. 

After eating, we took the Alamo Canyon hike. 

The desert is extraordinarily green. 

There was running water in the wash. 

There was brittlebush blooming.

We sat for a while on a rock; just taking in the sights and the sound of the babbling water.

Desert bug; California bordered plant bug. These bugs live in canyons and suck juice from plants and seeds.

We could see evidence of an impressive rockslide in the middle of the trail.  As we made our way over the mess, we wondered what kind of rain might have pushed these large rocks down the hill?  What did that look like?  What did it sound like?

It was a great day!

We are planning to return to Gate 9 in the Barry Goldwater Range to camp tomorrow. We will post about our overland camping on Friday!