876 January 15-16, 2023 Goodbye Ajo

Sunday was grey, windy, and there were intermittent rain showers all morning.  I finally got out to walk after noon.

It rained again on and off all day.  The survival of the plants and animals in this green desert depends on these winter rains, along with the summer monsoons.  It was a good day to rest and to prepare for leaving.  It was also Wild Card Sunday.

This morning we left Ajo.  I am quite sure that someday we will find ourselves back in this quirky little town.  The week we have spent here has passed quickly and we have enjoyed our time.

We traveled to Gila Bend where we saw that diesel was 4.09 per gallon.  We filled the RV and headed west on 8. 

We arrived at Painted Rock Petroglyph Site and Campground in early afternoon.  We have stayed here several times before.  I love that we are 12 miles from the highway in a really remote location.  The roads in the campground allow us to take the RV into the desert.  I recall that it is very quiet and very dark. 

We hiked 2 miles into the desert on a gravel BLM road.

There were puddles of water in the low-lying areas after recent rain.

We saw coyote tracks in the muddy washes.

There were lots of animal burrows dug in the soft dirt.

Beautiful scenery all around.

We stopped to rest in this abandoned corral.

Tim had seen a ridge of volcanic rock from our campsite and this was our goal.  From the top we could see a long way.

On the way back, we decided to leave the main trail and traipse across the desert.

The sun finally came out just minutes before it set.